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Richard Michael Mayall (; 7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English comedian, actor and writer. He formed a close partnership with Adrian Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative comedy in the 1980s.
Mayall starred in numerous successful comedy series throughout his career, including The Young Ones (1982–1984), The Comic Strip Presents... (1983–2012), Filthy Rich & Catflap (1987), The New Statesman (1987–1994), Bottom (1991–1995), and Believe Nothing (2002). He also starred in the comedy films Drop Dead Fred (1991) and Guest House Paradiso (1999). Mayall won a Primetime Emmy Award for his voiceover performance as Mr. Toad in TVC London's 1996 animated movie The Willows in Winter (a sequel to TVC's 1995 production of The Wind in the Willows, in which Mayall also played Toad). His comedic style, defined by the over-the-top, grotesque and deeply unsympathethic characters he portrayed, was described as energetic "post-punk".
Mayall died of a heart attack at his home in London on 9 June 2014 at the age of 56. BBC Television director Danny Cohen praised him as a "truly brilliant" comedian with a unique stage presence, whose "fireball creativity" and approach to sitcom had inspired a generation of comedy stars.
He attended King's School, Worcester, to which he won a free scholarship. He failed most of his O-levels and scraped through A-levels. In 1975, Mayall went to the Victoria University of Manchester (now known as the University of Manchester) to study drama. He claimed that he failed to get a degree, or that he did not even turn up to his finals, but in reality he graduated with lower second-class honours in 1978. It was there that he met his future comedy partner Ade Edmondson; Ben Elton, a fellow student; and Lise Mayer, with whom he later co-wrote The Young Ones.
Mayall's television appearances as Kevin Turvey led to a mockumentary based on the character titled Kevin Turvey – The Man Behind The Green Door, broadcast in 1982. The previous year, he appeared in a bit role in An American Werewolf in London. His stage partnership with Edmondson continued, with them often appearing together as "The Dangerous Brothers", hapless daredevils whose hyper-violent antics foreshadowed their characters in Bottom. Channel 4 offered the Comic Strip group six short films, which became The Comic Strip Presents..., debuting on 2 November 1982. The series, which continued sporadically for many years, saw Mayall play a wide variety of roles. It was known for anti-establishment humour and for parodies such as Bad News on Tour, a spoof "rockumentary" starring Mayall, Richardson, Edmondson and Planer as a heavy metal band.
At the time The Comic Strip Presents... was negotiated, the BBC took an interest in The Young Ones, a sitcom written by Mayall and his then-girlfriend Lise Mayer, in the same anarchy vein as Comic Strip. Ben Elton joined the writers. The series was commissioned and first broadcast in 1982, shortly after Comic Strip. Mayall played Rick, a pompous sociology student and Cliff Richard devotee. Mayall maintained his double-act with Edmondson, who starred as violent heavy punk metal medical student Vyvyan. Nigel Planer (as hippie Neil) and Christopher Ryan (as "Mike the cool person") also starred, with additional material written and performed by Alexei Sayle.
The first series was successful, and a second was screened in 1984. The show owed a comic debt to Spike Milligan, but Milligan disapproved of Mayall's style of performance. Milligan once wrote: "Rik Mayall is putrid – absolutely vile. He thinks nose-picking is funny and farting and all that. He is the arsehole of British comedy."
In 1986, Mayall played the private detective in the video of "Peter Gunn" by Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy.
In 1986, Mayall joined Nigel Planer, Edmondson and Elton to star as Richie Rich in Filthy Rich & Catflap, which was billed as a follow-up to The Young Ones. The idea of Filthy Rich & Catflap was a reaction to comments made by Jimmy Tarbuck about The Young Ones. The series' primary focus was to highlight the "has been" status of light entertainment. While Mayall received positive critical reviews, viewing figures were poor and the series was never repeated on the BBC. In later years, release on video, DVD and repeats on UK TV found a following. Mayall suggested that the series did not last because he was uncomfortable acting in an Elton project, when they had been co-writers on The Young Ones.
