10 Fun Facts About The Young Ones

Which of the four housemates was a punk-rock medical student who kept attacking the others?

Adrian Edmondson played the sadistic punk, whose only real affection was reserved for a talking hamster and a flame-painted car.

How is "The Young Ones" best described as a piece of television?

Its anarchic slapstick and puppet cutaways helped bring alternative comedy to British TV, and it was voted number 31 in the BBC's Best Sitcom poll in 2004.

Adrian Edmondson's character owned which car, painted yellow with red flames along the sides?

The car had his nickname "Vyv" written across the back window and suffered as much abuse as his housemates.

What was the name of the students' landlord, played by Alexei Sayle with a fake Russian accent?

Sayle also played most of Balowski's relatives, each one as eccentric as the last.

Which band performed "Ace of Spades" in the living room during the episode "Bambi"?

The show booked a live band almost every week so the BBC would class it as variety, which came with a bigger budget than a sitcom.

Which housemate was the morose hippie studying Peace Studies, who ended up doing all the chores?

Nigel Planer took the character to number 2 in the UK singles chart in 1984 with a cover of Traffic's "Hole in My Shoe".

Rik Mayall's 'People's Poet' character proclaimed himself a follower of which political ideology?

Ben Elton said the character was modelled on the try-hard leftie found on every university campus, and he switched politics whenever it suited him.

What kind of animal was Special Patrol Group, the talking Glaswegian pet kept by the punk housemate?

SPG was on the receiving end of much of his owner's violence, yet kept coming back with a Glasgow accent.

Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson played flatmates Richie and Eddie in which BBC2 sitcom?

It ran for three series from 1991 to 1995 and, like its predecessor, placed 45th in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll.

Who wrote "The Young Ones" with Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer?

The other three names all turned up on screen instead, as the Footlights College team in the University Challenge episode "Bambi".