Talk:The Young Ones (TV series)

message: The main characters were four undergraduate students sharing a house: violent punk Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), pompous would-be anarchist Rick (Rik Mayall), long-suffering hippie Neil (Nigel Planer), and the suave and diminutive Mike (Christopher Ryan).
Vyvian wasn't really a punk, he was more a heavy metal fan - he may have had a vaguely punk style haircut (although in reality it was more akin to the future style used by Keith Flint in the Prodigy) but the idea of wearing a sleeveless denim jacket is certainly a metal thing, and the T shirts he wore were usually metal bands (Motorhead etc), I don't recall him ever wearing anything like a "Exploited" T shirt. When the guys had their party, Vyvian was seen chatting to a load of bikers.  Definitely not a punk.   And I would have said that Rick was more of a "trendy lefty" student than an anarchist, wasn't he?  He mentions in "Sick" that he is a member of the "Friends of Stalin Society" - he'd hardly join that if he was an anarchist!  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.139.222.104 (talk) 10:06, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Rick claimed to be an anarchist in the pilot episode and later during an exchange with one of the party guests, but I think the "poser leftie" moniker fits him better than any other. Vyvian was modeled after punkers, but you're right in that his music taste ran more toward metal. At the time the series was made, there was a great deal of visual commonality between the metal and punk community. Intothatdarkness (talk) 14:39, 25 June 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Characters

message: From the article:
:"famous bands would play, for no apparent reason...by including the groups, the show qualified as light entertainment and therefore got a higher budget than a mere sitcom."
then near the end
:"The reason bands appeared in the first place was because it categorised the show as Variety rather than Entertainment and consequently got a larger BBC budget."
So which exact categories were they using the bands to get from and to? Does it really need to be said twice?
Boffy b 15:18, 2004 Sep 18 (UTC)
:To my knowledge, BBC allowed a bigger budget for variety shows than the typical "sitcom" shows.  By having a live band they were able to classify themselves as variety and therefore ask the BBC for a larger budget.  It would seem it would be classified as a variety show, only by the strictest definition pertaining to the BBC.  It would really just be a comedy where the creators used a loophole to get a bigger budget.--Skeev 19:04, 21 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: What was this show?

message: I've made a slight change to Neil's information. It did say "non-existant Peace Studies degree". I don't know if this is meant to reter to "then" (i.e. when the series was made) or not, but this degree does exist and I know people who've graduated with it! Bradford University at the very least was doing it about 8 years ago when I was there, and in fact had a Peace Studies department.
Perversely, they studied war for 4 years. Go figure. IainP (talk) 12:07, 29 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Actually, it was earlier than that; I started the degree course in 1976. RolandR (talk) 09:38, 12 October 2010 (UTC)

text: No, the Ministry of Peace (Minipax) is all about War in 1984 :) See Ministries of Oceania - Man in shack (talk) 02:27, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: And of course the Ministry of Love was all about Hate(torture, humiliation, dehumanization etc.)Racerx11 (talk) 00:43, 3 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Peace Studies 

message: can ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME if they remember a show, or short film, which i saw on MTV after an episod of the Young Ones, probably in '89, featuring definately Rik and I think Ade and Nigel. it WAS NOT FUNNY. it was desperately dark and the guys were involved in some sort of anthropology dept. recreation of early human existance. they lived in a little tee pee out on the quad of the college or something. I think someone got killed in the end a la Lord of the Flies.....It's been bugging me for YEARS!!! HELP!!! mojojo33@yahoo.com
:Hello Mojo: no need to shout. Sounds like you're thinking of "Summer School", an episode from Season One of  The Comic Strip Presents. Nigel, Rik and Adrian were all in the cast, and the plot fits what you remember: an experimental Iron Age settlement on a University Campus. While it was a comedy, it was a lot darker in mood and less slapstick than the Young Ones. potatoscone 11:29, 24 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  short film featuring young ones cast!!!!!! 

