Excerpt from Ade Edmondson Autobiography

[Dangerous Brother]

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster

Just wanted to share this excerpt talking about Rik Mayall that's been released from Ade Edmonson's upcoming autobiography (shame it's the Daily Heil that got the except, but hey ho).

It's a great read, pretty moving and funny, although I was surprised by the reveal that Ade submitted the Hooligan's Island script to the BBC thinking it would be turned down so it would officially end the double act!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-12524633/They-best-friends-moment-met-day-Manchester-University-witty-insightful-moving-new-memoir-Adrian-Edmondson-reveals-Young-Ones-star-fell-love-fame.html#

[turnstyle]

Archive link for anyone that doesn't want to give the Mail a click

https://archive.ph/Qo4Ci

[Pink Gregory]

that image of Ade carrying Rik's coffin still guts me

[Sebastian Cobb]

Cheers for this, starts off nice, and was expecting it to end in sadness 'cos, you know, but I didn't realise how much, and how protracted the falling apart behind the scenes was.

[Dangerous Brother]

Cheers for this, starts off nice, and was expecting it to end in sadness 'cos, you know, but I didn't realise how much, and how protracted the falling apart behind the scenes was.

It was an eye opener to me, for sure. I was genuinely surprised by the fact that Ade felt the need to send a script to the BBC in the hope they would say no to it and somehow force Rik into accepting the double act was over. How insistent was Rik for Ade to have to go to that extreme?

[Dangerous Brother]

Saying that, the love Ade has for Rik really does come through. It was clearly a less easy relationship than I thought, but the love is clear.

[kalowski]

Nothing will stop me loving Rik with all my heart but that was quite a hard read.

[thr0b]

Some of the comments in the Heil thread do seem to be really misinterpreting what Ade was saying as well; Ade wanted to keep his friend, he just didn't like working with him anymore. They'd both changed, and he clearly hoped the show would get passed on so they'd both have the deniability of "the bastards" not wanting them anymore.

Which in true Richie and Eddie fashion, went wrong. Arf.

Equally, they both accepted it wasn't working and abandoned the project rather than produce something neither was enjoying doing. Which says a lot about both of them really - neither publicly blamed the other - though I recall even at the time Ade had commented that Rick was more difficult to work with post-his accident as it had affected his concentration/memory - and they carried on as friends but not colleagues to the end.

It was a really good read.

Problem is with serialising it, I've now read the only bit of the book I'd have any real interest in. I suspect the rest would be all Amazing Times.

[Dangerous Brother]

The amount of Ade hate in the Mail comments is ridiculous. People saying that Rik was the funny one and that Ade was jealous! Ade more than held his own in that pairing, and even though I found Rik the funnier of the two ultimately, Ade arguably had greater range - look at the different characters he played in The Comic Strip, for instance. No time for Ade hate in my house!

[thr0b]

The amount of Ade hate in the Mail comments is ridiculous. People saying that Rik was the funny one and that Ade was jealous! Ade more than held his own in that pairing, and even though I found Rik the funnier of the two ultimately, Ade arguably had greater range - look at the different characters he played in The Comic Strip, for instance. No time for Ade hate in my house!

Yep. They were a true double-act and knew each other's strengths.

Obviously Rick could also do "proper" acting, but his true love was clearly being The Rick Mayall character, whereas Ade as he grew older wanted to work as Not Ade/Eddie.

[Ambient Sheep]

Thank you for that, @Dangerous Brother, a really lovely read.

Problem is with serialising it, I've now read the only bit of the book I'd have any real interest in. I suspect the rest would be all Amazing Times.

Oh I dunno.  I can't believe those few paragraphs are the ONLY stuff about Rik in the whole book.  Just the bits the Mail decided to pick out.

[Dangerous Brother]

You're welcome Ambient Sheep! Thought it would be something people here would enjoy reading.

Was gutted that tickets to Ade doing a reading from this at the Lowry have sold out, but I think there are dates with tickets available if anyone was interested.

[Minami Minegishi]

Well the final section of that brought tears to my eyes. Good grief.

[kalowski]

Look at this comment.

Many young diverse comedians in the 80s did not receive a break and it's because of privileged unfunny men like these two.  They kept millions down and out of work.

I just want to give Ade a massive hug and let him know that he and Rik were the formative comic actors of my youth.

[Fabian Thomsett]

He's on Desert Island Discs tomorrow btw.

[Dangerous Brother]

How did they keep anyone out of work? I don't think I've ever heard Rik and Ade described as any kind of gatekeepers.

Look at this comment.I just want to give Ade a massive hug and let him know that he and Rik were the formative comic actors of my youth.

Same. The Young Ones was the first comedy show I properly fell in love with as a kid, although I was watching 90s repeats not the original run. But it instantly felt like something that was specifically for me, for a sense of humour I didn't know I had yet. Same with Bottom and (non-Rik and Ade related) Red Dwarf. They opened the doors to comedy for me and I'll always be grateful to both of them for that.

[Sonny_Jim]

I read Riks autobiography about a decade ago and I can't recall much about any fallings out with Ade, but it was published in 2005 so probably written just after they'd done the last live show.  Also having read Riks book I can fully appreciate whilst he was absolutely lovely, he could be an insufferable arsehole at the same time.

Really good article, thanks for sharing it OP.

[lauraxsynthesis]

Very much looking forward to this after the excellent autobiographical stuff he did on Radio 3 a couple of years back.

My current Red Dwarf deep dive led me last week to watch Ade's appearance on Carpool. He does seem to have been desperate to "get out of the comedy game".

Thanks for posting and for the non-Heil link Turnstile.

[holyzombiejesus]

that image of Ade carrying Rik's coffin still guts me

It's certainly memorable

[markburgle]

It's a great read, pretty moving and funny, although I was surprised by the reveal that Ade submitted the Hooligan's Island script to the BBC thinking it would be turned down so it would officially end the double act!

He said something similar in an interview with RadMac, although he made it sound less scheming on his part - anyway I think he failed to account for how powerful a force nostalgia is among commissioning editors.

Equally, they both accepted it wasn't working and abandoned the project rather than produce something neither was enjoying doing. Which says a lot about both of them really - neither publicly blamed the other -

I think Mayall was actually quite broken up about it, I seem to remember Edmondson saying they hadn't spoken to each other since

[Dangerous Brother]

I seem to remember reading somewhere Edmondson saying that Rik used to get a lot more easily emotional after the quad bike accident. I imagine that only made it harder for him to let go.

[Autopsy Turvey]

How did they keep anyone out of work? I don't think I've ever heard Rik and Ade described as any kind of gatekeepers.

It must be some sort of ironic joke, it's the sort of thing Rick from The Young Ones would say.

Ade's Desert Island Discs was a difficult listen at times, not just when he broke down talking about the letter he wrote Rik's mum, but also when he chose Sugar Sugar by the Archies. I don't care if you danced to it at the school disco, what a waste of a disc.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

.

[Senior Baiano]

.

[Senior Baiano]

How did they keep anyone out of work? I don't think I've ever heard Rik and Ade described as any kind of gatekeepers.

It's just some racist cunt on mail comments doing a witless troll

[idunnosomename]

Ade's DID made me think of The Simpsons both with Downtown and Sugar Sugar

[bobloblaw]

Tears areent unknown on DID but that was a devastating moment.
His rationale for his 'luxury item' tickled me though.

[bobloblaw]

Tears aren't unknown on DID but that was a devastating moment.
His rationale for his 'luxury item' tickled me though.

[DigForVictory]

Deeply moving listening to him get emotional about Rik.

[magister]

Yes, it really was. I really didn't expect that.