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

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100 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes100

Newest first

Nov 15, 2019 · 59 min
S3E4 - Dough
Eddie has been holed up in his room for days and Richie has nearly wanked himself blind through boredom. But the fruits of Eddie's labours are worth it: he's been forging money. With Spudgun and Hedgehog in tow they head to the Lamb and Flag to test out the pornagraphic doodles, soon finding themselves in the firing line of forger Skullcrusher Henderson. There's only one solution: enter the pub quiz and cheat! Angela, Paul and Mat talk about Richie's reading habits, Star Wars actor Mark Hamill loving Bottom, crotches on fire, drinking pernod and re-using condoms. Plus: the fiendishly difficult Talking Bottom quiz! Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Nov 8, 2019 · 1 hr 2 min
S3E3 - Break
Richie and Eddie are planning their holiday to sunny Doncaster - all Richie has to do is lose a shitload of weight. Luckily they got a Luftwaffe book of exercises and a vacuum cleaner for some DIY liposuction so Richie can fit snugly into his thong. Soon, Eddie is legless - first thanks to a chainsaw wielded by Richie and later because he's in the pube with the holiday monkey. Will they build up enough strength to lift the fridge off the floor and get a look at Des Lynam's todger? Paul, Mat and Angela discuss iTunes screeners, alternative takes, drinking the contents of the drip tray, cartoon violence, shaky sets and musical stings. Plus: the Talking Bottom Quiz! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom is available here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Oct 31, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
S3E2 - Terror
Trick or ruddy treat! It's Halloween and for Richie and Eddie this means an opportunity to don fancy dress and make some cash (no sweets) to fund a party. But they can't even keep their meagre haul of apples with razor blades in due to the local kids robbing and kicking the shit out of them, and a faulty cattle prod soon means Richie is down to his last pair of tights. But things look up as the party gets into full swing complete with homebrew, exploding carrots, sprouts mexicane and an attempt at raising the devil in exchange for an eternity of shagging. Mat, Paul and Angela ruminate on Halloween costumes, child actors, double entrendres, which Bottom series fans fall in love with, and how a man with kids can possibly be a virgin. Plus: the Talking Bottom quiz Halloween edition! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom is available here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Oct 24, 2019 · 1 hr 2 min
S3E1 - Hole
Richie and Eddie are back and have reached their three quid limit with a ride on the tallest ferris wheel in western Europe. But they've been annoying, vomiting on and stealing the clothes of the other fairground users and soon find themselves trapped 350 feet in the air with hardly any booze left and the ride scheduled to be blown up in the morning. Can they attract attention and make it to the other side of this one? Heck, maybe even raise some kids? Angela, Paul and Mat discuss Bottom returning after three years off the TV with a stage show in between, the relative qualities of the differing series, Richie and Eddie's families, reincarnation, cheating fate and Richie's phenomenal upper body strength. And the Talking Bottom quiz returns with nightmare questions due to this being an episode set entirely in a ferris wheel carriage! Here is the clip from the 1993 British Comedy Awards we talk about at the end, where Richard Wilson fumes while Rik wins best comedy actor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-WezUT1Y4c The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Oct 17, 2019 · 29 min
Series 2 round up
With series 3 starting next week, Talking Bottom takes a look back at series 2; what we learned, emails from listeners and reflecting on our interview with the legend Ed Bye. Plus several non-series 2 discoveries including why Richie's belt misses his front trouser loop and a reading from the original script for the episode Apocalypse, complete with its original title! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jul 25, 2019 · 1 hr 20 min
Ed Bye interview
Talking Bottom is honoured to be joined by the legendary Ed Bye, no less than the director and producer of Bottom series 1 & 2! His CV reads like the cream of British comedy, with credits including The Young Ones, Filthy, Rich and Catflap, The Full Wax, The Detectives, Kevin and Perry Go Large, Canned Carrot, Lenny Henry in Pieces, The Vicar of Dibley, Not Going Out, My Family, Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders and 40 (forty!) episodes of Red Dwarf. We probe Ed about, amongst many other things, his journey into the world of TV and light entertainment, his first impressions of Rik and Ade, the genesis of Bottom and its production from the pilot through the series, avoiding BBC censorship, studio filming, fight choreography and injuries, sound effects and special effects, modern British comedy, losing Rik and a first hand account of how Bottom's opening credits came about. The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jul 18, 2019 · 1 hr 13 min
Bottom Live - The Stage Show
