Fans of the classic (and not just a little revolutionary) 80s British series, The Young Ones found themselves with two series, 12 episodes, of crude and rude anti-establishment comedy and then nothing. Seven years later Rik Mayal and Adrian Edmondson bring back the hate. Following the lives of Richard "Richie" Richard and Edmund "Eddie" Elizabeth Hitler, Bottom has the same tone as it's predecessor - comedy through despair and over the top antics. Even old familiar faces like Christopher Ryan (Young One Mike) return to the fold.
Richard was born to better things and then never got them, probably because he's a git. Eddie is just a working class lad. Richard has a flat belonging to his aunt and Eddie has, well, nothing. Together they move from argument to crazy plan to argument to pub. By the second episode the two of them have nauseated an entire pub of people and destroyed the wall between their flat and their neighbour's. Series one is barely underway and there are two more after this.
The political leanings are largely gone and British bands don't drop in mid-show to play a tune, but the cartoon violence is still there as is the sheer absurdity (one of the characters is called Eddie Hitler after all.) British comedy isn't for everyone and this particular brand is essentially their equivalent of fart jokes, and yet it's just hilarious.
Video
If there's one thing I love, it's the crispness of BBC DVDs. I've always felt that the PAL standard, when encoded for an NTSC DVD maintain a special crispness, but that aside, all the BBC discs I've ever seen look shiny. For a show shot over a decade ago, Bottom looks sharp and colourful. Oh sure, the sets are still budget, but the cameras weren't.
Audio
Stereo! It's in one ear AND the other! Beyond that, there's not much to expect. Bottom tended to favour a mike that was either fixed or boomed, but given the movement and distances covered in some of the sets, you can expect a noticeable difference in sound when a line is said away from a mic. Funny if it's because the actor is in a closet, but strange if they're turning around. It's not a big deal though, more of an occasionally noticeable quirk. I mean, these are two grown men doing their best to clobber on another and chew up the scenery, so all you need are the basics.
Bottom Fluff (15:03, 17:26, 13:20)
Each disc comes with a collection of outtakes and gaffs from that series. The only thing that can make the show funnier is to show the cast messing up and cursing a blue streak.
Boom Boom: Out Go The Lights (5:43)
Rik Mayal appears on the British late night variety program to read some awful poetry and yell at the audience. You have to understand, it was the 80s. There was a lot of anger going around.
The Dangerous Brothers (5:06)
Rik and Adrian appear on Boom Boom: Out Go The Lights ten years before Bottom first airs and all their specialities are there to see. Violence, shouting, and absurdity.
Talent Files
An excellent bunch of talent files, marred only by the fact that you can't choose a cast member, rather you have to go through each page in sequence.
Summary
Summary The BBC has been excellent about releasing their back catalogue of old shows onto DVD. In particular they've been good about striking a balance between value and quality, in this case putting all three series into a single three disc set and still including a good helping of fun extras. After all, everyone loves outtakes and the early appearances of Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayal provide a nice perspective to their later TV series, Bottom included.
While each series is bizarrely slapstick and not just a little juvenile (after all, they spend most of their time trying to make with the ladies), Bottom is something everyone, budding British comedy fans in particular, should check out and this disc is the best way to do it.
