A decade ago today, we lost the magnificent bastard that was Rik Mayall. So, to celebrate his finest comedy moments we're taking a look at them!
That's across the cult classic sitcom Bottom, The Young Ones, Blackadder, The New Statesman, The Comic Strip Strip, Drop Dead Fred, Waiting for Godot... and the list goes on.
The Comedy Bastard: Rik Mayall's Most Maverick Moments
Okay, this isn't a mopey post or anything. It's a celebration of Mr. Mayall's life and comedy, after all! Although he's not quite as well known outside the UK, for those not in the know he's an absolute legend here.
A comedy genius, he just had that extra knack. The x factor. Charisma overload, a lot of energy, and alongside his good looks he adorned many of the UK comedy's best moments in the Eighties and Nineties. Such as...
Bottom
Looking back at his work now, a lot of Mayall's brilliance came from his incredibly expressive face. Other comics, like Rowan Atkinson and Jim Carrey, have this elastic capability with their facial muscles.
Across Bottom, Mayall put this to regular use and it's incredible to watch.
There's this moment from 1 minute 45 seconds onwards where Richie eats his hellish recipe for Sprouts Mexicane. The range of emotions he goes through is astonishing—pain, fear, horror, revulsion etc.
Recently, the documentary Bottom Exposed shed new light on how the show came to be. Adrian Edmondson (who doesn't often discuss the sitcom) is in full presence throughout that.
For us, this was the comedy duo's career highlight. Excellent writing, performances, and it's still very funny. Whilst also making a point, mixing crass scatological humour alongside razor sharp social commentary.
We did a full podcast celebrating Bottom a while ago. That's if you'd like to hear us wax lyrical some more.
Waiting for Godot
Working with his long-term comedy partner (Ade Edmondson), Mayall starred in a West End adaptation of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
This was just before Bottom launched on the BBC. The pair had been obsessed with the play ever since attended Manchester University in the mid-70s.
Crucially, they both viewed the play as a comedy. Everyone else seems to think it's a drama (often with pretentious consequences), but Rik and Ade saw the funny side of the nihilism within Beckett's work. And it was a huge inspiration for the desperation and hopelessness seen within Bottom.
The pair studied drama at Manchester uni (see Ade Edmondson's autobiography for more on that). That schooling led to a keen desire to perform live.
They eventually took Bottom on several live stage tours, during which they really knew how to play to the audience.
It's not clear how staged these "errors" were, but they knew the audience loved them. And they could riff off each other in fine style for great entertainment.
The New Statesman
One of Mayall's most underrated roles was as corrupt, slimy MP Alan B'Stard for the repugnant Conservative government. The show mocked the disgusting behaviour of '80s Thatcherite regime.
Oh, how times have changed following 14 years of disastrous Conservative rule...
Due to that, The New Statesman is as relevant as ever. Mayall was on terrific form throughout the show's run, channelling his Machiavellian side to portray this absolute bastard.
Blackadder
Mayall wasn't a regular member of the cast here, but he did have three memorable one-off appearances in this iconic sitcom. The second was in Blackadder II as Lord Flasheart.
He cropped up again in Blackadder Goes Forth.
All to the extent Lord Flashear and Mayall are now part of Blackadder lore. Thus, there was balance and harmony in the universe for this appreciation.
Comic Strip Presents... Four Men in a Car
It's often forgotten, due to the success of The Young Ones, but Comic Strip Presents launched at the same time. British screens had this double whammy of alternative comedy to wrap their brains around.
It was on Channel 4 and the channel, in the late 1990s, ran a one-off special. And that includes one greatly underrated scene of road rage, with all the actors here on fine form (kudos to the long haired guy in the Land Rover for his excellent fury).
Drop Dead Fred
Mayall's US acting career didn't take off, but he had a go at it anyway. In 1991 he starred in black comedy Drop Dead Fred, which many folks my age will likely remember.
As a kid watching it (not least as Rik Mayall was in it), the film is one of the weirdly disturbing real life things you're enthralled by. Mainly as it hints in some way about what adulthood may be like (minus the imaginary friend Mayall played).
He was incredibly busy around circa 1991 (see below interview), starring in this film, The News Statesman, Waiting for Godot, and prepping Bottom for launch.
An underrated film, it's since gained a cult following. It was also a solid hit at the box office, earning some $24 million.
But Hollywood didn't come knocking for Mayall's services. Fools!
Words From The Man, Myth, and Legend
If you check the comments section for the above interview from 1991, it's full of ladies enthusiastically pointing out how good looking Mr. Mayall was.
That was just another asset of his wide-ranging skill set. Alongside his natural intellect and wit, by all accounts he was just a very nice sort of bloke. He was also, perhaps crucially, aware of the luck behind his early rise to stardom. He said he was "blessed" for it to work out.
His good fortune was a gift for the world! As without him (and Ade Edmondson, of course), our adolescence would've been a lot less fun. And we would have missed an enormous source of creative inspiration.
The outpouring of appreciation for him online today says it all.
Much missed! And never forgotten.
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