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The 2006 News Archive
THE NEW STATESMAN - B'STARD'S EXTREMELY SECRET WEAPON
Check Ticketmaster.co.uk and your local venue for ticket information.
Tour dates and info courtesy of fans and bstard.co.uk
THE NEW STATESMAN - EPISODE 2006: THE BLAIR B'STARD PROJECT
Please visit Ticketmaster.co.uk to order your tickets.
For information on venues, check out Ents24.com.
Does a leopard ever really change his spots? Parliament is in session and one of the shining stars of Blair's New Labour cabinet takes his place in the House. Meet Alan B'Stard, impeccably pin-striped, nose aloft, stalking the corridors of power leaving a trail of devastation in his wake.
It's a political system with more spin than scruple. Will B'Stard - the most depraved and selfish politician of all time - still be on top in Blair's caring New Labour government? Will he find the weapons of mass destruction? Why is Condoleeza Rice in and out of Alan's back door? How did Alan B'Stard get into the Labour Party? Is anybody safe?
Rik Mayall's hilarious comedy creation is brought bang up to date in this new play by the writers of the original hit TV series, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.
Entry Date: December 26
Whatsonstage.com currently has a podcast on their site featuring Rik. Rik's feature starts about 7 minutes into the podcast. You can right click on the link at the bottom of their page to save the podcast (they give directions on how to do it on their page for those who've never bothered with podcasts before). Thanks to Amy Lloyd for this.
Time Out London has a not so favorable review of the West End run of The New Statesman - B'stard's Extremely Secret Weapon. Thanks to Claire Henson for spotting this.
Entry Date: December 20
On December 18th both the London Theatre Guide and The Daily Express had features on the the opening night of The New Statesman - B'stard's Extremely Secret Weapon. Thanks to Amy Lloyd and Claire Henson for these.
Entry Date: December 15
We've been given two pairs of tickets to the January 4, 2007 New Statesman show courtesy of EMG Media & Marketing. To enter the drawing to win a pair, please see the graphic on the homepage for more information.
Photos from The New Statesman's after-show opening night party are available for viewing on Getty Images. Thanks to Claire Henson for this link.
Claire also reports that Alan B'Stard Christmas cards are being sent out by various theatres to promote the upcoming tour.
For the results of our 18th website poll, which asked "besides the New Statesman, which of Rik's shows would you like to see done as a life play?", please click here. The winner by a wide margin was The Young Ones.
Entry Date: December 14
A Barking and Dagenham Recorder article on the new New Statesman play has some information on the plot. Thanks to Amy Lloyd for this.
Rik was featured as "The 5-Minute Interview" in the December 12th edition of The Independent. Thanks to Amy Lloyd for this as well.
The New Statesman was voted number 8 on The 30 Greatest Political Comedies. The show was broadcast on More 4 on December 11th. Thanks to Charlotte for this.
Entry Date: December 7
The people behind The Big Bottom DVD box set have kindly sent us a video clip from Bottom Live 2 in various formats. You can view it in your choice of quality and format by clicking the links below.
Entry Date: December 6
The New Statesman won the award for Best Comedy at the M.E.N. Theatre Awareds in Manchester. Rik wasn't able to attend, but he sent a message reading:
I can't imagine anything better than to receive this award. It was such a fantastic surprise as it was almost 30 years to the day that I did my first ever paid gig in Manchester in a brilliant club called Band On The Wall. It was a happy fact that I got into Manchester - which was only on clearing, as I failed my A-levels.
I want to say thanks to Manchester for the last 30 years of severely good time comedy.
Highlights from the show were televised tonight on Channel M. You can read the writeup about it here. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Two mysterious Bottom DVDs are set for release on January 29th. They're listed on play.com as "Bottom 1&2" and "Bottom 3&4". They appear to be DVDs of the episodes and not any live shows. It's possible that "4" means Bottom Fluff, but there's no further information available right now. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Brunskill has confirmed that Rik will NOT be taking part in the New Statesman post-show talk at the Wimbledon Theatre on March 22nd. Thanks to Sharon for this info.
