Following on from my big info-dump of the gags and whatnot featured in RT listings of Not The Nine O’Clock News, here’s another example of comedians larking about in the same publication. The Young Ones ran for twelve episodes from 1982 to 1984, and unlike NTNOCN, it didn’t take long for Elton, Mayall and Mayer to catch on to the possiblities…

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Series 1 (1982)

Episode 1: Demolition

First broadcast: Tue 9th Nov 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

A new series of six comedy shows of which this is the first. Be there or be square! Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan
Featuring Alexei Sayle as the Balowski Family.
With Nine Below Zero and Paul Bradley, Christine Ellerbeck, Chris Ellis, Ben Elton, Gerard Kelly, Hilary Mason, Pauline Melville, Herbert Norville, Cyril Shaps, Anthony Sharp, Maggie Steed, Andy de la Tour.
Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer
Additional material Alexei Sayle

Episode 2: Oil

First broadcast: Tue 16th Nov 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Witty, rich, priceless, side-splitting, light, comic, mock heroic, farcical, clownish, knockabout (Roget’s Thesaurus).
Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan.
Featuring Radical Posture.
With Tony Aleff, Robbie Coltrane, Barry Cookson, Mark Ezra, Ronnie Golden, Terry Medlicott, Patrick Newell, David Rhule.

Episode 3: Boring

First broadcast: Tue 23rd Nov 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

As Schtenker said, ‘music will buy the paint’. He never said what colour…
Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan.
With Madness, Mark Akden, Jim Barclay, Ruth Burnett, Jacqueline Clarke,
Paola Dionisotti, Nick Dunning, Stephen Frost, Paul Gale, Peter Greene, Roger Ashton Griffiths, Pauline Melville,Patrick Newell, John Owens, Robin Parkinson, Ken Parry, David Rappaport.
Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer
Additional material Alexei Sayle

Episode 4: Bomb

First broadcast: Tue 30th Nov 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Mark and Samantha decide to have a tea party, and the vicar tries out his new chain-saw with side-splitting results!
Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan
featuring Alexei Sayle as the Balowski Family.
With Dexys Midnight Runners and Mark Arden, Jean Campbell-Dallas, Paola Dionisotti, Clair Hill, Ceri Jackson, Peter Laxton, Tony Sympson, Roger Sloman.

Episode 5: Interesting

First broadcast: Tue 7th Dec 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Heinrich Schtenker, the little-known but much hated amateur philosopher, famous for his epithet ‘I exist therefore I am’, was run over by a tram in Vienna in 1893. Good job too.
Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan.
Featuring Rip, Rig and Panic with Keith Allen, Tony Allen, Mark Arden, Nicholas Ball, Paul Bradley, Ruth Burnett, Mark Dewison, Chris Ellis, Dawn French, Stephen Frost, Sadie Hamilton, Peter Laxton, Dave Lloyd, William MacBain, Kilian McKenna, Michael Redfern, Jennifer Saunders, Cindy Shelley, David Squire.

Episode 6: Flood

First broadcast: Tue 14th Dec 1982, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Disaster looms: in the last few days of a desperate government, riots spread as the economy collapses and the threat of nuclear conflict grows. Despite this, the BBC screens the final episode of The Young Ones.
Starring Ade Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan
featuring Alexei Sayle as the Balowski Family
With Mark Arden, Jim Barclay, Arnold Brown, Ben Elton, Stephen Frost, Gareth Hale, Justine Lord, Norman Pace, David Rappaport, Cindy Shelley, Peter Wear

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Some observations: these aren’t as well put-together as some examples that you could find with other comedy shows. However, the final one is interesting (…no, not Interesting, the sixth episode’s Flood), and certainly has one hell of a punch.

Following the initial broadcast of the first series, the whole lot was repeated in 1983. However, the Radio Times editors saw fit to strip away the original intro text for each show and just listed the plain information on its own, with not even “Be there or be square!” making it back in.

…Also, who the hell is Heinrich Schtenker? Okay, nevermind. Onto the second series:

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Series 2 (1984)

Episode 1: Bambi

First broadcast: Tue 8th May 1984, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer

A psychological British war film set in the Sahara desert. Hugh Freganotte’s sombre Western is diversely episodic but the locations admirably sustain the journey. Like an old favourite shoe: not brilliant but sturdy. Pauline Melville makes a splendid quiche.

Starring Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle
with Madness
and Mark Arden, Jim Barclay, Perry Benson, Ruth Burnett, Hugh Cecil, Jean Channon, Brian Croucher, Ben Elton, Stephen Frost, Peter Greene, Ceri Jackson, Kilian McKenna, Pauline Melville, Carla Mendonca, Michael Redfern, David Rolfe, Maggie Steed
and Brian Oulton, Peggy Thorpe-Bates

(Note: for some reason BBC Genome listed this broadcast as “Sick”, which comes later on in the series)

Episode 2: Cash

First broadcast: Tue 15th May 1984, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Cash written by BEN ELTON, RIK MAYALL, LISE MAYER
‘Whizz Bang’ – the new youth programme. Roger Dingo talks live in the studio to Screaming Leppard. On film, Barry Coathanger Smith talks to Minty from Broken Chair about his new cooker. The weekend starts somewhere over there in the corner.
Starring Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle with Ken Bishop’s Nice Twelve
and MARK ARDEN, PAUL BRADLEY, LEE CORNES, STEVE DIXON, STEPHEN FROST, STEVE KELLY, JAN PRINCE, KAY STONHAM, ANDY DE LA TOUR and ALAN FREEMAN
Additional material ALEXEI SAYLE
Music PETER BREWIS
Make-up VIVIEN RILEY
Sound LAURIE TAYLOR
Lighting FRED WRIGHT
Designer GRAEME STORY
Production PAUL JACKSON

