| 1 | ---- |
| 2 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | !The Main Four |
| 5 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 6 | * DysfunctionJunction: An arrogant, hypocritical, attention whoring manchild, a depressed, unhygienic, passive-aggressive hippie, a psychopathic, ultraviolent punk and a shady con artist and criminal all living under one roof. |
| 7 | * LackOfEmpathy: ''Everyone''. Mike is notably bad, especially towards Neil; Rick is even worse. |
| 8 | -->'''Rick:''' My parents are dead... [[ItsAllAboutMe THE SELFISH BASTARDS!]] |
| 9 | * LazyBum: All four are students, but they spend most of their days squabbling and abusing one another than studying. In fact, the very thought of actually going into college is enough to make them squirm. |
| 10 | * PerpetualPoverty: The lads never have much money, being {{Starving Student}}s dependent on their grants. They're pretty much forced to live on lentils and cornflakes. By the finale, it turns out they are seriously behind on their rent and are evicted as a result. |
| 11 | * StarvingStudent: Taken to ridiculous extremes. The lads can't actually afford the rent on their shithole of a house, serve one corn flake to each guest at their party and their staple diet appears to be cornflakes and lentils (which almost always end up spilled on the ground). "[[BrokeEpisode Cash]]" shows them burning everything in the house so as not to freeze to death. |
| 12 | * TookALevelInJerkass: They were already flat-out awful human beings to start with, but by the second series they're downright despicable to one another. Creator/RikMayall admitted that the writers tried to make them nastier and less cute. |
| 13 | * UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Undeniably so, which is why they're so damn entertaining. Even Neil, the only semi-sympathetic one of the bunch, is prone to being standoffish. |
| 14 | * WeirdnessMagnet: All manner of strange things happen to them over the course of their student lives, [[WeirdnessCensor which they don't really take much notice of]]. This is most appearent in the episode "Boring", in which the lads see, overhear, and/or smell hints that one remarkable thing after another is happening all around them, but are too wrapped up in their boredom and bickering to notice. |
| 15 | * WithFriendsLikeThese: All of them, except Vyvyan and Mike, who have a KidWithTheLeash relationship. |
| 16 | [[/folder]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | [[folder: Rick]] |
| 19 | |
| 20 | !Rick (or Wick, a.k.a. Prick): |
| 21 | -->'''Played by''': Creator/RikMayall |
| 22 | [[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rik.jpg]] |
| 23 | ->The hypocritical, Music/CliffRichard-loving lefty activist who was convinced that he was a Marxist rebel, a poetic genius, the voice of an entire generation and the most well-liked and attractive member of the household; he was spectacularly wrong on all counts. |
| 24 | * AMFMCharacterization: He's a massive Music/CliffRichard fan. In "Bomb", he sings "Revolution" by Music/TheBeatles and in "Interesting", he's about to put on a record by Music/TheHumanLeague before the police arrive. |
| 25 | * AmbiguouslyBi: Although he shows some interest in girls, Rick fits a few gay stereotypes. Plus, he has more than enough FoeRomanceSubtext with Vyvyan to fit this trope and to a lesser extent, with Neil as well. Not to mention the fact that he’s an obvious {{Crossdresser}} as shown when Neil reveals that Rick owns a dress and keeps it in his cupboard. |
| 26 | * AttentionWhore: Oh yes. Almost everything he says is just to get people to pay attention to him. |
| 27 | * BadLiar: He once tries to convince an axe-wielding landlord not to enter a room by shouting, "There's no one in here, Mr. Balowski! We're all holograms!" |
| 28 | * BlatantLies: He insists a dress Neil finds in his wardrobe isn't his, despite it being in his size ''and'' having his name on it. |
| 29 | * ButtMonkey: Along with Neil. |
| 30 | * CantHoldHisLiquor: According to Neil, Rick has passed out after half a glass of cider |
| 31 | * CasanovaWannabe: Without any possibility of success. |
| 32 | * CatchphraseInsult: He shares "You bastard!" as his catchphrase with Vyvyan. |
| 33 | * CharacterTics: Putting his hands on his hips when annoyed. |
| 34 | * TheChewToy: Well, strictly Neil is this for the rest of the four, but Rick is the one who spends most of his time being beaten up/whacked over the head/told to shut up, generally by Vyvyan. |
| 35 | * {{Crossdresser}}: Although he is never seen in women's clothes, he's obviously a crossdresser. At one point, Neil comes downstairs in a Gingham dress and says that because he couldn't get into his own room to get dressed, he went into Rick's room and found a dress. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial When Rick denies it]], Vyvyan points out the nametag says 'Rick'. Also, Rick has several very feminine habits, such as braiding his hair and crossing his legs and reading Cosmopolitan. In addition, when Vyvyan asks Rick if he intends to "burn his bra" when he gets a bit political, he replies "Well, someone's got to." |
