Talking Bottom

The Bottom podcast - three foxy stoats discuss and appreciate the world’s greatest sitcom, courtesy of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson, over an Esther Rantzen cocktail and pickled onion sandwich. From Paul Tanter, Mat Brooks and Angela Pearson. The book TALKING BOTTOM: A GUIDE TO THE CULT SITCOM is now in its 2nd edition and can be ordered here: https://wiltonsquarebooks.com/products/talking-bottom

Find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Youtube all @talkingbottom or drop us an email at 11mafekingparade@gmail.com

https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom

Subscribe Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

100 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes100

Newest first

Thursday · 1 hr 17 min
Paul Jackson - Live at The Rik Mayall Comedy Festival
Talking Bottom gets back on stage at the Norbury Theatre, Droitwich - joined by legendary producer and director Paul Jackson at The Rik Mayall Comedy Festival 2026 for a brilliant interview and selection of his favourite clips. FULL VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/anxCoVg07WE Paul, Ange and Mat chat for over an hour with the Godfather of alternative comedy, the man who got The Young Ones, Bottom and Red Dwarf made and on TV, the man who gave Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson their big TV break and who Rik publicly thanked "for my life" when they both accepted honorary doctorates. Paul Jackson shares stories of his career, working with Rik and Ade, getting The Young Ones on TV and discusses clips from a variety of shows. He also reacts to archive BBC letters and memos about The Young Ones and to extracts from the infamous essay that Lise Mayer, Rik and Ben Elton wrote for the BBC to "explain" the sitcom - all read for us by Lise Mayer! Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
July 23 · 31 min
Rik Mayall Comedy Festival round up
What a festival! In advance of our EPIC on-stage interview with legendary Young Ones, Red Dwarf and Bottom producer/director Paul Jackson at the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival dropping next week, including the video (yes, we've got a video!) version too, we run through what we got up to at the fest, where Talking Bottom hosted not one, not two, not four but three events! Ange, Mat and Paul chat about their interview with Paul on stage in front of a sell-out crowd at the Norbury Theatre in Rik's home town of Droitwich, where they played out many of Paul's favourite clips, read excerpts from letters from Young Ones fans and BBC colleagues, plus shared videos of Young Ones writer Lise Mayer reading out parts of the infamous essay she had to write to keep the show on the air! They also spill details of the Happy Families screening, complete with technical scares, and the Talking Bottom pub quiz at The Old Cock Inn (oooh errrrr.) Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
July 16 · 1 hr 1 min
Cliff Richard and The Young Ones - Comic Relief 1986
Hey, kids. It's doesn't matter what you are - Punks, Skins, Rastas, Mods, Rockers, Keith Chegwin even. Everybody everywhere; stop snogging and listen to me... this week it's all about the best charity single ever - the teaming up of The Young Ones and Rick's idol Cliff Richard to release their version of Living Doll and their performance of it on stage at Utterly Utterly Live! Ange, Paul and Mat chat the history of Comic Relief, charity singles, Cliff being a good sport, discovering the single for the first time and the very end of The Young Ones. Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
July 9 · 1 hr 9 min
The Bachelor Boys: The Young Ones book
What do you do when you've ended your show after two series, leaving people in no doubt it's finished by killing off the characters, but the public is hungry for more and you've got a ton of brilliant unused gags? Release a book, of course! But fear not, this isn't a crap spin-off cash-in, it's authored by the writers of the show and is incredibly funny. It's Bachelor Boys: The Young Ones Book! Mat, Ange and Paul discuss TV spin-off books, the success of the show and the book, the public appetite for more Young Ones, lager and curry diets, interviewing David Bowie in Wembley Stadium, the brilliant photos, reading the book as a child in the 80's and generally how great the entire book is while trying not to just spend the episode reading out the best bits - of which there are many. Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
July 2 · 57 min
Oh No, Not Them (The U.S. pilot version of The Young Ones)
There's no business like show business and there's no shortage of TV execs trying to capture lightning in a bottle. In 1989, U.S. TV network Fox decided to take one of the most uniquely British sitcoms of the decade, put it in a blender and shotgun the remains into an American sitcom format. The results were... not good. Paul, Mat and Ange dive headlong into the disastrous pilot, trying to glean the positives but turning up handfuls of crushing disappointment. They discuss other failed attempts at remaking shows across the pond, the cheesy, formulaic format of U.S sitcoms, how money doesn't fix everything, why the original Young Ones characters are so special, being too meta, being a grubby Benny Hill, U.S shows needing a "likeable" character and why seeing Neil the Hippy in a gunfight is just wrong. Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
June 26 · 10 min
