"We can do just exactly whatever we want to do.
And do you know why?
Because we're young ones! Bachelor boys!
Crazy, mad, wild-eyed, big bottomed anarchists!”
The early ‘80’s saw a lot of change in culture, attitude and
all around lifestyles. With all these
changes, a new breed of entertainers, suitably labeled The Alternative Comedians,
were rising from the underground scene. They were crude, angry and out to
offend anybody who didn't know what a Sid Vicious was. The British wave of Alternative Comedians
were fueled by their love for punk rock music & Monty Python and their
hatred towards Margaret Thatcher. The
AC scene was mostly known through comedy clubs and people heavily involved with the movement, as it wasn't part of the mainstream yet. Then a
group of these offbeat reprobates gathered together and were allowed to bring
their special brand of comedy to the BBC2 television station.
The Young Ones ran for 2 series, consisting of 6 episodes
each, in 1982 and 1984. A loud, surreal
and violent sitcom, thinly disguised as a variety show with a musical
performance each week and strangely timed sketches inserted through out each
episode. It followed the lives of four immensely unlikable
undergrads just barely making ends meet by holing up together in a rundown
public house. At first it
seems like it's just violent slapstick humor and jokes involving bodily
fluids, but with a little knowledge of the era, the message it
was trying to make and what it took to produce the show, you might see quite a
bit more under the surface.
The DVD transfer is a little spotty at best, but it can be
forgiven seeing as the quality of
something filmed 30 years ago isn't expected to be crystal clear. Be warned though, the Extra Stupid Edition contains extra stupid edits and cut down episodes for licensing reasons. You'll be wanting to get the Every Stoopid
Episode edition as it contains the episodes in their original presentation and
an extra disc of special features that are actually quite interesting to
watch.
It might not be for everybody, considering how disgusting
these characters and crude jokes are but if the thought of
combining Fawlty Towers and Married…with Children appeals to you, then The
Young Ones is probably right down your urine-soaked alley.
12 episodes. 35
minutes each.
Buyer’s Guide:
As stated above, there are two editions of the complete
series on DVD. Go with the Every
Stoopid Episode set. It has yet to be
released on Blu-Ray.
4 tampon rodents out of 5
4 comments:
I liked almost everything about this show. Alexei Sayle was sometimes irritating. Mostly, it was two fingers up to the establishment. Good times.
4 home-made acupuncture kits out of 5.
Sayle got a little bothersome indeed. I wasn't sure if I just wasn't getting some of the humor or he was simply just not that funny. The idea of sticking him in for some out of nowhere stand-up monologues was brilliant....except...he wasn't that funny.
Yup, his argy bargy hyperactive Brit routine just wasn't funny. He got his own show for a while but it sucked so it bombed. Ben Elton fared better. He was a regular presenter on a weekend show. He made me laugh lots.
I'm on the next Elton show right now. It's got Rik, Adrian and Nigel as well. It's not very good. :(
It's got it's moments but the fame seemed to have really gotten to their heads around this time.
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