"Bottom" is another entry in the series of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson projects that involve these grown men behaving like children and hitting one another. What's wrong with juvenile slapstick violence? Absolutely nothing. With these guys you have a good idea what you're going to get, and they give it to you (Ooo-er!)
As usual, Mayall plays the more pathetic one of the team, while Edmondson's "Eddie" is the unscrupulous drunk. Neither of them have much success when it comes to the opposite sex, due to Richie's poor hygiene and Eddie's crass chat-up lines (although Eddie has managed to move in for the kill once or twice when things have gone wrong yet again for Richie... ) It's hilarious to laugh at the misfortunes of others, and we get plenty of chance to do that as we follow these two sad cases and their doomed attempts to climb the social ladder.
"Eddie" is my favourite character because he has a dry sense of humour, knows he's uncultured and just doesn't care. He uses his native cunning to always ensure Richie gets a raw deal, so although a loser at the game of life, he's usually a winner in his own house at least. There's lots of innuendo and things never get too intellectual, so every viewer can feel better about themselves when they watch this pair of misfits.
If asked I'd say I preferred the TV series to the numerous live shows that have been done featuring the same two characters. They have to work harder to be funny because in a sitcom format there are limits to how offensive things can get. Virtually anything goes on stage, though, so the gags are sometimes more obvious and a bit lazier - although still funny.
By a process of elimination I've just discovered that my favourite episode must be "(Bottom) 'S Out", where the duo are stranded in the wilderness as conversation turns to philosophy and the 'adult' escapades of the Wombles... This is in Series 2, which has the funniest collection of episodes in my opinion; every one a winner.
Overall, I wouldn't say it's as good as "The Young Ones", but there are genuine moments of hilarity in certain episodes. If you already know you're a fan of Rik and Ade then you can't really afford to miss it, so I say 'Dig deep into your "Bottom", by all means!'
As usual, Mayall plays the more pathetic one of the team, while Edmondson's "Eddie" is the unscrupulous drunk. Neither of them have much success when it comes to the opposite sex, due to Richie's poor hygiene and Eddie's crass chat-up lines (although Eddie has managed to move in for the kill once or twice when things have gone wrong yet again for Richie... ) It's hilarious to laugh at the misfortunes of others, and we get plenty of chance to do that as we follow these two sad cases and their doomed attempts to climb the social ladder.
"Eddie" is my favourite character because he has a dry sense of humour, knows he's uncultured and just doesn't care. He uses his native cunning to always ensure Richie gets a raw deal, so although a loser at the game of life, he's usually a winner in his own house at least. There's lots of innuendo and things never get too intellectual, so every viewer can feel better about themselves when they watch this pair of misfits.
If asked I'd say I preferred the TV series to the numerous live shows that have been done featuring the same two characters. They have to work harder to be funny because in a sitcom format there are limits to how offensive things can get. Virtually anything goes on stage, though, so the gags are sometimes more obvious and a bit lazier - although still funny.
By a process of elimination I've just discovered that my favourite episode must be "(Bottom) 'S Out", where the duo are stranded in the wilderness as conversation turns to philosophy and the 'adult' escapades of the Wombles... This is in Series 2, which has the funniest collection of episodes in my opinion; every one a winner.
Overall, I wouldn't say it's as good as "The Young Ones", but there are genuine moments of hilarity in certain episodes. If you already know you're a fan of Rik and Ade then you can't really afford to miss it, so I say 'Dig deep into your "Bottom", by all means!'