How funny is Alexei Sayle?

[SpiderChrist]

Y'know, a lot of people ask me "Lexi, what's it like being a Marxist/Leninist comedian?", and I always say "Sod off, ya nosy bastard!"

Hmmm.

Now I write it down, I can see that a lot of it is in the delivery.

I was 17 when The Young Ones started, but I think my first exposure to Sayle was on a Secret Policeman's Ball album, where he did his "What's On In Stoke Newington" bit. Loved the man ever since, really. And his autobiographies are fantastically funny.

[BlodwynPig]

My favourite thing in all the world ever

[Dogbeard]

I guess I know him mostly from The Young Ones, and I agree he was one of the weaker links in that, though he did still have some memorable moments (Doctor Martin's Boots song, his making sure Neil wasn't being "sarcarstic") and was definitely better than Mike, even though I think the latter has a role in grounding and slightly balancing out the insanity of the rest.

He was around a lot when I was growing up, but I was a little young for his stuff most of the time. However, I still remember a snippet from tuning in, which has stayed with me since then without viewing it again. It's basically him walking in the street, saying "You know, you can often tell from people's surnames what their ancestors used to do for a job. Baker, if they were a baker; Potter, if they were a potter; Thatcher, if they made people sick."

Made me crack up then and the memory of it still makes me smile.

[Dusty Substance]

Y'know, a lot of people ask me "Lexi, what's it like being a Marxist/Leninist comedian?", and I always say "Sod off, ya nosy bastard!"

Another one of his which has stuck with me for decades, is "Is it fat, bald and Jewish in here, or is it me?".

[wrec]

Have never really been into The Young Ones (had neil's (sic) album as a kid but in retrospect it's poor). Hadn't seen much Sayle stuff but somehow was curious enough to buy Thatcher Stole My Trousers which I absolutely loved. Have been really enjoying the podcast, eager to check out Sandwich Bar and stuff but not sure if I can access it as a non-Brit.

Re Mike: what's the deal with that character? The others are based on obvious archetypes but I don't get what's going on with him at all

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Re Mike: what's the deal with that character? The others are based on obvious archetypes but I don't get what's going on with him at all

He's pretty much your standard 'guy who thinks he's cool, but isn't really cool at all' archetype. One of those guys who, when you're an impressionable young one, manages to convince you that he's worldly-wise and enigmatic, but really he's just a sad twat.

Mike is also a bully who gets his way by affecting an air of authority. He recognises the weaknesses in his housemates and exploits them to his advantage. He's a vital part of the group dynamic, but because he's not as funny as the other three - by design; he's basically the straightman - people sometimes tend to regard him as superfluous to requirements. But the show wouldn't be the same without him.

[Buelligan]

Heheh, absolutely.  It's like Alan Partridge and Alan Johnson had a child and it knows the president of the golf club and drinks with a couple of senior masons who all wear slacks.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

He's a proto-Max Clifford too. An utterly amoral bin-fire of a man who will go through life wielding fear and power, until he eventually gets caught and dies alone in prison.

[Brundle-Fly]

Absolutely loved him as a teenager. He could do no wrong. Saw him live in '83 and easily one of the best comedy shows I ever experienced. Python rip-off? Influenced, for sure, but everybody ripped off Python and they all ripped off Spike Milligan.

[Jockice]

Like a left wing Sadowitz, but with an identifiable ideology. That's a crap analogy, ignore.

Well Sadowitz has admitted to being influenced by Sayle (although I find Sadowitz funnier) but notoriously hates Ben Elton, who co-wrote The Young Ones. I have a very vague recollection of some sort of fall-out/dispute between Sayle and Elton but can't place exactly what happened. Maybe it was just them admitting they weren't huge fans of each other's style of comedy.

And I think the funniest bit in TYO was when one of Mike's lines failed to get a laugh (as they usually did) and he made a farting noise into the camera. For me that was much more amusing than Rik or Vyvyan acting badly at acting badly. I didn't hate the show, just thought it was very overrated.