In the same year, Mayall had a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart, when he and his co-stars from The Young Ones teamed with Cliff Richard to record "Living Doll" for the inaugural Comic Relief campaign. Mayall played Rick one last time in the Comic Relief stage-show and supported the Comic Relief cause for the rest of his life. 1987 saw Mayall co-star with Edmondson in one episode of the ITV sitcom Hardwicke House, although adverse reaction from press and viewers saw ITV withdraw the series after two episodes, leaving their appearance unbroadcast. He appeared on the children's television series Jackanory. His crazed portrayal of Roald Dahl's George's Marvellous Medicine proved memorable. However, the BBC received complaints "with viewers claiming both story and presentation to be both dangerous and offensive".
Interested in pivoting away from roles similar to The Young Ones, Mayall approached writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, inquiring if they wanted to use him for a new project of theirs. By 1987, Mayall would play fictional Conservative politician Sir Alan Beresford B'Stard MP in Marks and Gran's sitcom, The New Statesman. The character was a satirical mockery of Tory politicians from the era. The programme ran for four series—incorporating two BBC specials—between 1987 and 1994, and was successful both critically and in the ratings. In a similar vein to his appearance on Jackanory, in 1989, Mayall starred in a series of bit shows for ITV called Grim Tales, in which he narrated Brothers Grimm while puppets acted the stories.
In 1991, Edmondson and Mayall co-starred in the West End production of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot at the Sondheim Theatre, with Mayall playing Vladimir, Edmondson as Estragon and Christopher Ryan as Lucky. Here they came up with the idea for Bottom, which they said was a cruder cousin to Waiting for Godot. Bottom was commissioned by the BBC and three series were shown between 1991 and 1995. Mayall appeared in Bottom as Richard 'Richie' Richard alongside Edmondson's Eddie Elizabeth Hitler. The series featured slapstick violence taken to new extremes, and gained a strong cult following. In the early 1990s, Mayall starred in humorous adverts for Nintendo games and consoles. With money from the ads, he bought his house in London which he called "Nintendo Towers".
In 1993, following the second series, Mayall and Edmondson decided to take a stage-show version of the series on a national tour, Bottom: Live. It was a commercial success, filling large venues. Four additional stage shows were embarked upon in 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2003, each meeting with great success. The violent nature of these shows saw both Edmondson and Mayall ending up in hospital at various points. A film version, Guest House Paradiso was released in 1999. A fourth TV series was also written but not commissioned by the BBC.
Mayall would provide the voice of the character Froglip, the prince of the , in the 1991 animated film adaption of the 1872 children's tale The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. In 1993, he appeared in Rik Mayall Presents, six individual comedy dramas (Micky Love / Briefest Encounter / Dancing Queen / The Big One / Dirty Old Town / Clair de Lune). Mayall's performances won him a Best Comedy Performer award at that year's British Comedy Awards, and a second series of three was broadcast in early 1995. He provided the voice for Little Sod in Simon Brett's How to Be a Little Sod, written in 1991 and adapted as ten consecutive episodes broadcast by the BBC in 1995. In the early 1990s, he auditioned for the roles of Banzai, Zazu, and Timon in The Lion King (1994); he was asked to audition by lyricist Tim Rice but the role of Zazu went to Rowan Atkinson.
In 1995, Mayall featured in a production of Simon Gray's play Cell Mates alongside Stephen Fry. The play would receive poor reviews, with many critics panning Fry's performance especially. Not long into the run, Fry had a nervous breakdown and fled to Belgium, where he remained for several days, eventually leading the play to close early. Gray would later publish a diary that same year entitled "Fat Chance" detailing the incident, recalling Fry's departure left Mayall "distraught, in tears of grief, tears of anger" as he continued to perform with Fry's understudy until the play's premature cancellation. In 2007, Mayall said of the incident: "You don't leave the trenches ... selfishness is one thing, being a cunt is another. I mustn't start that war again." Edmondson would mine the Cell Mates event for comedic effect during their Bottom stage tours, such as during Bottom Live: The Big Number Two Tour, where, after Mayall had given mocking gestures to the audience and insulted their town, Edmondson would quip, "Have you finished yet? It's just I'm beginning to understand why Stephen Fry fucked off." Towards the end of the Cell Mates run, Mayall revealed a replica gun—a prop from the play—to a passer-by in the street. Mayall was cautioned over the incident and later conceded that this was "incredibly stupid, even by my standards".
