The Young Ones (1982–1984)

The crazy and sometimes surreal comedic adventures of four very different students in Thatcher's Britain.

Stars:

Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Adrian Edmondson	...	Vyvyan (12 episodes, 1982-1984)
Rik Mayall	...	Rick (12 episodes, 1982-1984)
Nigel Planer	...	Neil (12 episodes, 1982-1984)
Christopher Ryan	...	Mike (12 episodes, 1982-1984)
Alexei Sayle	...	the Balowski Family (12 episodes, 1982-1984)
Mark Arden	...	Boy in Comic Strip (7 episodes, 1982-1984)
Stephen Frost	...	Bank Vault Manager (7 episodes, 1982-1984)
Ben Elton	...	Baz (5 episodes, 1982-1984)

Storyline

Four mis-matched university students share a house in North London: Neil, the hippy; Mike, the cool person; Rick, a would-be anarchist studying sociology; and Vyvyan, the punk medical student who is prone to extreme violence. Together with their bastard Russian landlord, the world of these "bachelor boys" is surreal and violent, but ultimately hilarious.

---

Plot Keywords:

student | punk | college | anarchist | violence | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1982 (UK)

Also Known As:

De unge

Filming Locations:

Bristol North Swimming Baths, Gloucester Road, Bristol, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

35 min 35 min (12 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The principal characters were all derived from characters performed by the actors at The Comic Strip club in London in the early-1980s. Rik, the People's Poet was a solo act by Rik Mayall; Vyvyan was a development of Adrian Edmondson's half of Twentieth Century Coyote (with Rik Mayall); Neil was originally Nigel Planer's inept (and depressed) folk singer; while Mike was based on Peter Richardson's performance as half of The Outer Limits (with Nigel Planer). It was originally intended that Richardson should join the show, but when he declined, the role was offered to Christopher Ryan.

---

Connections

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 (2006)

User Reviews

Great British Comedy

The Young Ones is a comedy classic and one of my all time favourites. The twelve episodes capture the political mood of Britain in the early eighties to perfection and in my opinion it does so as good as any serious political observation of that era. What I would say is that although the viewer may appreciate the humour of the series, one really needs to have experienced the early 80's in a full on social sense to get the full impact of what is being viewed. As I was a teenager during the Young Ones era, I not only love the humorous aspects but can also draw direct parallels with the dark and oppressive undertones that are constantly present throughout the series. On the one hand we are in stitches over Viv hitting Rik or Neil and then a moment later we are reminded of the darker elements, which I feel prevailed during this time. Racial violence, unemployment, minor's and teacher's strikes, power cuts, capitalism gone mad, in fact everything that summed up the so-called ‘Thatcher Era'. And not forgetting the total fear of nuclear attack from the super powers which seemed prevalent during this decade. Wipe the glitz and glamour from the 80's and you are left with a very dark and gloomy time period. The Young Ones acknowledges this brilliantly. I would say that The Young Ones is just as much a social commentary as it is a comedy and a terrific one at that.