Entry Date: December 3
News from while I was away.....
There was a search for actors who could play the role of Tony and Cherie Blair in the upcoming New Statesman play this past week. There were reports on it inthe London Theatre Guide, the Daily Mirror and the Telegraph. Thanks to Marie Koster, Claire Henson and Amy Lloyd for these links. Photos from the day were posted on Rex. Thanks to Claire Henson for noticing that.
Rik has done a video for the bstard.co.uk website to promote the West End run of the show. Thanks to Sharon for discovering this. We've been able to save the clip, and you can download the video (for a week) from yousendit. If that link doesn't work for you, the direct link for the video on the bstard.co.uk site is http://www.bstard.co.uk/bstard.flv. You can save the clip to your hard drive by using the keepvid site. You'll need an flv player to view it.
Claire Henson received a brochure this week from the New Wimbledon Theatre which included a two page feature on the New Statesman play plus information on a post-show talk by Marks & Gran for March 22nd. It doesn't mention Rik as taking part in the talk, but anything is possible with this kind of thing.
A Monkey's Tale and The Jellikins: Jellyscope will be released on DVD on February 19th in the UK. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Entry Date: November 15
The Trafalgar Studios website has been updated, and it looks that the New Statesman run in the West End is now a definite. It will run there from December 13th until January 27th. Thanks to Sharon for finding this. There's still some confusion about whether this is an updated version of the previous New Statesman play or a new play. Brunskill has told people that it's an updated version of the old show, however, as there are new cast members and (accroding to what Brunskill told Sharon), Alan will have a new wife in the show (not Sarah), it appears that this may be a totally or mostly new show.
Rik is pictured and mentioned briefly in the latest Now magazine in an article on Victoria Beckham's son's epilepsy. For those who are confused by why he'd be mentioned, Rik has had epilepsy since his accident in 1998.
Entry Date: November 13
According to Monkey40, who currently works at works Trafalgar Studios Whitehall Theatre in the West End, Rik had been at the theatre all day today working on rehearsals and auditions for B'Stard's 2nd Wind. This gives further credence to the unconfirmed info that this play will start a run in London from December 13th onwards. Watch this page for more information as we get it.
Entry Date: November 12
According to bstard.co.uk, the title of B'Stard's 2nd Wind has been changed to B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon. No cast is listed on the site, so it appears from that and from the advertisement in the Bromley newsletter that a whole or mostly new cast will appear.
In today's Alan B'Stard Telegraph editorial, the by-line stated that the show will be back from December 13th on. There was also a post on this site's message board the other day by Monkey40, who works at Trafalgar Studios Whitehall Theatre in the West End. This person said that the current show at the theatre, Bent, will be ending early on December 9th rather than mid January and the rumor is that it's being ended early to make way for the New Statesman play.
On November 9th Rik's reading of chapter 4 of The Little Mermaid was broadcast on 100.7 Heart FM in Birmingham. This story may have been recorded last year when Rik did some Disney promos for radio. Thanks to Tom for this.
A TV special titled University Challenge: The Story So Far was broadcast on BBC2 on November 11th. It featured some interview clips with Rik. This looks to be a different special than the 40 Years of University Challenge show from a few years back. Thanks to Hannah for this
Entry Date: November 6
Thanks to a brochure mailout from the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, we now have confirmation that another New Statesman tour will happen for sure! Claire Henson received the brochure in the mail and scanned the B'Stard's 2nd Wind page for us. And Sharon has gotten Milton Keynes dates by calling the box office. It's expected that dates will come in slowly as fans get them unless one of Rik's promotional people reveals any full tour lists. Please watch this space and the message board for more information as we get it.
Rik is mentioned in the Inside Little Britain book on a page about the National TV Awards. The writeup discusses Rik's presenting an award to the mothers of the absent David Walliams and Matt Lucas for Most Popular Comedy on TV. The book mentions Rik joking about how he wasn't nominated for the award and how he bowed down before Matt and David's mothers before kissing each of them and handing over the award to them. Thanks to Karimadeneche for this.
