Be sure to check the Message Board regularly. Often new news is posted there first.
Thanks to all who have contributed through the years!
The 2007 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
Please note that this is pretty much the same show as last year's tour -- with slight updates. So if that matters to you, you've been warned!
NOTE: PLEASE READ THE NEWS UPDATES BELOW FOR INFORMATION ON RIK'S ILLNESS AND SHOW CANCELLATIONS!
Entry Date: December 30
Rik's narration of children's book The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit, which has played at two theatres in the UK so far, will now be going to a third theatre in February. On February 3rd, it will play at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. Thanks to Steph Chambers for this.
An update to our news from September 3rd about the turnipquest.blogspot.com campaign to get Grim Tales released on DVD... The rights to the show are not owned by Bob Baldwin, but he's currently trying to get them back. Watch the turnipquest blog for further information should it become available.
Entry Date: December 9
A news comp from while I was away...
Rik was pictured on the BDFA website recently, "supporting" them in Rik style. Thanks to Heleen Evers for this.
Rik has recorded his narration of children's book The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit, which is current playing at Pleasance Theatre in Islington from December 12th until the 30th as a children's show. This is an updated recording from his first narration of this book at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (as reported here on June 11th). Further venues may be booked in the future. Information can be found at the official site, The Official London Theatre Guide, and The Pleasance Theatre site. Thanks to Claire Henson and Amy for this.
In mid-November, a commercial Rik narrated for the Daily Mirror's Roald Dahl collection giveaway aired on TV. Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this.
In the November 21st edition of the Daily Express, Cliff Richard discussed his initial fears of doing the Living Doll single with The Young Ones. Thanks to Claire Henson for the scan of the article.
Entry Date: November 12
According to the Rachel Johnson column in The Times, Rik was part of the Notting Hill Halloween scene:
Up the road in W10, Rik Mayall was giving street performances outside his house and, according to my tiny spies, David Cameron seemed confused to find a gaggle of costumed trick or treaters on his doorstep expecting sweets.
Thanks to Lyndsey Allen for the above.
Channel 4 aired a program titled Channel 4 at 25 on November 4th. They showed a clip of Rik's infamous drunken appearance on The Tube during this special, as well as commenting on it. Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this.
Entry Date: November 4
Rik has been awarded an Honorary Masters Degree in Arts and Drama by the University of Worcester. Rik was unable to attend the graduaction ceremony at Worcester Cathedral on November 1st, so a letter from him was read in his place. In the letter Rik apologized for not being able to attend, but stated he was away filming. Thanks to Pauline for this news.
Rik is due to appear in a new film titled The Story of ------. According to Variety, the film "stars Finlay Robertson as a frustrated music biz exec who accidentally invents a hit group called FUCK from a bunch of no-hopers. Lee Boardman plays a rival who tries to steal the band and Rik Mayall plays a megalomaniac head of the record company." It's unknown if this is what Rik was off filming instead of being at the Worcester graduation ceremony. Thanks to Amy for this.
The October 31st Daily Express reported that there was a private party in Devon to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Comic Strip. Rik wasn't mentioned as attending or not attending the party, so it's unknown if he was there or not. Thanks to Claire Henson for this news and scan.
Rik called for Virgin Radio's "Who's Calling Christian" segment during the weekend of October 13th-14th, and it aired on October 15th. An edited version of the call appeared on the Virgin website for a while after the clip first aired on the radio. Thanks to Rachel Warner and Deej Gausling for this.
Entry Date: October 7
Rik has starred in a TV commercial for Devon to encourage people to carry reusable bags rather than disposable ones. The clip is part of a larger campaign named "Don't Let Devon go to Waste", and it features Rik as a "plastic surgeon" who shows a shopper the error of her ways when her plastic bag breaks. The clip was directed by Peter Richardson, and can be seen on youtube. Some press information on the commercial can be seen here and here. Thanks to Heleen Evers and Amy for spotting this.
