willman85 They are presented as life's losers - Richie more so - and their failure at relationships and work are relatable to a degree. Work and relationships are the Big Two most important drives of our lives. In Rik and Ade's own words, Richie and Eddie are the "bottom of the heap" and "unemployed survivors".Alcoholism and dimwittedness are implied to be the factors for their "bottom" position in society. But some of the comedy is in how the duo exhibit flashes of engineering brilliance, or cultural refinedness, or articulate and poetic verbals, in the face of their grim surroundings. It must be stated, however, that these are mere flashes. They are not indicative of intelligence but merely an emulation of it.There weren't many weak episodes - I count Dough, Break and Finger - but the fact that these appear by the end of the run (in Series 3) suggests that the premise might not have been as strong as hoped. Having said that, the remaining three episodes in Series 3 were very strong - Hole particularly so - so maybe quality control in the writing was hampered by laziness or a lack of time or care. Overall the show has a unique comedy BRAND, one that only Rik and Ade can pull off. But the novelty apparently wore off at 18 episodes. Much of the comedy lies in the high degree of suspension of disbelief. Richie, Eddie, Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog are the only ridiculous, absurd, insane characters, and everyone else are sane and normal (if not mad and violent). But the universe gets presented more and more as a rather fantastical place, and physical laws get broken. The shock, surprise and horror loses its impact after a while, and the lifespan would have been greater had they'd have eased into the absurd more gently.Three series is still a respectable run, it must be said. The Mighty Boosh was very much even more surreal, and shared the same lifespan plus 2 more episodes. Bottom, however, has more longevity in re-watch value; The Mighty Boosh's novelty wears thin from repeated viewings quicker IMO. I'd add that I think more stories with Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog would have added to the lifespan, or at least improve weaker script ideas.Minor criticisms aside, Bottom is characterful and unique; and Rik + Ade's comic physicality had no comparison in the early 90s. It wasn't just the violent fighting, it was the reactions in their faces, the delivery of lines, and the pathos. They had chemistry.

Lizzy Hynes Bottom is in my top three TV programmes, alongside The Young Ones and Steptoe and Son. It is a unique mixture of violent slapstick, swearing and surreal plots, and I love it.First broadcast in 1991, Bottom is about Richard 'Richie' Richard and Edward 'Eddie' Elizabeth Hitler, two sad, disgusting perverts who share a flat in Hammersmith, and hate each other. Richie, played by Rik Mayall, is a sex obsessed virgin who is desperate to 'do it'. He spends most of his time masterb- I mean studying, trying to chat up women with his best and only chat up line - "What a smashing blouse you have on!" - and fighting with Eddie. He acts like Eddie's wife in most aspects; he wears an apron, does the housework and tells Eddie off - "You are grounded, young man! ".Eddie, played by Adrian Edmondson, is an alcoholic who is almost drunk. He is not quite as pitiful as Richie: he has a few friends - Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog - , is usually cheerful and, whilst still unlucky with the opposite sex, is known to have done it at least twice. My favourite episodes are Gas -"HELLO, MR GAS MAN!" - Accident, S'Out -"Maybe it's a Womble!"- and Finger - "Edwina."

Morbius Fitzgerald Bottom is a program where you'd have an idea what to expect before watching a second of it. Its a completely stupid program with political incorrectness galore, double antendres and wall-to-wall violence. The goal of the character Richard Richard is to get laid, that tells you everything.I have to compliment Ade and Rik, they made the only sitcom I give above 7/10. I'll definitely watch the whole of The Young Ones as well as Filthy, Rich and Catflap. I have already seen Guest House Paradiso AND a couple of the live shows. I loved them.Look, this isn't the most intelligent TV show ever devised but watch the first episode, if you aren't laughing than I suggest you watch something with a bit more of an "upper middle class" feel to it. If you want a few good knob gags, double antendress such as "can I drink your juice" and comical violence on a scale of 1000 than this show is a perfect fit to all of that.

Howlin Wolf "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!'