Product Details

• Actors: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Lee Cornes, Kevin McNally, Clive Mantle
• Directors: Ed Bye, Geoff Posner, Paul Jackson
• Writers: Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, Lise Mayer
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Warner
• DVD Release Date: September 17, 2002
• Run Time: 400 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (92 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006AUH9
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,533 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Television > TV Series By Letter > Y > The Young Ones

• For more information about "The Young Ones: Every Stoopid Episode" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"Anything could happen!" declares Rik Mayall, co-writer and co-star of British TV show The Young Ones--and he's right. Though this manic comedy series centered around the petty bickering of four layabouts living in a communal house in London--paranoid, hyperactive new waver Rick (Mayall), dense punk rocker Vyvyan (Adrian "Ade" Edmondson), lugubrious hippied Neil (Nigel Planer), and would-be sharp guy Mike (Christopher Ryan)--at any moment the show could switch to kibbitzing rats or romantic vegetables, or Buddy Holly could be discovered hanging from a parachute in the attic. Bands (as varied as Madness and Motorhead) suddenly appear in their living room and pound out a pop hit. It all seems a bit spastic at first, but the frenzy grows infectious, becoming funnier the more you watch it (in sharp contrast to most sitcoms). The Young Ones aspires to have the elastic energy and surreality of a living cartoon and comes pretty close to the mark. Guest stars include Emma Thompson, Terry Jones of Monty Python, and Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous. This compilation also includes a few documentary features and a couple of episodes from other sitcoms starring Mayall, Edmondson, and Planer (Filthy Rich & Catflap and Bottom). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

191 of 200 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Bloody Students? Oh shut up and put some clothes on!, September 19, 2002

By	B-MAN "B" (Earth, occasionally. Until I get bored.) - See all my reviews

The YOUNG ONES ran from 1982 to 1984 and consists of the 12 episodes included here. The show stars Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, and Christopher Ryan as Rick, Vyvyan, Neil, and Mike respectively. Alexei Sayle also stars as several members of the Balowski family (one of them being the landlord of their house). The show was brilliantly written by Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer, Alexei Sayle, and last but not least, Ben Elton (co- writer of Black Adder and writer of The Thin Blue Line and Filthy Rich & Catflap). To begin to describe the wackiness, spontaneous combustion, and pure originality of this show is not something I'll do here. You know or you don't, but if you don't and like any other BBC comedies such as Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python, Father Ted or Absolutely Fabulous, then you will love the Young Ones!

The DVD set is another impressive product from BBC video. The packaging is like the Fawlty Towers or All in the Family tri-fold case. The first series of 6 episodes (Demolition, Oil, Boring, Bomb, Interesting, & FLood) are included on disc 1 (the disc with Vyvyan's attractive face on it), the next series of 6 (Bambi, Cash, Nasty, Sick, Time, & Summer Holiday) are on disc 2 (the one with Neil the Hippie on it), and disc 3 (with el presidente Mike on it) is all extra features including 2 featurettes (with cast and writer interviews), Extensive talent files of all cast, writers, guest stars, and bands that appeared on the show, and best of all the first episode of BOTTOM and the first episode of FILTHY, RICH and CATFLAP. For those who don't know, BOTTOM is a show that ran from 1991 to 1995 and had 18 episodes. It starred Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson (both also wrote) as single and repulsive roommates, Rich Richard and Eddie Hitler, who spend half their time trying to get women and the other half beating each other senseless. Christopher Ryan would later appear on the show as well. The episode included on this disc is the first episode, "SMELLS" and it's hilarious. FILTHY, R & C is a show that ran in 1987 and only had 6 episodes. It also stars Rik and Adrian, but also Nigel Planer as Richard Rich, Ed Catflap, & Ralph Filthy respectively. The show, written by Ben Elton, is about an obnoxious celebrity and two guys that work for him. The episode here is the first episode, "Dead Milkmen". I hope BBC considers bringing out both shows on DVD as they would be nice companions to the Young Ones set. By the way, if you feel bad because Rik isnt on one of the discs, don't, because you'll see his lovely smile on the inside flap everytime you open the case (I've seen it many many times already) Anyway THE YOUNG ONES: Every Stoopid Episode has all 12 uncut episodes (not the MTV versions) with the full beginning song and original end credits (that weren't even available on VHS). All the musical moments from Motorhead to Madness are here as well. Did I mention there are 4 colorful postcards included (one for each YOUNG ONE!) I love this show! "Once in every lifetime, comes a love like this..."

*Trivia: Adrian Edmondson who plays Vyvyan Basterd the orange haired punk with four stars embedded in his forehead is married to Jennifer Saunders (Edina of Ab Fab) and they have 3 children together in real life! She also makes guest appearances in "Interesting" & "Time" on the Young Ones. Adrian also co-sings the Ab Fab theme song and appeared as Hamish in two episodes!

*Trivia: Christopher Ryan who plays Mike thecoolperson can also be seen playing one of Jennifer Saunders' ex-husbands, Marshall, on Ab Fab!

*Trivia: Three of the Young Ones: Rick, Neil, & Vyv, all have mad guest appearances in the Black Adder series. Rik Mayall is the only one to become a recurring character: Lord Flashheart ("Woof, Woof"). Additionally, Black Adder regulars: Tony Robinson (Baldrick), Hugh Laurie (Prince George), Stephen Fry (Melchett), and Robbie Coltrane (Dr. Johnson, Spirit of Christmas) can all be seen in the Young Ones episode "Bambi". Motorhead is also in this episode doing "Ace of Spades"!

