Bottom is a
sitcom written by and starring
Rik Mayall and
Adrian Edmondson (you may remember them from
The Young Ones). It is difficult to do the show
justice with mere words. The
humour that comes from two
comedians who have worked together for years performing gleefully twisted material (and beating seven bells out each other).
The premise of the show was, like all works of genius, a simple one. Richard Richard and Eddie Hitler are two borderline psychotics living in a grotty flat in Hammersmith. Eddie is an alcoholic (and manages to be fantastically cool while not always being able to stand) and Richie is a compulsive masturbator. They spend their time fighting and bickering, and occasionally enacting amazingly foolhardy schemes.
The violence in the show is just ridiculous - falling down stairs, getting set on fire, pencils rammed up noses, heads slammed in fridge doors, headbutts, electrocutions, and that old favourite the punch to the groin are just some of the beatings dished out. Just as excessive is the innuendo. ("Would you like me ... to toast your marshmallows?") The show is, obviously, extremely puerile, but is no less funny today than when it first aired, even though I've seen every episode many many times.
It ran for three series, which were backed by three theatre tours (Bottom Live, The Big Number Two Tour and Hooligan's Island) which were all released on video. The end of the Bottom story came with the rather dismal movie spin-off Guest House Paradiso.
Possibly spurious trivia fact: They wanted to call it "Your Bottom" so that people could ask each other "Did you see Your Bottom on BBC2 last night?".