YOUNG ONES FAQ 1.33 & 1.34 =========================== Created by Andrew Wong (achwong@bradford.ac.uk) Contents ======== 1. What *is* THE YOUNG ONES ? 2. So how was it all created ? 3. What were the episodes about ? 3a. DEMOLITION 3b. OIL 3c. BORING 3d. BOMB 3e. INTERESTING (the one about the party) 3f. FLOOD 3g. BAMBI (the one about exams about University Challenge) 3h. CASH 3j. NASTY 3k. TIME 3m. SICK 3n. SUMMER HOLIDAY 4. Who were the regular cast and crew ? 5. What have they done since ? 5a. Adrian Edmondson 5b. Rik Mayall 5c. Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall 5d. Nigel Planer 5e. Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall and Nigel Planer 5f. Christopher Ryan 5g. Ben Elton 5h. Lise Mayer 5j. Alexei Sayle 6. Merchandise 6a. Videos 6b. Books - Batchelor Boys:The Young Ones Book Neil's Book of The Dead 6c. Singles - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones:Living Doll Neil: Hole In my Shoe Neil: My White Bicycle 6d. Album - Neil: Neil's Heavy Concept Album 7. Other articles on the Internet 8. Contributors and thanks 1. What *is* THE YOUNG ONES ? ============================= The Young Ones is a British-made television sitcom from 1982 to 1984, about four totally mis-matched students sharing a house together in the early 1980s. But there's more to it than that. It became the classic British comedy series of the early 1980s, helping to launch the then-alternative comedy scene into mainstream TV culture. Like Monty Python in the 1960s and The Goodies in the 1970s, it occasionally went into totally surreal sketches and characters that sometimes retained a vague link to the main narrative. Almost every significant "alternative" British comedian of the late 1980s and 1990s were featured in The Young Ones, either on screen or behind the scenes. Chris Barrie, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Hale & Pace, Lenny Henry, Hugh Laurie, Norman Lovett, Griff Rhys Jones, Tony Robinson, Jennifer Saunders, Mel Smith, Emma Thompson (now an Oscar winner) .... 2. So how was it all created ? ============================== During the late 1970s to early 1980s, the British "youth" culture was (yet again) in a vague alternative rebellion. Punk had hit the music culture, with bands like The Sex Pistols spitting on stage, and saying naughty swear words on live television, shocking mainstream conservative Britain. The comedy scene was no exception. Alternative comedians were now coming to the fore, with their brand of "toilet" humour mixed in with a bit of left-wing political satire and a few swear words. During this time, Rik Mayall (Rick), Adrian Edmondson, (Vyvyan) and Ben Elton had all graduated with a drama degree from Manchester University, and headed for The Comedy Store in London. This was the "centre" of the alternative-comedy scene. Mayall and Edmondson had set up a double-act called Twentieth Century Coyotes. Ben Elton established himself as a stand-up comedian and became the main compere at the Comedy Store. Nigel Planer (Neil) and Peter Richardson (later in The Comic Strip) were also a double-act entitled The Outer Limits. The original plan for The Young Ones would have throw these two double-acts together. However, for some reason Peter Richardson either rejected the idea, or was not considered. At this time, Christopher Ryan (a stage actor, not comedian) was in a play called CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY. Andy De La Tour (an alternative comedian) recommended him for the role, Paul Jackson (the producer) saw him at the play, and the rest is history :) 3. What were the episodes about ? ================================= There were two series of six episodes each, making a grand total of twelve episodes. The first paragraph will quote the backsleeve of the BBC video. The next paragraph will contain a brief sypnosis, follwed by any comments I may have. Season 1 (1982) 3a. DEMOLITON ------------- "Fascist oiks at the Town Hall want to demolish the house. Why bother with Vyv around to do the business for them ?" The Town Hall announces plans to knock their house down. This was the pilot episode, and it shows. All the essential elements that made The Young Ones what it is is there in one form or another, but some elements of the characters are expanded upon here and others contracted. Mike is more of a self-styled ladykiller, Neil keeps trying to commit suicide, Rick's poetry and love of Cliff Richard is more fanatical, and Vyvyan makes his entrance through a wall. The band playing in the living room is NINE BELOW ZERO. 3b. OIL ------- "As Rick, Vyv, Neil, and Mike move into their new house, the talking statue at the front door begins an odyssey of zaniness that is to culminate in a worker's revolution and a fully-fledged benefit concert in the front room." Moving into an new house, Vyvyan finds oil in the basement. This was made six months after DEMOLITION, yet transmitted the week after it. Infamous moments from this one include Buddy Holly singing about insects, the two hard-working executives taking a holiday in front of a 20-watt bulb, Neil having six pairs of arms and Radical Posture / Alexei Sayle singing about Dr. Marten boots. 3c. BORING ---------- "Is life really that boring for the four students ? A terrorist siege in their own house; a visitation from Hell; a fairy tale world that flourishes while they are asleep. And yet they are so B-O-R-E-D that Neil is driven to dig himself in a grave and Vyv chops his finger off." It's an average boring normal day in Studentville - or is it? This features a walk down Abbey Road (in London) to the Kebab and Calculator (in Bristol), the three bears, a red dwarf from Hell called Footoomch (sp?), Vyvyan's mother, and Madness singing House Of Fun. Anyone who was in Studentville will know days like this :) 3d. BOMB -------- "A potentially explosive situation erupts when a bomb falls on the house .... But worse ! The TV licence man calls." The lads find an atomic bomb and try to auction it to the highest seller. This involves Neil painting himself white to deflect a nuclear blast, the Dicky and Dino show, and Dexys' Midnight Runners singing "Jackie Wilson said" in the toilet. Footage of a plane dropping the bomb precedes the credits. Notice that when the gang switches on the TV to find out what's going on, the picture of the test card is actually stuck onto the TV, and the camera swings around to hide this fact after the TV has outlived its' usefulness... 3e. INTERESTING --------------- "It's party-time ! Where else could you mingle with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, a giant sandwich and a singing tomato? Pretty amazing stuff eh ? Just ignore Neil's boring hippy friend chilling-out in the fridge ... " The household organises a party. This one features Jennifer Saunders with toy mice in her handbag, Neil on the moon, Rick's sociology professor Jim Morrison, Cinderella and Santa Claus. The song is "You're My Kind Of Climate" by RIP, RIG AND PANIC, which features a young Neneh Cherry. If you've ever held a party as a stoodent, you may well sympathise with this one.. 3f. FLOOD --------- "While London floods, Rick tries to elevate proceedings with a game of hide-and-seek. Meanwhile his sociology file is set on fire by Vyv, Mike's room is occupied by a pride of lions, and landlord Alexei Sayle turns into an axe-wielding homicidal maniac." It starts with the guys being bored, and Neil repeatedly bashing himself in the face with a frying pan. The guys also try to eat Neil when he returns from the supermarket empty-handed. Vyv hides in the wardrobe and ends up in Narnia. No band. Season Two (1984) 3g. BAMBI --------- "Who produced the world's stickiest bogey and the world's stupidest bottom-burp ? Who's smashing the oiks on University Challenge and who's swotting away for teacher like a total spasmo?" The lads compete on a game show (representing Scumbag College) against some upper-class students from Footlights College, Oxbrige while The Elephant Man tries to convince Tony Robinson that he is an elephant. Probably the most famous episode, this is especially appreciated after exams! This features Motorhead performing Ace Of Spades, and lots of British stars, including someone who will later fall to pieces in front of 500,000,000 viewers across the world... 