Being of British birth I was introduced to The Young Ones and Blackadder at an early age. The Youngs Ones video tapes got almost as much play as the legendary Monty Python’s Flying Circus. It was the first really surreal program we’d been exposed to and it was so instantly quotable that we’d drive people nuts with our re-enactments of Neil, Vyvan and Rik.
Rik was the best. His pathetic, privileged wannabe-anarchist was someone we loved to hate. He was the definitive version of Rik Mayall’s stage character, the routine that would define his career. It’s actually difficult to pin down his best role because they’re all various degrees of Rik. That’s fine of course – he was such a unique performer that we didn’t need him to mix things up much. We just wanted more Rik, and he was happy to deliver.
I’m not going to say much else. I’m just going to post this clip from a live charity show. It’s the best showcase of his energetic, vulgar style. Enjoy.
Rest in Peace Rik Mayall, you utter bastard (1958 – 2014).
