the young ones
Four young geezers. They all live together and by the end of every episode their house resembles the pile of rubble that makes for your average downtown police station in Baghdad. Mike is your typical pub-breed Brit. Big fat gold bracelets and wide collar suits. A real wide boy. Neil is the lanky hippy. He’s the official pad chef and an honorary member of The Lentil Appreciation Society. Then there’s Vivyan, the red-haired punk heavy metaller who fell into the speed cauldron as a snapper. Finally, Rick the anarchist and anti-fascist, the "I’m-not-gay-but-if-I-were-I-wouldn’t-have aproblem- with-it" sociology student.
The recently released DVD The Young Ones is no The Young Ones I remember: jumping off Buddy Holly roofs dressed up as parachutists; the speaking chips and toaster; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as movie critics; the bedroom sketch with the lion-tamer; the anti-power ands police slogans; the taking the piss out of those who slag off the police and those in power... the list of para-psychological content in the series is never-ending.
The Young Ones is more sloth-like than the one we remember, or at least it seems the passing of time has made it so. The rhythm is slower than expected – it’s certainly a world away from MTVesque productions technically speaking. It’s got that crappy local TV production feel to it. And that’s why The Young Ones is fucking brilliant. Amazing. The BBC lost the run of itself for two series and came up with this impossible-not-to-love show. You’d certainly never see anything of the like on current TV. Liberated, crazy, filthy, simple, over-the-top, surrealist, sharp, basic, quick, definitely not politically correct and above all... lovable.
Oh, before we forget. What about all those groups that played in the sitting room? Bang out of nowhere, without upsetting the flow of the show, bands like Motorhead, Madness, Ramones and 9 below 0 live in your face in the middle of the programme.
The Young Ones, like youth in the heel of the hunt, unrepeatable.
The recently released DVD The Young Ones is no The Young Ones I remember: jumping off Buddy Holly roofs dressed up as parachutists; the speaking chips and toaster; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as movie critics; the bedroom sketch with the lion-tamer; the anti-power ands police slogans; the taking the piss out of those who slag off the police and those in power... the list of para-psychological content in the series is never-ending.
The Young Ones is more sloth-like than the one we remember, or at least it seems the passing of time has made it so. The rhythm is slower than expected – it’s certainly a world away from MTVesque productions technically speaking. It’s got that crappy local TV production feel to it. And that’s why The Young Ones is fucking brilliant. Amazing. The BBC lost the run of itself for two series and came up with this impossible-not-to-love show. You’d certainly never see anything of the like on current TV. Liberated, crazy, filthy, simple, over-the-top, surrealist, sharp, basic, quick, definitely not politically correct and above all... lovable.
Oh, before we forget. What about all those groups that played in the sitting room? Bang out of nowhere, without upsetting the flow of the show, bands like Motorhead, Madness, Ramones and 9 below 0 live in your face in the middle of the programme.
The Young Ones, like youth in the heel of the hunt, unrepeatable.