message: I recently bought the dvds of the young ones and on at least a few episodes (i havent watched them all yet) there are images put in for maybe 10 frames, for example in the episode 'nasty', the is an image of someone making pottery with a potters wheel. Is this just on the dvds or on the program itself? Does anyone know anything about this?  Raemie 12:53, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: There is some info on this in the article. They were shown on the orginal arings, removed for repeats and restored on the DVD :)--Crestville 17:11, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Thanks, i really should start reading more carefully. Raemie 12:35, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: images

message: For being a such a hardcore punk rocker, Vyvyan didn't wear a lot of punk rock bands on his t-shirts, did he? I remember him wearing t-shirts for Whitesnake, Motorhead, KISS, and Rush. Can anyone remember any others?
Saxon  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.76.41.239 (talk) 11:01, 29 October 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vyvyan's T-shirts 

message: Whilst watching a Comedy Connections programme on The Young Ones tonight on BBC 1 it mentioned that there was a Young Ones theatre tour. Could anyone with any knowledge of this add any information relating to this and was it ever released on video or broadcast on television? --Wrh1973 22:11, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  The Young Ones Stage Show 

message: I recall a recent interview with Alexei Sayle where he commented that he thought that it was a mistake to end the programme after only 12 episodes, apparently with the justification that "Fawlty Towers did it and finished on a high, so we will too".  Personally I'm inclined to agree, and think it's a shame they didn't do a third series.  Anyway, my feelings aside, would this be worth a mention in the main article?  Can anybody else remember the interview in question?  Chris 11:17, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Better to leave the party too early than too late. As John Cleese Anyway, you've got Filthy Rich and Catflap, Bottom and all of the The Comic Strip Presents... as worthy successors.--Crestville 11:24, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

text: The Comic Strip Presents... was technically not a successor to TYO. It was started in 1982, the same year as TYO. Filthy Rich and Catflap, while still starring 3 of the 4 boys from TYO, was very much a Ben Elton thing in my opinion, and missing the depth of humour that TYO had. Bottom is probably the best example as a "successor" series, with Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmundson writing, directing and starring, thought it doesn't have the variety format of TYO. - Man in shack (talk) 02:19, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Series ended too early? 

message: Is there anywhere that says it's set in North London? There's one episode (can't remember which but I think it's the second season) where a sign says Carshalton. Timrollpickering 03:39, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It is in the last episode "Summer Holiday", on the estate agent's sign outside the house after Belowski evicts them. Of course this means the estate agent is based in Carshalton. Danny Darko (talk) 00:49, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Location 

message: 203.213.7.130 has just reverted all the mentions of 'Rick' to 'Rik' again. 
While the actor is called Rik Mayall, the character is called Rick.
(It's the basis of the 'He spells it with a silent P' joke in 'Bambi'.) See photograph from 'Bambi'here -->
Spugmeister 14:36, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Someone did it again. I've reverted their change. Mark Grant 21:34, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Rick

message: I've just reverted a change and forgotten to put why in the hitory- SPG is from Glasgow and says, 'Oh, is that right? I'm a Glaswegian'. 
It's not said very clearly which is what probably led to the mix up Spugmeister 22:34, 15 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: SPG

message: Planer, as "Neil the Hippy", re;eased an LP, with cover versions of, amongst others, songs by Caravan. Members of Caravan were the session musicians used. There were one or two singles, also. Anyone know more about this? Andy Mabbett 20:42, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Neil's album

message: "At the 1986 live Comic Relief television performance they gave a live performance, but with Bob Geldof accompanying instead of Cliff. This version with Geldof was released on LP and on video."
Am I going mad, or is this cobblers? I'm pretty sure Cliff was in the live performance. Moreover, I have no memory of Geldof appearing on stage with the Young Ones. Why else would Rick have said, "remember, Cliff's in the building, and we don't want anyone saying 'penis'".
It's Bob Geldof. I have it on video.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.69.95.31 (talk) 19:38, 20 May 2012 (UTC)
thread_title: Comic Relief: Cliff?

message: A good detailed article, but it would benefit from some discussion of its impact/role in Britain in the early 80s. Whilst Alternative Comedy had been around for quite a while, this is probably its 'big splash' on TV. Also, it is seen as one of those generational dividers - where your parents hated it, and that was part of the attratction. I'm happy to put some general comments in if there's nothing else doing.
cheers.81.145.241.103 17:32, 3 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Social Impact?

message: :Image:Vyvyanpic.jpeg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
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BetacommandBot 03:18, 6 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Vyvyanpic.jpeg

message: :Image:Rikpic.jpeg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
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If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot 03:24, 6 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Rikpic.jpeg

message: There is a slight Elmer Fuddish quality to Rick's pronounciation - Rs being pronounced like Ws ("that'd be pwetty stewpid"). Does anyone know if this is supposed to imitate some accent or speech impediment?
It's called a Rhotacism, much like Jonathan Ross's speech impediment.GuanoLad 11:24, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rick's accent/speech impediment ? 

message: I know this isn't popular knowledge, but the reason such disparate characters share a flat together is because all four of them are fans of Cliff Richard. That's why the show is called "The Young Ones", it's why the book was called "Bachelor Boys", it's why the last episode was called "Summer Holiday", why they all sung "Living Doll" with him, and it's why in episode one, when Rik asks Vyv "Why isn't Cliff Richard boring, clever trousers?", Vyvyan's answer is to be lost for words and push Rik into the lentils. My cite is an interview with the creators from back when it was first broadcast, which is unfortunately impossible to link to. - GuanoLad 21:59, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  All four of them are Cliff Richard fans 

message: :Image:YOUNG ONES.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot (talk) 08:58, 15 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:YOUNG ONES.jpg

message: Removed the following;- Its original research, and needs to be referenced. Apologies if the way I did this isn't encyclopedic. but yeah. No original research, gotta source stuff 58.7.0.146 (talk) 21:41, 22 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Original research 

message: :Image:Young Ones theme excerpt.ogg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is  other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page.  Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot (talk) 03:24, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Young Ones theme excerpt.ogg

message: Being the obsessive compulsive that I am and considering how iconic the Young Ones is, I would like to catalogue the edits made on each of the DVD releases for the main page. I believe the Region 1 "Every Stoopid Episode" and "Extra Stoopid Edition" releases are the same as their corresponding UK releases, with different box art, special features and menus. This is what I've got so far:
Episodenumber	Episodename   	2002 Series One BBCDVD1136 / 2003 Series Two BBCDVD1171 (R2)Every Stoopid Episode (R1)             	2007 Complete Series One & Two BBCDVD2236 (R2)Extra Stoopid Edition (R1)
Season 1     	Season 1      	Season 1                                                                                           	Season 1
1            	Demolition    	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
2            	Oil           	Scene in the cellar where Vyvyan is headbutting the floor is shortened, ommitting background music.	No information.
3            	Boring        	In the opening sequence, "Good Day Sunshine" is replaced by sound of birds singing.                	No information.
4            	Bomb          	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
5            	Interesting   	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
6            	Flood         	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
Season 2     	Season 2      	Season 2                                                                                           	Season 2
1            	Bambi         	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
2            	Cash          	Musical interlude "Subterranean Homesick Blues" is cut.                                            	No information.
3            	Nasty         	Scene where Neil sings "The Sound of Silence" in the bath is cut.                                  	Scene with the two teddy bears on Rick's bed is cut.
4            	Time          	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
5            	Sick          	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
6            	Summer Holiday	No information.                                                                                    	No information.
Danny Darko (talk) 23:54, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  DVD Cuts 