A 7 disc Bottombox set will be released in the UK on December 4th. The set will include the following:
- Guesthouse Paradiso
- Bottom - The Stage Show
- Bottom - The Big Number Two Show
- Bottom - Live 3 - Hooligans Island
- Best of Bottom Live
- 2001: An Arse Oddity
- 2003: Weapons Grade Y Fronts.
A photo can be seen on this site. An HMV store exclusive Young Ones/Bottom DVD box has also just been released today. You can see the info on it here. Thanks to Sharon for this news.
Entry Date: October 16
Our confidential source for New Statesman tour information (See the October 9th news) has revealed that there's hopes of not only a spring tour of the show, but they're still hoping to do something on the West End before the end of this year. The West End run is about a 50/50 chance at this point. The cast has been contacted to see if they're available for the play and rehearsals, and while everything is still unconfirmed, this is at least hopeful news!
Entry Date: October 15
Some information on the upcoming Chaos and Cadavers DVD release is available here. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
The Rik Mayall Presents DVD set was reviewed favorably in the October 14-20th Radio Times. Thanks to Melina for this.
Entry Date: October 9
As part of the ongoing "is it or isn't it happening?" chatter about the supposed West End run of The Blair B'Stard Project, a person claiming to have been part of the touring cast posted on this site's message board earlier today with some information. He said none of the actors have been contacted about a West End run, and if it does happen at all, it will likely not be until the spring due to various logistics. Whether or not this is accurate information, it is almost safe to assume at this late date that the New Statesman may not reach the West End at all before this year is out. Watch this space for whatever new information we come across...
According to the IMDB, Rik will be in a new film titled The Farm. Its listed as being in pre-production for 2007 and Rik plays a character called Edward. According to the IMDB synopsis by Pillay-Evans Productions:
Set in a remote farming community, this claustrophobic thriller, The Farm, tells the story of Cathy, a tough, independent young woman who, shortly after the death of her brother, finds herself struggling in the face of mounting hardship to save her family farm from the attentions of Edward Henderson, a local landowner. Into her uncertain future comes a man with a secret past, John Prior, a young drifter and friend of her brother's who at first seems to bring with him hope of a better life. Prior's past soon catches up with him however, and they soon both find themselves in a desperate fight against time, the mob and even each other to save 'The Farm'.
Thanks to Sharon for spotting the above.
Entry Date: September 10
On the ongoing "is the New Statesman play going to the West End or isn't it?" topic, we've been told by a reliable, anonymous source that there's talk of a 12 week West End run for this autumn. The show was described as possibly being "the big London Pantomime" of the season. This suggests a run sometime near Christmas if it indeed happens.
The "Funny Face Portrait Exhibition" by photographer Andy Hollingworth is currently on exhibit at Erddig Hall, a National Trust property near Wrexham, Wales. The exhibit features portraits of comedians and Rik is one of the featured artists. It will show from August 26th until September 20th. More information can be found here and here. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
West End Show We Will Rock You held a birthday bash for the late Freddie Mercury at the September 5th show. Ben Elton came out during the celebrations and mentioned Rik offhandedly during his speech. Ben said he'd never met Freddie, "although Freddie once smiled at me and Rik Mayall at a party in 1986". Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: September 3
According to an August 31st email from Brunskill, more news on the "is it happening or isn't it?" West End run of the News Statesman play should be known near the end of September.
Rik has recently recorded a voiceover for an upcoming BBC cartoon titled Stairlift To Heaven. He does the voice of "Baron Lumbago", a wannabe evil genius and owner of the Stooping Pines Rest Home. Two 15 minute pilot episodes have been produced and will be broadcast in January. Thanks to the co-writer of the show, Chris Chantler, for this. (Chris, if you're reading this, your email was among those lost during the computer issues, so the photo you sent is lost. Please get in touch again!)
The October 2nd reissue of the New Statesman series on DVD was thought to be just a straight re-pressing. But now, according to play.com, it will feature some commentary by Marks & Gran.