According to a review in today's Sunday Mail, there won't be any commentaries in the upcoming The Young Ones 25th Anniversary Series 1 & 2 DVD set. This contradicts the information we received and posted on September 23rd about this set. For now we may have to wait until the set is out until we know what's on it for sure. Also of note is the release date. Originally it was scheduled for December. But the Mail says it will be out October 22nd. Play.com, however, says October 29th.
Rik will apparently do a talk sometime in 2008 at the University of Exeter. Thanks to Lyndsey Allen for this.
Entry Date: September 23
We've got a sign of life from Rik! He sent a letter to a fan this past week saying "I'm all better now, thanks." So does this mean the official return of Rik will be soon?
Updated information on the upcoming Young Ones DVD box set has been added to the Phoenix Film and Television Productions Ltd website. According to the site, the 3 disc set will include a few documentaries and commentaries. Thanks to David Wilson for sending this link.
Rik will be providing a voice for a cartoon show called Station Jim. According to this site, the show is "a family story about a dog living at a railroad station." Thanks to Lyndsey Allen for this.
Entry Date: September 9
Is Rik starting to work again? He's been heard narrating a commercial for The Telegraph's Horrible Histories magazine giveaway. Rik did Horrible Histories commercials back in 2002, but in these new (?) ones he's heard saying the magazine is "free with the Telegraph this weekend." Thanks to Aissa for first bringing this to our attention.
On February 19th we reported that Rik would be doing some voice work for a new animated film titled Snow White the Sequel. There's now some new information on the film via the production company's website including video clips. Of note is that Stephen Fry is also doing a voice for this production, and....it looks to be quite a risquι cartoon! Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this link.
Entry Date: September 3
There's a website at turnipquest.blogspot.com which details a person's effort to try and find out who owns the rights to Grim Tales and whether a DVD release is possible or not. A campaign of some sort may be undertaken eventually. Watch this space for more info....
The Young Ones 25th Anniversary Series 1 & 2 DVD set to be released in the UK on December 26th may possibly contain rare footage. Nothing's known for sure at the moment, but it's a three disc release rather than a 2 disc one according to Play.com. Thanks to Sharon L. for this.
Alexei Sayle is presenting a new radio show on Radio 2 titled Alexei Sayle's Alternative Take. It's a 6 part show that airs Saturdays from 1:00-1:30pm. The latest episode can be heard on the Radio 2 site during the week. This past week's show featured a small bit of a Kevin Turvey sketch.
Entry Date: August 16
Fan Sharon L. contacted Brunskill about the state of Rik's health, and to put it nicely, she got the runaround before being passed off to LDA Communications (see the July 17th news for info on LDA). LDA gave Sharon the same story they did us in their press release a month ago.
Whatever the real story regarding Rik's health is, the powers that be don't want to reveal it. In the end, this is making fans more worried than ever. If Brunskill or anyone who does PR for Rik is reading this, please consider revealing something that will put everyone's minds at ease. Even bad news at this point is better than no news or runarounds. This whole situation looks very bad from the outside, and another PR tactic should be considered.
The Young Ones was named number 8 on yet another one of those most influencial comedies lists. Thanks to Veleska Harris for this.
Entry Date: August 6
An "interesting" (yes, we're being cheeky!) drawing done by Rik in February has been put on Ebay as a charity auction. Thanks to Sharon L. for spotting this.
Entry Date: July 30
Heleen Evers found a great blog entry from January about the night Rik had to end his West End New Statesman performance due to having had major dental work earlier that day. It's a terrific writeup that, in addition to the information Claire Henson provided for us in January, gives a very balanced and honest view of the evening in question.
Entry Date: July 17
We've received a statement concerning Rik's health from LDA Communications, who did PR for The New Statesman. This statement matches the "Rik has a virus" explanation and does not mention any of the information leaked about complications from his accident. Among fans, it seems that until Rik himself is heard from, there's going to be continued speculation about his exact health status.
