The Young Ones - Every Stoopid Episode

Rating:
Summary: More Bloody Students? Oh shut up and put some clothes on!
Review: The YOUNG ONES ran from 1982 to 1984 and consists of the 12 episodes included here. The show stars Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and Christopher Ryan as Rick, Vyvyan, Neil, and Mike respectively. Alexei Sayle also stars as several members of the Balowski family (one of them being the landlord of their house). The show was brilliantly written by Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer, Alexei Sayle, and last but not least, Ben Elton (co- writer of Black Adder and writer of The Thin Blue Line and Filthy Rich & Catflap). To begin to describe the wackiness, spontaneous combustion, and pure originality of this show is not something I'll do here. You know or you don't, but if you don't and like any other BBC comedies such as Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Father Ted or Absolutely Fabulous, then you will love the Young Ones!

The DVD set is another impressive product from BBC video. The packaging is like the Fawlty Towers or All in the Family tri-fold case. The first series of 6 episodes (Demolition, Oil, Boring, Bomb, Interesting, & FLood) are included on disc 1 (the disc with Vyvyan's attractive face on it), the next series of 6 (Bambi, Cash, Nasty, Sick, Time, & Summer Holiday) are on disc 2 (the one with Neil the Hippie on it), and disc 3 (with el presidente Mike on it) is all extra features including 2 featurettes (with cast and writer interviews), Extensive talent files of all cast, writers, guest stars, and bands that appeared on the show, and best of all the first episode of BOTTOM and the first episode of FILTHY, RICH and CATFLAP. For those who don't know, BOTTOM is a show that ran from 1991 to 1995 and had 18 episodes. It starred Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (both also wrote) as single and repulsive roommates, Rich Richard and Eddie Hitler, who spend half their time trying to get women and the other half beating each other senseless. Christopher Ryan would later appear on the show as well. The episode included on this disc is the first episode, "SMELLS" and it's hilarious. FILTHY, R & C is a show that ran in 1987 and only had 6 episodes. It also stars Rik and Adrian, but also Nigel Planer as Richard Rich, Ed Catflap, & Ralph Filthy respectively. The show, written by Ben Elton, is about an obnoxious celebrity and two guys that work for him. The episode here is the first episode, "Dead Milkmen". I hope BBC considers bringing out both shows on DVD as they would be nice companions to the Young Ones set. By the way, if you feel bad because Rik isnt on one of the discs, don't, because you'll see his lovely smile on the inside flap everytime you open the case (I've seen it many many times already) Anyway THE YOUNG ONES: Every Stoopid Episode has all 12 uncut episodes (not the MTV versions) with the full beginning song and original end credits (that weren't even available on VHS). All the musical moments from Motorhead to Madness are here as well. Did I mention there are 4 colorful postcards included (one for each YOUNG ONE!) I love this show! "Once in every lifetime, comes a love like this..."

*Trivia: Adrian Edmondson who plays Vyvyan Basterd the orange haired punk with four stars embedded in his forehead is married to Jennifer Saunders (Edina of Ab Fab) and they have 3 children together in real life! She also makes guest appearances in "Interesting" & "Time" on the Young Ones. Adrian also co-sings the Ab Fab theme song and appeared as Hamish in two episodes!

*Trivia: Christopher Ryan who plays Mike thecoolperson can also be seen playing one of Jennifer Saunders' ex-husbands, Marshall, on Ab Fab!

*Trivia: Three of the Young Ones: Rick, Neil, & Vyv, all have mad guest appearances in the Black Adder series. Rik Mayall is the only one to become a recurring character: Lord Flashheart ("Woof, Woof"). Additionally, Black Adder regulars: Tony Robinson (Baldrick), Hugh Laurie (Prince George), Stephen Fry (Melchett), and Robbie Coltrane (Dr. Johnson, Spirit of Christmas) can all be seen in the Young Ones episode "Bambi". Motorhead is also in this episode doing "Ace of Spades"!