Audiobook announcement!
You asked and we delivered! Talking Bottom: A Guide to the Cult Sitcom is now available as an audiobook, read by none other than Bottom's friendly pub landlord Dick Head himself - actor Lee Cornes! You can literally have Dick coming in your ears! It's out NOW via your usual audiobook platforms. You can listen while driving, on the commute, doing heavy housework or simply having a wangle. Get your copy now or Dick will set the dawgs on ya! Check out our socials and our linktree for the audiobook, previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
June 25 · 34 min
Rik Mayall: Magnificent B'Stard
What a ruddy treat! The long-awaited Rik Mayall documentary "Rik Mayall: Magnificent B'Stard is out now on Sky Documentaries, PLUS Sky Arts is screening the brand-new "Rik Mayall's Sketches: Rare and Unseen." It's a day of new Rik stuff! Ange, Paul and Mat dive into the doc, looking at what new nuggets about Rik and his work have been shared. They chat about Rik's life, the impact of his quad bike accident and the immense legacy he left after his untimely passing. Plus, a look at what's in the sketch show and the exciting previously-unseen stuff! Check out our socials and our linktree for previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
June 18 · 1 hr 20 min
Lise Mayer interview
Once in every lifetime comes a guest like this - someone who created and wrote one of the most influential, revolutionary and most-loved sitcoms ever, alongside her co-creators and co-writers Rik Mayall and Ben Elton. It's Lise Mayer! Lise chats with Paul, Ange and Mat about the genesis of The Young Ones and the challenges faced to get a show full of unlikeable characters, a grotesque student setting and exaggerated situations to air. She shares her thoughts her own comedy influences, writing with Rik on Carrot’s Lib and for his beloved character Kevin Turvey, the unintended hurt caused by The Young Ones’ bold decision to satire racism in the police, her friendship with Rik Mayall and how she learned of his untimely passing. In a Talking Bottom exclusive, Lise reacts to and reads aloud sections of the famous but largely unseen essay (which Paul Jackson previously alerted Talking Bottom to being the BBC Archive) that Lise was required to write alongside Rik and Ben back in 1982 in ‘defence of The Young Ones’ on the grounds of Language, Violence and Grossness. The BBC had requested the writers’ defence of the sitcom in writing as they needed a robust argument as to why the show was funny before it aired. Check out our socials and our linktree for previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic Bottom themed tea towels and now Talking Bottom t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
June 12 · 1 hr 23 min
The Young Ones S2 E6: Summer Holiday
All good things must come to an end and school' out not just for summer but for ever as it's the start of the summer holidays for the lads at Scumbag College AND the final episode of the show, ever, with the creators determined to end it all with a literal bang. Ange, Mat and Paul wang on about celebrity death rumours, shooting film on buses, the boredom of summer, horrible families, 80's cheesy comedians, grasping landlords, Fluff Freeman, bank robberies, exploding buses and communal end credits. Plus, the Summer Holiday quiz! Check out our socials and our linktree for previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic tea towels and now t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
June 4 · 58 min
The Young Ones S2 E5: Sick
The boys are surrounded by soggy tissues, and for once it's not for the reason you'd think - they've got the dreaded lurgy. Their efforts at recuperation escalate to violence in the streets while Neil's parents visit the fetid house. If only they were in a nice sitcom like The Good Life! Mat, Paul and Ange splutter over competitive illness, breaking the 180 rule, Hyacinth Bucket, being polite to your friends' parents, speech impediments, sentient toilets, escalating violence, Richard "Sugar-Flavoured Snot" Briars and Felicity "Treacle" Kendall. Plus, a fiendish quiz! Check out our socials and our linktree for previous episodes, the book "Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom," our fantastic tea towels and now t-shirts! https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
May 29 · 1 hr 11 min
The Young Ones S2 E4: Time
After a Dallas-style opening, the boys wake hungover to discover they have travelled back in time. And even more unbelievable; Rik seems to have "done it" with a girl! Paul, Mat and Ange chat about Dallas, time travel, Rick graduating towards Richard Richard, French and Saunders, Hale and Pace and all manner of subjects before diving head-first into a fiendish quiz! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival this month doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details and tickets. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
May 21 · 1 hr 13 min
The Young Ones S2 E3: Nasty
Filmed in Horror-vision! It's a terrifying tale this week as the boys have a body to bury, with a flashback to bath night revealing Rick's penchant for Cosmopolitan magazine, Neil's fetid bath, the arrival of a South African Vampire and the fact they've got a video. YES, WE'VE GOT A VIDEO. Ange, Mat and Paul discuss video nasties, Hammer Horror, future Bottom references, celebs laughing at themselves, Jeremy Beadle's fake and real beards, putting the boiler on for a bath, vampires, edible pot noodles and pervy Wrick. Plus, a ruddy marvellous quiz! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival this month doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details and tickets. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
