How many comedians could stand on stage in silence yet have the audience it fits of laughter, these two were one of life rarities. Absolutely brilliant partnership. R.I.P Rick.
the chemistry was amazing, not only best friends but jesus christ i don't think i'd ever see a duo like it again, they make me belly laugh like you wouldn't believe, RIP Rik
Rik and Ade really were just absolutely a joy to watch. They really had a special kind of friendship, and it was really beautiful for them to share it with the world in this way.
@@TheTsar1918 Sure, from Wikipedia: In 1995, Stephen Fry famously walked out of the play near the start of its West End run, after his performance received a bad review in the Financial Times. It was reported at the time that he suffered an attack of stage fright, but he has since disclosed that it was bipolar disorder. Fry walked out of the production for good, leaving only an apology, and provoking its early closure. Simon Gray described Fry's action as "cowardly", and in a statement to the press said: "It is disgraceful that so much media attention has been devoted to this squalid little story ... I confess my own failure as a director was to have cast Stephen Fry in the first place, and in the second place, not to have acknowledged my error by requesting his departure after his (self-proclaimed) inadequacies were abundantly clear to me." In response to the suggestion his reaction was insensitive to Fry's predicament, Gray added: "I'm a friend of Stephen's. I have great sympathy because he was hurt and stressed, but what he left behind him was the most awful chaos and distress for other people who loved him, including me." Fry went missing, travelling to Belgium, and contemplating suicide. His personal website says, "The experience still haunts him, but the depression has now faded to embarrassment and the anger to forgiveness." The incident would be humorously referenced shortly after in Bottom Live: The Big Number Two Tour, in which Rik Mayall also starred; during a moment in the second act of the show where Mayall breaks character and jokingly mocks Oxford following a heckler shouting "have a wank", Adrian Edmondson also breaks character to ask Mayall if he had finished, and states he was "beginning to understand why Steven Fry fucked off", jokingly implying Mayall had a hand in Fry leaving. The joke received a loud laughter and applause from the audience watching, while Mayall's reaction was to bow down to Edmonson's improvised joke.
I remember a blooper from going to see Arse Oddity in Portsmouth. Ade is doing the gag where he's escaping with the shows takings, the light comes back on and he's holding a comedy prop bag with cash spilling out the sides. In the dvd it goes fine but for some reason on that night, Rik just corpsed on stage from it. He was giggling for about 2 mins, with that super infectious laughter. Everyone is wheezing, including me, and Ade turns to the audience and says "I should do a new one man show, Eddie and The Bag!"
What a glorious time to be alive. I had live 1 & 2 on VHS in my youth (now DVD). Comedy duos like this only appear now & then. Laurel and hardy, Morecambe and wise, just brilliant
i'm a alien - so you’ve never worked on a live stage then... *_every_* live performer sweats like a pig, stage/concert lighting (the latter being my world) is *HOT* never mind all the running about or playing an instrument... it’s how they deal with it (if they can) that matters... s’why you’ll see a lot of fans in secret corners on stage !!
@@OnlyICanSuckDick Very True. Those 2 on stage together for an hour would produce enough sweat to fill a medium sized swimming pool. Alas no longer a possibility. Damn you Rik why did you have to die?
My body temperature goes up when i am under stress, like when i speak for a group of people. I cant help sweating, its worse then blushing. But then again, at least i am doing it.
I was privileged to see Bottom Live in Hammersmith around 93 or 94. Still superb British humour that's equally as funny today as it was back then. Young Ones started it for me and Bottom was just evolution at work to me. Simply brilliant.
@@ythinder I saw them pre Bottom at the Southampton Gaumont They were hot off the Young Ones. 'Twas a great evening - Ben Elton opened for them. IIRC it was around mid eighties
steve C I had the privilege of seeing them twice 2 decades ago. In Birmingham around October 2001 when I was 17 during the Arse Oddity tour and in Oxford around November 2003 when I was 19 during the Weapons Grade Y-Fronts tour. I remember the latter a lot more than the former - I was with my dad and we were third row from the front. Which meant we could see all the slapstick and fucking up of their lines 🤣 When Rik came on stage, the crowd exploded. They got louder when Ade appeared. It was that loud that night. I also remember picking up a shirt that read "If I’m unconscious, please leave me alone" and wore it the next day to college. The weird looks I got from the chavs was worth it 🤣
I see so much of Rik in Greg Davies. Look at his fuck off at 0:16. That's Greg. Rik must have been such an influence. To have him in Man Down must have been bliss.
