“Bottom Series 1 – 3” (1991 – 1995)

Television Series / Comedy

Eighteen Episodes

Created by: Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall

Featuring: Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall

Richie: [on various occasions seducing women, well, trying anyway] “May I say, what a SMASHING blouse you have on?”

In the pantheon of British sitcoms, there are a few that stand out not for their gentle humor or witty dialogue, but for their sheer, unadulterated chaos. Bottom is one of these shows, a glorious, two-fingered salute to conventional comedy that ran for three series between 1991 and 1995. Created by and starring the legendary double act of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, Bottom is a masterclass in physical comedy, absurdism, and the kind of juvenile, violent humor that can only be truly appreciated when you’re laughing so hard you can barely breathe.

The premise is simple, yet brilliant in its limitations. Richie Richard (Mayall) and Eddie Hitler (Edmondson) are two of London’s most pathetic, sex-starved flatmates. They are unemployed, unemployable, and utterly incapable of interacting with the world in a normal fashion. Their lives are a cyclical nightmare of poverty, boredom, and a desperate, failing quest for female companionship. The show is confined almost entirely to their squalid Hammersmith flat, a set that is as much a character as the protagonists themselves. The crumbling plaster, the broken furniture, the general air of decay—it all perfectly reflects the spiritual and physical state of its inhabitants.

The humor is a heady cocktail of slapstick, surrealism, and pure nastiness. Mayall and Edmondson, both veterans of the anarchic comedy series The Young Ones, take their established personas and turn them up to eleven. Richie is the pathetic, pretentious “ladies’ man” who is desperate to prove his superiority while being simultaneously the most craven, cowardly, and sexually repressed human being on the planet. His signature spectacles and ridiculous, self-aggrandizing pronouncements are a constant source of hilarity. Edmondson’s Eddie is the perfect foil: a violent, drunken slob with a penchant for bizarre, nonsensical logic and a complete disregard for Richie’s feelings or wellbeing. Their dynamic is one of perpetual, escalating conflict, where a simple disagreement can quickly devolve into a full-blown physical brawl involving frying pans, cricket bats, and an alarming number of household objects.

What makes Bottom so enduring is its commitment to its own twisted reality. The world of Richie and Eddie is one where the laws of physics are more of a suggestion than a rule, and where the most mundane situations can become a life-or-death struggle. A trip to the pub becomes a quest for a free drink that involves hiding in a toilet and pretending to be a woman; a quiet evening in turns into a botched attempt to rob a video store. The genius lies in the details, from Richie’s ridiculous “smegma” jokes to Eddie’s nonsensical rants about “flushing the toilet with a hedgehog.” The dialogue, while often secondary to the physical comedy, is a goldmine of quotable lines that have become part of the British comedic lexicon.

However, Bottom is not for the faint of heart. Its humor is often vulgar, violent, and deeply politically incorrect. The violence is cartoonish, but relentless, and the themes of sexual frustration and misogyny are central to the show’s DNA. This is a show that revels in its own bad taste, and it’s this unapologetic nature that makes it so refreshing. It’s a comedy of pure id, a cathartic release of the darkest, most juvenile impulses.

While the show only ran for three series, its legacy extends far beyond the television screen. The stage shows, which saw Mayall and Edmondson tour the country with their chaotic brand of comedy, were legendary. They took the core elements of the show—the violence, the slapstick, the constant insults—and amped them up to a level that was even more unhinged than the television series. The movie, Guest House Paradiso, while not a perfect film, still captures the spirit of the show and its unique brand of humor.

In conclusion, Bottom is a unique and irreplaceable gem in the landscape of British comedy. It’s a show that defies easy classification, a glorious mess of slapstick, surrealism, and pure, unadulterated filth. Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson were at the peak of their powers, and their chemistry is what makes the show so electrifying. It may not be for everyone, but for those who can appreciate its twisted genius, Bottom is a masterpiece of comedic anarchy that will make you laugh until you cry—and then maybe until you vomit a little bit. It’s a show that proves that sometimes, the best comedy is found at the very bottom of the barrel.