Series synopsis
The Young Ones is a British comedy television series that premiered on BBC Two on November 9, 1982. It ended on June 19, 1984. It was created by Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer. It stars Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Christopher Ryan.
The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).
Premise
The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Adrian Edmondson as Vyvyan
- Rik Mayall as Rick
- Nigel Planer as Neil
- Christopher Ryan as Mike
- Alexei Sayle as The Balowski Family
- Emma Thompson as Miss Money-Sterling
- John Otway as John Otway
- Ronnie Golden as Buddy Holly
Supporting cast
- Mel Smith as Grenada Security Guard
- Alan Freeman as God
- Jools Holland as Punk in Bank
- Hilary Mason as Old Woman Next Door
- Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Orgo
- Griff Rhys Jones as Bamber 'Bambi' Gascoigne
- Terry Jones as Vicar
- Norman Lovett as Man from the penny arcade
- Cyril Shaps as Old Man Next Door
- Helen Atkinson-Wood as Woman in Advert
- Hugh Laurie as Lord Monty
- Kay Stonham as Neighbour
Guest cast
- Emma Thompson as Miss Money-Sterling
- John Otway as John Otway
- Ronnie Golden as Buddy Holly
- Mel Smith as Grenada Security Guard
- Alan Freeman as God
- Jools Holland as Punk in Bank
- Hilary Mason as Old Woman Next Door
- Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Orgo
- Griff Rhys Jones as Bamber 'Bambi' Gascoigne
- Terry Jones as Vicar
- Norman Lovett as Man from the penny arcade
- Cyril Shaps as Old Man Next Door
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 32 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 20 | April 25, 1986 | August 2, 2004 |
| Season 1 | 6 | November 9, 1982 | December 14, 1982 |
| Season 2 | 6 | May 8, 1984 | June 19, 1984 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Comic Relief The boys prepare for the chance to sing "Living Doll" with Cliff Richard. |
April 25, 1986 |
| 2 |
Creating The Young Ones Excerpt from "A History of Alternative Comedy" and is hosted by British humorist Angus Deayton. |
December 5, 1999 |
| 3 |
The Young Ones and the 80's Excerpt from "Laughter in the House: The Story of the British Sitcom". |
December 5, 1999 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Demolition Depressed hippie Neil has plans on killing himself while Rick, Mike and Vyvyan go on ignoring him. The council plans on demolishing the house but have to beat Vyvyan who is using his body to destroy the house from the inside. |
November 9, 1982 |
| 2 |
Oil The boys move into their new house while Vyvyan locates oil in the basement. Mike sees this as an opportunity to rule the house like a dictatorship with Vyvyan against Rick and Neil. |
November 16, 1982 |
| 3 |
Boring Oblivious to terrorists, dancing vegetables, and card-playing mice, the gang are feeling incredibly bored, so they decide to go to the pub. |
November 23, 1982 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bambi The reprobates from Scumbag College test their mental dexterity against Footlights College on a TV quiz show - but not before Vyvyan loses his head. |
May 8, 1984 |
| 2 |
Cash The gang are desperately short of cash, forcing Neil to get a job. The army turn him down but he gets on surprisingly well being a police officer instead. Meanwhile, Vyvyan announces he's pregnant. |
May 15, 1984 |
| 3 |
Nasty It's an ordinary evening: Neil's having a bath, Rick's reading Cosmopolitan, and Mike and Vyvyan are trying to watch video nasties. But before the night is over, the gang will have to bury a vampire. |
May 29, 1984 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC Two |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 9, 1982 |
| Last aired | June 19, 1984 |
| Runtime | 29 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Tuesday |