The Young Ones stars Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer reunite for a new disaster comedy, 41 years after the classic series first aired
The Young Ones stars Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer have reunited for a new quirky disaster comedy, 41 years after the classic series first aired.
The actors, who played long-haired paranoid hippie Neil and spiky, violent punk Vyvyan in the groundbreaking BBC sitcom, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday to discuss their play ahead of the opening show.
Joining Susanna Reid and Ed Balls in the studio, the duo revealed they had co-written It’s Headed Straight Towards Us, which comes to Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, next month.
Adrian said: ‘We like each other, that’s the strange thing. We came together to write this piece just because we enjoy each other’s company.
“Writing is a bit about finding out what the world is about.”
Back together: The Young Ones stars Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer reunite for a new quirky disaster comedy, 41 years after the classic series first aired
“And trying to make each other laugh,” Nigel added.
Adding to the upcoming play, Adrian explained: “It’s about two actors, played by Sam West and Rufus Hound, and they hate each other.
“They’re stuck in a Winnebago in Iceland on a glacier, on a volcano that’s about to erupt.”
Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, the play sees the main characters bicker over old rivalries dating back to drama school as the film set collapses around them.
Adrian and Nigel shot to fame with The Young Ones, a comedy about four students sharing a squalid house that ran from 1982 to 1984.
Last year, the show was issued a viewer discretion warning for its release on the streaming service BritBox.
The classic 1980s comedy comes with a disclaimer about the jokes, warning viewers that the show contains “racist and homophobic” content.
Examples of outdated language in the sitcom include a 1982 episode entitled Boring, in which Rik is approached by an annoying police officer who, because he is wearing sunglasses, thinks Rick is more black than white.
Throwback: The actors played long-haired paranoid hippie Neil and spiky, violent punk Vyvyan in the groundbreaking BBC sitcom (L-R Christopher Ryan as Mike, Rik Mayall as Rick, Adrian as Vyvyan and Nigel as Neil)
Project: Joining Susanna Reid and Ed Balls in the studio, revealed she co-wrote It’s Headed Straight Towards Us, coming to Park Theatre, Finsbury Park next month
He then calls Rik ‘Mr. Sambo Darkie C**n’, as well as ‘Mr. Rastas Chocolate Drop,” before joking that he thought Rick was “an N-word.”
A warning ahead of episodes on Britbox now reads: ‘Contains adult humour, violence, references to sex and racist language which may cause offence.’
Another episode warns that there is “homophobic language that may be offensive.”
A spokesperson for BritBox said they are “continually reviewing and refreshing” content on the streaming service to “ensure the right guidance is in place.” We are constantly reviewing and updating BritBox’s program catalogue.
“Programming on the service that contains potentially sensitive language or attitudes from the era has received appropriate warnings since our launch in November 2019 to ensure appropriate guidance is in place for viewers who choose to watch on-demand.”