| 36 | * ADegreeInUseless: His and Vyv's fields of study are the only ones that have been confirmed onscreen. Rick's choice of Sociology is fairly stereotypical for someone [[StrawmanPolitical with his political views]] and no real plan for what to do after he leaves Scumbag College. |
| 37 | * DirtyCoward: Seen when he tries to convince a vampire to bite Neil instead of him. |
| 38 | * DiscoDan: At a time when his fellow students would have been listening to Music/JoyDivision or Music/TheSmiths, he's a Music/CliffRichard fan. |
| 39 | * ElmuhFuddSyndwome: He has a very noticeable case of rhotacism, which Rik Mayall actually had a mild case of in real-life, and massively exaggerated when playing Rick. |
| 40 | --> "And Young Ones... / Shouwdn't be afwaid..." |
| 41 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: The very first scene shows him dancing to the title song. |
| 42 | * {{Expy}}: Mayall had done a very similar character in his stand up routines. In turn, his character from ''Series/{{Bottom}}'' is essentially an older Rick. |
| 43 | * TheFashionista: Kicks in the tv when he sees the "Young Ai-dolts" on ''Nozin' Aroun''' are still wearing ''flared trousers.'' |
| 44 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: Even his own conscience doesn't like him. |
| 45 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine - Very extroverted and often irresponsible. |
| 46 | * GenreSavvy: When an explosion goes off in "Time", Rick's first instinct is that Vyvyan is to blame. |
| 47 | * GiftedlyBad: Rick's poetry is howlingly wretched, and it's actually ''better'' read than recited. |
| 48 | --> Pollution |
| 49 | --> All awound |
| 50 | --> Sometimes up |
| 51 | --> And sometimes down |
| 52 | --> But always around. |
| 53 | --> Pollution, are you coming to my town? |
| 54 | --> Or am I coming to yours? |
| 55 | --> We're on diffewent buses, pollution |
| 56 | --> But we're both using petrol... |
| 57 | --> '''BOMBS!''' |
| 58 | * HairTriggerTemper: Nobody takes it seriously. |
| 59 | * {{Hypocrite}}: He talks about peace and love, when he rarely does anything that can be considered brotherly love. |
| 60 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Rick's response when he finds out his parents are dead? "THE SELFISH BASTARDS!" |
| 61 | * {{Jerkass}}: Apart from being a left wing nutjob, he's also an obnoxious, pretentious and arrogant wanker. |
| 62 | * {{Keet}}: Possibly ties into him being a ManChild. He's very hyperactive, loud, and effeminate. |
| 63 | * LargeHam: Constantly swerving between emotions, often SuddenlyShouting or MilkingTheGiantCow, and constantly overreacting to the smallest issue. |
| 64 | --> '''Rick''': '''Neil!''' Are these lentils ''South Afwican''? |
| 65 | --> '''Neil''': Well, um... |
| 66 | --> '''Rick''': YOU ''BASTARD''! You complete and utter '''BASTARD'''! Why don't you just go out and become a '''policeman'''?! Become a ''pig''?! There's no diffewence you know! I suppose you hate gay people too! Hippie! |
| 67 | * TheLoad: He thinks it's Neil, but since Neil is the TeamMom, Mike is often TeamDad and Vvyan is TheBigGuy, Rick's usually the one to panic and generally be unhelpful. |
| 68 | * LoonyFan: He's completely obsessed with Cliff Richard. |
| 69 | * MilesGloriosus: Brags about being “The People’s Poet” and an infamous anarchist, [[DirtyCoward but when things even start to smell bad he’ll either duck and cover, beg for mercy or try and betray his flat mates just to save his own pathetic skin.]] |
| 70 | * ManChild: Oh yes. Attention-seeking, tantrum-throwing, first to panic in a crisis, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking can't pronounce his 'R's]], can't tell the time. |
| 71 | * MeaningfulName: Rick ''Pratt'' (a synonym for "arse" and a slang term for a person of [[SmallNameBigEgo minimal intelligence and inflated ego]]). |
| 72 | * MommasBoy: He still refers to her as "Mummy" despite being in his early twenties. |
| 73 | ** It's worth noting it's jokingly said in the U.K that a good indicator of how posh a certain person is is how long they call their parents "Mum" or "Dad" instead of their names, with special points being given for "Mummy" or "Mater" (so posh it's probably fictional). |
| 74 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When he mistakenly thinks he's killed Neil. |
| 75 | * NoIndoorVoice: Not on the same scale as Vyvyan, but shifts into SuddenlyShouting when he's annoyed, which is fairly often. |
| 76 | * NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Particularly with Neil. |
| 77 | * OnlyOneName: Although the book ''Bachelor Boys'' (by Ben Elton and Mayall himself) lists his surname as "Pratt"; Even when he's on University Challenge only their first names are given. |