Rating:
Summary: gganesh is very wrong
Review: The inserted 'subliminal' clips were OF COURSE intentional, that was one of the many many quirky attributes of this groundbreaking show! The frog on the lilly pad and all the others I remember (imagine freezeframing on an early 1980s era VCR!) are there in all their glory on the DVD, and of course it is much easier to capture them with frame advance technology :) gganesh must not know anyone that actually watched the show! But reading a review complaining about the poor quality DVD because of all these random clips was one of the funniest things I've read in a while. If they were not in there I wouldn't even think of buying the DVD! I just can't believe that such a cult classic show only produced 12 episodes :(

This is a highly recommended DVD for all fans of the show or bizzare British sitcoms in general. BTW, Bambi is my favorite episode by far ;)

Rating:
Summary: bad quality DVD
Review: I really love the Young Ones. This DVD, unfortunately, is of a very bad quality. In almost every episode on the second disc, there are one-second clips inserted into the show. Make no mistake, these are not intentional. For example, the episode "Nasty" has a very short clip of someone making pottery. (There's another inserted clip in the same episode.) It's way too short for a normal audience to understand what it is. You definitely have to pause the show at the right place to see what's happening. They also don't mention the clips in the credits, and after speaking with other people who have different Young Ones DVDs, I have confirmed that this was not intended for the show. I recommend buying another DVD of the Young Ones and not this one.

Of course, if I'm wrong on this guys, feel free to say it. I'm very baffled by this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Once in Every Lifetime
Review: The Young Ones epitomised the confusion of the generation that came of age in the Thatcher Years. Caught between a right wing government, the residue of punk and left-wing ideas from the 60s and 70s, and the continued disolution of the class system, British youth went through an identity crisis, struggling to find a suitable sub-group to belong to, whether it be punk (Vyv), spiv (Mike), hippy (Neil), or 'right-on' left-wing radical (Rick). Throwing these 4 student-types together in an anarchic, surreal house-share was a stroke of genius.

The main focus is the explosive relationship of the pretentious Rick (Rik Mayall) and the brutally straightforward Vyvian (Adrian Edmonson). These 2 actors later reprised a stripped down version of this relationship in "Bottom". Neal the Hippie and Mike the Spiv provided useful ballast and a wider range of plot options preventing this central comedic relationship from imploding.

People who saw the Young Ones the first time round tend to remember it as much funnier than it really is. With repeated viewing some of the weaknesses in the writing become apparent. Nevertheless there is also a lot of comedic genius and an anarchic spirit that remains eternally refreshing.

Rating:
Summary: Possibly the funniest TV show of all time all in one box!
Review: "The Young Ones" was a groundbreaking TV show from Britain in the early '80s. Created, written, & performed by a group of comedians from England's "alternative" comedy scene, it centered around the misadventures of four ill-matched roomies all attending Scumbag College: the trendy Leftist (and complete moral coward) Rick Turpin (Rik Mayall); the violent Punker with the metal-studded forehead, Vyvyan Basterd (Adrian Edmondson); the lewd, manipulative, scheming pint-sized Cockney hustler Mike "the Cool Person" (Christopher Ryan); and the downtrodden, morose hippie Neal Pye (Nigel Planer). They were joined every week by their zany, Eastern-European landlord, Mr. Balowski (Alexei Sayle, who also played any number of Mr. Balowski's relatives). A stream-of-consciousness sitcom loaded with rude, outrageous slapstick humor, it featured guest appearances by other great Brit comedians [Jennifer Saunders ("Absolutely Fabulous"), Dawn French ("French & Saunders"), Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie ("A Bit of Fry & Laurie"), Emma Thompson ("Sense & Sensibility"), Robbie Coltrane ("Cracker"), and Mel Smith & Griff-Rhys Jones ("Alas Smith & Jones")]. It was written by Mayall, Lise Mayer, and Ben Elton (Elton also having written "The Black Adder" series, among others). Sandwiched into the crazed comedy were musical spots from well-known pop acts of the eighties (Dexy's Midnight Runners, Madness, Motorhead, etc.). Throw in some puppets, explosions, living fairy tales, random acts of comic violence, time-space juxtapositions, commentaries from God, and copious flatulence jokes, and you have the funniest TV show of all time... one which would never be gotten away with on American TV (though they were screened in censored versions from time to time of Comedy Central & MTV). From what I can gather, these versions are uncut with two exceptions: the musical number "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve in "Cash" and Neil singing "Hello Darkness, my old friend" in "Nasty" have been snipped because the BBC never bothered to clear the rights to use these songs. Other than that, they are complete. Buy this and laugh your... off!