In 1998, Mayall was involved in a serious quad bike accident. The pair wrote the first draft of their feature film Guest House Paradiso while Mayall was still hospitalised. They planned to co-direct, but Edmondson took on the duties himself. Mayall returned to work doing voice acting. His first post-accident acting job was in the 1998 Jonathan Creek Christmas special, as DI Gideon Pryke, a role he later reprised in 2013. Jonathan Creek also featured Adrian Edmondson in a recurring role, though the two did not appear in any episodes together.
From 1999, Mayall was the voice of the black-headed seagull Kehaar, in the first and second series of the animated television programme, Watership Down. In the late 1990s Mayall was featured in a number of adverts for Virgin Trains.
Mayall was originally cast as Peeves the Poltergeist in the first film adaptation of the Harry Potter book series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He had filmed his part for the role, but would be cut in post-production due to director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman being unsatisfied with the character's design. Columbus later called his decision to exclude Mayall "one of his biggest regrets" and campaigned for Warner Bros. to release a director's cut that would include Mayall's performance during the movie's twentieth anniversary in 2021. Mayall was not made aware of his cut until the film premiere. Mayall, when interviewed about the movie following its release, mentioned how, during filming, the children in the cast were unable to suppress their giggles when he was filming and would frequently Corpsing. He'd derisively call it a "crap film."
Following 2003's Bottom: Live tour, Bottom 5: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts, Mayall stated that he and Edmondson would return with another tour.
In 2004 Mayall had a starring cameo role playing the record boss in the video short "ABBA: Our Last Video Ever".
Mayall voiced Edwin in the BBC show Shoebox Zoo. In September 2005, he released an 'in-character' semi-fictionalised autobiography titled Bigger than Hitler – Better than Christ (). At the same time, he starred in a new series for ITV, All About George. In 2006, Mayall reprised the role of Alan B'Stard in the play The New Statesman 2006: Blair B'stard Project, written by Marks and Gran. By this time B'Stard had left the floundering Conservatives and become a Labour MP. In 2007, following a successful two-month run in London's West End at the Trafalgar Studios, a heavily re-written version toured theatres nationwide, with Marks and Gran constantly updating the script to keep it topical. However, Mayall succumbed to chronic fatigue and flu in May 2007 and withdrew from the show. Alan B'Stard was played by his understudy, Mike Sherman during his hiatus.
Mayall would be cast in (2008). For Evil Calls, Mayall's role as Winston the Butler was shot in 2002, when the film was titled Alone in the Dark. The film was not completed until 2008, and was released under its new Evil Calls title to distance it from the Alone in the Dark computer game film.
Mayall provided the voice of the Andrex puppy in the TV commercials for Andrex toilet paper, and also had a voice part in the Domestos cleaning product adverts. He performed the voice of King Arthur in the children's television cartoon series King Arthur's Disasters, alongside Matt Lucas who plays Merlin, Morwenna Banks as Guinevere, and Phil Cornwell as Sir Lancelot. Mayall also had a recurring role in the Channel Five remake of the lighthearted drama series, Minder. He also provided the voice of Cufflingk in the 2005 animated film Valiant.
In September 2009, Mayall played a supporting role in the television programme Midsomer Murders - shown on ITV1 and made by Meridian Broadcasting - as David Roper, a recovering party animal and tenuous friend of the families in and around Chettham Park House.
In September 2010, an audiobook, narrated by Mayall, Cutey and the Sofaguard was released by Digital Download. The book was written by Chris Wade and released by Wisdom Twins Books. In the same month, Mayall played the voice of Roy's Dad and recorded five episodes of animation In November 2010, Mayall provided narrative for five different characters for CDs accompanying children's books published by Clickety Books. The books aid speech and language development by bombarding the child with troublesome sound targets. He recorded introductions and narratives for the titles.
