Boring (Young Ones episode)
Encyclopedia
Boring was the third episode of The Young Ones
, a British sitcom
. It was written by Ben Elton
, Rik Mayall
and Lise Mayer
, and directed by Paul Jackson. It was first aired on BBC2 on 23 November 1982
.
This episode is rarely repeated on television, because of its racial content, including three uses of the word "sambo", "coon" and one use of "nigger
". These words are all spoken in a scene by a Caucasian policeman, referencing the severe racial issues that affected the police at this time. When it is shown on television, it is edited to remove these references.
), Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson
), Rick (Rik Mayall
), and Neil (Nigel Planer
). Alexei Sayle
stars as Billy Balowski, an eccentric taxi
driver and brother of the students' landlord Jerzei.
Mark Arden
and Stephen Frost
play a pair of rather stupid policemen who deliver a series of gags separately from the other characters. They are then revealed to be the subject of an article on the front of The Guardian
with the headline "Police I.Q.
Shocker".
Also in this episode is David Rappaport
, playing Ftumch
the devil. This is one of his two appearances in The Young Ones, the other being as a different character in Flood
.
The episode also features a performance of House of Fun
by ska band Madness
. In addition, lead singer Suggs
speaks one line as himself to Rick.
Actress and writer Pauline Melville
appears as Vyvyan's mother.
vegetable
s in the kitchen sink. Several other remarkable and unlikely phenomena
occur around them throughout the episode, entirely unnoticed by the characters, as they attempt to find something to relieve their boredom. Even a televised siege
that spills into their living room goes unnoticed.
A visit to the local pub
, where Vyvyan meets his mother, and Rik and Neil both reveal that they don't drink. At one point Neil suggests they go to college, but the idea is quickly reject by his housemates. The exterior shots of the pub scene were filmed at the Westbury Park Tavern in Bishopston, Bristol
.
In reference to The Story of the Three Bears, Goldilocks rejects the lentil
s that Neil has prepared (she dismisses it as "bloody hippie
food"), and the Three Bears also reject the lentils and opt to "go to McDonald's
" instead.
As they drift off to sleep for another night, a spaceship
lands on their roof, with Neil still obliviously sitting on his windowsill.
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
, a British sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
. It was written by Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
, Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
and Lise Mayer
Lise Mayer
Lise Mayer is a television and film writer. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, and is best known as a creator and co-writer of the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, alongside Rik Mayall and Ben Elton...
, and directed by Paul Jackson. It was first aired on BBC2 on 23 November 1982
1982 in television
The year 1982 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1982.For the American TV schedule, see: 1982-83 American network television schedule.-Events:...
.
This episode is rarely repeated on television, because of its racial content, including three uses of the word "sambo", "coon" and one use of "nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
". These words are all spoken in a scene by a Caucasian policeman, referencing the severe racial issues that affected the police at this time. When it is shown on television, it is edited to remove these references.
Characters
As with all episodes of The Young Ones, the main four characters are student flatmates Mike (Christopher RyanChristopher Ryan
Christopher Ryan is an English actor. Ryan is perhaps best known for his role as Mike "The Cool Person" in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones.-Early life:...
), Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
), Rick (Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
), and Neil (Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
). Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
stars as Billy Balowski, an eccentric taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
driver and brother of the students' landlord Jerzei.
Mark Arden
Mark Arden
Mark Arden is an English comedian and actor, best known for being one half of comic double act "The Oblivion Boys" with Stephen Frost....
and Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost
Stephen Frost , also known as Steve Frost, is an English comedian.Frost is known for his work in the 1980s with Mark Arden as part of the double act The Oblivion Boys on Saturday Live...
play a pair of rather stupid policemen who deliver a series of gags separately from the other characters. They are then revealed to be the subject of an article on the front of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
with the headline "Police I.Q.
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
Shocker".
Also in this episode is David Rappaport
David Rappaport
David Stephen Rappaport was an English actor, probably one of the best known dwarf actors in television and film...
, playing Ftumch
Ftumch
Ftumch is the name of a devil, played by David Rappaport who appears in the third episode of the first series of the British sitcom The Young Ones, entitled Boring, first shown on BBC2 on 23 November 1982....
the devil. This is one of his two appearances in The Young Ones, the other being as a different character in Flood
Flood (Young Ones episode)
"Flood" was the sixth episode of British sitcom The Young Ones. It was written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer, and directed by Paul Jackson...
.
The episode also features a performance of House of Fun
House of Fun
"House of Fun" is a song by British ska/pop group Madness, credited to Mike Barson and Lee Thompson. It was released as a one-off single on April 30, 1982, and reached #1 in the UK charts, spending 9 weeks in the charts. The song was re-released in 1992, reaching #40...
by ska band Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
. In addition, lead singer Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
speaks one line as himself to Rick.
Actress and writer Pauline Melville
Pauline Melville
Pauline Melville is a Guyanese-born writer and actress. Her mother was English, and her father Guyanese. Her first book, Shape-Shifter , a collection of short stories, won the 1991 Commonwealth Writers' Prize , and the Guardian Fiction Prize.The book consists of a number of short stories dealing...
appears as Vyvyan's mother.
Plot
The quartet are bored to exasperation, despite the fact that there are roller skatingRoller skating
Roller skating is the traveling on smooth surfaces with roller skates. It is a form of recreation as well as a sport, and can also be a form of transportation. Skates generally come in two basic varieties: quad roller skates and inline skates or blades, though some have experimented with a...
vegetable
Vegetable
The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s in the kitchen sink. Several other remarkable and unlikely phenomena
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
occur around them throughout the episode, entirely unnoticed by the characters, as they attempt to find something to relieve their boredom. Even a televised siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
that spills into their living room goes unnoticed.
A visit to the local pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, where Vyvyan meets his mother, and Rik and Neil both reveal that they don't drink. At one point Neil suggests they go to college, but the idea is quickly reject by his housemates. The exterior shots of the pub scene were filmed at the Westbury Park Tavern in Bishopston, Bristol
Bishopston, Bristol
Bishopston the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol, England, and a suburb of the city that falls within that ward. Bishopston is situated around the Gloucester Road , the main northern arterial road in the city. The ward includes St Bonaventures and Ashley Down parishes, as well as...
.
In reference to The Story of the Three Bears, Goldilocks rejects the lentil
Lentil
The lentil is an edible pulse. It is a bushy annual plant of the legume family, grown for its lens-shaped seeds...
s that Neil has prepared (she dismisses it as "bloody hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
food"), and the Three Bears also reject the lentils and opt to "go to McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
" instead.
As they drift off to sleep for another night, a spaceship
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
lands on their roof, with Neil still obliviously sitting on his windowsill.