Bottoms up to comedy low-lifes
MARION McMULLEN looks at the launch of an anarchic comedy series 30 years ago
TWO cash-strapped flatmates trying to get through their days without killing or seriously maiming each other proved a comedy hit for Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson.
The Young Ones co-stars played Richie Richard and Eddie “Elizabeth” Hitler with Rik growing his hair long to play Richie and Adrian completely shaving his head for Eddie’s bald look.
Richie and Eddie lived together in a grubby flat in Hammersmith, and struggled to make ends meet.
They stole gas from their neighbour Mr Rottweiler (Brian Glover) and also had to get creative when it came to putting food on the table.
Bottom launched on BBC 2 in 1991 and Adrian once said: “Richie and Eddie couldn’t exist without each other. They’ve two halves of the same person.”
Christopher Ryan, who also appeared as Mike in The Young Ones, played Dave Hedgehog, with Steve O’Donnell as Dave’s mate Spudgun.
The Royle Family’s Liz Smith played a fortune teller who put a curse on Richie, while future Pirates Of The Caribbean actor Kevin McNally made an appearance in one episode as a sex shop assistant with Eddie asking him: “This is a sex shop isn:’t it?” Shop assistant: “Yes”. Eddie (slapping money down on the counter): “I’ll have five quid’s worth then!”
Bottom ran for three series and a fourth series was written but never commissioned by the BBC.
A planned spin-off series called Hooligan’s Island would have seen the two flatmates still causing mayhem and leaving chaos in their wake as pensioners.
“I’ve always loved Wilfred Bramble, who played Steptoe, I wanted to play him like that,” said Rik, who sadly passed away from a heart attack at the age of 56 in 2014.
Bottom was so popular though, that Rik and Adrian enjoyed further success playing their characters in stage show specials that toured the country playing to sell-out theatres.