Numerous stories have been circulating regarding Rik Mayall's health and his non-appearance at Milton Keynes Theatre as part of The New Statesman tour. The fact is that Rik had seen a doctor and was diagnosed with a viral infection. Rik was advised that he should not return to the stage until he felt completely well. The tour has now concluded and unfortunately Rik was not able to return within this time-frame. His part was therefore played by the understudy, Mike Sherman.
The cast and producers all wish Rik well and a speedy recovery. Rik feels very confident that he will soon be fully recovered - and would like to thank everyone for their concern.
Entry Date: July 13
The mystery continues....
We've gotten more background information with regard to what we were told on July 11th about Rik's health and it's felt that this information can be trusted.
There is speculation among fans that perhaps Rik's recent virus created complications with the epilepsy he suffers as a result of his 1998 quad bike accident.
To add to the "conspiracy theories", Brunskill forwarded a fan's email asking about Rik's health to the New Statesman promo people. In their reply the New Statesman people said Rik has a virus and will be back on the tour soon. Quite odd, as this is the last week fo the tour and it's been confirmed repeatedly that Rik is full-on out of the tour!
Entry Date: July 11
We've been told an alternate story on Rik's health and we're trying to get more information on it. This version says that Rik is suffering a relapse connected to his 1998 quad bike accident and he doesn't have a virus. This news has supposedly been confirmed by both the Milton Keynes Theatre and Brunskill.
That being said, it is possible that Rik did have a virus but his bouncing back to health is more drawn out and complicated due to the old quad bike injuries. This is not an uncommon occurrence for those with larger health problems.
Thanks to Kate Braithwaite for this info.
Entry Date: July 10
And now for the update we were hoping not to hear: Rik will definitely NOT be appearing in this week's New Statesman shows in Milton Keynes. This is the last week of the tour and it was hoped he'd make it back for at least a few shows at the end of the run, but it was not to be.
The show will go on, but the Milton Keynes Theatre is apparently calling ticket holders and offering refunds to anyone who wants them. If you're not contacted and want a refund, please contact them yourself. If they tell you you can't get the refund until after your show date has passed (this has happened to someone!), tell them that that's not what others are being told and you'd like to take care of the refund process now. Thanks to Amy Lloyd, Sharon L. and Kate for this.
News of this situation was confirmed in print by the Milton Keynes Citizen. Thanks to Amy for this.
Entry Date: July 9
Rik has missed tonight's Milton Keynes New Statesman show, but the Milton Keynes Theatre box office says it's still unknown if Rik will be appearing the rest of the week or not. They've said to ring the box office in the morning for information on matinees and after 5:00pm for information on the evening shows. According to Brunskill, there's a good chance Rik may be back to work sometime this week, but it's all still "wait and see" based on his health.
The odd thing is that Rik did an interview with the Milton Keynes Citizen that was published on July 2nd to promote the shows. Was this just general promotion or did Rik feel okay to do it as he felt he'd be back soon?
Thanks to Sharon L. for all of the above detective work!
This is Local London featured a review of the Richmond New Statesman show without Rik. Thanks to Joanne Butler and Amy for this.
The only major UK paper to report on Rik's illness is the Daily Mail. They printed a very brief mention of Rik's virus on July 4th. Thanks to Artimeia for this.
On July 5th there was a post-show discussion after The New Statesman in Richmond with the three male cast members (not including Rik obviously!). When asked about Rik's health they said they were taking things one day at a time. Thanks to Peter Young for this.
Note to Chortle: We flattered that you get news on Rik from our site that you repost on your site, but perhaps a credit would be nice? And maybe a bit more attention to facts (NO, Rik did not collapse or slump to the floor during his West End show -- we had a first hand account and video from it!). Since so much of the footwork for news posted here is done by fans, it would be nice if those fans got credit for it when it's reprinted. Simply printing sensationalized retellings of news taken from here seems to serve no purpose except to perpetuate rumors. What good does that do?
Entry Date: July 3
According to various people at Richmond Theatre and Milton Keynes Theatre, Rik has a viral infection. That much seems to be confirmed among all.
Richmond Theatre has been informed that Rik will miss all shows there. According to Rik's people at Brunskill, however, they're taking things one day at a time and are not saying that Rik can or can't appear anywhere in advance.