message: Are the surnames legit? I don't remember any of them having surnames, and Mike's especially seems suspect. Yes, he occasionally referred to himself as "Mike, the cool person" but I don't think counts for anything. 4.237.204.249 (talk) 20:36, 23 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The 'Rick Britain' reference comes from Bambi, where the "world's stupidest bottom burp" is claimed to be "Rick, Britain" (as in Rick who comes from Britain).  Just in case there was any confusion about other people's confusion. :-) --HappyDog (talk) 12:57, 24 June 2009 (UTC)

text: Vyvian Basterd and Mike Thecoolperson are both listed in Bachelor Boys, but then it also lists a lot of highly suspect details in keeping with the notion that it is written by the characters themselves (Leon Trotsky writes one section, with the implication it's actually Rick) 87.115.31.184 (talk) 13:10, 18 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Mike "TheCoolPerson" is a whole different ball game - see the paragraph below for comments on the validity of his surname...  I personally view it as a title, not a surname.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by A man alone (talk • contribs) 16:21, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text:  I did also comment on it below. Bachelor Boys treats it as a surname. Capital T all the rest lower case, he even uses it in formal correspondance. 87.114.29.255 (talk) 17:00, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

text: Fair point, see my comments and rebuttal.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by A man alone (talk • contribs) 17:55, 20 July 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Are you all Americans with no sense of how a comma works? Sure, Mike said "Mike, The Cool Person," but that doesn't mean it's his surname. Is Peter Peter's surname The Pumpkin Eater? I suppose the real question is whether Bachelor Boys is canon or not. If it is, so be it. If it's not, then a lot of ink has been split over editors who don't have a grip over grammar. Beag maclir (talk) 16:51, 3 April 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: It's canon, it was written and produced by the same bunch, at the same time, under the same auspices, and as part of the same thing as the TV show. Til Eulenspiegel /talk/ 17:07, 3 April 2014 (UTC)
thread_title: Surnames

message: Is it true there are subliminal messages in the young ones? if so this shoel be inncluded 79.74.123.16 (talk) 15:42, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It's kind of true, they're actually too long to be subliminal. And it is included under 'synopsis'. Spugmeister (talk) 16:29, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Subliminal 

message: During a preformance with Bob Geldof during Comic Relief '86, Rick is given a formal introduction by a voice-over MC as Rik Mayall, in spite of the fact that he's clearly appearing in character (and proceeds to refer to Ryan, Edmondson and Planter as Mike, Vyvyan and Neil as they come out onstage.) Perhaps this means that Rick's last name is Mayall? Again, he's clearly in character and none of the other actors are refered to by their real names. Here's the link: . Tenk you veddy much.  --Wack'd Talk to me! • Admire my handiwork! 22:26, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rick Mayall? 

message: The picture beginning the Characters section shows Mike, Rick, Vyvyan and Neil on University Challenge. I have no problem with the fact that Rick's name happens to have a "P" drawn in front of his name in the still photo. It was part of a running gag in the episode Bambi. In fact, its a great reminder of a very funny scene in that episode. However in the caption below the picture, it identifies the characters as "Mike, (P)Rick, Vyv & Neil on University Challenge".
I feel that its unnecessary and unencyclopedic to add the (P) in front of Rick's name in the caption. The episode implies this is a joke intended to irritate Rick. There is no implication that Rick may, by any chance, actually spell his name with a silent "P". It is not the intention of this article to participate in the show's humor or continue the humor of the TV series "in universe". The (P) in the caption slightly crosses a line in this regard.
I also feel since the joke "P" is already depicted in the photo, repeating the joke directly below is not only unneeded, but actually lessens the humor. Much like repeating a punch line, it makes the whole joke less funny somehow. Im deleting the (P) in the caption. You are welcome to put it back if you object.Racerx11 (talk) 15:56, 5 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Characters picture 

message: Someone keeps changing the page back to saying it was Neneh Cherry perfoming with RR+P on the show. But it was actually Andrea Oliver, who was in the band before Neneh. If you look at the video, it's clearly not Neneh.  DavidRavenMoon (talk) 05:59, 29 April 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rip, Rig + Panic 