| 78 | * SmugSnake: He practically oozes smugness when he thinks he’s got the advantage in a situation, as well as portraying himself as a so-called hero to the people. However, he’s unabashedly arrogant, condescending to everyone he meets, is quick to fold under the slightest amount of opposition and is just all-round hopeless. |
| 79 | * SiblingRivalry: His interactions with Vyvyan come off as this. |
| 80 | * SitcomArchNemesis: With Vyvyan. |
| 81 | * SmallNameBigEgo: Thinks he's "The People's Poet." He's very, ''very'' wrong; the closest he gets to punk poetry is a few sarky comments about Thatcher. |
| 82 | ** He thinks he's an anarchist, but is a big fan of Marx, who is more associated with communism, and upon any pressure whatsoever morphs back into a social conservative. |
| 83 | * SpoiledBrat: If his current behaviour is any indication. His family's indicated to be fairly wealthy, no matter how anarchic he tries to be. |
| 84 | * {{Squee}}: When he and the others got to sing "Living Doll" with Cliff Richard for Comic Relief, he was overjoyed. |
| 85 | * StrawmanPolitical: He's more making fun of university students who become political without really studying up on the subject. Or [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation alternately]], a parody of how conservatives see leftists. |
| 86 | * TantrumThrowing: Whenever he wants attention. Which is often. |
| 87 | * TeachersUnfavoriteStudent: In one episode, [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Rick]] shows off his old schoolbook with a written note from his old schoolmates to [[SmallNameBigEgo prove how much they all liked him]]. As soon as Neil reads it, Rick is InstantlyProvenWrong by the note saying, "[[MaliciousMisnaming Prick]] is a [[RougeAnglesOfSatin wonker]], signed, the rest of the class", and his attempts at passing it off as [[InsultOfEndearment friendly jokes]] are punctured by a follow-up note saying, "I agree with the rest of the class, signed, Teacher." |
| 88 | * TookALevelInBadass: Robbing a bank robber (with a water pistol) and stealing a bus in "Summer Holiday"- easily the most anarchic (and only useful) thing he's ever done. |
| 89 | * UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: An arrogant, radical poseur. |
| 90 | * WrongGenreSavvy: His ideas about the life and music of Music/CliffRichard. In particular, his conviction that "Devil Woman" is a song about UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher. |
| 91 | [[/folder]] |
| 92 | |
| 93 | [[folder: Vyvyan]] |
| 94 | |
| 95 | !Vyvyan Basterd: |
| 96 | -->'''Played by''': [[Creator/AdrianEdmondson Adrian "Ade" Edmondson]] |
| 97 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vyvyan.jpg]] |
| 98 | ->The psychotic and child-like, but strangely insightful punk who couldn't go a single episode without destroying something or someone— or, usually, several. |
| 99 | * AllMenArePerverts: Spends the entire time when Helen Mucus[[note]]portrayed by Creator/JenniferSaunders, who later married Ade[[/note]] is in the house staring at her chest (very obviously and even moving his chair closer), happily volunteers to wear tights a girl might have worn, briefly checks out Amazulu when they perform in the house during "Time", tricks the washing machine into opening its hatch by claiming to have Felicity Kendall's underwear, etc. |
| 100 | * AmbiguouslyBi: While Vyvyan is clearly into women, he’s ''far'' too interested in the fact that Neil is wearing [[spoiler: Rick’s]] dress. He also has quite a bit of [[HoYay Foe Yay]] with Rick. |
| 101 | * AMFMCharacterization: Despite being a punk, he's clearly a fan of HeavyMetal, judging by his t-shirts and having "Very Metal" written in studs on his shirt. |
| 102 | * AxCrazy: One of the most violent characters in a Britcom ever - played entirely for laughs. Vyvyan is perhaps the closest live action TV has ever come to a Creator/WarnerBros animated character. |
| 103 | ** This counts for both violence inflicted and violence received, although usually due to his or his housemates' stupidity: from getting a pickaxe through the skull to decapitation to exploding architecture, Vyvyan has survived it all. |
| 104 | * BerserkButton: It's fairly easy to annoy Vyvyan, but he '''really''' hates ''Series/TheGoodLife'', Rik's pretension and being reminded he has a girl's name (in fact, Vivian is a male name; the female spelling is Vivien). |
| 105 | * BoisterousBruiser: With emphasis on "bruiser". |
| 106 | * CatchphraseInsult: His catchphrase is "You bastard!" |
| 107 | * CharacterTics: Scrunching up his face. |
| 108 | * CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Vyv can survive decapitation, eat pretty much anything and perform absurd feats of strength (such as pushing the wall of the house just so the lads can hook up the video). |