It being said by both box offices and Brunskill that Rik wants to return to the stage as soon as possible and feels badly about letting fans down.
Thanks to everyone who made calls and contact with various box offices and Brunskill!
Entry Date: July 1
Rik ended up missing the entire week of shows at Bromley. According to the box office, he's got a "viral infection". The box office kept telling people to try calling back to see if Rik would appear at any shows during the week, so it seems they weren't totally sure about Rik's condition themselves. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
On July 5th there's supposed to be a post-show discussion at the Richmond Theatre. No information on who'll be giving this discussion is available on their website. Thanks to Sharon for this.
Entry Date: June 28
According to the Bromley box office, Rik is still unwell and won't be back on stage until Friday at the earliest. They're trying to accommodate those wishing to cancel or change their ticket dates. Beware that though they expect Rik back on Friday, there's no guarantee that this is set in stone -- so be sure to call the box office if you're going to the Friday or Saturday Bromley shows. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: June 25
Rik missed all of the Aberdeen shows due to his illness. He also missed tonight's Bromley show. According to the box office, he's likely to be back tomorrow. As we said last time, be sure to call the theatre if you're concerned about missing Rik. Thanks to Claire Henson for the Bromley news.
Rik was featured in a long interview in yesterday's Sunday Times Magazine.
According to the info included with a youtube Young Ones outtake clip, a 25th Anniversary Young Ones DVD is going to be released later this year. Whether or not this is true isn't known. If further information is discovered, it will be posted here. Thanks to Tom for this.
Entry Date: June 20
Rik has apparently had a health relapse. He had to pull out of tonight's Aberdeen show, according to their website. According to a fan, he was also absent from the June 18th show. It's unknown how many other shows Rik will miss due to his health, but we'll report on any absences we hear about.
If you're going to the show soon, you might want to call the venue to ask if Rik will be performing before you start your travels. Thanks to Claire Henson and Megan for this news.
Entry Date: June 17
Rik did another walkabout on June 12th, this time in Bradford. There are photos and a video attached to this link, don't miss them! Thanks to Sam for this.
Entry Date: June 11
Rik will "appear" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival -- in recorded form. As part of the children's shows, a recording of Rik's narrating The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit will play daily from August 1st to the 27th. It's assumed that this will eventually be released on audio book or played on the radio somewhere, but nothing is known for sure yet.
Entry Date: May 29
We finally have some information on Rik's illness and the status of the New Statesman tour. According to Brunskill, Rik had a very bad bout of the flu and did indeed have to miss some shows due to it. Now that the tour is off for a regularly scheduled week off, Rik will be in London rehearsing script changes before the tour continues in Southampton next week. Thanks to Sharon for contacting Brunskill for us.
Entry Date: May 27
There's still a lot of confusion about just how sick Rik is right now and how many more shows from the New Statesman tour he's likely to miss. According to conflicting information from De Montfort Hall in Leicester, Rik has either:
» had to pull out of the tour for the next 6 weeks
» had to pull out of the remainder of the tour
» has "chronic fatigue" (Exhaustion? Or Chronic Fatigue Syndome?)
....And....there's still no information on whether he really has the flu or not. As far as we know, his understudy has been going on each night for him and the tour will continue to run. Theatre websites do not seem to be updated with any sort of information about this and we're currently trying to get more information through other means. Thanks to Jess Lewis and Aissa for the information we do have so far.
Ade appeared on Paul O'Grady on the 24th, and it was mentioned that he and Rik used real frying pans during the Bottom tours and they sometimes injured each other for real with them but kept going on with the show. Thanks to Joanne Butler and Sharon for this.
Rik appeared on the radio in Leicester last week, but it's not sure exactly what station he appeared on. Thanks to Jess Lewis for this.
Entry Date: May 24
We don't have exact information, but it seems Rik has had to cancel other shows since we first heard about his throat problem and/or flu. According to the Leicester box office, today's show was cancelled and rebookings for those not wishing to see Rik's understudy are being scheduled. The question is -- how is Rik's health and how many shows has he had to miss due to it? Thanks to Aissa for the latest cancellation information.