message: "In 1986, the cast sang "Living Doll" with Cliff Richard and Hank Marvin for Comic Relief." Wrong. Check youtube's copy of the performance. They announce the guest as Cliff Richards but then realize it's actually Bob Geldof (they guy who played the main character in the movie version of Pink Floyd's The Wall). And yes, it's the comic relief one not a reperformance of it elsewhere.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.68.131.138 (talk) 03:37, 12 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  It's not Cliff Richards on their version of Living Doll at Comic Relief 

message: I've partially reverted an edit made recently.  Rationale is outlined below, as it's too long for an edit summary:
*They live in a house, not a flat, so all instances of flatmate -> housemate
*humourous is not a word - humorous is the correct spelling.  I was caught out with this myself - on this very page some time ago.
*I removed Phil Taylor, and re-instated Magic Johnson - as it was me who originally inserted that comment I did so specifically using both an English and an American example so that both sides of the Atlantic would know who the article referred to.
*The quote is "Prick is a wonker" as read out by Neil.
*Hoover is a trademark and refers to a specific type of vacuum cleaner, which is not the case here.  Whilst it has passed into (certainly in the UK - can't speak for anywhere else) generic usage, the term vacuum is more accurate, especially when we wikilink to things.  Chaheel Riens (talk) 05:15, 11 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Last edit 

message: Mayall and Edmundson did not join the Comedy Store until mid-1980, which makes the "late 1970s" claim rather inaccurate - http://www.thecomicstrippresents.webs.com/sitepages/rikmayall.html. The series was, of course, helped to the screen by the launch of Channel 4 in 1982, which apparently prodded the BBC on into producing the series. If the origins of the series are to be traced to the stars' various careers in clubs, 1980 was surely the year - when Mayall and Edmundson met Sayle. One could, of course, claim that the origins of the series lay in which year each performer was born!
(86.158.224.24 (talk) 21:56, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mayall and Edmundson - Comedy Store - mid-1980 

message: Amaury & Debresser - please take a look at the edit history of the article, and indeed read the article itself.  The IP editor is completely correct - The Cure never appeared in The Young Ones, and Christopher Ryan played Mike in the show, not Enn Reitel.
Instead of spasm reverting, please check the circumstances surrounding the edits first.  Thanks Chaheel Riens (talk) 21:15, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Those two things I agree with, but he changed a lot more than that in his edit. Debresser (talk) 22:16, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, and those other elements probably need to be addressed, rather than 'spasm reverting' to the blocked accounts' version, and characterizing a good faith edit as vandalism: . 2601:188:1:AEA0:65F5:930C:B0B2:CD63 (talk) 15:03, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
replies: text:  I think that in the current version these concerns are addressed. Debresser (talk) 15:07, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
replies: text:  Thank you, . 2601:188:1:AEA0:65F5:930C:B0B2:CD63 (talk) 15:15, 12 July 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Edits regarding Enn Reitel & The Cure. 

message: I am not convinced that the article belongs in this category. I know The Young Ones was a bot of a mix of genres, but it does not really fit the description of a sketch show and nowhere in the article is it described as one. Dunarc (talk) 18:53, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Category:British television sketch shows 

message: The sentence beginning "Mayall portrayed his character as..." has bad grammar and unclear meaning. 2A00:23C5:FE0C:2100:C1D9:74BC:176:4A09 (talk) 23:41, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Grammar problem 

message: The 'Legacy' section should reference 'Girls on top' which was clearly derivative, and has its own wiki page which could be linked to.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dean1954 (talk • contribs) 19:59, 15 July 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legacy 

message: The current Reception section is extremely short and modern. Interesting to know how it was received in the '80s, when it was quite rude and anarchic and may have upset some viewers. Equinox ◑ 22:40, 25 May 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  What kind of critical reception did it get at the time?