On 5 March 2011, Mayall appeared on Let's Dance for Comic Relief in which he came on stage and attacked Ade Edmondson with a frying pan during his performance of The Dying Swan ballet. Edmondson mentioned backstage that it was the first time in eight years they had done something like that together and claimed Mayall had left with a small bump on his head. It would be the last time the duo performed together in public.
In April 2011, Mayall again revived the character of Alan B'Stard to make an appearance in a satirical television advertisement for the No2AV campaign prior to the 2011 voting reform referendum in the UK. The character is shown being elected under the alternative vote system, then using his newly gained position of power to renege on his campaign promises. In his personal life, Rik Mayall did not support the alternative vote. In May 2011 Mayall became the eponymous 'Bombardier' in a TV advertising campaign for Bombardier Bitter in the UK. The adverts landed broadcaster Dave in trouble with Ofcom when they were found to breach the Ofcom code for linking alcohol with sexual attractiveness or success.
On 23 August 2012, the BBC announced that Edmondson and Mayall's characters of Richie and Eddie would be returning in 2013 in Hooligan's Island, a television adaptation of their 1997 tour of the same name. However, on 15 October 2012, Edmondson announced during an interview with BBC radio presenter Mark Powlett that the project was cancelled prior to production as he wished to pursue other interests.
In September 2012, Mayall starred in The Last Hurrah, a six-episode, full-cast audio series that he also co-wrote with Craig Green and Dominic Vince. In November, Mayall narrated several children's books on the Me Books app, such as The Getaway and Banana! by children's illustrator and author Ed Vere.
In October 2013, he appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom Man Down, playing the father of Greg Davies's protagonist—despite being only ten years older. Davies, a longtime fan of Mayall's since seeing The Young Ones as a child, had Mayall pegged as a fantasy pick to play his fictional father, saying: "During the development of Man Down, it was a running joke that 'obviously' he would play my dad. The part, inspired by my own dad's sense of mischief, was clearly one that Rik could play with his eyes closed, but I didn't think for a second he'd say yes".
On 7 May 2014, Mayall made one of his last recorded performances in the form of poetry and voice-overs read on English rock band Magic Eight Ball's second album, Last Of The Old Romantics (released on 10 November 2014). Mayall's final TV appearance was in the first episode of the second series of Crackanory, which was broadcast posthumously on 24 September 2014 on Dave.
During Mayall's hospitalisation, the Comic Strip special Four Men in a Car was broadcast for the first time. The film involves Mayall's character being hit by a car. Mayall and Edmondson joked about the event in stage versions of Bottom, Edmondson quipping "If only I'd fixed those brakes properly", Mayall referring to "quad bike flashbacks", and Mayall referring to himself: "You must know him, that tosser who fell off the quad bike." In his 2005 spoof autobiography, Mayall claims that he resurrection.
BBC Television director Danny Cohen praised him as a "truly brilliant" comedian with a unique stage presence, whose "fireball creativity" and approach to sitcom had inspired a generation of comedy stars.