[Jockice]

H my first exposure to Sayle was on a Secret Policeman's Ball album, where he did his "What's On In Stoke Newington"

The one time I've ever been to Stoke Newington was probably the highlight of my entire life.

[wrec]

He's pretty much your standard 'guy who thinks he's cool, but isn't really cool at all' archetype. One of those guys who, when you're an impressionable young one, manages to convince you that he's worldly-wise and enigmatic, but really he's just a sad twat.

Mike is also a bully who gets his way by affecting an air of authority. He recognises the weaknesses in his housemates and exploits them to his advantage. He's a vital part of the group dynamic, but because he's not as funny as the other three - by design; he's basically the straightman - people sometimes tend to regard him as superfluous to requirements. But the show wouldn't be the same without him.

Cheers for that. Have only seen the show sporadically and many years ago so not sure I even picked up on any of that

[Rizla]

Mike is funny, he just doesn't get his trousers set on fire or explode much.

[Havmannen]

I've always thought that the reason I've never liked Mike is down to absolutely woeful acting. And yet, I liked Christopher Ryan as the twins always playing practical jokes in Victor Meldrew's house. And we're back to Renwick. There's a superb Sayle moment in Stuff, possibly the first episode, when he just gets in a woman's face and shouts "Shut up". As echoed here, it's the anger it appears to be delivered with that makes it so funny.

EDIT: He says it to Sarah Lettuce here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAEegEd9A48 (about 4.10 in). The first time I saw that bit I was in hysterics.

[BeardFaceMan]

Doesn't help that Christopher Ryan (who wasn't a comedy guy) was going up against Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Nigel Planer and Alexei Sayle, all comedians who could come up with their own material and had already played versions of the characters they played in The Young Ones, he was never going to come out looking good there. He did a damn fine job with what he was given though (though I would say it took him a series to properly 'get it').

[Havmannen]

Doesn't help that Christopher Ryan (who wasn't a comedy guy) was going up against Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Nigel Planer and Alexei Sayle, all comedians who could come up with their own material and had already played versions of the characters they played in The Young Ones, he was never going to come out looking good there. He did a damn fine job with what he was given though (though I would say it took him a series to properly 'get it').

All really valid points. I feel like a dick now.

[DrGreggles]

Mike's a great character with great lines. I just didn't appreciate* them when I was 7 because the other 3 are more cartoonlike and appealed more.


_*understand

[Rizla]

(I would say it took him a series to properly 'get it').

I'd venture that's true of the entire cast & crew in a lot of ways, there's quite a difference between the two series, sort of like between S1 and 2 of Python.

[BeardFaceMan]

All really valid points. I feel like a dick now.

Not sure where you'll find one this time of night, but good luck!

I'd venture that's true of the entire cast & crew in a lot of ways, there's quite a difference between the two series, sort of like between S1 and 2 of Python.

That's true, didn't they film a lot of Comic Strip stuff in between series 1 and 2?

[Havmannen]

Not sure where you'll find one this time of night, but good luck!

This is the best time to find one.

[Beep Cleep Chimney]

The Gilbert & George piss-takes in The All New Alexei Sayle Show were brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjpgA9aQyQY

https://youtu.be/SdMvieEkKLA?t=20

[BeardFaceMan]

I completely forgot John Sparkes was in All New..., my memory was that only Stuff was worth rewatching, I'll have to rewatch those series now. Not sure anything could get me to watch Merry Go Round again though.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Doesn't help that Christopher Ryan (who wasn't a comedy guy) was going up against Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Nigel Planer and Alexei Sayle, all comedians who could come up with their own material and had already played versions of the characters they played in The Young Ones, he was never going to come out looking good there. He did a damn fine job with what he was given though (though I would say it took him a series to properly 'get it').