3h. CASH -------- "Hey man ! It's really wierd ! Strange things keep happening. Like plates are disappearing and the tables keep, well, shrinking. Looks like there's a poltergoost in the house...." Our heroes find themselves running out of money, Vyvyan announces his pregnancy and Neil becomes a police officer. The song is Subterranean Homesick Blues performed by (amongst others) Jools Holland, Glen Tilbrook, and Stewart Copeland (of The Police). 3j. NASTY --------- "Ashes to ashes, funk to funky, Vyv is now a video head and Neil's wearing a dress because some really selfish negative vibe merchant boarded up his bedroom. Only pop music can save them now." The video revolution catches with the gang as they decide to rent some nasty videos with plenty of sex and violence. Of course, a vampire (naturally from South Africa) tends to ruin things. The band playing in the living room are The Damned with Video Nasty. This episode has a different beginning sequence, presenting the episode as if it were a horror film. 3k. TIME -------- "Vyv's being violently and copiously sick because Rick's like scored with a chick and the whole house has like gone through some kind of time warp." Can it be true ?!! Rick found a girlfriend ?!!! This episode also starts with different credits, a Dallas parody featuring a secretary typing with her nipples... The band are AMAZULU, with So Much Love. 3m. SICK -------- "There's bogeys on the blankets and snot on the sheets when Neil and the others come down with the worst colds in the history of civilisation !" Neil has a cold, and even Vyvyan's cure of drilling a nail in his head doesn't quite work, which is a pity since it sparks off a street riot. They're also taken hostage by Brian Damage, an escaped murderer. But their troubles are forgotten as the real horror happens - Neil's parents come to tea!! Also features a good parody of "The Good Life" (aka "Good Neighbors" in the US), Madness singing "Our House" and the return of Vyvyan's mother. 3n. SUMMER HOLIDAY ------------------ "Hey, everybody ! School's out ! Hurray ! Hurray ! Except, like there's nothing to do, man, apart from getting on a big red bus and having a really explosive trip. It should be pretty good fun, actually." In the final episode, the summer holidays beckon. Rick's parents die, and they are all thrown out of the house with no money. Will Rick be forced to sell his body ? What will our intrepid heroes do next ? The music is brought to you by John Otway, singing Body Talk. 4. Who were the regular cast and crew ? ======================================= Rick, the political anarchist studying Sociology (or was it Domestic Science?) who was a poetic genius, adored Cliff Richard and rude words, was played by RIK MAYALL. He's a bit of a twit. Vyvyan, the violent medical punk student who liked lager and curries (sounds like Lister) was played by ADRIAN EDMONDSON. He had orange hair and four metal stars glued to his forehead. The back of his jacket says VERY METAL. His little pet was Special Patrol Group (SPG), a Scottish hamster with an attitude.... Neil, the lentil-loving depressed hippie studying Peace Studies and occasionally abused by his friends was played by NIGEL PLANER. Mike, the cool "straight" one who has lots and lots of girlfriends (or so we think) and incriminating photos of the Dean, was played by CHRISTOPHER RYAN. The writers were: Ben Elton (now a stand-up comedian) Rik Mayall Lise Mayer (still writing sketches) Additional material was by Alexei Sayle. The director was Geoff Posner, and the producer was Paul Jackson, who went on to produce Red Dwarf. He is now the head of programming at Carlton Television... Ed Bye was a production assistant. He later went on to direct GIRLS ON TOP, promoted as the "female Young Ones" and starring French and Saunders. He used to direct some episodes of Red Dwarf and now directs and produces The Full Wax. He's also married to Ruby Wax. 5. What have they done since ? ============================== 5a. ADRIAN EDMONDSON (a more detailed biography is available) -------------------- ABSOLUTLEY FABULOUS - a food reviewer THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS...GREGORY:DIARY OF A NUTCASE as Gregory IF YOU SEE GOD, TELL HIM (1993) He is married to Jennifer Saunders, and on a Hysteria AIDS benefit concert said "You might remember me .. I used to be very funny. But it's been a long time since The Young Ones, and I've just come to this benefit to boost my sadly flagging career, though I don't know what the f**k this do is all about." He also co-wrote a book entitled HOW TO BE A COMPLETE B*STARD, and the ISBN number is 0-86369-182X. 5b. RIK MAYALL (a more detailed biography is available) -------------- SHOCK TREATMENT: Ricki, the male nurse THE NEW STATESMAN: Alan B'stard, a right-wing Tory MP DROP DEAD FRED: his first Hollywood movie with Phoebe Cates RIK MAYALL PRESENTS....: a series of 3 60-minutes TV films BLACKADDER 1: final episode as Mad Gerald BLACKADDER 2, BLACKADDER GOES FORTH: Lord Flash-heart and much much more... see the biography for more details 5c. ADRIAN EDMONDSON and RIK MAYALL ----------------------------------- THE DANGEROUS BROTHERS (made together before The Young Ones) WAITING FOR GODOT: the stage play BOTTOM - Rik = Richard Adrian = Eddie Hitler BLACKADDER GOES FORTH (Private Plane) Rik = Lord Flash-heart Adrian = Baron Von Richtoften 5d. NIGEL PLANER ---------------- KING AND CASTLE: pacifist martial artist employed by a debt collection agency ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN: a short-lived ITV sitcom with Liza Goddard. TRIALS OF OZ: played John Peel (Radio 1 DJ) in a re-enactment of The Trails Of Oz BRAZIL (film): one of the technicians unable to plug the hole in Buttle's ceiling YELLOWBEARD (film): bit part BLACKADDER THE THIRD (Nob and Nobility): Lord Smedley NICHOLAS CRAIG MASTERCLASSES: a pretentious actor doing 10-minute lessons on BBC2. Brilliant ! BONJOUR LA CLASSE: a French teacher THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS...GREGORY:DIARY OF A NUTCASE as the psychiatrist SHINE ON HARVEY MOON An American Bud Light beer commercial! 5e. ADRIAN EDMONDSON, RIK MAYALL and NIGEL PLANER ------------------------------------------------- FILTHY, RICH AND CATFLAP THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS... EAT THE RICH Rik = Union organiser Nigel = unemployment office worker Ade = obnoxious posh guy THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS ... BAD NEWS (where they are in a heavy metal band...) and many other COMIC STRIPS, which deserve an FAQ of their own... 5f. CHRISTOPHER RYAN -------------------- WAITING FOR GODOT - the stage play (with Rik and Adrian) SANTA CLAUS THE MOTION PICTURE - one of the elfs DR WHO : TRIALS OF A TIME LORD (MINDWARP) ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE - a plumber BACK TO SCHOOL, MR BEAN ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS - Edina's first doped out ex-husband with a horrible New-Age American wife BOTTOM - as Hedgehog, in ACCIDENT, HOLY and PARADE (with Rik & Ade) He's predominately a stage actor, and was in GUYS AND DOLLS and OFF THE LEDGE. He also appeared in Only Fools And Horses. 