May 14 · 1 hr 2 min
The Young Ones S2 E2: Cash
It's freezing in the student house and all the furniture has already been burned. Someone needs to get a job and that some is Neil, who joins the filth while Rick, Mike and Vyvyan enjoy some remarkable good fortune until an explosive conclusion. Mat, Ange and Paul chat about filming angles, burning things, austerity (oh no, not politics even though The Young Ones literally rips into Thatcher!), stunts, risotto, Rik's pervy face, cartoon endings and fascist coppers. Plus contemporary reviews AND a quiz where nearly every question had already been answered! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival this month doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details and tickets. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
May 7 · 1 hr 17 min
The Young Ones S2 E1: Bambi
The boys are back and they smell - it's so long since they did any laundry that one of Vyvyan's socks has come to life. But a fruitless trip to the laundrette is soon overshadowed by their starter for ten; can they get to Manchester by tonight to represent scumbag College on University Challenge? Paul, Ange and Mat return and discuss how The Young Ones found its confidence, quality guest stars, sticky bogies, train safety, bacon sandwiches and laundrette etiquette. Plus, a quiz worthy of Bambi himself! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival this month doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details and tickets. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
April 17 · 1 hr 10 min
Mark Arden & Steve Frost (The Oblivion Boys) interview
This week's guests are a pair of legendary comedians and actors who broke through on the alternative comedy circuit as a double act, going on to star in their own series and many other shows, including seven guest appearances on The Young Ones. One gave the order for Captain Blackadder to be shot in Blackadder Goes Forth while the other had his eye shot out by Eddie in Bottom. It's Mark Arden and Steve Frost, AKA The Oblivion Boys! Mark and Steve chat with Ange, Paul and Mat about their start in comedy, working as a double act, improv, appearing the nations favourite sitcoms, why Lee Cornes stalks them and the world of comedy in general, in a riotous interview. We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
April 9 · 1 hr 2 min
The Young Ones S1 E6: Flood
Biblical references abound as a huge flood engulfs London, trapping the students in the house. Everyone will be fine as long as no one drinks Vyvyan's potion - a cure for not being an axe-wielding homicidal maniac. Ange, Mat and Paul chat about Monty Python, hated chocolates, the hell of living with flatmates, biblical links, C.S. Lewis, Chekov's Coca Cola can and the brilliant Frost and Arden. Plus; a quiz where the concept of a quiz doesn't have to be explained! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
April 2 · 1 hr 16 min
The Young Ones S1 E5: Interesting
It's party time in the student house, an opportunity to impress the other students and trendy lecturer, play with a toy mouse and telescope and to kill the Hippy. It's The Young Ones episode "Interesting." Mat, Paul and Ange talk parties, bringing a bottle, sexy press-ups, cool lecturers, studio injuries, tampons and "women's periods". Plus, contemporary reviews AND the fiendish Talking Bottom on The Young Ones quiz! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events - two of which are with Young Ones director/producer Paul Jackson! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
March 27 · 46 min
The Young Ones S1 E4: Bomb
"Well I'm going to tell Thatcher that we've got a bomb!" Cold War fears manifest when a large (undetonated, obviously) nuclear bomb lands right in the middle of the house. To make matters worse, the TV detector man is at the door and the boys don't have a TV license! Paul, Ange and Mat chat about nuclear paranoia, house shares, rancid bathrooms and more, plus a great quiz! Apologies for some issues with sound in this episode due to an intermittently dodgy mic. We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
March 20 · 1 hr 5 min
The Young Ones S1 E3: Boring
Guys! Guys! Look at us! Squabbling, bickering, like children! What's happening to us? We never used to be like this! This week's episode is all about one of The Young Ones most exciting episodes; "Boring." Ange, Paul and Mat chat about exciting things, making scripts come to life, censoring difficult language when it's being used for satire, Madness, fakes hands and playing monopoly. Plus, a quiz! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom
March 13 · 1 hr 22 min
The Young Ones S1 E2: Oil
"Neil! Your bedroom's on fire!" Rick, Vyvyan, Neil and Mile move into their new house and the apparent discovery of oil in the basement soon brings out everyone's true colours. Mat, Ange and Paul discuss the show getting to full series, fighting over bedrooms, little white dots, oppressed workers and more as Talking Bottom takes on The Young Ones. Plus, a very numerical quiz! We're back at this year's Rik Mayall Comedy Festival in May doing THREE events! Check out our socials and our linktree for details. https://linktr.ee/talkingbottom