Rik Mayall: Legend in Our Living Rooms

It was with sadness yesterday that I read reports that Rik Mayall had died. It popped up on Elder's Facebook timeline as the story broke, and as with most internet rumour, I had hoped it was yet another false death report like so many are (what is that about? Surely you have to be all kinds of warped to think that's an acceptable use of your time?)

Sadly it was true, and my generation lost another comedy legend.

Obviously, I was but a tiny tot when Rik was first on our screens in The Young Ones and Comic Strip. I was old enough for Bottom though, and Guest House Paradiso. I found them both stupidly, hilariously funny. 

Pure comedy that didn't try too hard like so much does now. I like belly laughs, and prat falls and rude words, and Rik (and of course he was aided and abetted by Ade Edmondson) gave us those in spades.

One of the first films Elder and I watched together on a dodgy VHS video player in his first shared house was Drop Dead Fred. Rik had the ability to make a funny face and make you laugh. He just had one of those extremely expressive faces, whoever he was playing. Not many can face the camera and do one thing with their mouths and reduce an  audience to hysterics.

You can certainly see the impression he has made on some of the top comedians we have now- from Miranda Hart and her pieces to camera, to Jack Whitehall and his oafish toff in both Fresh Meat and Bad Education.

I recall the day my Dad brought back the series of the Young Ones on video from our local library, and we set about a happy Sunday pausing and rewinding to see the hidden pop up of a animals. He used to joke about my room being so untidy that my socks would walk down of their own accord. A direct use of Young One's imagery which, until I saw it on screen I had no idea he had stolen it.

It is a sad fact of ageing that people we have grown up with, those who are instantly recognisable and who stir up memories, are lost.

Thank you for the laughs Rik. We lost a true comedy great of the modern age yesterday. RIP.

The Rules of the X Factor, by Her Who Shall Never Enter It, Ever (Even When Drunk)

Its the time of year when the nights are drawing in and the threat of epic snow is merely a coca cola Christmas Advert away, and that means the X Factor is back.

Now, I love a bit of X Factor. Not for the traditional entertainment, oh no. I love it as it means I can sit with a gin and tonic, some home made shortbread and settle in for some Twitter comedy. I love retweeting others witty comments and am lucky enough to gauge the mood enough to get some retweets myself.

After many years watching, even though I've not entered myself (as the title suggests), I feel I have some rules to help those, on average deluded souls to not end up comedy value on Twitter.

* Do NOT dress like you've run through a Charity Shop in the Dark.
Some people don't even need to open their mouths to strangle a rendition of a Beyonce tune before they exude comedy possibilities from every pour. Day-Glo, big scary hair, dressing in anything other than sensible clothing which fits and is clean is just a no, frankly.

* Do Not bring in a picture of your sodding cat
What. The.Hell. I thought he was Mickey Flannigan taking the piss. Who does that?

* Do not be over confident if you're not that good.
Kingsland are a prime example of this. They were pretty crap, no doubt that's why they are being touted as the next Wand Erection. Cos they are shite too.

* DO NOT SODDING CRY
No, just don't, it makes me wish for a trapdoor to open beneath you. I don't care if it's your dream, I don't care if your Nan says you are amazing, if it's a no, have some bloody self respect. Ditto begging.

* Have respect for the Judges (apart from Scherzy)
Gary Barlow is a multi-award winning legend. Sharon gave us (after pinching them off her Dad) Black Sabbath. Louis....well,yes he gave us some crap Irish bands but they did well. So don't slag them off when they say no, these people know their stuff.

* Do not believe it when Sherzy gives you a Shermazing
This is the woman who gave us Doncha' and basically we all know that Pussycat Dolls did well because teenage boys were perving over their cd sleeves. Or fat chavs were trying to look all come hither (bleugh) to their spotty other half (double bleugh). The woman is a glorified Stripper. End of.

* Do Not bring half your flipping family with you
If you want a family outing, go to a zoo, go to a pub, but do not enter the X Factor and then crowd around like its a bus station.