5g. BEN ELTON (writer, actor/comedian) ------------- Co-wrote Blackadder 2, Blackadder 3 and Blackadder Goes Forth. Released three comedic albums - MOTORMOUTH, MOTORVATION and LIVE'89 Written three novels - STARK, GRIDLOCK, THIS OTHER EDEN Written two plays - GASPING, SILLY COW Co-hosted FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (UK) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1993) - he's Michael Keaton's sidekick STARK (1993) - a BBC-ABC (Australian) co-production, as CD. For more info, read the Ben Elton FAQ available via FTP or me. 5h. LISE MAYER (writer - probably responsible for the mice in the handbag) -------------- PARAMOUNT CITY (LONDON UNDERGROUND - U.S.) - producer NO CURE FOR CANCER - worked with Denis Leary MONTREAL COMEDY FESTIVAL - wrote a sketch with Rowan Atkinson as a Canada tourism salesman AMASSED HYSTERIA! - co-edited the book with Rachel Swann. She was the girlfriend of Rik Mayall at the time - until he left her when she was pregnant for his current wife (I think). She also went out with Rowan Atkinson, Harry Enfield and is now going out with Angus Deayton... For more detailed info on the other actors mentioned, refer to the FTP/WWW sites mentioned later on, or E-mail me (achwong@bradford.ac.uk) for the press biographies. 6. Merchandise ============== 6a. Video --------- All 12 episodes are available on two double-tape packs from BBC Video, on PAL VHS Hi-Fi Stereo tapes for 16.99 pounds per double-tape pack. Each double-pack lasts about 200 minutes long, and is rated 15. They were released by BBC Enterprises in 1992, and the video catalogue numbers are BBCV 4788 and BBCV 4789. There is also a compilation tape, called THE VERY BEST OF THE YOUNG ONES, which has the episodes Bomb, Boring, Bambi, Interesting, and Summer Holiday. It's a PAL VHS tape, costing 12.99 pounds, and the video number is BBCV 5361. As far as I am aware, only one NTSC-format tape can be easily bought of the Young Ones. It contains OIL, BORING, and FLOOD and is available through your local video retailer or CBS FOX for $20. Or you can try the following video retailers in North America: LaughingHouse Video PO Box 8572 Anaheim 1-714 956-9032 California 92812-0572 1-800 807-9032 E-mail: mrwally@ix.netcom.comquota The Video Catalog PO Box 64267 St. Paul MN 55164-0267 1-800-733 2232 BFS BFS Inc. 350 Newkirk Road North Richmond Hill Ontario L4C 3G7 CANADA 1-800-268-3891 Otherwise you'll have to buy all 12 episodes on PAL format from the BBC, then find a nice willing person with an NTSC/PAL converter. You could all get together and share the costs. With postage and packing, both tapes would cost 51.48 pounds. Otherwise keep writing to CBS/FOX or LIONHEART in the United States, and asking them for it. The address is: Lionheart Television 630 Fifth Avenue Suite 2220 New York, NY 10111 Tel: 1-212-705 9300 Or keep pestering your local PBS station to try and get it, and wave a nice large check in front of them... If all else fails, contact me... Or try these different addresses depending on where you live.. AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND : Head of Marketing (Video), Polygram Video, Unit A, 122 McEvoy St., Alexandria Tel: 612-318-8666 NSW 2015 Fax: 612-319-4758 JAPAN: Head of Marketing, Pony Canyon Video, Inc., 3-3-5 Kudan Kita, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 102 Tel: 813-3221-3151 Japan Fax: 813-3221-3168 If you are elsewhere, contact: The BBC Shop P.O. Box 1QX Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE99 1QX UNITED KINGDOM Tel. +44 (0) 191 222 0381 or try BBC Video Enterprises Tel. +44 (0) 181 576 2236 6b. Books --------- BACHELOR BOYS - THE YOUNG ONES BOOK ----------------------------------- First published in 1984, it was last re-printed in 1989, though there was an Australian re-print in September 1993. According to the sleeve, it was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Meyer but according to the credits in the beginning, it was written by Terence Blacker. The ISBN number is 0 7221 5765 7. Published by : Sphere Books 27 Wrights Lane London W8 5TZ UNITED KINGDOM Priced at 5.99 pounds, or Australian/Canadian $12.99, or New Zealand $19.95 It's a book written by the "gang" and contains tips on how to cheat in exams, how to spot a French exchange student, the joys on hitch- hiking, an interview with David Bowie, and nude shots of the boys!! It also gives the full names of the gang : Neil Pye Vyvyan Basterd Mike TheCoolPerson NEIL'S BOOK OF THE DEAD (US ISBN no. 0-517-55964-1) ----------------------- Kristen Mirenda says : "A sort of parody of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. The book was basically Neil's philosophy of life and a guide to living a Neil-like hippyish alternative-lifestyle. It featured such things as a guide to determining your health through urine color; Neil's reminiscences of his first drug experience; some quasi-pagan rituals; and how to write a job application that will guarantee you don't get hired. Brief mention is made of his roomate Rick but other than that I don't remember any YO references." 6c. Singles ----------- Cliff Richard and The Young Ones : Living Doll --------------------------------------------- As part of the Comic Relief fund-raising drive in 1986, this single was released, which hit no.1 in the UK charts in March 1986. It was also performed live. It was on WEA Records, catalogue YZ65 for the 7" version. It states on the sleeve "Coming soon: the book, the LP, the chocolates..." :) A video was made to accompany the single, which deviated quite a bit from the single, and also featured Hank Marvin from The Shadows (Cliff's original backing band....) The song was also performed for the Comic Relief concert, but a few changes were made. It was announced that the total and utter king of rock and roll was in fact John Craven - a newsreader who specialised in reading the news to children from 8 to 15.... The B-side to that was (ALL THE LITTLE FLOWERS ARE) HAPPY. A transcription of this is available from the FTP sites (see below) Neil - Hole In My Shoe ---------------------- A cover of the old 1960s classic, it got to no.6 in the UK charts. A 12" of this song was also released, which apparently is roughly the same, but with extra bits (talking and freaky sounds) tagged on at the end. To promote the single, Neil/Nigel performed Hole In My Shoe live on TOP OF THE POPS. It was quite a memorable performance because half way through it he stumbled and knocked down the scenery (some Athenian-style pillars) and this was transmitted live... It has apparently become an oft-repeated clip, and is embedded in BBC2's "Boxpops" show. Neil - My White Bicycle ----------------------- As a result of the success of Hole in My Show, this single was released and an album duly made. The B-side was Cosmic Jam and both tracks can be found on the album. A 12" version was also released. It was released on WEA Records (1984), and the 7" catalogue number is YZ30. 6d. Album --------- Encouraged by the success of Hole in My Shoe, an album duly followed, called NEIL'S HEAVY CONCEPT ALBUM, produced by Dave Stewart (not from the Eurythmics, but the one who did IT'S MY PARTY with Barbara Gaskin). Hole In My Shoe is on that album, as is a track entitled Lentil Nightmare. The back cover is like the Sgt Pepper back cover with black words on a red background, and a group photo at the bottom, with three Neils facing forward and another with his back to the camera. 7. Other articles on the Net ============================ This is part one of the Young Ones information file - part two goes into much greater depth. E-mail me for a copy, or see below... The scripts for most of the episodes are now available from the FTP or WWW sites. If you can't access them, ask me or consult James Kew (j.kew@ic.ac.uk) and his alt.comedy.british FAQ. The B-side to Living Doll, (ALL THE LITTLE FLOWERS ARE) HAPPY is also available on the FTP site, transcribed by Greg O'Beirne (gobeirne@tartarus.uwa.edu.au) These files can be found by FTPing to: FTP - cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/ FTP - src.doc.ic.ac.uk/public/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/comedy/ Or using your WWW browser and pointing it to: http://hammers.wwa.com/hammers http://cathouse.org:8000/BritishComedy/ http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/public/media/tv/collections/tardis/ http://www.brad.ac.uk/~achwong/index.html There is an episode guide for The Young Ones available at: WWW - http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/index.html I also compile the Rik Mayall FAQ, Adrian Edmondson FAQ, and the Ben Elton FAQ. I did have a copy of an interview I did with Christopher Ryan but that seems to have mysteriously disappeared... If you can't find it, let me know! There is also Steve Gardner's Anglo/American Gag Guide to The Young Ones, which goes into greater detail on the Britishness of the gags. E-mail him at: esgardner@delphi.com If you have any material, please let me know so I can incorporate it here. All comments, brickbats and additions gratefully received... 