Rik Mayall Presents – Nostalgia Central

1 9 9 3 (UK)
3 x 60 minute episodes
1 9 9 5 (UK)
3 x 60 minute episodes

For an audience raised on The Young Ones and Bottom, this six-part series of one-off comedy/dramas showcasing Rik Mayall presented the comedian in an entirely new light, showing off his significant acting skills, delivering consistently varied and impressive performances in a wide variety of roles.

The debut episode, ‘Micky Love’, features Mayall as the titular character, an ageing television quiz show host (pictured above) who, after climbing his way back to the top since conquering alcoholism, has hosted the highly rated Family Values for over ten years.

But when he hears a false rumour that his show will be axed to make way for a new one, which will be hosted by young upstart Greg Deane (Alan Cumming). Micky bitterly resorts to desperate measures to cling to his career.

In the twisted black-comedy ‘Briefest Encounter’, Siobhan (Amanda Donohoe) meets Greg at a party and takes him back to her flat for what might be a night of unbridled passion (pictured at left).

Greg thinks his luck’s in, but things don’t go quite according to plan when Siobhan’s pet dog attacks him. Forced to defend himself, Greg seemingly kills Siobhan’s beloved pet.

His subsequent attempts to cover up the death see the night descend into a chaotic medley of misunderstood intentions which neither will ever forget.

‘Dancing Queen’ sees Neil about to be married and celebrating in the time-honoured tradition of the stag night.

His friends hire a strip-a-gram by the name of Pandora (Helena Bonham Carter) but Neil is so intoxicated he doesn’t take any notice of the young girl as she goes through her routine.

For a final stag night jape, his pals then put him on a one-way train to Doncaster (where they plan to collect him) without any money or trousers. Unknown to them, though, the train gets diverted to the Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough.

When Neil finally wakes from his drunken haze with an alarm clock taped to his head, he is sitting opposite Pandora (whose real name is Julie).

Together they embark on a race against time to ensure Neil gets back to Maidstone for his rather grand wedding to Sophie (Serena Gordon). But as the minutes tick by, Neil starts to wonder if his intended, and married life, is indeed what he wants.

In the 1995 episodes, Mayall plays estate agent (and compulsive liar) Lewis Fox, who takes on the identity of dead gangster John Wilde in ‘The Big One’, and a tramp called Raymond (pictured), who finds his life changes radically when he gets his hands on a sought-after film script in ‘Dirty Old Town’.

The final episode, comedy-thriller ‘Clair de Lune’, sees Mayall in a restrained performance as Toby, a widowed single parent and part-time minicab driver, juggling being Dad to seven -year-old daughter Annie (Leonie Sooke) and studying law whilst working at night for taxi controller Pete (Lee Evans).

One night, he crosses paths with a mysterious femme fatal named Clair (Serena Scott Thomas) and finds himself plunged into a wild and hazardous adventure involving exploding manor houses, vengeful lovers and a magic medieval tournament.

Other guest stars in the six episodes included Nicky Henson, Phil Daniels, Martin Clunes, Peter Capaldi, Edward Tudor-Pole, Frances Barber, Freddie ‘Parrot Face’ Davies, Duggie Brown, Saffron Burrows and Opportunity Knocks star Hughie Green, William Roache from Coronation Street, and Malcolm McLaren as themselves.

Episodes

Micky Love | Briefest Encounter | Dancing Queen || The Big One | Dirty Old Town | Clair de Lune

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