"Fucking hell... a line from the play!" Rik and Ade take the behemouth that is Bottom around the country, performing on stage to packed-out audiences. Cameras recorded their show at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and the result was this record-selling performance on VHS. Yes, VHS! Remember those? For 100 minutes Richie and Eddie bicker, fight, knock out teeth, forget lines, argue with the audience, seduce blow up dolls, dial phones incredibly fortuitously, cut off penises with hacksaws and get electrocuted. Paul, Mat and Angela discuss Rik and Ade's car crash interview on Going Live, vox pops with fans, the longest synopsis in the world, theatre vs TV, 90's references, deliberate bloopers and sex dolls. Plus the Talking Bottom Live quiz! Here's a link to the Going Live interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsABbuFCAXE& The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Dec 28, 2018 · 1 hr 1 min
S2E6 - 's Out
Series two concludes with the episode that didn't screen in the UK until several years after it was made. Richie and Eddie lose a bet and find themselves roughing it for a week in deepest darkest Wimbledon Common with just a tin opener, a packet of chocolate hob nobs and a World Ranger Storm Buster IV Tent to keep them alive. Luckily, nature provides all they could need: a fresh water supply with delicious fish, dog shit everywhere the eye can see and a particularly keen flasher. Soon, hunger overtakes them both and there's only one thing for it - Womble hunting. Mat, Paul and Angela discuss comparisons with Rik and Ade's work and Samuel Beckett's plays, shooting in TV studios, the delay in transmission for the episode, annoying campers, Eddie's girlfriends, breaking the 4th wall, Richie and Eddie as kids playing dress up and flashers. Plus, the Talking Bottom quiz brings the series to a close with the most fiendish questions yet! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Dec 21, 2018 · 1 hr 1 min
S2E5 - Holy
MERRY BLOODY CHRISTMAS! It's the season of goodwill and peace on Earth in 11 Mafeking Parade. Naturally, Eddie has left a series of booby traps out for Richie, who starts the day masquerading as Santa Claus in order to get at the sherry. Before you can say "half past eight and all's crap", Richie severs his finger preparing the food while Eddie decorates the flat. With the arrival of Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog and the incineration of the turkey, potatoes and Christmas pudding, it's time for traditional Christmas games such as everyone choosing Goldfinger for charades. But the arrival of the son of God soons upends their plans - thankfully Richie takes things in his stride as he relishes being the mother of the new Messiah. Angela, Paul and Mat festively ruminate on booby traps, slaptick violence, deleted scenes, shit Christmas presents, fake turkeys, puns and double entendres, Jonathan Ross and terrible visual effects. And jingle balls ready for the Talking Bottom Christmas quiz! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Dec 13, 2018 · 1 hr
S2E4 - Parade
After a busy morning scamming the police for eight quid each, Richie and Eddie retire to The Lamb and Flag, where they are able to swindle free drinks by pretending to be Health and Safety Inspectors. Soon, Richie's fictional war stories get him in trouble with a genuine Falklands war veteran, but his severe beating is interrupted by drunk bookie Tight Mouth Larry spilling not only his guts but the name of a dead cert in the 3.30 at Chepstow. Now the residents of Hammersmith just need to acquire as much cash as possible to put on the stallion guaranteed to romp home; Sad Ken. Paul, Mat and Angela discuss Richie and Eddie in society, money making schemes, the Falklands and politics in the show, Kryten from Red Dwarf and what a RD/Bottom crossover would entail, the guest stars and their terrible crimes, Richie's lies, editing out songs sung by characters, footballers names and police drubbings. Plus; fingers on sphincters for the Talking Bottom quiz! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Dec 6, 2018 · 59 min
S2E3 - Burglary
Richie's planned evening with scrabble and a fish supper start badly when Eddie spends the dinner money getting drunk on Old Spice, then gets worse when 11 Mafeking Parade is burgled. Managing to take the thief prisoner, they soon find themselves in possession of a large amount of valuable swag - this could finally be their chance to live the high life in the Bahamas. But what to do with the burglar? There's only one solution: murder him. Mat, Angela and Paul talk murder, Live and Kicking, the copyright status of "Do Your Balls Hang Low?", Chesterfield, and Nigel from Eastenders. Also; the best trick question the Talking Bottom quiz has ever seen! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Nov 29, 2018 · 1 hr
S2E2 - Culture
After falling behind with the rent for the TV due to Eddie purchasing some magic beans and Richie squandering the cash on a trip to Doctor O'Grady's Personal Organ Enhancement Clinic, the pair wallow in the depths of boredom with crosswords, a custardy pants tournament and Put a Bit of Sellotape on the Fridge. Inspiration strikes and an evening of chess with improvised pieces, Esther Rantzen cocktails and smoking jackets turns into an all nighter finishing off the industrial strength floor cleaner and Richie being taught the rules of chess 124 times. Eventually, the game must begin - there's only one thing for it: Attack, attack attack. Angela, Paul and Mat ruminate on crosswords, replacement chess pieces, mountain gorilla organs and the time they tried actual Esther Rantzen cocktails at a Rik Mayall memorial convention. Plus - the Talking Bottom quiz! Here's the link to the chess fight rehearsal video we mention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c26ggjpMGw The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Nov 22, 2018 · 1 hr
S2E1 - Digger