8. Contributors and thanks =========================== Paul Herzog for transcribing quite a few scripts! (Must be bored...) Bill Houston and his friend for transcribing NASTY. James Kew for co-ordinating most of this stuff on ze 'Net... Alexander Lum for his valiant efforts to produce a FAQ. Kristen Mirenda (mirenda@panix.com) for transcribing BAMBI and CASH, other items and pointing out other factual errors. Kristin Sabo for giving me some source information. Thanks also go to Roderick Begbie, Paul Burgin, Greg Cawthorn, Paul Claypole, Nick Cole, Mike Coughlin, Jon Drukman, Paul Herzog, Stuart Jackson, Paul Lee, Greg O'Beirne, Russ Perry Jnr., James Poole, Steve Rapport, Mike Richards, Simon Rowell, Annie Sattler, Stephen Slater and Michelle Street. I would like to thank all the above, and anyone else I haven't named for their help and contributions. Get your name on this esteemed list! Ask a question, or provide an answer. YOUNG ONES FAQ (2/2) v 1.34 =========================== Created by Andrew Wong (achwong@bradford.ac.uk) This is part 2 of the FAQ, designed for, in the words of Steve Rapport, "the anal retentive" who wants to know everything there ever was to know about The Young Ones. If you want part one, which has the main information, E-mail me for it... Contents ======== 1. Who featured in the series ? 1a. Mark Arden and Stephen Frost 1b. Robbie Coltrane 1c. Ben Elton 1d. Dawn French 1e. Gareth Hale and Norman Pace 1f. Jools Holland 1g. David Rappaport 1h. Tony Robinson 1j. Jennifer Saunders 1k. Alexei Sayle 1m. Special Patrol Group 1n. Other people who feature once 2. British slangs and -isms 2a. Quick definitions 2b. Cliff Richard 2c. The two-fingered salute 2d. TV licences 2e. O-levels and A-levels 2f. Felicity Kendall 3. Quotable Lines 4. Rick's (The People's Poet) Peoples' Poems 4a. Cliff 4b. House 4c. Pollution 4d. Free-form 4e. The Peoples' Poem 4f. Rick's Teen Anguish Poem 4g. Rick's Trotsky poem 5. Cliff Richard and The Young Ones - a bit of the script. 6. Location 7. The strange person at the back of the house 8. Memories of the time 9. When was it transmitted ? 10. What are these flash-frames I keep hearing about ? 11. Reactions to the Young Ones 12. Looking back on the Young Ones 13. Little bits that don't fit in anywhere else 14. Spin-offs 15. Other articles on the Internet 16. Contributors and thanks 1. Who featured in the series ? =============================== 1a. Mark Arden and Stephen Frost -------------------------------- BORING: two policemen in the front page of The Guardian INTERESTING: two party crashers CASH: two Elizabethan ghosts NASTY: two secret agents (Sweater & Ruffles) SICK: two muck-men, Mick & Tess 1b. Robbie Coltrane ------------------- OIL: Sully the bouncer at Mike's roller-disco BAMBI: Dr. Carlisle who finds human beings the size of amoebas 1c. Ben Elton ------------- DEMOLISH: the presenter of Nozin' Around BAMBI: Kendal Mintcake, the Oxbridge oik who was given the Socialist Worker Party for his birthday FLOOD: The blind DJ interviewing an armless female singer SICK: The schoolboy in the Grange Hill spoof SUMMER HOLIDAY: the guy in the advert drinking Sharp lager 1d. Dawn French --------------- INTERESTING: the violent Bible-bashing preacher NASTY: the Devil in the Pain-Away commercial TIME: The Easter Bunny 1e. Gareth Hale (the one with the moustache) & Norman Pace ---------------------------------------------------------- NASTY: two grave diggers TIME: two peasants 1f. Jools Holland ----------------- CASH: part of the band SUMMER HOLIDAY: the punk with the enormous mohawk at the bank 1g. David Rappaport (the dwarf in TIME BANDITS and LA LAW) ------------------- BORING: Ftmsch, the red dwarf from Hell FLOOD: Shirley, the Wicked Witch's servant (He later killed himself partly due to the lack of serious roles) 1h. Tony Robinson ----------------- BAMBI: The doctor looking after the Elephant Man NASTY: one of the criminals bound for Australia 1j. Jennifer Saunders --------------------- INTERESTING: the party-goer with lots of toy mice in her handbag TIME: Helen Mucus, Rick's girlfriend ?!!! 1k. Alexei Sayle (The Balowski family) ---------------- DEMOLISH: Jerzei Balowski, their Polish landlord. OIL: Alexei Yuri...Balowski, the lead singer of the band. BORING: Billy Balovski, Jerzei's clinically insane brother, who drove in from Brazil to imitate a Dalek using a cactus pot. BOMB: Reggie Balowski, the Cockney arms dealer. INTERESTING: drunk party-goer who pukes all over a posh person. FLOOD: Jerzei (the landlord), who turns into an axe-wielding homicidal maniac. BAMBI: A train driver CASH: A police officer who looks remarakbly similar to Mussolini and becomes a stand-up comedian at nights NASTY: A South African Communist vampire - or is he ? TIME: Host of "Jester Balowski's Medieval Torture Hour" SICK: Brian Damage Balowski, an escaped murderer SUMMER HOLIDAY: Jerzei Balowski, the dreaded landlord 1m. Special Patrol Group ------------------------ Vyvyan's pet, a Scottish hamster with an attitude who likes sleeping in front of Vyvyan's car, and giving Glasgow kisses to teddy bears. 1n. People who occasionally pop up ---------------------------------- Mark Arden: BOMB as the "gay" husband on the cornflakes packet Helen Atkinson-Wood: NASTY as the woman condemned to Hell Chris Barrie: NASTY as Captain of the ship bound for Australia Arthur Brown: FLOOD Alan Freeman: CASH and SUMMER HOLIDAY as God Stephen Fry: BAMBI as Lord Snot, a contestant on University Challenge from Footlights College, Oxbridge Ronnie Golden: OIL as Buddy Holly Lenny Henry: SUMMER HOLIDAY as the Nazi postman Griff Rhys Jones: BAMBI as the quiz-host of University Challenge Terry Jones: NASTY as the drunken priest. He is better known as a member of the Monty Python team. Hugh Laurie: BAMBI as Lord Monty from Footlights College Helen Lederer: SUMMER HOLIDAY, as the female "Good morning sir" bank teller. Norman Lovett: SUMMER HOLIDAY - the owner of the Penny Arcade Lise Mayer: SUMMER HOLIDAY, as the woman Ben Elton is chatting up in the Sharp advert (?) Paul Merton: He *MAY* be in TIME, as there is a credit there for "Paul Morton"... Roger Sloman: BOMB as the TV licence inspector Mel Smith: BAMBI, the security guard at Granada studios. Emma Thompson: BAMBI as Miss Money-Sterling, the Oxbridge oik who has a Porsche. 2. British slangs and -isms =========================== 2a. Quick definitions --------------------- biro: Bic / ball-point pen Bob's your uncle: there you are etc. call: to visit or telephone someone (erm....) flares: bell-bottoms "Number two's" (slang): faeces / poo / s**t (rhyming slang) out on the pull: trying to find someone of the opposite sex pavement: sidewalk ring: call on the telephone skiving: to shirk away from doing any work snog: any kiss that isn't platonic <;-) Sorry?: Huh ? What ? take the piss: to make fun of, to deflate one's Ego ta: Thanks (informal) wanker: derogatory term for a person who masturbates 2b. Cliff Richard ----------------- He is such an institution in the UK, I find it difficult to believe no-one in the US has heard of him, but anyway... Cliff started out as being Britain's answer to Elvis Presley in the 1950s, and at one stage he out-sold Elvis. Like Elvis, he starred in a few British films that involved Cliff saving Youth culture from the big square daddy-ios, films like THE YOUNG ONES, and SUMMER HOLIDAY - in which Cliff chartered a London bus to take his chums to Greece for a holiday and a quick snog... He is still going strong today, selling out auditoriums mainly to middle-aged women. He is reknown for his Christian beliefs. For a guy who's 50 years old, it's amazing he's managed to stay so long in the business. And it cannot be denied he has a better voice than most "pop" stars today. The quality of the songs he sings are rather questionable to say the least... Basically, he's not the sort of artiste a hip, happening politically aware student like Rik would be into. It's a perfect tacky pop star, that UK students have a unique fascination for... 2c. The two-fingered salute --------------------------- The UK equivalent of the middle-finger salute, though not as rude. It's like saying Piss Off or something equally strong. 