The August 31st edition of The Weakest Link featured a female contestant named Angie. She said she's a masseur, and when asked if she had any famous clients, she said Rik was one. Thanks to Rachel Warner for this.
Zenith Entertainment, which produces King Arthur's Disasters, has had some business troubles lately. Information is here. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Rik came in at number 35 out of 50 on the August 26th E4 show The Comedian's Comedian. Thanks to Susie for this.
Entry Date: August 20
Rik Mayall Presents will be released on DVD on October 2nd. You can see the known pre-release details here. It's unknown if there will be extras included. Thanks to Aimee for this.
Santa's Special Delivery will be released on DVD in the UK on September 4th. You can see some pre-release details here. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Entry Date: August 5
We've recently found out about an Alan B'Stard weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph (written by Marks & Gran). To view the current and past articles, click here and search for "B'Stard". According to these articles, the show WILL go to the West End in the fall. As the possibility of a West End stint has been ping-ponged back and forth for months now, does being mentioned in a national newspaper mean it's finally a done deal? According to Rik's management, plans for a West End run are still under consideration and not yet set. Thanks to Wilhelmenia Edbrooke, Marie Koster and Sharon for this.
Entry Date: July 27
Amazon.co.uk has sent out notices saying that the audio books of Bigger Than Hitler Better Than Christ and Astrix the Gaul are not available. Since both of these were meant to be released about a year ago originally, it looks as if neither was ever recorded after all.
Entry Date: July 23
According to a July 21st article in Milton Keynes Today, Rik says there won't be a DVD release of the New Statesman play, nor will it reach the West End after all. The DVD news conflicts information he told fans very recently, so it's unsure right now just what is going on with this. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Rik's done another Andrex ad as the voice of the Andrex puppy. In this one he talks about the new puppy designs on the toilet paper. Thanks to Nikki for this.
In the fall BBC 2 will air a documentary about Stephen Fry titled The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive. In it, Stephen will discuss the breakdown which lead to him to disappear and flee the country while co-starring in Cell Mates with Rik. It's unknown if Rik will be interviewed for it, but it's certain he'll be discussed and shown in some way. Thanks to Sharon for this.
Entry Date: July 17
Radio 2 is airing a Laurel & Hardy special at 8:30pm on Tuesday, July 18th, and Rik is supposed to appear somewhere during the show. Details were published in The Stage. If you're outside of the UK, you can listen to Radio 2 online. It's also possible the show will be available to listen to again on their site. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Entry Date: July 16
On June 30th ITV1 featured a show titled It Shouldn't Happen To A TV Actor which mentioned Rik's Nintendo commercials. An actor who originally appeared in the commercials but was cut out was interviewed, and clips form one of the spots was shown along with the interview. Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this.
At one of the recent New Statesman shows in Reading, Rik told Hannah Netley that he believes the play will be released on DVD. Whether he said this off the top of his head or progress has been made concerning a video release remains to be seen right now.
Rik appeared on the July 12th Spotlight show on the BBC this past week to promote the New Statesman shows in Plymouth. Thanks to Steph for this.
Entry Date: July 2
A compilation of news from while we were away:
On June 9th Rik appeared on a London Tonight feature on the World Cup. Celebrities were asked to give messages of support for the England team, and the first person shown was Rik dressed as Alan B'Stard. He said a few words of support and then added that England should "give them a good kicking." Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
The Raven was finally supposed to be released on DVD in October through www.house-of-fear.com. However, this website now appears to be gone, so it's not sure what's going on with this release or the production company.
Shock Treatment will be released on DVD in the US on September 5th. Thanks to Kate Holland for this.
Rik appeared on Granada Reports on June 20th. Thanks to Joanne Butler for this. He also appeared on the BBC Midlands Today show on June 14th. A clip from the interview can be found here. Thanks to Hannah and April for this.
After the June 16th Birmingham New Statesman show, Rik confirmed that there will be another Comic Strip episode (see the May 3rd news). He said he'd filmed his part already and that legendary American comedian Jackie Mason is also co-starring.