Rating:
Summary: I remember the frog
Review: Just adding my voice - gganesh is absolutely wrong. I too remember the frog and the potter, and I remember freeze-framing on an early 80s VCR to figure out just what the heck that was.

If you remember The Young Ones from watching it at the time - buy this! If you've never heard of the show - buy this!

Oh - and John Liosatos - "A Fistful of Travellers Checks" was an episode from the classic "Comic Strip Presents" series - big overlaps between the Comic Strip and Young Ones' casts. Another goodie in that series is "Mr Jolly Lives Next Door" with Rik, Ade and Peter Cook, If you ever see that, on any format, buy it!

Rating:
Summary: House Meeting! House Meeting!
Review: Some reviewers have complained that the shows are 'edited.' The only edit is the removal of the musical guest's contribution in the episode 'Cash'-- Andy Summerland (former drummer of the Police) & company would not allow the release of this song. Pooh. As I remember, it was a good one, but Summerland got strange(r?) about his music following the end of the Police. This isn't the BBC's fault (for once).

I adore this series-- it really showcases some powerhouse talents, some great early slapstick with Ade & Rik, and guest appearances of most of this Brit generation's comic greats.

Fun stuff, and not bloody nice either! =)

Wish 'Catflap & Filthy Rich' would be released too.

Rating:
Summary: Creative Comedy!
Review: This is the most creative comedy I've seen since Bottom!
Rik Mayall is the absolute BEST!
Brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: Classic Britcom -- but something is missing
Review: This is a great DVD. Twelve Young Ones episode in one DVD collection. It'll have you laughing for hours. Hint: Try watching The Young Ones with the closed caption subtitles, as British accents can often get kind of heavy, and the viewer misses much of the dialogue.

Now for what's missing. Does anyone remember a parody of a spaghetti western called "A Fistful of Travellers Checks"? The only recollection I have of this episode is Rik in a Black Bart outfit donning a black cowboy hat, and a wide shot of an old west town with a sign on a building reading "Hotel Bastardos" in the background. If anyone has any info on this episode, please write to me. My address is [e-mail]. I was hoping it would be included on the bonus disc in this set, but unfortunately it's not. Was this part of the Young Ones, or was it another show with the same actors? And where does this episode fit in with the rest of The Young Ones, season 1 or 2?

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST EVER!!!!!!!!
Review: This show broke all the rules of the BBC in it's time! Many of the scenes would not even go over on prime time US TV right now!Running only a couple of seasons(1982-1984) All together. The Young Ones made a great impact to British comedy. They loved Monty Python but wanted to shock people even more, So that is what they did. The BBC never saw anything like it!! You have four young guys living together picking on each other and British pop lengend...Cliff Richard, Constantly. You have Rik, (Rik Mayall) A poet in his own mind. Thinks of himself as a really cool/hip guy but is really a bit of a nerd. Vivian the crazy punk/metal head (Adrain Edmondson) Who loves to smash and break things. Mike (Christopher Ryan) The ladies man who always leads the others. And last Neil (Nigel Planer) The hippy who everyone loves to make fun of and who takes most of the insults. Put them all together in a small house and it's a slug-fest! I bought this set on VHS only a few years ago for almost twice the price. At last on DVD and at this price! You can't go wrong. This DVD set also includes two other projects Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson did after the Young Ones. Not long after the show Rik and Ade teamed up again for the show, Filthy Rich and Catflap, It's not that good. However, On this DVD set is the first episode of Bottom. This is very good!! Rik And Ade team up again and go back to what they do so well...Working together. Also on this set are a a couple extra features on the making/history of The Young Ones. These are great because it's nice to see what they look like now.