Talking Bottom returns with Richie devising the perfect way to get his end away and marry into royalty - joining a dating agency and getting matched with a Moldavian Viscountess by the name of Lady Natasha Letitia Sarah Jane Wellesley Obstromsky Ponsonsky Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Oblomov Boblomov Dob, played by the wonderful Helen Lederer. Eddie takes the role of butler for the evening and prepares a dinner of squashed potatoes and caviar. But the stakes are high as the evening has been funded by selling Richie's kidney. Paul, Mat and Angela talk dating agencies, smashing blouses, live studio recording, equal opportunity violence and sex mo's. Plus the Talking Bottom quiz is back with the toughest questions yet! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Nov 15, 2018 · 10 min
Series 1 round up
With series 2 starting next week, Talking Bottom takes a quick look back at series 1; the reaction to the show, what we learned and confirmation of Steptoe and Son as an influence. Plus Angela reveals the answer to the question of if a Young Ones reunion in Bottom was ever intended - having asked Ade Edmondson directly! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Aug 9, 2018 · 1 hr 1 min
S1E6 - Accident
Talking Bottom reaches the end of the first series with Richie’s birthday episode. Comrade Richie is another year older and excited about his impending party. Eddie’s gift of a red hot tip pays off and ensures enough booze for the thousands of birds anticipated to attend. Unfortunately, a freak accident leaves Richie’s leg in plaster and wheelchair bound. Luckily Eddie’s pals Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog are on hand to join in with a game of sardines and get through the Emmerdale Farm compilation. Wait until Norris McWhirter hears about it! Mat, Angela and Paul talk birthdays, enemas, prostitute horses, penis spudguns, the Singing Detective and muse on the possibility of an intended Young Ones reunion in Bottom that never happened. Plus, the most controversial Talking Bottom quiz to date! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Aug 2, 2018 · 1 hr 1 min
S1E5 - s'up
Eddie’s Sunday afternoon watching Big Jugs is scuppered when Mr Harrison the landlord appears, needing cover for the shop downstairs as his stupid mother has selfishly died. Richie jumps at the chance for some power and a white coat while Eddie can’t wait to get stuck into the snacks. But a series of difficult customers persuades the lads to skive off to the roof to watch the cricket; a flawless plan just so long as Richie’s rain dance doesn’t work and the thieving locals don’t notice the shop is now unattended. Angela, Paul and Mat look at Richie’s patriotism, watching porn with your mates and what Ethel Cardew would be like if we met her. Plus an attempt to work out who actually owns 11 Mafeking Parade and fingers on sphincters for the Talking Bottom quiz! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jul 26, 2018 · 1 hr
S1E4 – Apocalypse
“Thieving bastard ***os!” Yes it’s the one with THAT dub! Richie’s plan to con his auntie out of some much needed cash takes a turn when the old bag dies, leaving him £600. A celebratory trip with Eddie to the funfair results in them blinding a Carni and a curse being bestowed upon Sir Richard Richard VC; he’ll be dead in three days. Can Richie survive that long without visiting the lav? Who ate the Taiwanese ranch style jumbo fishburgers? And what time is Neighbours on? Paul, Mat and Angela go over the “yobbo” edit, at what age can someone still be an orphan and dropping a piano in a TV studio. Plus a surprise discovery of some additional dialogue that never made it to broadcast and the Talking Bottom quiz is back on topic after last week’s controversy! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jul 19, 2018 · 1 hr
S1E3 - Contest
Richie’s got a great plan to guilt trip his best friend into buying him a drink; a suicide attempt. But Eddie’s spent all his savings on some vintage porn and a bet on Miss World. If only they can last the evening without beating each other up or destroying the TV. Mat, Angela and Paul discuss the episode shot as the pilot before the rest of the series and muse on Eddie and Richie’s relationship and how they may have originally met. Plus: a reading of some deleted dialogue from the original script and the Talking Bottom quiz featuring the hardest questions so far! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jul 12, 2018 · 58 min
S1E2 – Gas
GAS MAN! GAS MAN! GAS MAN! Talking Bottom delves into what could be the show’s most famous episode, where Richie and Eddie hatch a fiendish scheme to keep warm in snowy Hammersmith; but the Gas Man may be about to rumble them – resulting in a trip next door to see their friendly neighbour Mr Rottweiler. What could possibly go wrong? Angela, Paul and Mat discuss stealing gas, cartoon violence, sound effects, Richie’s mania, Mafeking Parade’s odd door number system and wonder what position Rottweiler and his girlfriend where actually in. Also; fart buzzers at the ready for the Talking Bottom quiz! The "Americans watching Bottom" vid we refer to can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd_JNdv8esY&t=13s The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw
Jun 28, 2018 · 1 hr 8 min
S1E1 - Smells
Two blokes and a bird celebrate the episode that introduced the world to Richie and Eddie - two sad losers on the fringe of society who are desperate for booze, women and cash. Paul, Mat and Angela compare the show to Rik and Ade's previous work, discuss what makes the show so special and talk a load of bollocks. Plus: the Talking Bottom quiz! The book Talking Bottom: A Guide to The Cult Sitcom available is here: https://t.co/G677or4Xgw