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands Up! Who Likes Me? ... Damn!, October 9, 2002

By	J. Hardy IV (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The answer Rick, should be that we all like you. You were the moral center, the deepest and most flawed character, and the fever pitch gauge of the program. Your continued quest for respect, power, and acceptance was a brilliant journey. Most of this was offset of course, by the fact that you were a complete bastard.

After four plus years since the VHS release, and countless emails to the BBC, the DVD version of the Young Ones has *finally* been released. Having it on pre-order for months through Amazon[.com], I was excited to see it arrive a few days ago. Like many others, I first became aware of them during their playback on MTV in the mid/late? 80's. As hilarious as it was then, it's aged well and plays even better today as a marvelous sitcom and character study. Continued viewing brings out new subtle and not so subtle nuances each time out.

How would one describe the program to a newbie. Four students at Scumbag college, living in filth on their scholarship grants, battle daily tedium and their own stereotyped existence. Simmering beneath this conflict are abstract meetings of inanimate objects, cleaning utensils, neighbors, and random occurrences. The four students are archetypes for future comedies.

1. The nillilistic punk, Vyvyan. Played by Ade Edmondson, Vyv, complete with iron stars permanently attached to his forehead exists only to destroy. Like a vengeful Hindu god, he smites everything in his path, except those he exhibits the barest traces of humanity towards; his hamster SPG, his car, and his begonia. Introduced to the viewer by crashing through a wall riding a wrecking ball, Vyv is involved in the majority of the physical humor.

2. Neil, the vegetarian hippie. Always dirty, always downtrodden, and almost always on the toilet, in the kitchen, or in bed, Neil is the shows spiritual den mother. He is also probably the recipient of most of the pain doled out by Vyv.

3. Mike, the playboy hipster. Seems a bit old to be in college still, doesn't allow is small stature to get in the way of his grand plans and over exuberant braggadocio. The only flat mate capable of reigning in Vyv and focusing that power with dictatorial precision. Mike's role doesn't have much depth as written, and perhaps that's with just cause for a guy who travels with a blow up doll and old tapes of women moaning his name. Essentially a smooth straight man in the mold of Bud Abbott.

4. Finally, Rick. The sociology student, people's poet, anarchist, and all around poseur. Rick never lets an episode go without commenting on some aspect of current life in Thatcher's Britain, how he'd fix it, or, tear it down. It seems terribly difficult to take his anarchist rantings seriously as he flops about in his yellow dungarees, red shoes, and pig tail sprigs. Still, I find Rick the most consistently amusing of the lot. His whip quick mood changes from obsequious currying Mike or Vyv's favor to righteous indignation over Neil's choice of South African lentils is priceless.

Combined, these characters create an incredible dynamic as they interact with each other and their varied guest stars. Additionally, early 80's musical groups could appear without any form of story set up and play in the bathroom or living room at any given time. When the boys would go out on the town ala Bambi, appearing on University Challenge, it was especially amusing to see the reaction of people on the street who couldn't make sense of them.

I find some of the references are still obscure to someone not familiar with early 80's English lifestyle, but the DVD contains subtitles which were definitely helpful for allowing one to hear some of the more hushed secondary conversations missed in the first go around. The third disc contains snippets of comedy documentaries produced since the Young Ones aired, as well as the first episodes of the spiritual successor series to the Young Ones. Filthy Rich & Catflap, and Bottom. They also included a 'where are they now' section that shows just who all came out of the Young Ones and got their start there. The number of today's successful actors, and comedians is staggering. Groundbreaking and incredibly funny, The Young Ones is a classic. Highly recommended.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Possibly the funniest TV show of all time all in one box!, July 24, 2002

By A Customer

"The Young Ones" was a groundbreaking TV show from Britain in the early '80s. Created, written, & performed by a group of comedians from England's "alternative" comedy scene, it centered around the misadventures of four ill-matched roomies all attending Scumbag College: the trendy Leftist (and complete moral coward) Rick Turpin (Rik Mayall); the violent Punker with the metal-studded forehead, Vyvyan Basterd (Adrian Edmondson); the lewd, manipulative, scheming pint-sized Cockney hustler Mike "the Cool Person" (Christopher Ryan); and the downtrodden, morose hippie Neal Pye (Nigel Planer). They were joined every week by their zany, Eastern-European landlord, Mr. Balowski (Alexei Sayle, who also played any number of Mr. Balowski's relatives). A stream-of-consciousness sitcom loaded with rude, outrageous slapstick humor, it featured guest appearances by other great Brit comedians [Jennifer Saunders ("Absolutely Fabulous"), Dawn French ("French & Saunders"), Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie ("A Bit of Fry & Laurie"), Emma Thompson ("Sense & Sensibility"), Robbie Coltrane ("Cracker"), and Mel Smith & Griff-Rhys Jones ("Alas Smith & Jones")]. It was written by Mayall, Lise Mayer, and Ben Elton (Elton also having written "The Black Adder" series, among others). Sandwiched into the crazed comedy were musical spots from well-known pop acts of the eighties (Dexy's Midnight Runners, Madness, Motorhead, etc.). Throw in some puppets, explosions, living fairy tales, random acts of comic violence, time-space juxtapositions, commentaries from God, and copious flatulence jokes, and you have the funniest TV show of all time... one which would never be gotten away with on American TV (though they were screened in censored versions from time to time of Comedy Central & MTV). From what I can gather, these versions are uncut with two exceptions: the musical number "Subterranean Homesick Blues" by Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve in "Cash" and Neil singing "Hello Darkness, my old friend" in "Nasty" have been snipped because the BBC never bothered to clear the rights to use these songs. Other than that, they are complete. Buy this and laugh your... off!