How "Bottom" Destroyed British Television

"The Young Ones destroyed rock n' roll; Filthy, Rich and Catflap butchered light entertainment; The New Statesman brought down the Thatcher administration and Bottom was an all-out attack on existence itself."

Rik Mayall said these words in his autobiography, Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ. Of course, it's true. Bottom is perhaps the most famous of everything Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson have ever done together.

Originally, Bottom was aimed to be something better than The Young Ones, which was and still is popular. Over the years, Rik and Ade made their own unique characters named Richie and Eddie. There are similar to the two in their other TV series, such as Rick and Vyvyan from The Young Ones and Richie Rich and Eddie Catflap from Filthy, Rich and Catflap.

The show was first going to be called Your Bottom, which would end up with viewers saying things like "I saw Your Bottom on TV yesterday,". Eventually they agreed with just Bottom, which suited Richie and Eddie since they were "at the bottom of life's heap", said by Richie in the "Contest" episode.

Richard Richard, known as Richie throughout the show, is usually happy, but an idiot, while Eddie is a cheerfully violent alcoholic. When they argue, it often leads to fight scenes, such as Rick and Vyvyan from The Young Ones did. It's more graphic than The Young Ones, such as heads being slammed in fridges, hands stapled to tables, Eddie's legs being cut off, and faces shoved in campfires. The effects are realistic, but some are easily spotted as fake.

It is a running joke throughout the series that Richie is a virgin, but he almost loses it in the episode "Digger" in which he meets a lady called Lady Natasha Letitia Sarah Jane Wellesley Obstromsky Ponsonsky Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Oblomov Boblomov Dob, after he joins a dating agency. While he waits for the ambulance, Eddie has sex with Natasha, but in the episode "Terror" on series 3, he looks nervous when Richie says the Devil drinks virgin's blood.

Despite the fact they act like they hate each other, Richie and Eddie are often seen acting like a married couple. In one episode, they fill out the crossword together. And in another episode Richie talks to himself while he puts an unconscious Eddie to bed every night. In some episodes they have attempted suicide - Eddie drinks bleach (while drunk) and Richie sticks his head in an oven to try and get Eddie to buy him a drink.

Although Richie believes he's a genius, Eddie is actually smarter than him. Eddie knows how to play chess (and fails to teach Richie after explaining the rules 124 times), knows a lot about Napoleon and Wellington and likes Vivaldi, who Richie says is a football player.

Bottom Live

After Bottom, Rik and Ade went on stage and staged Bottom Live, which is still popular. Rik and Ade often forget their lines and have to try and get out of it (it's unknown if this is deliberate). They also make fun of the city they're performing in, such as making fun of football teams and telling the locals they're stupid. A member of the audience will shout "Have a wank!" to Richie when he is alone on stage, and in the fifth stage show Eddie gets everyone in the crowd to shout it out three times. They also use much ruder words which they couldn't do in the TV show.

Bottom will stand forever in British TV history. The best TV programme of all time? It's better than that. If you haven't seen it, go out and buy it - you'll love every second!