I'm glad I stumbled across clips of 'Bottom' tonight as it's been years since I watched it. I've even now ordered DVD's of it for my collection. It was a show I was always loved seeing on TV. Great stuff!
for me, 4:43 is the quint essential, pure Rik shining through. I watch this at least 4 times a year and it always makes me smile no matter what im going through personally... god i miss him.
Watched their very first live show, on their very first tour, in Rhyl in 1993! Still have the ticket stubs. Bloody amazing. Still sad as hell that Rik is gone.
6:36 "Just I'm beginning to understand why Stephen Fri fucked off." Didn't get that reference when I first listened to this, show many years ago, now I do and it's quite hilarious. Not overly fond of how much Ade knocks Rick for the next three minutes, though Rick as always takes the ribbing like a champ. RIP Lord Flashheart.
The Stephen Fry in Oxford quip is LEGENDARY. For those who still know the background , it's so quickfire from Ade. No wonder Rik had the were not worthy moment
This relates to CELL MATES , a Feb 1995 London West End play set in a jail cell starring Rik and Stephen Fry. Fry famously quit the production after 3 Days after bad reviews due to what was later revealed to be hypertension and his bipolar disorder. Ade is implying that Rik is so coarse and unprofessional it was that that caused Fry to walk.
@@arrivalofdoom7449 In reality Rik (+ the rest of the crew) were much afraid of Stephen having suicidal thoughts, cause he had disappeared for some time. / happened to be off for Belgium ? by ship and then returned. There's a very nice little book by the author/ director of Cellmates, Simon Gray/Gray? about this situation. Called: Fat chance. Dedicated to Rik.
Ooo a round of applause from your Bristol cider drinking friends..... he forgot what he was going to fucking...... Still cracks me up. Rip Rik. We miss you
@@KatMusic2009 so Rik was meant to be in a play with Stephen Fry. But Fry had a breakdown and kind of fled public life and disappeared. Since then there’s been a running joke in Bottom that it was to do with Rick
@@Adamax93 Rik did appear in the play called "Cell Mates" with Stephen Fry. It only ran for about 5 shows before Stephen disappeared. I know this to be true, because I booked front row and centre seats for myself and my wife at the Richmond Theatre to watch it. The entire show all I could think about was I was watching a strange episode of Bottom. Rik kept looking at us....probably because there were at least 4 clear rows between us and the next people watching. Many times I could see Rik look at us, see me smiling or laughing, and he started losing it also. I wanted to meet up backstage or in the lounge, but he wasn't around long. It was a great show and a happy memory to have gone to it.
Rik and Ade are so funny, the series and the live shows are just great. The ad libbing when they forget their lines or mess up their lines is very funny.
Mmmm! Little round of applause from your Bristol Cider drinking friends 😄 The "off the cuff" humour and comedy is sometimes better than the scripted stuff. Comedy genius. RIP Rik. 💙
Not completely true. Some of the bloopers were certainly left in on purpose and part of the script. But I went to the 2001 and 2003 show twice and there were definitely differences between the nights. So there are definitely real mistakes/bloopers in there. :)
Bottom started when I was 14 back in the old day of 1991 I remember watching it on the BBC. Awesome! I remember watching the Young Ones in 1984/1985 on the BBC too. It’s been 5 years this year since we lost Rik Mayall......RIP Rik you were taken too soon x
I remember being a casual tech doing follow-spot at a theatre in the South for a 3 or 4 night run, and we just kept getting bollocked by the stage manager "keep the spots still!!" - we started laughing when they arrived and didn't stop until after they left. It will never be equaled.
@@brucedickinson12 rubbish. Technically the Cocaine was on Rik Mayall. It was the cocaine that was addicted to Rik Mayall as were most of the viewing public