2d. TV licences (BOMB) ---------------------- The BBC does not rely on advertising for its' revenue. Instead any household that owns a TV in the United Kingdom must pay a licence fee for the privilege of owning a television. The money is then handed over to the BBC and used to fund its' programming. It's illegal to own a TV without a licence so TV detector vans periodically patrol the streets looking for TV receivers. Then the house is checked with the TV licence records, and if the house does not have a licence, the house is in biiiiiiig trouble - a fine of up to 2000 pounds (US $3000) can be charged. At the moment, a year's licence costs around 80 pounds (US $120) Students are reknown for not paying their licence. I only got away with it because I wasn't in when they came knocking at my door ! 2e. O-levels and A-levels ------------------------- O-levels were the exams taken by 16 year olds before they left school. A "C" grade was considered a pass. You needed 5 passes to be allowed to the next stage of British education, which was usually A-levels. Generally, British students take 3 A-levels, and the grades you eventually get determine which university you get to. If you get AAA, you get to go to the great universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bradford :) If you get less than that, you are more likely to head for the "red-brick" universities or the polytechnics (vocational colleges) O-levels were eliminated in 1987 in favour of GCSEs. Many older people tend to complain that GCSEs are much easier than O-levels... 2f. Felicity Kendall (sigh) --------------------------- She was one of those British actresses who used to pop up on safe, middle-class British sitcoms in the 1970s like The Good Life, Good Neighbours etc. She was also voted Rear Of The Year some time in the early 1970s. It is rumoured that many teenagers growing up in the late 70s like The Young Ones developed crushes on her. It's also a sympton of the stoodent population liking things totally unyouthlike e.g. the current trend for Johnny Cash, Mr. Blobby and Are You Being Served? If you require a more detailed gag-guide, then The Young Ones Anglo/American Gag Guide is available from Steve Gardner (esgardner@delphi.com) 3. Quotable Lines ================= Neil : "Guys, there's some dinner on the floor if you want it" - DEMOLITION Rik & Vyv : "Neil, your bedroom's on fire !" - OIL Neil : "No way man ! Everyone knows sleep gives you CANCER!" - OIL Neil : "I just looked at it and it blew up !" - BORING Policeman : "That's white man's electricity you're using." - BORING (to be used with heavily emphasised smilies !) Neil : "Guys, why don't we, like, try going to lectures tomorrow ?" Mike : "Neil, I know things are bad but there's no need to panic ! No, I'll just treat this problem like my mattress - and sleep on it." - BORING Neil : "It's like the kettle killed itself rather than be used by me..." - BOMB Mike : "If people weren't sick, we wouldn't need penicillin" - BOMB Mike : "A social conscience is like a garden fence, you try to eat it, it'll get stuck in your throat." - BOMB Rick : "No, YOU put my address down. Rick, 15 Credibility Street" (at the Social Security office, BOMB) Rick : "Tomorrow everyone in England will be free, and there will be no more social prejudice or hatred. GET UP NEIL, I HATE YOU !!!!!!!" - BOMB Neil's hippie friend Neil : "My barely adequate psychic defences are crumbling !" - INTERESTING Rick : "You bought me a present! It's a telescope -- a telescope with a mouse in it!" - INTERESTING Professor Jim Morrison : "Wow, what is this stuff - tobacco or ... Pink Floyd ?" - INTERESTING Neil's hippie friend Neil : "Wow - it's so uncoool !" - INTERESTING Rick : "Wouldn't it be amazing if all this (Monopoly) money was real?" Vyv : "Rick, that is the single most predictable and boring thing that anyone could ever say whilst playing Monopoly." - BORING Rick : "God, I'm bored. Might as well be listening to Genesis" - FLOOD Rick : "There's nothing poofy about a man wanting to love his fellow man- It's just when they start touching each others' bottoms...." - (to be used with heavy smilies) - FLOOD Vyv: "I put it (serum that turns you into an axe-wielding homicidal maniac) in a Coke can so nobody'd drink it by mistake." Neil: "You know, I just bet that a bit later on someone does drink that and turns into an axe-wielding homicidal maniac. Rick: "Yes, I bet that as well. That's just the sort of crazy imaginative thing that happens around here." - FLOOD Mr. Balowski : "Ah, Coca-Cola, symbol of free West!" - FLOOD Rick : "There's no one in here, Mr. Balowski! We're all holograms !" - FLOOD Neil : "Oh, well, out of one frying pan, into another frying pan." - FLOOD Vyv : "You haven't got a sister, Rick! You're the classic example of an only child." - BAMBI Vyv : "This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence." - BAMBI Rick: "Honestly, I don't know why I bother sometimes..." Vyv: "I don't know why you bother ever." - BAMBI Neil : "Socks aren't vegetables,man, they should be wiped out !" - BAMBI Rick : "Hands up who likes me !" - BAMBI Miss Money-Sterling : "I've got a Porsche -bwaha haha ha" (a.k.a. Emma Thompson) - BAMBI Vyv : "Neil, is it really necessary to nail the plates to the table? What happens when we want to play Monopoly? Go directly to plate? Do not pass plate nailed to the table by a stupid hippie?" - CASH Neil : "Boom shanka...May the seed of your loins be fruitful in the belly of your woman." - CASH Rick: "Oh, that's right, Vyvyan. If the mountain won't come to Muhammed, smash the drawing room to pieces. That's very Buddhist, isn't it!" - NASTY Rick: "Neil, the bathroom's free! Unlike the country under the Thatcherite junta." - NASTY Rick: "Neil, is it really necessary to have the light on when you're in the bath?" Neil: "Well, yeah." Rick: "Why, what are you planning to do - photosynthesize?" (NASTY) Mike : "What's that thumping?" Vyv : "Oh, it's probably Rick doing a bit of reading." - NASTY Vyv : "YES !! WE'VE GOT A VIDEO !!!" - NASTY Mike : "I hate to say anything negative, but no." - NASTY Vyv : "Rick, shut up or I'll kill you." - NASTY Neil : "Flares are coming back in -- I read it in my horoscope!" - NASTY Rick : "Neil, how are you keeping that flowerpot up?!?" - NASTY Rick : "Oh, no. The front door's exploded." - NASTY Vyv : "'Vyvyan, Vyvyan, Vyvyan!' Honestly, whenever anything explodes in this house, it's always 'blame Vyvyan!'" (NASTY) Rick : "What, me, Rick, a virgin? Try telling that to some of the foxy chicks who owe me favours." - NASTY Rick : "So in fact, all four of us have stayed up for the entire night. Now that's what I call anarchy!" - NASTY Neil : "Oh no, I'll die if I miss 'Scooby-Doo'!" - TIME Rick : "And that's Vyvyan....being sick" - TIME Mike : "Last one to find the jungle animal has to take off all their clothes. (to Helen Mucus) All right, your turn." (TIME) Rick : "We never clean the toilet, Neil! That's what being a student is all about!" - SICK Neil: "I hope Mike hurries back with the cure!" Vyv: "No Neil, it's Madness this week!" - SICK Mr. Balowski : "Aw, some sod broke your chair! That's 20 pounds you owe me." - SUMMER HOLIDAY Rick : "What's the difference ? There'll be plenty of chicks for these tigers on the road to the promised land ! Who cares about Thatcher and unemployment ? We can do just exactly whatever we want to do ! And do you know why ? Because we're Young Ones ! Bachelor Boys ! Wild eyed big bottomed anarchists ! LOOK OUT !!! CLLLLLIIIIIFFFF !!!" (SUMMER HOLIDAY) 4. Rick's (The People's Poet) Peoples' Poems ============================================ For your delectation and delight, some of Rick's superb poems... 