A promotional flash game for The New Statesman has been created. It can be found at flashpromo.com. Thanks to Jess for this.
The producer of Oh Marbella, Darryn Welch, says his company is trying to develop a TV series about Rik's character, Greg Dubois. They envision Rik as the star of the series, not another actor. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Both Rik and his agent's office have said that a DVD of the New Statesman tour may be released. This news is still up in the air and unconfirmed, so please don't expect to see it on store shelves anytime soon!
Entry Date: May 18
Rik was interviewed on Look North on BBC1 on May 16th. Thanks to Sam for this.
Rik appeared on Bristol FM on May 5th. You can listen to it again here. Thanks to Steph for this.
Peter Richardson is working on a new Carry On film titled Carry On London. it will start filming in July and Rik is rumored to be part of the cast. Thanks to Amy and "The Whippit Inn" for this.
Entry Date: May 15
Clips of Rik as Alan B'Stard from the current tour were shown on the May 11th edition of This Week. The hosts of the show used the clips to start off several current affairs discussions. Thanks to Doreen H. and Carl for this.
The Young Ones made the list on a Channel 5 show aired May 14th titled Britain's Funniest Comedy Characters.
Entry Date: May 3
Rik appeared on Points West, The West Tonight and The West Today on May 2nd. These shows were only available on certain BBC feeds. Thanks to Steph and Becky for this.
Rik appeared on London Tonight on April 28th to promote the New Statesman play. During the interview he mentioned that he may be doing a new film soon, and there will be more Comic Strip episodes in the future. He also said that Ade and Lenny Henry are now writing a project together. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: April 27
Rik is nominated as part of Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand Ups. You can vote for Rik on Channel 4's website right now. A TV special with the results will air this summer. Thanks to Jess for this.
As reported some time ago, the long awaited UK DVD release of Oh Marbella is set for May 22nd. This DVD was delayed from release several times in the past, but Play.com is now listing it as a pre-order. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
The postponed King Arthur's Disasters DVD has been rescheduled for September 18th. Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this.
Bottom was named one of The Word magazine's Top 20 Worst Sitcoms. You can view responses to the article here. Thanks to Rob Stockton for this.
Entry Date: April 23
According to those who've already been to New Statesman shows, the merchandise consisted of "Vote B'Stard" rosettes and programs, both for £3.
At the April 20th New Statesman matinee, Rik bumped his head while falling off the couch for a scene. He was okay, but had a lie down between shows due to it. Thanks to Rachel Warner for this.
Marks & Gran appeared on Radio 5 on April 13th to discuss the New Statesman tour. The spoke of their desire to keep the show topical and discussed the possibility of doing TV specials in the future. Thanks to Shaz for this.
Entry Date: April 11
In a very Oh Marbella reminiscent move, it turns out that Chas and Cadavers is available on DVD right now in Switzerland (only?). However, according to the production people, it will be released on DVD in North America later this year. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
New Statesman writers Marks & Gran appeared on the April 9th Jonathan Dimbleby program on ITV. They discussed the upcoming play and why they decided to bring it back. They also mentioned the possibility of the play being done for TV if allowed. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Articles on Rik were featured in the magazine sections of the April 9th Observer and the April 8th Daily Mail.
Entry Date: April 2
For the results of our 17th website poll, which asked "which reality TV show would you like to see Rik in?", please click here. The winner by a wide margin was Big Brother.
Entry Date: March 28
The UK/Australian DVD of Oh Marbella will be released on May 22nd. The German DVD has been available for about half a year already. A promotional screening of the film will be taking place tomorrow, and it's hoped that some of the cast will attend.
Entry Date: March 26
Last week's Popbitch newsletter posted the following about the Blair B'Stard Project press call from last week:
Alan B'stard is back, but this time on stage with Rik Mayall's fictional MP now part of New Labour. The photocall outside the Houses of Parliament this week was interrupted by real life politics when the man who has been protesting about Iraq for all these years came over and started shouting at Mayall about how disgraceful it was to not be doing a story about Iraq.