Entry Date: May 16
The May 16th New Statesman matinee in Malvern was cancelled due to Rik's sore throat. It's not known if other shows were also cancelled. Rik's condition may actually be the flu, however, as he did a "walkabout" in Malvern and the article on the event mentioned him as being flu stricken. Thanks to Hannah for this.
Entry Date: May 13
Rik had to cancel his May 12th Nottingham shows due to a sore throat. Thanks to Shabba and Tara Milton for this.
Nigel Planer told a UK paper this past week that if asked to do a Young Ones reunion, he'd not say no. However, he says the idea is not up to him. He also says that people on the street still yell "heavy!" to him. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Entry Date: April 29
** AND YET ANOTHER WEBSITE ABSENCE! For those wondering what happened to the site and why it's been inactive for a month - First the power button on my (new!) computer broke and Dell screwed up in ordering the correct parts for it. Then I went to England for a week to see the New Statesman. I came home from that trip with a bad viral infection, still with no computer at home. Dell finally repaired the PC this past week, and though I'm still not fully back to normal health, I can at least stay awake most of the time now! **
And now for the news from this past month.....
On April 2nd, Rik did another "walkabout" to promote The New Statesman, this time in Brighton. While in character, he called out "hello immigrants" to some dark skinned people (Asians?) on the street. One of the people was offended, and a local newspaper made a fuss about the incident, but it failed to spark further outrage than an article or two. Thanks to Amy for this.
On April 4th, Rik did a "walkabout" in Southampton. He caused yet more not-really-controversial "controversy" by praising Southampton as the "funkiest city in England" and badmouthing Portsmouth. He also insulted random people shopping on the high street to the point where a girl tried to tear his rosette off his jacket. Thanks to Amy for this.
The Daily Echo newspaper has a video of Rik in Southampton on their website. Thanks to Hannah for this.
On April 27th, Rik did an appearance for journalists in Cardiff and tended to slip into the Alan B'Stard character more often than not. Thanks to Amy for this.
Some photos from Rik's recent "walkabouts" can be viewed on Rex Features. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
In an April 5th interview with The Argus, Marks & Gran say that there are talks if bring The New Statesman play back to the West End and that ITV would love to have the show back on TV. Take these claims with a big grain of salt - they also claim to be updating the show weekly to keep it topical and say it's totally different than last year's show. Thanks to Tara Milton for this.
The World's Greatest Comedy Characters (aka The 50 Greatest Comedy Characters) was broadcast on Channel 4 on April 14th. Three of Rik's characters were nominated: Rick from The Young Ones, Alan B'Stard from The New Statesman and Kevin Turvey from A Kick Up the 80s. Of the three nominations, Rick came in the top 50 at number 14. Thanks to Amy for this.
On August 13th, The Young Ones will be reissued on DVD in the UK yet again. Thanks to Sharon for this.
According to New! and The Daily Mirror, both Keith Allen and Dawn French are supposedly working on their autobiographies. If any of these books do come out, it's likely that Rik will feature in some way, even only in passing.
Entry Date: April 1
Rik has done a voiceover for another Toilet Duck commercial, this time for "Duck Magic Scrubs". Thanks to Sarah Williamson and Tara Milton for this.
Series 1 of Saturday Live will be released on DVD in the UK on April 16th. For those who don't remember, Saturday Live is the show the Dangerous Brothers sketches were broadcast on. Thanks to Aissa for this.
Aissa also discovered that Whoops Apocalypse - The Complete Apocalypse will be released on May 21 on DVD in the UK. This early 80s TV show featured Rik as an American singer in a brief, but interesting appearance.
Entry Date: March 25
If you liked Stairlift to Heaven, which was broadcast on BBC1 on March 23rd and 24th, please contact them to let them know. We've been told that if viewer response is good, the show may be commissioned for a series.
