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Ah, the iconic intro! The drumline starts with a flourish as we settle into what will become one of the most iconic anarcho-comedy series of all time. I wonder what the first audiences thought when seeing Vyvyan’s hand being devoured by an animal in the intro. The theme song, a cover of Cliff Richard’s, “The Young Ones” by the cast is slightly extended for this episode to provide a gorgeously funny image of the beloved character Rick dancing.
"Demolition” as the episode is so rightfully titled is a wonderful introduction to all of the characters. It establishes pretty much everything we need to know at a breakneck speed, never letting up the comedy for one second. You’re introduced first to Rick and Neil. Rick dances to the title song, as previously mentioned, displaying his love for Cliff Richard. Neil unintentionally offends Rick, already showing Neil as being the house punching bag and Rick as being easily offended. Neil shows off his awful cooking skills and bad luck, followed by Rick showcasing his “poetry.” Mike introduces himself with a golf caddy and a dry reading of stage directions (my all time favorite gag!). This episode also establishes the almost fatherlike aspect of Mike’s character. Vyvyan’s entrance could only be described as explosive. He literally bursts through a wall holding a severed leg. While I love all of Alexei Sayle’s stand up bits in the series, Jerzei Balowski’s introductory rant about many foreign people actually being of British origin kills me everytime. It not only reveals the great “secret” of the character, but it introduces Alexei’s comedy style in a charming yet chaotic way.
The gags themselves are iconic. Neil’s fumbling with the lentils which leads to them on the floor is a masterclass on showcasing comedy-misery. I also love the way he’s addressing the audience. The puppetry of the rats of course is so disgusting you can’t help but laugh. “Euripides trousers, you-mend-a-dese trousers” will forever be a joke that I quote through the ages. Rick killing the rat and then later proclaiming himself as a vegetarian is also a beautiful little look into the hypocrisy of his character. The usage of nonsense metaphors by Rick like, “[I’m] weird. Which is why I go over peoples’ heads. A bit like an airplane,” highlights his love for poetry. Speaking of poetry, his Cliff Richard poem is something that stays stuck in my head. Vyvyan’s constant destruction of the house is great, because even though he has an excuse in this episode, he pretty much still wreaks something every episode. The moment when Rick and Mike first hear Vyvyan’s letter from the council is quite possibly one of the best moments in television history, the dramatic lights and music to their shocked faces is comedy gold. Mike’s segway into the musical guest is also perfect. Unlike mine.
Nine Below Zero is one of those bands I never heard about until I watched The Young Ones, and it was one of those bands I instantly was a fan of. The song they chose to play, “Eleven Plus Eleven” was a great choice for the episode. It is high energy, upbeat, and fun. The actual lyrics pertain to the idea of The Young Ones, yearning for childhood and resenting the adult years. Oh, and Rick and Vyv dancing are pretty funny, too.
The plot of the episode is relatively easy to follow unlike many of the other episodes, and I’m sure that’s because they needed people to stay paying attention to the pilot. The boys get a letter from the council telling them that they are going to demolish the house the next day. Each one has a plan to stop it (or not, if you’re Neil) and then they execute their plans. They fail miserably when a plane crashes into them. Vyvyan’s plan is to smash the house up so the council already thinks it’s demolished. Rick’s plan is to crucify himself to the house and read poetry to protest. Mike tries to seduce the councilwoman. Neil just wants to hide in the bricks so they’ll kill him. While we already had a solid introduction to these characters, these final looks at them before the end of the episode really solidifies what we know about them, and how they handle stressful situations.
Overall, this episode gets a 10/10. The gags (“Neil, are these lentils South African?”), the plot, and the characters are revolutionary and are the cornerstone of alternative comedy in the 80s. What’s great about not only this episode, but the series as a whole, is that it holds up very well today. I’m a college student in 2022, and the first time I watched, specifically this episode, it instantly resonated with me. The hypocritical and exaggerated activism of Rick, the depressed and overly self-deprecating Neil, the sleazy-wannabe-rich-guy Mike, and the chaotic and explosive Vyvyan were all people I have been encountering. Even if it’s not demolishing your home specifically, the issue of students losing housing is real right now. It’s great that, even 40 years later, we can still get a laugh out of people having similar problems to us.
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