I gather that Ryan himself isn't particularly proud of his performance in The Young Ones, for the very reasons you've articulated. He was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, who fell out with the director/producer Paul Jackson. So, as you say, 'proper actor' Ryan always felt like he didn't really fit in with a cast of comedians who had an established chemistry. Not that he's ever said anything derogatory about Rik et al, I'm sure they all got on, but I sympathise with his position.

I personally think Ryan is pretty good in The Young Ones. Would Richardson have been better? WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

[Ferris]

Mike is funny, he just doesn't get his trousers set on fire or explode much.

If you're in The Young Ones and you don't have exploding trousers then what's the point?

Always thought it was a very strange dynamic; the three wacky (and fun) cartoon characters who do all the adventures and the 4th quasi main character who isn't very funny and doesn't go on any adventures and doesn't seem particularly enthused to be there.

Nothing against the chap himself of course, and I fully accept this opinion may well be due to my own ignorance.

[BeardFaceMan]

I gather that Ryan himself isn't particularly proud of his performance in The Young Ones, for the very reasons you've articulated. He was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, who fell out with the director/producer Paul Jackson. So, as you say, 'proper actor' Ryan always felt like he didn't really fit in with a cast of comedians who had an established chemistry. Not that he's ever said anything derogatory about Rik et al, I'm sure they all got on, but I sympathise with his position.

I personally think Ryan is pretty good in The Young Ones. Would Richardson have been better? WE WILL NEVER KNOW.

Oh, I'm sure they got on, Ryan went on to be in Bottom, New Statesman, Ab Fab etc.

Honestly, I've never been a fan of Richardson and much prefer that Ryan got the role, all my favourite Comic Strip things are generally the ones he didn't write. You can get a vibe of what he would have been like with his Outer Limits stuff, Mike Thecoolperson was loosely based on what he was doing with Planer at the Comic Strip.

Always thought it was a very strange dynamic; the three wacky (and fun) cartoon characters who do all the adventures and the 4th quasi main character who isn't very funny and doesn't go on any adventures and doesn't seem particularly enthused to be there.

I put that down to them being very inexperienced writers and that the 3 were basically doing characters from their stand up and knew each other and had interacted with each other before so there didn't need to be much writing for them, character-wise. They pretty much forgot to write a character for Mike though, other than his name. Ryan didn't have a lot to work with, to be fair, on the first series especially.

[Rizla]

If you're in The Young Ones and you don't have exploding trousers then what's the point?

Well, he does nail his legs to the table in Nasty.

His response in Summer Holiday when Neil tells him it's his birthday is hilariously callous. "Now, you already knew that and I don't care, so what's your point?". And to this day I feel duty bound to respond to any offer of cake with "can a cake get you drunk?? will a cake let me put my hands down its pants?" or whatever the line is I'm misquoting.

I guess a lot of the time Mike's really the voice of Ben Elton, isn't he.

I agree about the Gilbert and George stuff being great in TANASS, but I maintain that what made Stuff vastly superior was precisely the lack of repeated sketches and characters.

[Ferris]

His response in Summer Holiday when Neil tells him it's his birthday is hilariously callous. "Now, you already knew that and I don't care, so what's your point?"

Yeah that is a brilliant line to be fair.

[BeardFaceMan]

The one that stuck with me that I always use is "Hi, Mike", "Not yet, but I soon will be", I've got a good deal of use out of that one, and my name isn't even Mike. So yes, I've usually had to follow it up with a BRRR noise, which is fine by me.

[pupshaw]

Here's a joke for all you telepaths............

[The Culture Bunker]

Perhaps a bit strange that I think my first exposure to Sayle was his cameo in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. So I was a bit surprised not long after when I saw him on a Young Ones VHS borrowed from a cousin.

I remember watching one of his BBC2 shows in the mid 90s and finding it funny, but I've never got round to revisiting them. I did listen to his podcast with Stew Lee and found him most affable, to the degree I'd probably make an effort to go see him if he plays a Manchester venue anytime soon.