Each of the four members of the group appeared briefly in cameo roles, as did others such as Cher and Rik Mayall.

The alternatives incursion began with The Young Ones ( 1982 – 84 ), written by Rik Mayall, Ben Elton and others, and continued with Blackadder ( 1983 – 89 ).

Comedians Rik Mayall, Paul O ' Grady, Julian Clary, David Walliams and Matt Lucas incorporate Polari in their comedy routines.

It was written by and starring comic duo Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London.

Ade Edmondson ( left ) and Rik Mayall ( right ) as Eddie and Richie in Bottom

In the 1980s, alternative comedy was spearheaded by Ben Elton and the The Comic Strip group which included Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall, and French and Saunders.

* Rik Mayall

In 1979, the first American-style stand-up comedy club, the Comedy Store, London was opened in London by Peter Rosengard, where many alternative comedy stars of the 1980s, such as Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Alexei Sayle, Craig Ferguson, Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson began their careers.

The Peter Gunn video featured comedian Rik Mayall sending up the private eye.

Each of the four members of the group appeared briefly in cameo roles, as did, amongst others, Cher and British comedian Rik Mayall.

The main characters were four undergraduate students sharing a house: violent punk Vyvyan ( Adrian Edmondson ), pompous would-be anarchist Rick ( Rik Mayall ), long-suffering hippie Neil ( Nigel Planer ), and the suave and diminutive Mike ( Christopher Ryan ).

Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall worked as the double act 20th Century Coyote, which later became The Dangerous Brothers.

* Rik Mayall

The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson, Jennifer Saunders and Alexei Sayle with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and others.

Two double acts, Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall under the name " 20th Century Coyote " and Nigel Planer and Peter Richardson (" The Outer Limits "), started performing at the newly opened Comedy Store in London in mid 1980, alongside compere Alexei Sayle who had been resident there since the Comedy Store opened in 1979.

Rik Mayall was contracted to ITV's The New Statesman, and was only able to appear in two of the BBC productions (" GLC ", and the Comic Relief special " Red Nose of Courage ").

Four Men in a Car was notable for being the first broadcast on either television or radio, to involve Rik Mayall since his quad bike accident.

The one-off show included Jennifer Saunders as Margaret Thatcher as well as Harry Enfield, Rik Mayall and a host of others.

The Evening Standard, while conceding that the performance was " technically brilliant ", expressed bemusement as to why " one of the most mercurial and inspiring actors we have seems set on impersonating Rik Mayall throughout ".

Ryan was the only Young Ones cast member who was not already well known in British comedy circles ; he was a last-minute replacement for Peter Richardson, for whom the role of " straight man " Mike was originally intended along with The Comic Strip members Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer and Alexei Sayle.

It has included guest-stars such as Bob Monkhouse, Griff Rhys Jones, Rik Mayall, Jack Dee, Bill Bailey and John Bird, who are mainly associated with comedy, but who gave straight performances.

Rik Mayall was also offered the part but was, at the time, busy with stage work ( he would later guest-star in a Christmas special of the series ).

Many well-known actors have appeared in the series, including Bob Monkhouse, Rik Mayall ( who had been considered to play Jonathan ) and Jack Dee who are better known for their comedy roles.

The Comic Strip included Manchester University and Drama School graduates Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Nigel Planer and French and Saunders and aimed their talents at television.

Series 6 also featured Rik, who was now joined by Ed Lomas, while series 7, due to time constraints and Dave Perry having resigned from the show's cast ( following the now infamous Mario 64 challenge ), employed two of its own research staff to present the slot, including Richard Pitt.

Richard Gordon ( Rik ) Emmett ( born July 10, 1953 in Toronto, Ontario ) is a vocalist, guitarist, and founding member of the Canadian rock band Triumph.

