Starring: Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer and Christopher Ryan
Written by: Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer with additional material by Alexei Sayle
Directed by: Geoff Posner
Now this is interesting…

First shown in the UK in 1982 this series was instrumental in bringing a surrealist, not to mention wonderfully original, style back to British comedy. Not since the fondly remembered Monty Python back in the early 70s had a comedy show had such an anarchic vibe to it and been genuinely funny at the same time.

The show is about, although no one episode has a truly followable story-line, four students, (violent metal/punk loon Vyvyan (Edmondson), sad paranoiac Rik (Mayall), hippie Neil (Planer) and Mike The Cool Person (Ryan)) who attend Scumbag College (although they never go to any lectures or classes).

There are 12 episodes on two discs and a whole third disc of special features which go to explain how the series was produced, although only Planer from the cast and Mayer from the writing trio appear, disappointingly.

With musical guests such as Motorhead, Madness, Amazulu and many others, The Young Ones was a blast of fresh air at a time when Britain was stale and its TV comedy was in even worse condition.

Although season 1 is infinitely better than season 2 (by which time ideas were seemingly running short and the fame bug had bitten leading to a little complacency in both the writing and acting) this DVD collection is worth buying because it is such a huge piece of UK comedy TV history.

Along with ‘Monty Python’ and ‘Fawlty Towers,’ ‘The Young Ones’ is a time piece. For some it will represent a wonderful childhood memory, for others it will just make them laugh.

Whatever you have to do to watch this DVD package do it because this is as unique a TV comedy that has ever been made. It’s wonderful.

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Technorati Tags: UK, comedy, The Young Ones, Extra Stoopid Edition, Monty Python

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