Okay, here's one thing you should know about me: I love Britcoms. Fawlty Towers, The IT Crowd, Mr Bean,Mrs Brown's Boys, Open All Hours, Blackadder , The Young Ones, I love them. So many of them are funny, smart, and in my opinion, offer so much more than American sitcoms. And for me, no one did it better than Rik Mayall and Ade Edmonson. And it's their 1991 series Bottom that happens to be my favourite sitcom. Where the hell do I begin? Dark, weird, funny, bizarre, spontaneous and borderline offensive, Bottom never fails to get a laugh out of me. It's an acquired taste admittedly, but in terms of comedy television, they don't get much funnier for me. For those who don't know, Bottom revolves around two men living in a rundown flat. That's kind of it. These two though, are ridiculously over the top comic characters. There's Richie, an arrogant, perverted madman who constantly attempts to act cultured and refined, but always fails. And then there's Eddie, a crazed, violent drunk always trying to make some money. As you can imagine, this premise leads to some outrageously over the top situations. Even if it only got eighteen episodes, this show is full to the brim with so many funny moments. Hell, every episode could be called the best one. But, if you're looking to start, try these five. They're what I'd consider to be the funniest, most creative, and best written episodes of this hilarious show. So, let's get going!
5. Digger (Season 2, Episode 1)
This episode revolves around Richie being matched up with a viscountess via a matchmaking service, leading to a perfect portrayal of his depraved, inept and perverted nature. Rik Mayall runs wild with his portrayal of Richie here, leading to so many memorable gags and lines stemming from his desperate attempts to have any sort of class. I especially like the running gag where every single one of Richie's pick up lines always come back to only complimenting the woman's blouse. Eddie as the butler is great as well, with his hilariously double entendre laden dialogue. And the ending is absolutely hysterical too. If there was an episode to showcase how disgusting these two are, it's probably this one. Probably.
4. Parade (Season 2, Episode 4)
If you ever want to see why Rik Mayall is regarded as a fantastic comic, watch this episode. In Parade, Eddie and Richie try to make money off of betting on Sad Ken, a horse that, despite having 100/1 odds, is certain to win. For me, Rik Mayall makes this episode. From his insane (and fake) stories of his time in the Falklands, to his ridiculous attempts at flirting with a barmaid, his outrageous plan to steal a man's wooden leg, it's all here, and it's hilarious. He's at his comedic best here, with this perfect balance of hilarious dialogue and fantastic physical comedy. The ending is wonderfully absurd too, but I won't spoil it here. It's an episode that perfectly demonstrates why Rik Mayall was such a legend.
3. Hole (Season 3, Episode 1)
I think you can get a lot of comedy out of a group of characters trapped in a small environment, and Hole is the perfect example of that. Eddie and Richie get trapped on the tallest ferris wheel in Western Europe, the day before it's going to be demolished. This episode works because of Mayall and Edmonson's incredible comedic chemistry. The two bounce of each other perfectly here, with some of the funniest dialogue on television. It's also just one scene, by the way. And it makes that format work, setting the episode in real time,a further testament to the fantastic writing.The episode is light on slapstick sure, but it doesn't need it. The writing here is more than enough, offering some of the biggest laughs of the whole series. The ending is hilarious too. It's so clever, so wonderfully dark, and ends the episode on a comedic high.
2. 's Out (Season 2, Episode 6)
Most quotable episode ever. I could just list all the best lines here, but I can't give them away. This was the first episode of Bottom I watched, and in it Eddie and Richie goes camping. It's absolutely mental. This episode is possibly the most comically violent episode of the show, with poles in eyes, heads getting torched, and darts in various places galore. It's madness, but it's glorious madness. This is the episode I recommend starting with, because it gives you the perfect idea of what this show is. Once you understand that there's nothing TO understand, you'll most likely enjoy it. This episode is just fun. Mental, surreal, violent fun that never fails to make me smile.
1. Gas (Season 1, Episode 2)
Wow. Just... wow. This is it for me, the funniest episode of TV. Ever. The plot here is that Richie and Eddie have rigged their gas pipe up to their neighbour's meter. The gas man comes around to check it out, and worried that they'll be found out, Richie and Eddie... actually, you know what? I'm not going to say what happens next. It's so absurdly funny that you have to watch this episode to find it out for yourself. It's just Bottom at it's best. So funny, so memorable, so fantastically written. Every joke here hits the mark, spoken or physical. It's a wonderful episode that encapsulates everything good about Bottom. Just go watch it. It's so worth it.
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