* Rik Mayall as Richard Rich ( 6 episodes )

Upon arriving at Dentonvale, Brad and Janet are greeted by the staff: Nurse Ansalong ( Nell Campbell ), Rest Home Ricky ( Rik Mayall ), and Dentonvale's supervisors, the apparently incestuous siblings Dr. Cosmo and Nation McKinley ( Richard O ' Brien and Patricia Quinn ).

Douglas Adams, Rowan Atkinson, Glen Baxter, Michael Bywater, Graham Chapman, Nobby Clarke, Ron Cobb, Richard Curtis, Angus Deayton, Adrian Edmonson, Michael Fishwick, Michael Foreman, Stephen Fry, Kim Fuller, George Harrison, Michael Heath, Lenny Henry, Ian Hislop, Caroline Holden, Richard Ingrams, Antony Jay, Guy Jenkin, Gray Jolliffe, Terry Jones, Trevor Leighton, John Lloyd, Jonathan Lynn, Thomas Mann, Rik Mayall, Lise Mayer, Michael Palin, Geoffrey Perkins, Stephen Pile, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan, Griff Rhys Jones, Posy Simmonds, Mel Smith, The Spitting Image Workshop, Sue Townsend, Bill Tidy, John Wells.

The series included a cast of famous UK television performers including Rik Mayall, Warren Clarke, Richard Griffiths, Alun Armstrong, Stephen Fry, John Sessions and John Bird.

* Rik Mayall as Richard Twat

This song mocks the actions of a young American named Richard A. Cooke III, known as Rik who was visiting his mother, Nancy Cooke de Herrera, at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh at the same time that The Beatles were staying with the Maharishi.

The Dangerous Brothers was a stage and TV act by anarchic comedy duo Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, performing respectively as " Richard Dangerous " and " Sir ( or occasionally Lady ) Adrian Dangerous ".

In 1977, Richard Harvey and Jonathan Davie-under the names Rik Mansworth and John Thomas-were members of The Banned, supposedly a punk rock group, who had a hit in the UK pop charts with a version of " Little Girl ", originally recorded in the 1960s by The Syndicate of Sound.

* Engineers: Ed Cherney, Richard Dodd, Bill Drescher, Mark Linnet, Rik Pekkonen, Frank Wolf

The year before, Fisher produced ( for Primitive Records ) and performed on the 12 " single " All Washed Up " by Northampton Band ' Magnolia Siege ' ( singer Richard Jones or Rik Ramjet ), playing honky-tonk piano on the B-side end of record reprise.

* During the performance of Bottom Live, Rik Mayall's character ' Richie ' states that Sandi Toksvig brings out his eczema.

Featuring images of Weston Manor in Totland, Isle of Wight in 1999, Richie and Eddie ( Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson ) run the worst guest house in the United Kingdom, neighbouring a poorly maintained nuclear power station.

Musicians who are primarily known as singers or performers on another instrument who also have recorded and performed harmonica solos include Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Donovan, Taj Mahal, Mick Jagger and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and the News, John Mayall, Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac, Roger Daltrey of The Who, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Bono of U2, Rick Davies of Supertramp, and Richard " Magic Dick " Salwitz of The J. Geils Band.

Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, The Big Three, Eddie Cochran, Bobby Darin, Nancy Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash all put their own style on the song.

The TV series featured John Pizzarelli, John Mayall, Richard Thompson, Nanci Griffith, The Holmes Brothers, Odetta, Arlo Guthrie & the Guthrie Family Legacy, Martina McBride, Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys, Yonder Mountain String Band, John Hammond and Jorma Kaukonen.

Walmsley is a veteran of the stage and studio, having worked with many notable artists including Richard Marx, Brian Setzer, David Pack, David Koz, the Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald, Gregg Allman, Merle Haggard, Roy Acuff, Laurence Juber, John Mayall, Denny Laine, Spencer Davis, Peter and Gordon, Jackie Lomax, Roger Daltrey, the Beach Boys ' Al Jardine and David Marks, Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean and Strawberry Alarm Clock.