*Do have a USP
Not a sob story. Be different, if you aren't doing your own song, funk up someone elses and make it your own

So, there we are, and I must say I'm glad we've not had any repeats of Nan Gate like last year (yet). I do miss Tulisa though, I'd have rather she stayed and Nicole went, purely because I bet Gaz and Sharon would have made mice meat out of her (and I now keep having Littlest ask me where she is every time the show is on).

Who are you tipping for the top (and thus instant obscurity?) Let me know below 

My Bloggers Charter

* I am joining in with Michelle from Mummy From the Heart, therefore if you wish to moan go moan at her*








Blogging, who'd do it?


Well, me for one, as funnily enough despite the crazy ass foolery it often causes, I do actually love being a blogger.


For all the mentalists doing it, there are some great people who take the whole thing with a large pinch of salt and an even bigger dollop of fun. Which is why I begged Michelle to let me join in with her Bloggers Charter.


Now, please be aware that I in no way feel anyone should actually take a blind bit of notice of me- I'm not God (or whoever your preferred dude upstairs is), so please, take them in jest.

The Office? Pah!

I saw a tweet earlier and quite frankly, I was disgusted. Here it is, it came from Heather at Notes From Lapland, who apparently thinks that The Office is the funniest comedy of all time.

Well I think Heather's great (she's very good at drinking. I should know, she was at The MADS). But clearly all that ice in Lapland has frozen her funny bone.

I bloody hate Ricky Gervais.

Now, I should actually whisper that, because living a town away from Slough where the Office was filmed, well, we're all meant to love the show here. They have bars named after elements of the show in Slough.

But sorry I just don't find him funny. Or the programme.

And everytime we were too lazy to turn over when it came on, or I would desperately try and find it funny, Elder would tell me, again, that the offices its filmed at was where his ex-girlfriend used to work and he used to park in that car park. He must have told me that at least 20 times. Which didn't exactly make me love it either.

So, I told her no that The Office is by far not the funniest comedy show ever.

And she challenged me to say what is.


Well, that's easy.

Its got to The Young Ones.Surely?

Now, granted, I am too young to actually remember it being on when it first showed, being born in 1982. But luckily, my Dad loved the show (and Not The 9 0'clock news. And Fawlty Towers) so when they were reshown for an anniversary of some sort, he let me stay up and watch them. He even taped them onto VCR, just so we could watch the bit where a dove or other clip would subliminally pop up in the middle of the show for a split second.

I was hooked. I must have been about 13. But I loved Rick, Vyvyan, Neil and Mike. They used to smash things up.

They got taken hostage by Alexei Sayle. Motorhead turned up in their living room and played Ace of Spades. Madness appeared in not one but two episodes.

They took the mickey out of students, and the belief that students of the time were a bunch of lazy, dirty lay abouts.It was alternative comedy, with its surreal and daft moments, mixed with old school slapstick, and then with the often unnecessary and violent beatings they'd give each other. It took you at  least an episode to realise it was just self indulgent, mad cap comedy. But it was bloody funny.

They even made Cliff Richard cool for 5 minutes. They released a version of Living Doll with him in 1986, which got to number 1 for Comic Relief.

With instances of addressing the audience, as if to say "you're in on the joke too", I can't think of any modern comedy which could even come close to beating The Young Ones. It gave America The Damned and Dexy's Midnight Runners. It made no sense. It had no plot. But it didn't matter. As long as someone got hit with something, or a mouse popped up and declared their house was disgusting, then the audience were happy.

My favourite episode though, is Bambi from Series 2, when they decide to clean the house, and go to the laundrette to do the washing. And why? Because a sock falls out of the washbag, which they earlier have to fight to get in it, and follows up the road. Simple. Class. And something you could relate to from when your Mum would declare you had so much washing on your floor that soon it would grow legs and walk to the washer itself.

So, I give you The Young Ones. Yes it was silly and anarchic. But you can't beat it.

Or can you?