Summer Holiday (Young Ones episode)
Encyclopedia
"Summer Holiday" was the twelfth, and last, episode of British
sitcom The Young Ones
. It was written by Ben Elton
, Rik Mayall
and Lise Mayer
, and directed by Geoff Posner. It was first aired on BBC2 on 19 June 1984.
); Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson
); Rick (Rik Mayall
) and Neil (Nigel Planer
). The episode also features their landlord
Jerzei Balowski (Alexei Sayle
), and a postman, played by Lenny Henry
. Jerzei appears for his only time during the second series, and for the third time in total.
, where one guesses the identity of a famous person through clues and questions (prompting Vyvyan to suggest playing "Jellybotty, where you have to eat eighteen curries!"), but it proves too tedious for words, and Vyvyan proposes cricket
instead.
In the living room, Rick is given the role of stumps
and Vyvyan is bowler to Mike's batsman. The first shot - without a ball - knocks out Neil as he enters the room; the second involves Vyvyan not releasing the ball and running straight for Rick, clouting him on the head. Vyv then sets fire to Rick, in order to obtain The Ashes
. Neil then reveals it's his birthday, and a party begins, but with no guests, beer or music. The four decide to watch the television instead, but the channels are all closing down, infuriating Vyvyan, who kicks the TV to pieces. Rick then learns of his parents' sudden death from Mike, who thought it unimportant to mention earlier.
Jerzei Balowski arrives to check on the house and its belongings but, on discovering that the television is smashed, an elephant
's head has appeared on the carpet and the refrigerator
is about to be blown apart by a hand grenade
, evicts them on to the street. (The exploding fridge blows away Neil's hair, revealing he wears a wig, to Neil's own disgust).
The next morning, Rick decides to make a living as a male escort and offers his sexual services to a beautiful upper-class young student who jogs past them; initially she accepts, but then reveals she had thought Rick was offering to pay her for sex and assaults him. The four receive their exam results from the postman, who having already read the letters, tells Rick that he "came bottom in the whole world", followed by Vyv, Mike, and Neil coming top out of the four.
Mike then hatches a plan to rob a bank
, using what appear to be real guns, but are actually water pistols, and Vyvyan's car as a getaway vehicle. They mess up their own robbery, but unwittingly take the proceeds from a separate ongoing one, escape to Vyvyan's Ford Anglia
, which he had parked in front of a lamppost. Therefore, Vyv promptly crashes into it. Inconsolable at crashing his car, he also reveals that SPG
had died, after falling asleep on the car's radiator and being crushed by the lamppost.
With the police sirens in the distance, Rick escapes to find a new getaway vehicle, and returns with an AEC Routemaster bus
, which they drive away to freedom. As they sing songs and plan their future Rick suddenly shouts "Look out, Cliff!" and the bus crashes into a Cliff Richard
concert billboard (which, interestingly, advertises 'The Young Ones Summer Vacation Tour') and plunges over a cliff on the other side. The bus lands at the bottom of a quarry, and there is a pause, in which all the lads remark, "Phew, that was close", the bus then explodes into flames just as everyone finishes speaking. However due to later appearances on Comic Relief
, their fate after the bus explosion remains ambiguous.
The episode features a performance by John Otway
, performing 'Body Talk' on the streets.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
sitcom The Young Ones
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...
. 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 Geoff Posner. It was first aired on BBC2 on 19 June 1984.
Characters
As with all episodes of The Young Ones, the main four characters were 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...
). The episode also features their landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
Jerzei Balowski (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...
), and a postman, played by Lenny Henry
Lenny Henry
Lenworth George "Lenny" Henry, is a British actor, writer, comedian and occasional television presenter.- Early life :...
. Jerzei appears for his only time during the second series, and for the third time in total.
Plot
The quartet have taken their final exams and are enjoying the summertime, although Vyvyan is bored and begins wanton violence and destruction. Rick suggests BotticelliBotticelli (game)
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to...
, where one guesses the identity of a famous person through clues and questions (prompting Vyvyan to suggest playing "Jellybotty, where you have to eat eighteen curries!"), but it proves too tedious for words, and Vyvyan proposes cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
instead.
In the living room, Rick is given the role of stumps
Stump (cricket)
Stump is a term used in the sport of cricket where it has three different meanings:# part of the wicket# a manner of dismissing a batsman# the end of the day's play .-Part of the wicket:...
and Vyvyan is bowler to Mike's batsman. The first shot - without a ball - knocks out Neil as he enters the room; the second involves Vyvyan not releasing the ball and running straight for Rick, clouting him on the head. Vyv then sets fire to Rick, in order to obtain The Ashes
The Ashes
The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
. Neil then reveals it's his birthday, and a party begins, but with no guests, beer or music. The four decide to watch the television instead, but the channels are all closing down, infuriating Vyvyan, who kicks the TV to pieces. Rick then learns of his parents' sudden death from Mike, who thought it unimportant to mention earlier.
Jerzei Balowski arrives to check on the house and its belongings but, on discovering that the television is smashed, an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
's head has appeared on the carpet and the refrigerator
Refrigerator
A refrigerator is a common household appliance that consists of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump that transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room...
is about to be blown apart by a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
, evicts them on to the street. (The exploding fridge blows away Neil's hair, revealing he wears a wig, to Neil's own disgust).
The next morning, Rick decides to make a living as a male escort and offers his sexual services to a beautiful upper-class young student who jogs past them; initially she accepts, but then reveals she had thought Rick was offering to pay her for sex and assaults him. The four receive their exam results from the postman, who having already read the letters, tells Rick that he "came bottom in the whole world", followed by Vyv, Mike, and Neil coming top out of the four.
Mike then hatches a plan to rob a bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, using what appear to be real guns, but are actually water pistols, and Vyvyan's car as a getaway vehicle. They mess up their own robbery, but unwittingly take the proceeds from a separate ongoing one, escape to Vyvyan's Ford Anglia
Ford Anglia
The 1949 model, code E494A, was a makeover of the previous model with a rather more 1940s style front-end, including the sloped, twin-lobed radiator grille. Again it was a very spartan vehicle and in 1948 was Britain's lowest priced four wheel car....
, which he had parked in front of a lamppost. Therefore, Vyv promptly crashes into it. Inconsolable at crashing his car, he also reveals that SPG
Special Patrol Group
The Special Patrol Group was a unit of Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing a centrally-based mobile capability for combating serious public disorder and crime that could not be dealt with by local divisions....
had died, after falling asleep on the car's radiator and being crushed by the lamppost.
With the police sirens in the distance, Rick escapes to find a new getaway vehicle, and returns with an AEC Routemaster bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
, which they drive away to freedom. As they sing songs and plan their future Rick suddenly shouts "Look out, Cliff!" and the bus crashes into a Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
concert billboard (which, interestingly, advertises 'The Young Ones Summer Vacation Tour') and plunges over a cliff on the other side. The bus lands at the bottom of a quarry, and there is a pause, in which all the lads remark, "Phew, that was close", the bus then explodes into flames just as everyone finishes speaking. However due to later appearances on Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
, their fate after the bus explosion remains ambiguous.
The episode features a performance by John Otway
John Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
, performing 'Body Talk' on the streets.