The March 21st edition of The Times also contained a Blair B'Stard Project press call news snippet not posted anywhere else:
"Dear Member of the Press," began the letter handed to journalists at the launch of Rik Mayall's touring revival of The New Statesman. "No point beating around the bush. Please find attached half a £20 note. On receipt of a photocopy of your satisfactory journalism, we will mail you the other half. For an extra million Ill talk to Tony about a peerage." Mayall's alter-ego Alan B'Stard is now a new Labour MP. "We're running like mad to keep up with the Government," sighs writer Maurice Gran. "Theyre making our lives quite difficult because obviously there are satirists in No 10." We'll have that other half now, please.
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis was released on DVD in North America on March 7th. Unlike the UK DVD, this version appears to have extras such as cast interviews included. (March 28 Note: Some people have reported that their UK DVDs of Mavis do have extras included. Most people say that their don't.)
Entry Date: March 22
On today's Prime Minister's Question Time, an MP asked Tony Blair what his thoughts were on Alan B'stard. Mr. Blair was quite amused by the question. You can read the transcript or watch the video by going here and clicking on the March 22nd links. The question is about 12 minutes and 30 seconds into the video.
Rik's people have told Steph Chambers that they aren't aware of the Blair B'Stard Project after show talks, nor will Rik be taking part in them. Even though they've stated this, I wouldn't give up hope that Rik won't participate. There's a good chance he'll decide to as the star of the show. Thanks to Steph for this.
Entry Date: March 21
A number of the press articles published today on the Blair B'Stard Project tour (please see the Library) mention the (already announced) possibility of the show going to the West End in the fall. However, most the articles make it sound as if this West End run is a done deal rather than a possibility. It's likely that a West End run will depend on how well the nationwide tour does.
Entry Date: March 20
The media blitz for the Blair B'Stard Project tour has finally begun!
Rik and Marsha Fitzalan, who played Sarah in the TV show and who will reprise her role onstage, appeared outside the Houses of Parliment in London today to give interviews and pose for the press.
Photos appeared on the following image sites: Getty Images, Wire Image and Rex Features.
Articles on the tour appeared today on BBC News, 24Dash.com, ITN, ITV.com, whatsontage.com and MSN. Of particular note, the MSN article mentioned that the show may eventually go to the West End. This possibility was first mentioned when news of the show was first published last year.
There was news coverage of the press event on ITV's London Today, London Tonight, The ITV Six O'Clock News, News 24 (every hour on the hour!) and the BBC afternoon and 6 O'Clock News programs. In the news clips, Rik was seen walking and posing for photos with Sarah Fitzalan, flirting with a female reporter and discussing the play. It was mentioned that during the photo call this morning, police tried to stop the goings on because Rik and co. didn't have permission to film in that spot.
Some video from today can be seen if you visit ITN (look at the bottom of the page).
Thanks to Rachel Warner, Hanmade, Claire Henson, April, Amy, Felicia, Wilhelmina Edbrooke and Steph Chambers for these news New Statesman snippets.
News of another Blair B'Stard Project post-show talk has surfaced. The one we previously reported on March 9th will take place in Bromley on May 31st. The new one which has been discovered will take place on April 26th at the New Wimbledon Theatre. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: March 16
Rik appeared at the recent British Comedy Awards. You can see the photos here. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
King Arthur's Disasters was nominated for Best Children's Series at the British Animation Awards. It lost out to Those Scurvy Rascals. Thanks to Pip for this.
In other King Arthur's Disasters news, some information about the last recording of the show is available on this blog. Thanks to Rachel King for this.
Entry Date: March 13
Play.com lists a new DVD release for June titled The Big Bottom Boxed Set. There's no information on this yet, but it seems that will be a box set of all the Bottom Live shows. Thanks to Jason Orme for this.
