Young Ones, The Reviews

The Young Ones is an 80's surreal comedy about four students who share a flat together in London. It stars Rik Mayall as Rick, Adrian Edmondson as Vyvyan, Nigel Planer as Neil and Christopher Ryan as Mike. It also features Alexei Sayle, who plays landlord Jerzy Balowski. Rick is a self-proclaimed anarchist who studies sociology, Vyvyan is a ...  Read the complete review

The Young Ones was to television comedy what some of the more outrageous pop artists are to rock'n'roll. The programme was the Eminem of comedy. Loved by a section of society separated from the remainder almost entirely on the grounds of age. While young people loved it, anyone over 35 probably hated it and probably didn't understand it. It was ...  Read the complete review

Created by Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer and Ben Elton Starring Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle. This comedy show began it life in 1982 until 1984, creating 12 episodes split into 2 series. Its style of humour being new to the BBC at the time (and it did receive a lot of complaints), but ...  Read the complete review

Around 1981 comedy was undergoing a change. What was later to be branded “alternative comedy” was delivering a brash, scathing and irreverent tirade of anti establishment humour in response to too many years of safe sitcoms and golf playing forty something stand up comedians telling mother in law jokes and predictable stories. Doing the rounds ...  Read the complete review

Running for two series of six episodes each, the Young Ones starred Rik Mayall as Rick the 'peoples' poet' virginal fan of Cliff Richard, Adrian Edmondson as insane and violent punk Vyvian, Christopher Ryan as 'cool guy' Mike and Nigel Planer as depressed hippie Neil. Alexei Sayle would also often show up as part of the Russian/scouse/cockney ...  Read the complete review

British alternative comedy was at its satirical prime in the 1980s, and shows such as the Young Ones managed to tread new ground with the franchise as well as make a lot of over-emphasised comments on Thatcher's government. The series was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer, although it's no surprise if only two of those names ...  Read the complete review

Cartoon humour arrived in the BBC 2 post watershed slot back in 1982 and the world was never the same again.... This was in the days of bachelorhood for the dave27 muse and I remember the rumours going around in YOUNG PEOPLE LAND about this mad TV sitcom long before it exploded across our screens. Me and my mates had picked up on Rik ...  Read the complete review

The youngs was a T.V. sereies from the early eighties which followed the lives of four students, they are: Rik: An obnoxious virgin, always seems to be on the receiving end when Vyv gets violent. Vyv: A spikey haired ginger punk who's studying to be a doctor. He's pretty insane and hates Rik. Neil: A ...  Read the complete review

Ah, take me back to those days when alternative comedy was really that. An alternative to the bland niceness of sit coms, where there was no over-the-top gratuitous violence or swearing and certainly no tampax jokes. Who can forget the scene, ..."Hello Rhiannon, are you glad you've come to the party?" as Rick playfully bounces the ...  Read the complete review

Alternate comedy was given a shot of adrenaline in November 1982, when The Young Ones first hit our screens. It ran from then until June 1984, with 2 series, six episodes to a series and is one of the finest British sitcoms of all time. It wasn’t until The Young Ones that sitcoms had shown limb or digit amputations, decapitations, arcing ...  Read the complete review

This is the altimate 80's comedy for me. The humour is fantastic. The Young Ones started off the alternative comedy front and even up to this day it is still going. In this programme you will meet Rick (Rik Mayall), Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), Neil (Nigel Planer) and Mike. It is chance to see these fantastic comedian actors at their youngest ...  Read the complete review

Starring: Rick: Rik Mayall Vyvyan: Adrian Edmonson Neil: Nigel Planer Mike: Christopher Ryan If you don’t already know, The Young Ones was a series running in the early eighties featuring 4 male students sharing a house in North London. It first appeared on BBC 2 in November 1982, and ran until June 1984, but ...  Read the complete review

Another classic BBC comedy. This short running series was absolutely hilarious. It revolved around the lives of a group of students living in absolute squalor. Neil the hippy, Mike the cool guy, Vivian the punk and Richie the communist student. This program was of course the precursor to Bottom, and has both Rik Mayall and Ade ...  Read the complete review