Rik Mayall Trivia Quiz

Answer: University of Manchester

Rik was born in 1958 in Essex but his family moved to Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire when he was still young. He went to school in Worcester but he didn't meet up with Ade Edmondson until he went to the University of Manchester in 1976. The two became firm friends and discovered they both had a love for the more surreal elements of comedy. Thy started performing in university bars and clubs and quickly established a reputation for being one of the more bizarre acts.

Answer: A Kick up the Eighties

"A Kick up the Eighties" was a BBC sketch show which ran between 1981 - 84. Rik Mayall's Kevin Turvey was one of the show's most popular characters with his rambling monologues about mundane subjects. As well as helping to promote Rik to a wider audience "A Kick up the Eighties" also helped bring the likes of Robbie Coltrane, Richard Stilgoe and Tracey Ullman to greater public acclaim.
"Naked Video" was a BBC sketch show from Scotland which ran between 1986 - 91. Amongst those whose careers it helped to launch were Helen Lederer and Gregor Fisher whose brilliant creation Rab C Nesbitt had his origins here.
"Not the Nine O' Clock News" ran between 1979 - 82 and is where Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones all first came to fame.
"The Fast Show" ran from 1994 - 97 and featured a mix of established stars and new faces including Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Mark Williams, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Caroline Aherne.

Answer: Redditch

Rik Mayall played alongside Ade Edmondson and Robbie Coltrane (I wonder what became of him?) in this very funny film. Kevin Turvey lived with his mother and her boyfriend on a housing estate in the new town of Redditch. He 'investigated' several burning issues such as why the park-keeper was walking on the grass to place 'Keep off the Grass' signs, which species of fish lived in the canal and the history of The Battle of Redditch (there wasn't one!).

Answer: A local in the The Slaughtered Lamb public house

"An American Werewolf in London" featured David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two young American men on a trip to Europe. They discover a rather disturbing secret whilst exploring the Yorkshire Moors in northern England. Rik played a rather manic unnamed local in the less than welcoming Yorkshire pub The Slaughtered Lamb.

He had two lines: "Hear, hear!" in the middle of Brian Glover's joke about The United Nations and he repeated the punchline "Remember the Alamo" before spraying beer everywhere.

Other than a few more knowing (and menacing) looks, that was it.

Answer: The Comic Strip Presents...

"The Comic Strip Presents..." was first aired in 1982 with the celebrated Enid Blyton parody "Five go Mad in Dorset" although Rik didn't appear in that episode. Originally planned for six episodes it actually ran for five series plus several specials and a full length movie about the miners strike in Great Britain. The cast changed for each episode but featured most of the rising stars of British comedy. The themes were wide ranging and included skits of spaghetti westerns, war films, documentaries and film noir genres.

"Saturday Night Live" is probably best remembered for launching Harry Enfield's Kebab shop-owner Stavros onto an unsuspecting public. "OTT" ("Over the Top") was an attempt to bring the cult Saturday morning kids show "TISWAS" to an adult audience. Although many of the same stars appeared such as Chris Tarrant and Lenny Henry it was never really too successful. "The Tube" was a groundbreaking music show from Channel Four. Various comics would often put in an appearance on the show.

Answer: Sociology

Rik was supposed to be studying sociology but rarely attended lectures or made any pretence at doing any work. He fancied himself more of a "people's poet, sent to save the kids" than someone who studied human behaviour. Vyv would refer to Rik as a "wimpy sociology student". Vyvyan (Ade Edmondson) was supposedly studying medicine whilst Neil (Nigel Planer) was a student on the peace studies course. Mike (Christopher Ryan) didn't appear to study anything at all but apparently bribed his way towards qualifications. "The Young Ones" only ran for two series (twelve episodes) the apparent death of all four students in the final scenes ensured there was never to be any subsequent series.

Answer: Living Doll

The character of Rik from "The Young Ones" had idolised Cliff Richard so when the cast decided to produce a charity single they asked Cliff if he would help out. To his credit Cliff agreed although the contrast between his squeaky clean image and the (supposed) students' life of squalor and violence could hardly have been greater.

The ensuing cover of "Living Doll" topped the UK charts in March 1986.

Answer: Barbara Robbin

Rik and Barbara had first met when filming "A Kick up the Eighties" in 1981. They were married in 1985 and have three children; Rosie, Sydney and Bonnie.
Jennifer Saunders is married to Rik's friend Ade Edmondson.

Dawn French is married to comedian and actor Lenny Henry. Helen Lederer has appeared many times with French and Saunders and has been married twice.

Answer: If You See God, Tell Him

"If You See God, Tell Him" was a short (four episodes) comedy series starring Ade Edmondson, Richard Briers and Imelda Staunton. It featured Briers as a man whose mind has been impaired by an accident and whose attention span is limited to 30 seconds - exactly the length of time of most TV adverts. It was broadcast in 1994 and was not well-received by the critics (but I liked it).
In "Bottom" Rik and Ade pretty much reprised their "Young Ones" roles although their characters were probably even more depraved and known as Richie and Eddie.

"Filthy Rich and Catflap" starred Rik and Ade again ably supported by former 'Young One' Nigel Planer. Rik played an out of work actor always optimistic of a big break. Ade played his hopeless drunken mate and Nigel Planer played his even more hopeless agent. In "The New Statesman" Rik played scheming politician Alan B'Stard. This show did receive critical acclaim although it was one of the few of Rik's vehicles I didn't enjoy so much.

Answer: A quad-bike accident at home

In April 1998 Rik was riding his quad-bike at his home in Devon. There had been heavy rain in the area and Rik had refused to take his daughter Bonnie for a ride due to the conditions. Some while later his wife Barbara noticed Rik lying motionless near his overturned quad-bike. Rik was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries where he remained unconscious for five days.

This was followed by a slow recovery but it took many months before Rik was back to anything like his former self.