Rik has done yet another Caravans Wales radio commercial. This is his third (that we know of). Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
The March 10th episode of The Weakest Link featured another question regarding Rik (the previous was on February 28th). This one asked "which spoof heavy metal band had 4 members, 2 of which were Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall?". The contestant wrongly answered The Young Ones. As it was the tie breaking question of the game, the contestant lost due to not knowing the answer was Bad News! Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: March 9
Many Blair B'Stard Project tour venues have already gone on sale -- if you haven't been checking Ticketmaster and local venues, NOW is the time to do so!!
A new BBC3 documentary titled When Comedy Changed Forever aired on March 7th and featured discussion of some of Rik's shows such as The Young Ones and Filthy Rich and Catflap. It will be repeated on March 12th (and other dates, most likely). Thanks to Steph for this.
The current issue of the Ambassador Theatre Group Magazine features an article on the Blair B'Stard Project tour, complete with a new Rik interview. If you don't live in an area with an Ambassador's Club Theatre where you can get this magazine (Brighton, Wimbledon , Stoke, Bromley, Glasgow, Woking and Milton Keynes), you can download the complete issue here. Thanks to Rachel Warner and Steph Chambers for this.
The May 31st Blair B'Stard Project show in Bromley will feature a post-show talk with (we presume) Rik. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: March 5
A compilation of recent news, as I was away last week:
Rik has done a radio commercial for clothing chain Boden. It ran for several weeks in certain UK cities only. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Finally! Some press on the upcoming Blair B'Stard Project tour! The article mentions Plymouth as one of the venues. This is probably the venue the TBC July 10-15 dates will happen at. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley mailed out brochures which featured a page on the Blair B'Stard Project tour. Thanks to Claire Henson for letting us know and scanning it for us.
According to C21 Media, King Arthur's Disasters has been nominated for Best Children's Series at the British Animation Awards next month. It's also been renewed for a second season. Thanks to Teresa for this.
The February 20th King Arthur's Disasters DVD release has been pushed back. And the DVD issue of Carry on Columbus also appears to be delayed. No further information is available right now.
The February 28th episode of The Weakest Link featured the following question on Rik: "Bigger Than Hitler, Better Than Christ is the memoir of which comedian who starred in The Young Ones and The New Statesman?" The contestant answered correctly. Thanks to Jane for this.
Near the end of Ben Elton's February 16th Southend Cliff's Pavilion show, he mentioned that he performed at the same venue 21 years ago with Rik. Thanks to Andy Mariani for this.
Entry Date: February 21
Rik is doing more radio adverts (it's a wonder anyone sees him anymore!). This time around he'll be advertising clothing catalog Boden. The commercials start airing this week and run until March 5th. They can be heard on London's Heart FM and Smooth FM, on Reading's 2-Ten FM and Edinburgh's Forth One. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Entry Date: February 7
Rik has done a second radio commercial for Caravans Wales. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
A special information section has been added to the top of this page for The Blair B'Stard Project New Statesman tour. Thanks to those who directed us towards the Ents24.com link.
On February 3rd, Channel 5 aired The 50 Most Shocking Comedy Moments, and Bottom (#48), The Young Ones (#22) and The Comic Strip (#30-something) were all mentioned. During the segment on The Young Ones, Nigel Planer recalled the difficulties Rik, Ben Elton and Lise Mayer had getting some of their show ideas okayed for airing. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: February 2
BBC 4 will be holding a "Jackanory Night" on February 14th. According to Digiguide: "Bernard Cribbins presents an evening featuring four of Jackanory's most iconic episodes, plus a 60-minute documentary exploring the enduring appeal of this simple storytelling children's series. " A documentary titled The Story of Jackanory will air at 9:30pm, and Rik's reading of George's Marvellous Medicine will air at 10:30pm.
The UK release date of Oh Marbella has been pushed back from February to March. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Ade was recently featured in TV Times, and Rik was mentioned in the following paragraph: "Ade is certain the cult shows The Young Ones and Bottom, which made both his and Rik Mayall's names, won't be returning to our screens. 'That would never happen,' laughs Ade, 49. 'Rik and I are taking at least a 10-year break from each other for our sanity! There's nothing wrong. It's mostly me - I just got too old for fart jokes!'" Thanks to Kate Holland and Claire for this.