| 1981 | Eye of the Needle | Sailor on train | |
| An American Werewolf in London | 2nd Chess Player | ||
| Couples and Robbers | Morris David Boyd | ||
| Shock Treatment | "Rest Home" Ricky | ||
| The Orchard End Murder | Policeman | Uncredited | |
| 1986 | Whoops Apocalypse | Specialist Catering Commander | |
| 1987 | Eat the Rich | Micky | |
| Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door | Dreamytime Escort proprietor | Feature film from The Comic Strip presents... series. | |
| 1988 | Managing Problem People. Behavioral skills for leaders | Big Mouth Billie | |
| 1991 | Little Noises | Mathias | |
| Drop Dead Fred | Drop Dead Fred | ||
| The Princess and the Goblin | Prince Froglip | Voice, dubbed voice for the 1992 English-language version | |
| 1992 | Carry On Columbus | The Sultan | |
| 1993 | The Thief and the Cobbler | Brigand | Voice, uncredited |
| 1995 | The Snow Queen | The Robber King | Voice |
| The Wind in the Willows | Mr. Toad | Voice, TV movie | |
| 1996 | The Willows in Winter | Voice, TV movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance | |
| 1997 | Remember Me? | Ian | |
| Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis | Marty Starr | ||
| 1999 | A Monkey's Tale | Gerard the Gormless | Voice, dubbed voice for the 2000 English-language version |
| Guest House Paradiso | Richard Twat | Also co-writer with Ade Edmondson | |
| 2000 | Robin Hood | Short | |
| Jesus Christ Superstar | Herod Antipas | ||
| Great Performances | Episode: "Jesus Christ Superstar" | ||
| Merlin | |||
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Peeves | Cut from final edit of movie |
| Kevin of the North (a.k.a. Chilly Dogs) | Carter | ||
| 2002 | Day of the Sirens | Domo Childs | |
| 2003 | Chaos and Cadavers | Lennox Crowly | |
| Sindy: The Fairy Princess | Wizard Azbar | Voice | |
| Oh Marbella! | Greg Dubois | ||
| Cold Dark | Vet | ||
| 2004 | Baxter | ||
| 2004: ABBA: Our Last Video Ever | record company mogul | ||
| 2005 | Valiant | Cufflingk | Voice |
| 2007 | Seven Dwarfs | Voice, English dub | |
| 2010 | Just for the Record | Andy Wiseman | |
| 2011 | Winston Llamata Jr | ||
| 2012 | Eldorado | Chef Mario | |
| Errors of the Human Body | Samuel Mead | ||
| 2014 | One by One | Ernest | |
| 2015 | Landlord | Posthumous release |
| 1981 | Wolcott | PC Fell | 1 series |
| A Kick Up the Eighties | Kevin Turvey | ||
| 1982 | Whoops Apocalypse | Biff | Episode: "Autumn Cannibalism" |
| Northern Lights | Scottish Television play with Judy Parfitt and Annette Crosbie. First broadcast in May 1982 | ||
| 1982–1984 | The Young Ones | Rick | 2 series, also co-writer with Ben Elton and Lise Mayer |
| 1983 | The Black Adder | Mad Gerald | Episode: "The Black Seal" Note: Character of "Mad Gerald" is credited as playing himself |
| 1983–2012 | The Comic Strip Presents... | Various roles | Several episodes and specials (appears in 19 of the 41 episodes) |
| 1985 | Happy Families | Priest | Episode: "Madeleine" |
| 1986 | Saturday Live | Richard Dangerous | Sketches featuring The Dangerous Brothers |
| Blackadder II | Lord Flashheart | Episode: "Bells" | |
| Art of Noise: Peter Gunn | Private eye | Music video | |
| 1986–1995 | Jackanory | Narrator | Voice, Episodes: George's Marvellous Medicine, “The Fwog Pwince: The Twuth!” & Jack and the Beanstalk (Christmas Special) |
| 1987 | Filthy Rich & Catflap | Gertrude "Richie" Rich | 1 series |
| Hardwicke House | Lenny | Episode 5, "The Old Boys". Guest appearance. | |
| 1987–1994 | The New Statesman | Alan Beresford B'Stard | 4 series |
| 1989 | Blackadder Goes Forth | Squadron Leader The Lord Flashheart | Episode: "Private Plane" |
| 1989–1991 | Grim Tales | The Storyteller | 2 series |
| 1991–1995 | Bottom | Richard "Richie" Richard | 3 series, also co-creator with Ade Edmondson |
| 1993–1995 | Rik Mayall Presents | Various roles | Two series of three episodes |
| 1995 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Tom Thumb | Voice, Episode: "The Tale of Two Bad Mice and Johnny Town-Mouse" |