Lysette Anthony's comments about Rik during her March 20th Loose Women appearance were that: he's lovely to work with, he's a brilliant actor, he's great at ad-libbing, she's happy to be working with him, she's looking forward to the tour, and she thinks Rik is a bit like a rock star. While they were talking, one of the presenters on the show said she has a bit of a crush on Rik. Thanks to Sharon for this.
Entry Date: March 19
Comic Relief has put up a number of Ebay auctions to raise money for Red Nose Day. Among the items is an IPod donated by "Alan B'Stard" pre-loaded with 10 of his favorite tracks:
- Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
- If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me - Bellamy Brothers
- Je T'Aime - Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
- Mr Big Stuff - Jean Knight
- Pomp and Circumstance - Elgar
- I Can't Let Maggie Go - Honeybus
- Pictures at an Exhibition' - Mussorgsky
- Stuck in the Middle With You - Gerry Rafferty
- Gordon is a Moron - Jilted John
- Let's Spend the Night Together - Rolling Stones
Some generic information is available at the Macworld site. Thanks to Teresa for finding the above auction.
There was a short article about Rik in today's Daily Express. It discussed his previous work with The Queen director Stephen Frears as well as The New Statesman tour. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Rik's New Statesman co-star, Lysette Anthony will appear on the March 20th edition of Loose Women. If you miss it, be sure to check their website to see if they post any clips from the show. Thanks to Sharon for this.
Entry Date: March 18
Photos from the opening night of the New Statesman touring show are up on Brunopress. Do a search for "new statesman" to see the photos. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
According to the press: "Chico said he was "blown away" by Mayall's performance as sleazy MP Alan B'Stard." Thanks to Amy for this.
On March 18th The 100 Greatest Standups was broadcast on Channel 4. Rik made it to number 93 on the list, which was voted on by the public. Thanks to Teresa for this.
Entry Date: March 15
And, finally! The news from while I was on vacation this past week......
Rik has been offered a roll in a short film titled Smoker's Island. The film would be done by Aborted Films, which is famous currently for their youtube films. If Rik is able to appear in the film, he'll play a character called "Ashley Tray". More information is available at lep.co.uk. Thanks to Marie Koster for this.
An article in a UK paper today stated that a mix of B-list and reality TV stars such as Jo O'Meara, Chico, Brendan Cole, Ewen Macintosh, Alice Beer and Carol Decker are due to attend the opening of the New Statesman tour in Wimbledon tonight. As this will be Jo O'Meara's first appearance since the Big Brother bullying controversy, there may be quite a bit of press tomorrow about this. Thanks to Amy for this.
The magazine that came with the March 11th Sunday Mirror featured various stars playing dress-up for Comic Relief, and McFly appeared dressed as The Young Ones. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Rik did another "walkabout" in Hull on March 3rd. Thanks to Sharon for finding this.
The current edition of Total Film magazine features a list of 80 things that were great about the 80's. The Young Ones are on the list around the 60s. Thanks to Spak for this.
Some Bottom and Believe Nothing outtakes were shown on TV's Naughtiest Blunders on March 9th. Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
Entry Date: March 4
The http://bstard.co.uk/ website has been updated with new information, including a video blog of the show. Thanks to Scarlett for this.
Rik was on the ITV news show Calendar on March 2nd to promote the New Statesman tour. The interview may have been edited for the different cities it was shown in so the tour city discussed in the segment was one near or in the city the show was shown in. Thanks to Rachel King and Cat Fox for this
Entry Date: February 25
Rik did yet another "walkabout" on February 22nd, this time in Wimbledon. An article in the Bexley Times tied in with the appearance and used it to promote the upcoming New Statesman shows in Bromley. Thanks to Claire Henson and Jane for this.
Entry Date: February 21
Rik did a radio interview in Cardiff during his "walkabout" promo there last week for the upcoming New Statesman tour. Thanks to April for finding this. There are also some photos from the same promo in Cardiff on Rex Features. Thanks to Claire Henson for spotting those.