4a. "Cliff" (DEMOLITION) ------------------------ Oh, Cliff Sometimes it must be difficult not to feel as if You really are a Cliff When fascists keep trying to push you over it Are they the lemmings? Or are you *Cliff*? Or *are* you, Cliff? (According to Jon Drukman, it's the second line that makes sense but Rick has to go and mess up his own poem :) 4b. "House" (DEMOLITION) ------------------------- House, house, house Oh, you are made of stone But you are not alone -Ly house! 4c. "Pollution" (BOMB) ----------------------- * First, an extreme close-up of Rick squeezing a spot/boil/pimple* Pollution All around Sometimes up And sometimes down But always around. Pollution, are you coming to my town? Or am I coming to yours? We're on different buses, pollution But we're both using petrol. 4d. "Free-Form" (FLOOD) ------------------------ Marrow Meringue Boomerang Long, blue boomerang... 4e. "The People's Poem" (FLOOD) -------------------------------- What do you think you're doing, pig? Do you really give a fig, pig? And what's your favourite sort of gig, pig? Barry Manilow Or the black and white minstrel show? 4f. Rick's Teen Anguish Poem (from the book) --------------------------------------------- oh god, why am I so much more sensitive than everybody else ? why do I feel things so much more acutely than them, and understand so much more. I bet I'm the first person who's ever felt as rotten as this. could it be that I'm going to grow up to be a great poet and thinker, and all those other wankers in my class are going to have to work in factories or go on the dole? yes, I think it could. 4g. Rick's Trotsky poem (from the book) ---------------------------------------- Today, I saw a dog, Yes, a dog. Talking to a pig, Yes, a pig. They were on the pavement, Discussing Trotsky. Not brotsky or crotsky or drotsky or frotsky. But Trotsky. 5. Cliff Richard and The Young Ones - Living Doll (a bit of the script) ======================================================================= The beginning goes something like this.... *EXPLOSION* Neil : "Look out everyone, he's coming through the doors." Vyv : "BRILLIANT ! He didn't even open them...." Neil : "He's here !!!!" Mike : "Quick Rick, do the speech." *Music starts* (Video - the Young Ones walking down a street, Rick pointing at the camera) Rick : "Hey kids, stop snogging and pay attention to me. 'Cos if you're a wild-eyed loner standing at the gates of Oblivion, hitch a ride with us. 'Cos we're on the last freedom moped out of Nowhere City, and we haven't even told our parents what time we'll be back ! So put on your dancing trousers, and get down to the utter King of Rock and Roll, CLIFF RICHARD !!!" Cliff (singing) : "Got myself a crying, talking, sleeping, walking living doll" Young Ones : "Living doll" (rather badly) Cliff : "Got to do my best to please her, just 'cos she's a living doll" Young Ones : "Living doll" (and so on....) -- Other vague bits I remember include : Cliff (singing) : "Gonna lock her up in a trunk so no big hunk can steal her away from me." Rick: "I still think locking girls up in a trunk is politically unsound." (?) Mike: "It's only a song, Rick." Neil: "Well, I feel sorry for the elephants." -- The end of it goes something like this.... The Young Ones (sung) : "Got the one and only walking talking..." Cliff (sung) : "Living Doll...." *Flourish, guitar riff, end of song* Cliff : "Erm.... can I go now ?" Rick : "Er, yeah, thanks Cliff, bye !" (Vyv hits Cliff with a club, Cliff falls to floor) Rick : "Right kids, if you don't buy this record, you're an utter utter utter utter utter ..." (Sounds of record with a scratch on it, and picture reverts to "snow") If you can remember the rest off the top of your head, let me know! 6. Location =========== Though The Young Ones was based in London (they all went to a North London polytechnic), the street scenes were filmed in Bristol, because when Paul Jackson was thinking about The Young Ones that was where he was at the time... - The house is in Codrington Road, Bristol (student area :-) - The train station in BAMBI is Bristol Temple Meads. - The Kebab And Calculator (their local as seen in BORING) is in Bristol and is actually called The Cock O' The North, though the landlord is reputed to be a complete b*stard. - In BOMB, Rick walks past Coopington Road... - When Neil goes to the police station to get a job (CASH) it is actually the Bristol North Swimming Baths that he goes to. The army careers office he goes to first is about 50 yards down the road (and is actually an RSPCA charity shop now). Both are on Gloucester Road, Bristol and are about 100 yards away from the shop used as a launderette in BAMBI. They are in the Bishopston area of Bristol, where the house might have been set. - In SUMMER HOLIDAY, the bank that they raid is also the Bristol North Swimming Baths. The sign is covered by the 'Fascist Pig Bank' sign or whatever it was called. The getaway car is parked beside a line of bollards outside what is now the Bristol Flyer pub which is next door to the baths. (Just shows the lengths to which this FAQ has been carefully researched ;) 7. The strange person at the back of the house =============================================== (from Simon Jansen - sjan1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz) "Has anyone else noticed the strange person who appears to share the flat with the guys. If you look carefully in the first five episodes you can see a mysterious person with long black hair who appears sitting against walls in the background of quite a few scenes. He has his hair over his face but it looks like another hippy. Once you have noticed him he is very obvious! Places I remember seeing him are sitting to the left of the screen in INTERESTING when Vyv tries the new vacuum cleaner, behind Mike in DEMOLITION when he's reading the TV Times and in BORING, he's next to the cupboard when the old guy comes out from under the stairs. I can spot him in the first five episodes but not after that. Does anyone know who this is?" I've never seen him before....He could be a member of the crew.. On the other hand, it could be Neil. Kristen Mirenda thinks it could be the ratty human-sized stuffed animal (teddy bear?) that's usually propped up in the hall. Greg O'Beirne thinks "it's just meant to be a sort of surrealist sight gag. It struck me as rather weirdly funny to have what I thought was a corpse just sitting in the lounge room with nobody noticing it." And while we're on the subject of strange things, the back of the house (behind the kitchen area) appears to have been completely re-built between Seasons 1 and 2..... 