| How to Be a Little Sod | Little Sod | Voice | |
| 1997 | The Bill | Patrick Massie | Humpty Dumpty – Parts Two and Three |
| The Canterville Ghost | Reverend Dampier | TV movie | |
| 1998 | In the Red | Dominic De'Ath | |
| Jonathan Creek | Detective Inspector Gideon Pryke | Episode: "Black Canary" (Christmas Special) | |
| Tom and Vicky | Bert/ Squidgy | 26 Episodes | |
| 1998–2003 | Jellabies | Narrator | Voice |
| 1999 | Watership Down | Kehaar | Voice, Series 1 and 2 |
| 2001 | Tales of Uplift and Moral Improvement Tales of Uplift and Moral Improvement Retrieved September 24, 2020. IMDb (Internet Movie Database). | Mrs. Ffine Carmody | One series, all 13 episodes |
| Lt. Daniel Blaney | The White Knight Stratagem | ||
| 2002 | Believe Nothing | Quadruple Professor Adonis Cnut | 1 series |
| 2004 | Violent Nation | Presenter | All 3 episodes (Discovery Channel) |
| 2004–2005 | Shoebox Zoo | Edwin the Eagle | Voice, 2 series |
| 2005 | All About George | George Kinsey | 1 series |
| 2005–2006 | King Arthur's Disasters | King Arthur | Voice |
| 2006 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Lord Reginald | Voice, Episode: "Chimps Ahoy" |
| 2009 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Alec Nicholson | Episode: "Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" |
| Midsomer Murders | David Roper | Episode: "The Creeper" | |
| 2011–2013 | Who Let The Dogs Out? | Narrator | Voice, Series 1–3 |
| 2013 | Jonathan Creek | Detective Inspector Gideon Pryke | Episode: "The Clue Of The Savant's Thumb" (Easter Special) |
| Man Down | Richard Davies (Dad) | Season 1 and 2013 Christmas Special | |
| Damo & Ivor | Alistair | ||
| 2014 | Crackanory | Story Teller | |
| Muriel & Floyd | Fritz | Voice, Episode: "Hell in the Pump" |
| 1978 | The Comedy of Errors | Dromio of Syracuse | Performed at the Oxford Playhouse in Oxford |
| 1985 | The Government Inspector | Ivan Khlestakov | Performed at the National Theatre in London |
| 1988 | The Common Pursuit | Nick Finchling | Performed at the Phoenix Theatre in London |
| 1991 | Waiting for Godot | Vladimir | Performed at the Sondheim Theatre in London |
| 1993 | Bottom Live | Richard "Richie" Richard | Recorded at the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton |
| 1995 | Cell Mates | Blake | Performed at the Albery Theatre in the West End |
| Bottom Live: The Big Number Two Tour | Richard "Richie" Richard | Recorded at the New Theatre in Oxford | |
| 1997 | Richard "Richie" Richard | Recorded at the Hippodrome in Bristol | |
| 2000 | A Family Affair | Henry | Performed at the Theatre Royal, Brighton |
| 2001 | Bottom Live 2001: An Arse Oddity | Richard "Richie" Richard | Recorded at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham |
| 2003 | Present Laughter | Gary Essendine | Performed at the Theatre Royal, Bath |
| Bottom Live 2003: Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour | Richard "Richie" Richard | Recorded at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea | |
| 2006–2007 | The New Statesman | Alan B'Stard | Performed at Trafalgar Studios in London |
| 2007 | The New Statesman | Alan B'Stard | Performed at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley, London |
| 1996 | Bud Tucker in Double Trouble | Dick Tate | |
| 2000 | Hogs of War | Sergeant I.P. Grimly/Narrator; Nobby; Ginger; Den; Basil; Percy; Smith; Bastille; Le Cont; Sanglier; Porc; Yehudi; Duski; Mule; Shogun; Feng Shui; Raw Fish; Herman; Herr Kut; Herr Dry; Herr Raid | Performance to be carried over to version |
| 2014 | LittleBigPlanet 3 | Newton | Recast with Hugh Laurie due to death during development |
| More Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales |
| Philip Ridley |
| John Mortimer |
| Consists of The Lorax, Dr. Seuss's ABC, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish |
| Ben Elton |
| Kaye Umansky |
| Radio comedy for BBC Radio 2 as part of Galton and Simpson's Half Hour |
| Audio comedy series, also co-wrote scripts |
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