Entry Date: February 19
During the past few days Rik has done at least one more "walkabout" promo for the upcoming New Statesman tour. He was in Cardiff on February 16th. If anyone knows of any other promos Rik has done as Alan, please let us know. Thanks to Joanna Butler and Hannah Davies for the Wales walkabout info.
The February 17th episode of BBC2's Comedy Map of Britain (first mentioned in our February 15th news entry) featured yet more on Rik. During this last episode they walked outside the house where Rik and other students lived in 1977 the house which inspired The Young Ones. Things that took place while living there were discussed such as burning things to keep warm, Rik's stack of washing up, and the time everyone pretended to be dead when Ben Elton came to visit. Some home movie footage from a party during these days was also shown featuring a young Rik with long hair and makeup on. Thanks to Claire Henson for this.
Rik is doing a voice for a new animated film titled Snow White: The Sequel, currently in production. He's listed on the IMDB as the voice of the Seven Dwarves (all seven?!). Thanks to Lyndsey Allen for this.
Entry Date: February 15
Rik did a "walkabout" promo today for the upcoming New Statesman tour in Nottingham. A news report on this can be viewed on the BBC's site. Thanks to Shabba for letting us know about today's events. After finding out about this, Joanne Butler did some research and found that Rik did a previous walkabout in Ipswich on February 13th. An Evening Star article on that visit can be viewed here.
The character of Kevin Turvey was discussed on the February 10th episode of BBC2's Comedy Map of Britain. The show was filmed in Birmingham and it was mentioned that Redditch was the character of Kevin was from. A clip or two from Behind The Green Door was shown. On February 17 the show will feature Bristol and will discuss the Young Ones house. According to this article, it looks as if the Comic Strip will be discussed at some point as well. Thanks to Sarah Williamson for this.
Rik is mentioned in a mini Donny Tourette interview in the current Heat magazine. They ask Donny what the last DVD he watched was and he answered Drop Dead Fred. He said the film is a "classic" and he'd always thought Rik was really funny. Thanks to Jess for this.
Entry Date: February 12
Rik has done yet another Andrex puppy commercial, this time for the Andrex/Red Nose Day tie in. Some information on that can be found here. Thanks to Rachel King for this.
A clip of a "drunk" Rik on The Tube in the 80s appeared on The TV They Tried to Ban on February 5th on E4. Thanks to Tom for this.
Entry Date: January 28
The January 7th interview Rik did on Sky news can be viewed online here. Thanks to April for finding this.
Entry Date: January 18
** WE'RE BACK!! For those wondering what happened to the site and why it wasn't updated for so long, on January 1st my brand new two month old computer died. After two weeks of calls, tests and other headaches, the hard drive and motherboard were finally replaced by Dell last week. I've been reinstalling programs and going through backups since then. I hope to get things settled in full in the next few weeks and for this to be the end of the computer woes that started for me in August. **
And now for the news we've missed.....
According to the papers, Rik "collapsed" during the Tuesday, January 16th B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon play. The "collapse" was dramatically reported in both the Daily Mirror and Chortle. However, we have a first hand, more realistic account of the show, posted on the message board by Claire Henson. It's very lucky for Rik's fans that Claire was at the show to let us know what went on!
Rik was interviewed on Sky News on January 7th. Thanks to Lyndsey Allen for this.
Rik appeard on Frost Tonight on ITV1 on January 11th. Rik discussed the current B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon tour, meeting Little Richard, and his career. Thanks to Teresa for this.
The January 12th Daily Express featured a small article on the sex scene in B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon. Thanks to Claire Henson for the scan.
Alan B'Stard's reputation preceeds him and another real politician. Thanks to Amy Lloyd for this article.
Bottom Live 1&2 and Bottom Live 3&4 will be released on two respective DVDs on January 29th in the UK. There had been some previous questioning and incomplete information about these DVDs, but these links seem to clear up matters! Thanks to Hannah Davies for this.
The winners of our contest to win tickets to see B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon at the West End were Jane Sallis and Mark Carlton. They attended the January 4th show courtesy of EMG Media & Marketing.