Episode 3: Nasty

First broadcast: Tue 29th May 1984, 21:05 on BBC Two England

Nasty written by BEN ELTON, RIK MAYALL, LISE MAYER
This week a video head helically scans the high coercivity medium taking full advantage of the inherent wide hysteresic characteristics and fully saturating the magnetic structure of the oxide emulsion with predictably hilarious results.
Starring Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle with The Damned
MARK ARDEN, HELEN ATKINSON WOOD
CHRISTOPHER BARRIE, PAUL BRADLEY
ARNOLD BROWN, VIKKI CHAMBERS
RON COOK, DAWN FRENCH
STEPHEN FROST, GARETH HALE
DAMARIS HAYMAN, NORMAN PACE
DANIEL PEACOCK, BARRY STANTON
ANDY DE LA TOUR, PETER WEAR and TERRY JONES
Additional material ALEXEl SAYLE Music PETER BREWIS
Videotape editor ED WOODEN Sound LAURIE TAYLOR Lighting FRED WRIGHT
Designer GRAEME STORY
Production PAUL JACKSON

Episode 4: Sick

First broadcast: Tue 12th Jun 1984, 21:05 on BBC Two England
(Note: the positions of “Sick” and “Time” got switched around after their first transmission, and it’s the iPlayer order that I’m presenting them in here – Genome has the wrong dates applied to both)

Sick written by BEN ELTON, RIK MAYALL, LISE MAYER
This week the man who writes the listings in RADIO TIMES, which is actually a very difficult job at which he works very hard and he is not getting home very much because he is out earning money to keep his family, comes home late one night to find his wife in bed with another man and has a nervous breakdown … wakka wakka oooooooh aaaaaaah.
Starring Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer
Christopher Ryan , Alexei Sayle with Madness and MARK ARDEN , JIM BARCLAY ,
PERRY BENSON, RUTH BURNETT, HUGH CECIL, JEAN CHANNON, BRIAN CROUCHER, BEN ELTON, STEPHEN FROST, PETER GREENE, CERI JACKSON, KILIAN MCKENNA,
PAULINE MELVILLE, CARLA MENDONCA, MICHAEL REDFERN, DAVID ROLFE and MAGGIE STEED
Additional material ALEXEI SAYLE Music PETER BREWIS
Costume BARBARA KIDD Sound LAURIE TAYLOR Lighting FRED WRIGHT
Designer GRAEME STORY
Production PAUL JACKSON

Episode 5: Time

First broadcast: Tue 5th Jun 1984, 21:10 on BBC Two England

Time, written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer
A plane-load of funsters crashes in the African jungle; the souffle still won’t rise; a former model charges through the plot like a tornado; anything can happen and probably will.
Starring Adrian Edmondson, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Alexei Sayle
with Amazulu and Gary Beadle, Jonathan Caplan, Robbie Coltrane, Lee Cornes, Dawn French, Gareth Hale, Helen Lederer, Paul Martin, Norman Pace, Jennifer Saunders and Julianne White

Episode 6: Summer Holiday

First broadcast: Tue 19th Jun 1984, 21:00 on BBC Two England

Final programme in the series written by BEN ELTON, RIK MAYALL, LISE MAYER
Blah, blah, blah. bottom burp!
Starring Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer
Christopher Ryan , Alexei Sayle with John Otway and BRIAN CROUCHER, BEN ELTON
STEPHEN FROST, JOOLS HOLLAND
MARK LAMBERT, PETER LAXTON
HELEN LEDERER, NORMAN LOVETT
JOANNE PEARCE, ROGER SLOMAN
MAGGIE STEED and ALAN FREEMAN
LENNY HENRY
Additional material ALEXEI SAYLE Music PETER BREWIS
Videotape editor ED WOODEN Sound LAURIE TAYLOR Lighting FRED WRIGHT
Designer GRAEME STORY
Production PAUL JACKSON

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…Bloody hell, they ran out of inspiration for the “Summer Holiday” listing, didn’t they? Although seeing as the final episode had to be remounted a few weeks after the intended filming date due to a BBC strike, they were probably just knackered. (Mind you, the one about the Radio Times listings man could have done with another draft.)

While like in the first RT listings article I’m focusing on original broadcasts, special mention must be given to this write-up done for one of the 1989 repeats. It’s nice to see someone at the magazine cared enough to do something bespoke for the transmission on Tuesday 29th August 1989, on BBC2 at the hallowed time of 9PM:

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21:00
The Young Ones

Bambi written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer.
Biff whack ouch – the Young Ones are back with another boring series of repeats.
Plenty of signs of life in the fridge, but still no sign of Cliff.
Starring Adrian Edmondson , Rik Mayall , Nigel Planer , Christopher Ryan , Alexei Sayle with Motorhead,
Robbie Coltrane, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Tamsin Heatley, Hugh Laurie, Tony Robinson, Emma Thompson, Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith.
Additional material ALEXEI SAYLE
Music PETER BREWIS
Designer GRAEME STORY
Production PAUL JACKSON (R)

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One final little oddity: “Time” was repeated on Saturday 29th April 1989, right after a repeat of The Likely Lads. The listing for the latter says this: “Nearly 20 years separate this BBC2 comedy, which launched the channel in 1964, and its 1980s successor The Young Ones.” I don’t think anyone before or since has seriously attempted to somehow claim The Young Ones being the “successor” to The Likely Lads. The description for “Time” then reads as follows: “Twenty years later an even more appalling menage was launched on BBC2. Contrast and compare…” The words “appalling menage” are a pretty good turn of phrase, I have to say.