8. Memories of the time ======================== courtesy of Stuart Jackson (sjackson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu) "I had just started college in England (Hull) when TYO first started - October 82. By the third episode, word had got round so much about how good it was, all the public TV rooms in the every hall of residence and in the Students' Union were jammed to the rafters. It was a great atmosphere. In January 83, BBC2 decided to repeat all six episodes, less than six weeks after the original series had finished. Although this practice is common in the US, in the UK it's unheard of to repeat a series so soon. It drew even bigger audiences second time around. In March of that year the Young Ones did a university tour, and Hull was one of the venues. I was lucky enough to get a ticket...naturally it was a sell out. Only Rick, Vyv and Neil were there. Apparently, they'd killed Mike (but he was miraculously revived of course for the second series). Rik Mayall warmed up the crowd doing Kevin Turvey, a Brummie (ie Birmingham) Investigator which he'd made his name with. Then Rik and Vyv came on and did their stuff for about 15 minutes. Then Neil came on to rapturous applause - at which point Rik and Vyv told him in no uncertain terms to Fuck Off. They wouldn't continue the show until everyone in the audience was screaming "Fuck off, Neil". The show lasted about two hours and remains the funniest live show I've ever been to. The second series first aired on BBC2 in spring 1984, and was still as popular as ever - BAMBI was the first in the second series and is thought of as many as being the best. A South Bank Show profile of Ben Elton showed one clip from the Young Ones, the train sequence where Neil is asking Rik questions about Crop Rotation in the 14th Century. I've always thought of this as the funniest scene from any of the episodes. They repeated the series in May of 1985, when many of my classmates were taken finals - this led to a few bad marks!" "Did you know that Nigel Planer did a tour in 1984 as Neil? It was just after the second series first got shown. I never got to go as it didn't come to Hull. It NEARLY did though - I was social sec for our ENTS committee and we were offered Neil. It was a bargain as well - just over 1,000 pounds. I wanted it so badly, but the treasurer (now a very successful accountant) talked everyone else out of it, because we'd just had a financial disaster with another comedy show called "Brave New Comedy", which featured Paul Merton, Norman Lovett (Holly from Red Dwarf), Arthur Brown ("and why not", he was in "Flood") and Nick Revell. It was very funny but nobody came, and that's why we didn't get Neil!" 9. When was it transmitted ? ============================ First season premiere (on BBC2, 9:00pm to 9:30pm) ------------------------------------------------- Tuesday 9 November 1982 : Demolition Tuesday 16 November 1982 : Oil Tuesday 23 November 1982 : Bomb {Boring} Tuesday 30 November 1982 : Boring {Bomb} Tuesday 7 December 1982 : Interesting Tuesday 14 December 1982 : Flood Average ratings for this series were 2,800,000 viewers. The concert tour was during Spring 1983, and hit Hull University (one of the great universities of the UK :) in March. Thursday 5 May 1983 : Demolition (repeat) Thursday 12 May 1983 : Oil (repeat) Thursday 19 May 1983 : Bomb (repeat) Thursday 26 May 1983 : Boring (repeat) Thursday 2 June 1983 : Interesting Thursday 9 June 1983 : Flood Second season premiere ---------------------- Tuesday 8 May 1984 : Bambi {Sick} Tuesday 15 May 1984 : Cash Tuesday 29 May 1984 : Nasty Tuesday 5 June 1984 : Time {Sick} Tuesday 12 June 1984 : Sick {Time} Tuesday 19 June 1984 : Summer Holiday The average ratings were 4,600,000. Monday 18 March 1985 : Demolition (second repeat) Monday 25 March 1985 : Oil (second repeat) Monday 1 April 1985 : Bomb (second repeat) Monday 15 April 1985 : Boring (second repeat) Monday 22 April 1985 : Interesting (second repeat) Monday 29 April 1985 : Flood (second repeat) Monday 13 May 1985 : Bambi (first repeat) Monday 20 May 1985 : Cash (first repeat) Monday 10 June 1985 : Nasty (first repeat) Monday 17 June 1985 : Sick (first repeat) Monday 24 June 1985 : Time (first repeat) Monday 1 July 1985 : Summer Holiday (first repeat) Saturday 29 April 1989 : Time (second repeat) (BBC2 9:55pm-10.30pm) Tuesday 29 August 1989 : Bambi (second repeat) Tuesday 5 September 1989 : Cash (second repeat) Tuesday 12 September 1989 : Nasty (second repeat) Tuesday 19 September 1989 : Sick (second repeat) Tuesday 26 September 1989 : Summer Holiday (second repeat) (This set of repeats had 6,500,000 viewers....) The University Challenge clip from Bambi was repeated during the 1989 Comic Relief on 10 March 1989. This lead to the 2nd repeat of Time later on in the year, as part of the BBC2 Anniversary screenings. The success of this prompted the repeat of the other five episodes. The titles in brackets are those listed wrongly in the Radio Times. When SKY TV was launched, The Young Ones were regularly repeated, first on The Comedy Channel and now on UK Gold. The Young Ones was also shown on MTV US in 1986 (the ultimate accolade :), SuperChannel, Comedy Central and Dutch television... 10. What are these flash-frames I keep hearing about ? ====================================================== As you may (or may not) know, the illusion of moving pictures (and hence television) is created by flashing 25 pictures per second in front of your eyes. If these pictures consecutively show someone moving, then the person appears to move before your very eyes... Of course this can be abused, as in the case of subliminal advertising (I'll get there in a second, don't worry....) It was rumoured that 1950s films and TV shows would occasionally throw up a message in just one frame saying "Drink Coke" or something like that. Thus the subconscious brain would get the message, whilst the conscious brain would remain completely unaware of this, save perhaps a surprised blink of the eye. This is the principle behind the new Coke advert.... :) A couple of pictures that are completely irrelevant to the plot of The Young Ones pops up every once in a while during the programme. In the second season, flash-frame images included a dove in flight, a jumping frog, a skier, a dripping tap and the "The End" caption from Carry On Cowboy. 11. Reactions to the Young Ones =============================== Upon the first screening of the pilot episode to the BBC's Head of Variety, he was apparently "completely baffled..." However, the programme was given a go-ahead for its' first series since Channel 4 had just been created, and the BBC was scared that Channel 4 would end up recruiting all the raw talent. 12. Looking back on the Young Ones ================================== Rik Mayall said he chose to use students because he wanted to use an excuse to have four people sitting around all day for a sitcom, and he felt it wasn't the right time to have a comedy series about people on the dole (unemployed). "I wanted them to be privileged, and for people to hate them..." Rik on his character: "Rick rants and raves, he's over-energetic, unpredictable and quick tempered. I was a bit like that when I was, say, 15. I wouldn't say he's popular though. For kids, he's just as easy to identify with. When people come up to us in the street, Neil is the one they warm to. The back away from me slightly..." He also said in a recent interview to The Observer that: "There are few women in those shows, but the reason for that is that I fulfil the woman's role. Adrian is the man and I anm the woman. If you look at The Young Ones it was a nuclear family. Mike was the dad, Neil was the mum, Vyv was the little boy and Rick was the little girl, complete with pigtails." (The following taken from an interview with Geoff Posner) Though it appeared risky at the time to have Christopher Ryan as Mike, as Geoff Posner points out : "Mike was very different to the others. He was the one who always rose above the scrapes. He'd always find a way out ... In fact, the only strange thing about any of the casting was Alexei Sayle. If you look at his performances as the Balowski family they're very much of the 'I'm just dropping in to do a bit, then I'm dropping out again' variety. They're unashamed monologues which were completely unrelated to anything else. Luckily, they were also very funny." Reason for its' success : "Up until then, all sitcoms were full of nice people being nice to each other. But suddenly here were four people who were constantly arguing and hitting each other and although there was a lot of criticism about the language and the violence, deep down at the root of it all there was a basis of truth. Of course it was all exaggerated but ... if you look at recent programmes like The Living Soap (BBC2's attempt at a Real World), that is the way that some people behave when they live together." Would it get made today?: "No, without a shadow of a doubt. Nowadays there's too much emphasis on cost, on being accountable for everything. People would be terrified of even trying it just in case it didn't get a favourable reaction ... These days at the BBC there is a hell of a lot of interference from people who may or may not have experience in the field but who've graduated to senior positions and feel their voice should be heard, and of course a project like this can only be won because - as in Paul Jackson's case - it was an individual vision that had been fought for." 13. Little bit that don't fit in anywhere else? =============================================== Lots of bands were featured in the Young Ones. Why was this? Simply so the show came under the BBC's Entertainment budget rather than Variety, and accordingly got more money. There is an out-take available on the first Bloopers compilation - which is available from BBC Video I think. It's a clip from the beginning of Sick, where they're all in bed and Vyvian throws a bottle of Vodka into (Neils?) bedroom. In the outtake the burning rag falls out of the bottle whilst he's holding it, and sets fire to the bed! As part of the burping, punches and other sound effects, Ian Tomlin resorted to wiring up a microphone to his own baby's backside.... There was a joke in BORING where a policeman pretended someone was black, and subjected him to a torrent of racial abuse : "That's white man's electricity you're using, Mr Rastus Chocolate Drop" etc. Unfortuately, the production office got a letter from a teacher saying that while she understood the point of the joke, she found the one black boy in his class was having the same abuse levelled at him. The BAMBI episode won the Golden Rose at the Montreux Television Festival. Primus sampled a couple of Young Ones 'soundbites', notably when Adrian says 'Shut up you bastard' and Rik replies 'You just called me a bastard didn't you?' on the last track of the album Sailing The Seas of Cheese... Neil made a cameo appearance on the 45 minute video of the making of Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Quite hilarious, apparently. There was also apparently a Young Ones computer game, released for the Spectrum and Amstrad CPC around the mid-1980s. Apparently, it was a platform-type game (quelle surprise) - you had to collect things, but if you walked through the wardrobe you'd end up in Narnia... 14. Spin-offs ============= While there were no *OFFICIAL* sequels or anything like that, other British comedies featuring the same actors or set in a university setting include : FILTHY, RICH AND CATFLAP ------------------------ This was made after The Young Ones, starred Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer, and was written by Ben Elton. It was intended to be its' successor, and on the video cassette it exclaims "Aaagh! The Young Ones have grown up - it's horrible!" Alas, rumour has it that it's not very good, though a dickey bird says it is much better after repeated viewing and the jokes are far more subtle in their own way than on The Young Ones. It has just been released on BBC PAL Video, no. BBCV 4991. The video sleeve introduces it like this : "Three pretty bloody fabulous and funny episodes starring showbiz superstar and sex symbol Richie Rich (Rik Mayall) along with his freeloading, parasitic minder, Eddie Catflap (Adrian Edmonson) and wino agent Ralph Filthy (Nigel Planer)." An episode guide of this is available from: WWW = http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/index.html GIRLS ON TOP ------------ Produced by Central Television in the mid-1980s, this starred Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax and somebody else as four girls sharing a flat. The press labelled it a female Young Ones, though the writers stayed away from this label. BLACKADDER GOES FORTH - PRIVATE PLANE ------------------------------------- In this episode, Rik Mayall plays Lord Flash-heart, who comes to the rescue of Edmund Blackadder, and meets Baron Von Richoften - played by Adrian Edmondson. The scene plays an awful lot like the battles between Rik and Vyvyan :) BOTTOM ------ This was made in the 1990s. Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson wrote and starred in the series as Richard Richard (erm...) and Eddie Hitler (now hang on!). The similarities between Richard and Rik, and Eddie and Vyvyan are rather striking... The Bottom FAQ is available from FTP sites, or Melinda Casino (casino@pobox.upenn.edu) A VERY PECULIAR PRACTICE ------------------------ While this is *NOT* an out-and-out comedy like The Young Ones, I found it rather amusing. This stars Peter Davison as a innocent idealistic doctor thrust into a University medical centre complete with cynical hard-bittened characters. If you have this on PAL format please call me ! 15. Other articles on the Net ============================= As stated at the beginning, the first part of the FAQ contains the essential basic information on the FAQ. Ask me for a copy, or see below... There is also an edited episode guide available from: WWW: http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~dave/guides/index.html The scripts for most of the episodes are now available from the FTP or WWW sites. If you can't access them, ask me or consult James Kew (j.kew@ic.ac.uk) and his alt.comedy.british FAQ. The B-side to Living Doll, (ALL THE LITTLE FLOWERS ARE) HAPPY is also available on the FTP site, transcribed by Greg O'Beirne (gobeirne@tartarus.uwa.edu.au) All these files can be found by FTPing to: cathouse.org/pub/cathouse/ src.doc.ic.ac.uk/public/media/tv/collections/tardis/uk/comedy/YoungOnes/ Or using your WWW browser and pointing it to: http://hammers.wwa.com/hammers http://cathouse.org:8000/BritishComedy/ http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/public/media/tv/collections/tardis/ http://www.brad.ac.uk/~achwong/ I also compile the Rik Mayall FAQ, Adrian Edmondson FAQ, and the Ben Elton FAQ. I did have a copy of an interview I did with Christopher Ryan but that seems to have mysteriously disappeared... If you can't find it, let me know! For further explanaitions of the jokes, consult Steve Gardner's Anglo/ American Gag Guide to The Young Ones. E-mail esgardner@delphi.com If you have any material, please let me know so I can incorporate it here. All comments, brickbats and additions gratefully received ! 16. Contributors and thanks =========================== Paul Herzog for transcribing quite a few scripts. Bill Houston and his friend for transcribing NASTY. James Kew for co-ordinating most of this stuff on ze 'Net... Alexander Lum for his valiant efforts to produce a FAQ. Kristen Mirenda (mirenda@panix.com) for transcribing BAMBI and CASH, other items and pointing out other factual errors. Kristin Sabo for giving me some source information. Thanks also go to Roderick Begbie, Paul Burgin, Greg Cawthorn, Paul Claypole, Nick Cole, Andrew Darby, Jon Drukman, Graham Hawkins, Paul Herzog, Stuart Jackson, James Kew, Paul Lee, Greg O'Beirne, Russ Perry Jnr., James Poole, Steve Rapport, Simon Rowell, Annie Sattler, Adrian Savage, Drew Savage, Stephen Slater and Michelle Street. Other pieces of info were ripped off from various sources, including: Deadline Magazine (November 1994) Didn't You Kill Your Mother-In-Law:The story of alternative comedy Times Educational Supplement (30 December 1983) I would like to thank all the above, and anyone else I haven't named for their help and contributions. Get your name on this esteemed list! Ask a question, or provide an answer. ---- That concludes the Young Ones FAQ. All opinions are mine unless otherwise stated, and I take no legal responsibility for any crossed lines that occur as a result of this docuemnt :) If you have any queries, questions, corrections or comments, please write to me : achwong@bradford.ac.uk If you want any British items, I can endeavour to get them for you, and I can accept most currencies. Give me a call... My name was Andrew Wong, thank you and goodnight ! Andrew Wong Internet: achwong@bradford.ac.uk -----x----- Rick: "Honestly, I don't know why I Compiler of the Young Ones FAQ bother sometimes..." and other biographies. Vyv: "I don't know why you bother ever." Ask me for more details !