Entry Date: January 31
Ticketmaster.co.uk has started to list some information on the The Blair B'Stard Project New Statesman tour. Nothing is on sale yet, but bookmark the page and sign up for Ticketmaster updates if you don't want to miss any announcements!
Entry Date: January 30
New Statesman tour dates are finally available! The show will be titled The Blair BStard Project, and it looks as if it will run from April until August across the UK. Tour dates are listed in the drop down box above. Some venues have yet to be announced, so please check back here for updates. As far as anyone knows, NO tickets are on sale yet. But please check your local venues for further information.
How did we get these dates? Well, both Jo and DS recently wrote letters to Rik, and Rik wrote his replies to them on paper that had the tour dates listed on the back. So we can inadvertently thank Rik for this scoop. Rik told DS "the show is so good I'll be in jail before August"!
Entry Date: January 29
The January 27th edition of the BBC's The Comedy Blog quoted our news from January 19th (below) about Rik's lawyer commercial. Nice to know that someone is watching! Thanks to Steph Chambers for this.
Entry Date: January 19
Rik has done another radio commercial. This time for personal injury lawyers. So far it's been heard on Essex FM. Thanks to Karen for this.
Shock Treatment will finally be released on DVD in the UK on April 17th. But it appears it will only be available as part of a Rocky Horror Picture Show box set. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Today's Daily Star newspaper featured a look-a-likes feature on the Celebrity Big Brother contestants. According to the paper, Maggot from the BB House looks like Rick from The Young Ones. Thanks to Sarah for this.
Entry Date: January 11
On August 9, 2005, we reported on a new series titled The Last Laugh. It will focus on Marks & Gran on it's first episode, and Rik will be interviewed. Chortle has reported some more on it, and they've also found that the air date will be January 21st on BBC 3. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
Entry Date: January 9
As a follow up to yesterday's news on the upcoming New Statesman stage play, Stephanie Chambers contacted Brunskill about both it and the Bigger Than Hitler audio book. This is what they told her:
The New Statesman play is definitely going to happen. It will be a tour initially although we do not have precise venues at this stage. It is hoped that rehearsals will commence in March and that it will play from middle of April. Do contact us again much nearer the time for venues, etc.
There is certainly an intention to do an audio book of Bigger Than Hitler... but at the moment we do not have any details although we assume it will be after the paperback comes out in April.
Entry Date: January 8
We have some information from anonymous, trustworthy source on the upcoming New Statesman stage play. Our source says the play will supposedly open in March. No dates, venues or further information is known at this time. Keep your eyes open for local venues advertising this, and keep your calendars free!
Rik has done yet another caravan commercial. This one is for Angels Caravans in Wales. The owner of the company is named Eddie, so Rik does the commercial in the style of Richie from Bottom and makes many references to "Eddie". Thanks to Andy G. for this.
Entry Date: January 3
A special titled Who Killed the British sitcom? aired last night, and clips from several of Rik's past TV shows were shown. After this show ended, one titled The Ultimate Sitcom Countdown aired. The Young Ones came in at number 20. Thanks to Hannah Davies and Claire Henson for this.
Rik has done a radio commercial for Caravans Wales. You can try to hear it live by clicking here and following the links to the Real Radio station. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this!
Entry Date: January 1
Happy 8th anniversary to this web site! We started in early January, 1998 and are still going strong today thanks to all the great Rik fans out there in cyberspace!
Valiant will be released in cinemas in Australia on January 5th. Thanks to Katrina Oxley for this
In other Australian news, a paparazzi photo of Rik appeared in the December 31 edition of the Herald Sun. It was part of a feature titled "Australian celeb photographer Darryn Lyons catches stars in the act". Thanks to Katrina Oxley for this.
Rik's book was reviewed in today's Sunday Express in the UK. They gave it four stars, which we'll take seeing how this review is a few months late! They also included a photo of Rik. Thanks to Jess for this.
For the results of our 16th website poll, which asked "will you buy Rik's Autobiography?", please click here. We're happy to say that most people said yes!