The Young Ones

Summary

The complete television soundtracks of all 12 episodes of the legendary BBC sitcom

Ground-breaking, satirical and anarchic, The Young Ones introduced alternative comedy to mainstream TV, and made household names of its writers and performers. It ran for two series on BBC Two between 1982 and 1984, winning a host of devoted fans and a BAFTA Award for its second series.

A world away from the cosy suburban sitcoms that preceded it, the show centred around four degenerate students sharing a squalid North London house: hippy Neil (Nigel Planer), right-on Rick (Rik Mayall), Mike 'TheCoolPerson' (Chris Ryan) and punk psycho Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson). Alexei Sayle co-starred as the various members of the dodgy Balowski family, and the plethora of guest stars included Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robbie Coltrane, Emma Thompson and series co-writer Ben Elton. Musical interludes were provided by top bands such as Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Damned, Madness, Motörhead and Nine Below Zero.

Collected here are all the dysfunctional foursome's manic adventures - from discovering oil in the basement, to playing host to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, to representing Scumbag College on University Challenge. Now you can hear from your favourite characters once again, and listen to their iconic one-liners, inventive insults and fabulously funny quotes.

Full of wild slapstick, surreal twists, over-the-top ultra-violence and absurdist humour, this innovative, iconoclastic series remains one of the greatest sitcoms of all time. This audio-only collection of the original TV soundtracks provides the perfect opportunity for fans to relive the show's finest moments while on the go.

Contains strong language and humour that some listeners may find offensive.

Production credits
Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer
With additional material by Alexei Sayle
Music: Peter Brewis
Sound: Laurie Taylor
Directed by Paul Jackson and Graeme Story

Rick - Rik Mayall
Vyvyan Basterd - Adrian Edmondson
Neil Pye - Nigel Planer
Mike - Christopher Ryan
The Balowski family - Alexei Sayle

With Amazulu, Mark Arden, Helen Atkinson Wood, Jim Barclay, Christopher Barrie, Gary Beadle, Perry Benson, Paul Bradley, Arnold Brown, Ruth Burnett, Jean Campbell-Dallas, Jonathan Caplan, Hugh Cecil, Vikki Chambers, Jean Channon, Jacqueline Clarke, Robbie Coltrane, Ron Cook, Lee Cornes, Brian Croucher, The Damned, Mark Dewison, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Paola Dionisotti, Steve Dixon, Nick Dunning, Christine Ellerbeck, Chris Ellis, Ben Elton, Alan Freeman, Dawn French, Stephen Frost, Stephen Fry, Paul Gale, Peter Greene, Roger Ashton Griffiths, Gareth Hale, Damaris Hayman, Tamsin Heatley, Lenny Henry, Clair Hill, Jools Holland, Ceri Jackson, Terry Jones, Gerard Kelly, Steve Kelly, Ken Bishop 's Nice Twelve, Mark Lambert, Hugh Laurie, Peter Laxton, Helen Lederer, Justine Lord, Norman Lovett, Madness, Paul Martin, Hilary Mason, Kilian McKenna, Pauline Melville, Carla Mendonca, Motörhead, Patrick Newell, Nine Below Zero, Herbert Norville, Brian Oulton, John Otway, John Owens, Norman Pace, Robin Parkinson, Ken Parry, Daniel Peacock, Joanne Pearce, Jan Prince, Radical Posture, David Rappaport, Michael Redfern, Griff Rhys Jones, Rip Rig + Panic, Tony Robinson, David Rolfe, Jennifer Saunders, Cyril Shaps, Anthony Sharp, Cindy Shelley, Roger Sloman, Mel Smith, Barry Stanton, Maggie Steed, Kay Stonham, Tony Sympson, Emma Thompson, Andy de la Tour, Peter Wear, Julianne White

First broadcast on BBC Two, 9 November-14 December 1982 (Series 1), 8 May-19 June 1984 (Series 2)

© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd