The Young Ones first appeared on British TV screens on 9 November 1982, which means it's now 25 years since Rick (Rik Mayall), Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson), Neil (Nigel Planer) and Mike (Christopher Ryan) shouted, farted and swore their way onto British television, as students of Scumbag College and representatives of 'alternative comedy' — the new rock n roll.

But first, let's digress a little. Once upon a time there was a stand-up comedian called Bernard Manning. He was well known on British television and in working men's clubs. He told a wide range of jokes — racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic and, for some reason, he picked on mothers-in-law. Manning passed away on 18 June 2007. Just a few days later, newsreader, turned comedy presenter, Sir Trevor McDonald, made a timely, controversial quip about the 'narrow-minded Northerner'. He said, 'Personally I never thought of Bernard Manning as a racist comic, just a fat white bastard'. Manning was not a rarity in British comedy in the 70s. It was the kind of 'humour' that alternative comedy was trying to counteract.

A brief history of the emergence of alternative comedy is covered in my previous article — the gags have to be different .

The late 70s - it wasn't long before a revolutionary television script appeared. The scriptwriters? Rik Mayall and his partner at the time, Lise Mayer. They took their coffee-stained, biro-written script to the only television person they knew, a young BBC producer, Paul Jackson. He had previously brought the anarchic comedians to a short-run entertainment show, Boom Boom … Out Go the Lights.

The script needed some work, according to Jackson, so Mayall and Mayer brought in their Manchester University mate, Ben Elton, to help. The result was Demolition, which would become the pilot and eventually the first episode of the now historic series, The Young Ones.

Mayall, Mayer and Elton had written a future classic. Firstly they wrote about life as they knew it — in a squalid house inhabited by University students. Secondly, their show was different, appealing to young people, a largely forgotten section of television viewers. Thirdly, it was genuinely funny.

But there were other differences with this alternative sitcom. There were no really likeable characters. Neil evoked some sympathy but, according to Nigel Planer, 'Neil was never meant to be likeable. I think he only appears likeable because Rick and Vyv are so completely vile to him. Actually, if you think about it, Neil is pretty selfish self-pitying, manipulative and draggy.' (That's Anarchy, 2003)

Unlike other sitcoms of the time, The Young Ones was violent, used bad language, was dirty and grotty, and used scatological humour or 'bot and knob gags' as Ben Elton would say.

For what was probably the first time, there was a musical segment in each episode, featuring a band. (We won't count The Monkees and The Partridge Family here.) The Young Ones would be expensive to produce, so to put a musical segment in the show suddenly put it into the 'entertainment' category, giving it a larger budget and an extra day in the studio.

But that's enough explanation and background; let's just celebrate 25 years of naughty, rude, violent, anarchic, scatological, silly, nasty and very funny television comedy.

Demolition

Demolition was the pilot — the first episode in series one. It sat in a vault in the 'bowels' of BBC Television (apologies to the late Kenny Everett for stealing that line) until producer Paul Jackson was finally given the go-ahead make the series — and quickly. The BBC's grey suits noticed that the embryonic Channel 4 planned to put those alternative comedians on television before they did. Jackson quickly gathered the gang together (they weren't exactly busy) and made five more episodes. Working hard to produce the shows and put them on air, they ran out of time and Channel 4 pipped them at the post by broadcasting the first Comic Strip Presents … Five Go Mad in Dorset on the opening night of the channel, 2 November 1982.

A week later, 9 November 1982, episode one of The Young Ones went out on BBC in the UK.

Demolition introduced the four lads to the viewers. It was obviously for youth; students or the unemployed completely disillusioned or disenfranchised by 'Thatcher's bloody Britain'. This week the boys have a letter from the council saying they're going to knock down the house. Vyvyan has a 'plan with which to thwart them' — he's going to knock it down first.

As in all episodes in the first series, a hidden hippie makes his appearance. In Demolition you'll find him sitting on the floor, against the wall in the living room. See where you can find him in the other episodes.

Alexei Sayle appears every week as a different member of the Balowski family, but they are all very 'Alexei-like' in character. In Demolition, the lads' landlord Jerzei pays them a visit. Another regular was SPG (Special Patrol Group), Vyvyan's violent Scottish, punk pet hamster.

The band this week was Nine Below Zero.

Oil

The lads have a new, squalid flat to call home. Vyvyan discovers oil in the basement and Mike, the dictator, orders the boys to dig, so that he can sell the oil to the Saudis. Pity Vyvyan was making it all up.Music this week was 'Alexei Yuri Gagarin Siege of Stalingrad Glorious Five-Year Plan Sputnik Pravda Moscow Dynamo Back Four Balowski', singing with the band Radical Posture.

Boring

As the title suggests, the boys are bored. Monopoly, attempted suicide, terrorists in the flat and a visit to the pub won't stop the boredom. Boring is full of social comment, although it's meant to be enjoyed at face value. There is so much that would invite complaints — Neil's suicidal attitude, Vyvyan's self harm, the little devil Futumch scoring another soul for hell and the relationship between Vyvyan and his mother. All of us would object to Barry Manilow as a punishment in hell!

One scene evoked a great deal of shock and complaints when it was broadcast in 1982. It is the scene in which a police officer, wearing sunglasses, stops a sales representative who's wearing black gloves from knocking on the lads' front door. The policeman calls him 'Sambo Darkie Coon' Ouch! The policeman then apologises and says 'I thought you was a nigger' Ouch again! Although it was intended as a satirical statement, it received a negative reaction from young viewers. The episode was re-edited for re-transmitted in 1999. Check your DVDs and videos — see which version of Boring you have.

By the way — the band was Madness this week.

Bomb

A pure political, satirical piece but very very funny. An unexploded atom bomb lands in the lads' flat. Mike wants to sell it; Rick wants to blackmail Thatcher; Vyvyan wants to make it explode; and Neil paints himself white to deflect the blast and then hides under the table.

A highlight of this episode is Alexei Sayle's arms dealer, Reggie Balowski, breaking into Cockney banter as he negotiates with Mike to purchase the bomb. But the show is filled with so many other highlights, with a 'cracking' anti-climax to finish up with.

The band — Dexy's Midnight Runners.

Interesting

It might be an interesting episode but the plot is simple — the boys clean up the flat and hold a party. But looking deeper, this episode includes some very controversial scenes.

At the party, Rick commits the great taboo — he looks inside a woman's handbag. He grabs the bag from a young guest (Jennifer Saunders), plunges his hand inside and pulls out 'a telescope; a telescope with a mouse in it!' The mouse? A tampon. The producers were a little worried wondering if the scene would pass the scrutiny of the executives. It did, but they were more concerned about the scene in which Vyvyan appeared to fuck the floor. Watch the episode yourself; see if you can find it.

The band? Rip Rig and Panic.