Really sad news, I remember as a very young child laughing myself silly watching §rick trying to kill himself with laxatives and then his great performances as Lord Flashheart and in Comic Strip and how much I loved Bottom as a young teenager. The Young Ones, Bottom and Black Adder I think are 3 sitcoms that broke the mold and whilst most of the comedies I loved back then look very dated, they still stand up very well.
RIP Rik
Damn. Fifty-six is too young.
I can’t link because I’m mobile, but I loved him as Herod in the 2000 video of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.
I’m stunned, I grew up watching (and loving) The Young Ones, Bottom, The Comic Strip, Filthy Rich and Catflap, Blackadder, The New Statesman, loved The Living Doll send up. Way, way too early. He was brilliant.
Damn. He was one of the greats, and Rik from The Young Ones was one of the great characters.
I only know him from Blackadder. Flashheart was a hoot on that show.
Woof!
That sucks, sucks **sucks!!
I just watched the last episode of my Bottom DVD set, too.
Oh hell, Rik, Rest In Peace, this is for you:
(Cliff Richard “The Young Ones”)
- YouTube
**
“Punks and skins and rastas will all gather round and hold their hands in sorrow for their fallen leader. And all the grown-ups will say, “But why are the kids crying?” And the kids will say, “Haven’t you heard? Rik is dead! The People’s Poet is dead!””
I’m so sad 
How can Rik be dead when we still have his Poems?
RIP
Lord Flashheart now really has been everywhere.
Very sad news. I’ve been a fan of his for years, and always hoped to see him find a great later-career role. Too young.
He was always my favorite Young One. Most people had Vyv for their favorite, or maybe Neil. I paid to see Princess and the Goblin because he was doing a voice in it. Amazingly talented guy.
I think I said this before, but there should be a 56 Club along with the 27 Club. Steve Jobs, Warren Zevon, now Rik Mayall, and Rick James, and George VI and Lincoln. (And Hitler. And now I’m hearing Rik: “Give them a uniform they think they’re Hitler!”)
…woof…
I just remembered: He was supposed to play Peeves in the Harry Potter movies. Or more precisely, he did film scenes for the first movie, but someone decided that Peeves wasn’t needed in the final cut, and in fact, he wasn’t needed ever. Darn it; when you think of everyone else who was in those movies…
There’s an animated adaptation of The Wind in the Willows with him voicing Toad: it’s worth the price of admission just to hear Rik saying “Cripes! It’s the bobbies!”.
From CNN’s obit:
[QUOTE=CNN]
The series, which he co-wrote, focused on the lives of four roommates at “Scumbag College.” Mayall played politics-obsessed poet Rick alongside his long-term comedy partner Ade Edmondson as violent punk Vyvyan.
Edmondson led the tributes to Mayall Monday, telling Britain’s Press Association news agency: "There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing.
“They were some of the most carefree, stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he’s died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard.”
[/QUOTE]
I made do with bootleg VHS copies of The Young Ones until 2002, when I got the Every Stoopid Episode boxed set on DVD. Haven’t worn the discs out yet, but it’s one of my favourite collections.
I also bought the Comic Strip Presents… boxed set of DVDs. Unfortunately they’re PAL format, so I have to hook up the PAL DVD player if I want to watch them. Today I discovered the set has been available in Region 1 NTSC format, and I ordered it.
R.I.
(The P is silent.)