Customer Reviews

The Young Ones: Extra Stoopid Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're reading this, you should already know this was the series that turned British television comedy upside down in the early Eighties (granted, parts of it haven't aged so well...). So I'll just get on with reviewing the particulars of this issue of the series on DVD. On one hand, these look like they're remastered - the picture looks sharper and the sound is improved, not to mention better subtitles this time. For anyone who bought the last box, the Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve (featuring Jools Holland, Stewart Copeland and many others) musical segment from "Cash" has been restored, and Neil's "Sound of Silence" bit that he sings in the bathtub in "Nasty" is back in place, so now that scene has its punchline in its original spot. Yet in the scene that immediately follows it in that episode (Rick sneaking into his bedroom), the "teddy-bear sex" shot is now gone. What, is that scene now considered too "offensive" or something? Anyone that's upset by an image like that shouldn't be watching the bloody "Young Ones" in the first place!

The extras? Well, I wish they'd kept the documentary bits from the "Every Stoopid Episode" one on here and just put this new stuff in place of the "Filthy Rich And Catflap" and "Bottom" episodes. At least with the first set, you could see vintage clips of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmonson on stage. This time around there's not much cast participation in the interviews aside from Alexei Sayle and Nigel Planer.

So, I'm giving this one 4 stars - "right on" to the improved picture and sound, "sod off" to the inferior extras and inexplicable editing-out of a short but pretty funny scene.

I'm sure I echo the sentiments of other "Young Ones" fans when I ask... when is someone going to issue the "Comic Strip Presents" DVD box set in Region 1?!? Not only does it feature many of the cast, writers and crew that worked on "The Young Ones", but it's the only way to get the "Bad News" shows on DVD.

I love the Young Ones, so I decided to buy the latest collection of the entire series. I should have bought the older one, from 2002 ("Every Stoopid Episode"), which has all the same episodes but (from what I hear) much better extras. The extras on this newer edition are impossibly dull. Other than that, awesome show.

When The Young Ones were on MTV I was in my early teen. Now when I watch them I see and hear things I did not understand at the time. It is even better than before. It's a must have for everyone who ever watched The Young Ones growing up. The comedy is better and the music is just great!

This show is my absolute favorite British comedy. If you have never seen the Young Ones but find yourself laughing at Monty Python, The Black Adder or Absolutely Fabulous, then you are doing a great disservice to yourself. This set includes extras that were (for some reason) left out of the original DVD realease but are added in this set.

Rik Mayall is a genius! He is undoubtedly "Bigger than Hitler, Better than Christ!"
I've been watching this Britcom since the 80s and even tho I've seen every episode at least 20 times, I still laugh out loud and continue to catch jokes I may have missed before.
You gotta watch Bottom, too! Simply Brilliant!

I bought this for my 18-yr-old daughter (by request.) I wasn't familiar with it, but the kids LOVE it. whenever they watch it i can hear them laughing from the other end of the house!

The Young Ones was an alternative sitcom that truly changed the way people looked at comedy and the traditional sitcom. It was the true anarchist of TV released at a time when the working classes were close to embarking on a full blown revolution against Thatcher's Britain. The show combined a number of different formats; traditional sitcom, violent slapstick and surrealism to make what some would consider truly bizarre but utterly brilliant. The creation of Rik Mayall, Ben Elton and Lise Mayer this has fast become one of the most well loved sitcoms in BBC history.

Focusing around 4 very different students, The Young Ones each represent the main stereotypes of Thatcherite Britain. Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson), the punk who hates everything authoritarian but reveals a more contradictory side to the tough guy persona. Rick (Rik Mayall), the annoyingly leftist goody two shoes who claims to be against authority until he's faced with it and also, being a massive Cliff Richard fan makes him twice as annoying. Neil (Nigel Planer), the depressed hippy who just talks about love and peace yet doesn't stop going on about how he wants to kill himself. Mike (Christopher Ryan), the gangster of the group who considers himself very much the leader of the group and a bit of a ladies man. Alexei Sayle (Jerzy Balowski), the unpredictable landlord of the boys who comes in and takes on many different tasks that annoy his tenants.

There are many reasons for this programmes success. One is the unique comedy contained within but the other is the plethora of comic minds involved, not just as part of the writing team but those in front of the camera too. At the time of its release, each of the comedians was at the start of their character acting/comedy careers and were really looking to make names for themselves. I can't imagine that they would have believed this show to be as successful as it has become and how, even now, it can still be watched and enjoyed as much as it was when it first debuted.

I pointed out the surrealism aspect of the sitcom and this is really what makes it stand out from all the other sitcoms of that time. It's not just the basic sitcom of gag after gag. After a particular scene with the group, the camera will pan out to a completely bizarre scene that relates to what went on with the real cast. For example, in the episode "Boring", Alexei Sayle's character drinks water from a goldfish bowl and the scene will then turn to the insides of his stomach. We see the fish in the stomach talking to another piece of food about its appearance in the next James Bond film. This type of random addition really allows the creators of the show to experiment and can, in a way, relate itself to the Monty Python series as there was a lot of experimentation with the comedy.

Another great addition to the show is its adding of live band performances for the in-house audience and of course the audience at home. The acts are fit within the script of the show, so it's not as if the bands just come out of nowhere, but that is another fine example of what places this above the others in the case of originality. Although it's only a short lived show, lasting only for 2 series, I'm quite glad they didn't try to drag it out to a third or fourth series as it would have truly allowed the show to die a sore death. The amount of celebrity guests are another great addition with people such as Stephen Fry and French & Saunders plus many others. To those who like the bizarre and really enjoy a good laugh, then this is really the show for you.

What's to say? This inane and wonderful spoof is also serious criticism as well as social commentary on the times when it was produced. We find it Britishly silly, and currently true most of the time. It takes a special kind of person to enjoy this humor, we admit. It's all we remember from watching it on the telly, and we're happy to have a hard copy; it hasn't been on our local stations in years.

I was extremely happy with my purchase of The Young Ones- Every Stoopid Episode. My only regret is that only 12 episodes were made of the program. I had first seen this show some twenty odd years ago and was pleased to finally watch these at my own convenience, without commercial interruptions,these many years later. The one problem with this product was the special features disc. I found it rather boring with long-winded commentary. They should have included outtakes,gag reels, conversations with the stars of the show and what they're up to these days.

It arrived a few days earlier then the expected date still unopened (I have ordered other things "new" that had been opened. I would highly recommend this seller! I am thrilled with my buy! THANK YOU!