| 109 | * CloudCuckoolander: has elements of this, especially with regards to his InsaneTrollLogic and DullSurprise reaction to every unusual event that happens throughout the programme. |
| 110 | * CraniumChase: Happens when he [[LosingYourHead gets his head knocked off]] by [[TooDumbToLive looking out of a train window]]. His body is directed by his head to pick it up, but his head gets so insulting and verbally abusive that the body keeps kicking it along instead. |
| 111 | * DeadlyDoctor: He's a medical student at Scumbag College. Worse yet, his entire class is pretty much like him too. |
| 112 | * DeadpanSnarker: Especially in response to Rick's questions. |
| 113 | * DisappearedDad: When he hopefully asks his mother, "How's Dad?" in the third episode of the first series, "Boring", she responds, "Honestly, Vyvyan, I wish you wouldn't ask me that! ...You know I have absolutely no idea who he is!" |
| 114 | * DrinkBasedCharacterization: Babycham, for Vyvyan. Which is laughably ironic, since it's considered a rather girly drink. |
| 115 | * DrivesLikeCrazy: Any time he gets behind the wheel of his Ford Anglia, he crashes it into something. [[spoiler: This should probably double as {{Foreshadowing}}, as he is driving the bus when it crashes over a cliff.]] |
| 116 | * DynamicEntry: His first appearance involves him smashing through the kitchen wall, clutching a severed leg. |
| 117 | * EmbarrassingTattoo: Subverted- When his hair falls off in "Party", he has a 666 on the side of his head, but he doesn't seem remotely bothered by it. |
| 118 | * ExtremeOmnivore: Eats a dead rat, a brick, snow and even ''the telly'', so that the lads don't have to pay their TV licence fee. |
| 119 | * FieryRedhead: Assuming it's not dyed: Adrian Edmonson was a natural blonde, but it's never indicated whether it's natural or not within the series. |
| 120 | * FlippingTheBird: Flipping a V is practically his second CatchphraseInsult. |
| 121 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Choleric - Ultra-violent, but ultra-childish as well. |
| 122 | * GadgeteerGenius: Is able to supercharge the vacuum cleaner (which works too well) and has a good working knowledge of explosives. |
| 123 | * GenderBlenderName: [[BerserkButton Just don't remind him of that.]] |
| 124 | * GeniusDitz: Despite being unable to tell the time and generally being AxCrazy, Vyv has a surprising knowledge of machinery (as evidenced by his souped-up vacuum cleaner) and can be surprisingly insightful and even manipulative. Plus, he's ''a medical student''. |
| 125 | ** He can create a potion that makes anyone who drinks it as AxeCrazy as he is, somehow, and is implied by the ending of "Oil" to have manipulated the other lads ForTheEvulz. Then again, he didn't realise the obvious problem that would arise from keeping that potion in a coke can, (sure enough, [[spoiler: the Balowski of the week drinks it and goes librarian]]), and his involvement in "Oil" resulted in a pickaxe to the skull from Neil. |
| 126 | * GenkiGuy: [[HotBlooded And HOW.]] Fitting as his name means [[MeaningfulName "lively"]]. |
| 127 | * GoodThingYouCanHeal: He's recovered from accidentally cutting his finger off and ''being decapitated''. |
| 128 | * HeroicComedicSociopath |
| 129 | * HiddenDepths: Some episodes imply Vyvyan isn't quite as stupid as he pretends to be; He starts accurately describing how the human body produces vomit in "Time", tricks the vampire into revealing it's a vampire in "Nasty" through his detailed knowledge of road safety and his potion to turn Balowski into an axe-wielding maniac did actually work. When he actually does go to uni, he's a medical student. |
| 130 | * HotBlooded: More than any other housemate. |
| 131 | * HypocriticalHumour: Mocks a Narnia-esque dwarf for being called "Shirley", despite having a girl's name himself. |
| 132 | * IconicItem: His nose ring, chain looped around his neck, and the four metal stars hammered into his forehead. |
| 133 | * ImplacableMan: He gets decapitated by a train ''and survives''. Played for laughs, as his disembodied head starts shouting abuse at his body (which, in turn, starts kicking his head down the tracks). |
| 134 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He has more PetTheDog moments than Rick, and he genuinely get along well with Mike. |
| 135 | * LargeHam: Has NoIndoorVoice and, while not as flail-y as Rick, tends to over-emote physically. |
| 136 | * LimitedWardrobe: While all the lads have this, Rick, Mike and Neil do ''occasionally'' wear a different outfit in certain episodes, Vyvyan only seems to have the one, although his t-shirts differ in a few episodes. |
| 137 | * MadBomber: Rigs up a bomb to the doorbell (and blames whoever rang the doorbell for setting it off) in "Nasty", throws a MolotovCocktail at Rick and Neil in "Sick" and makes use of grenades on two occasions, most notably in the famous "University Challenge" scene in "Bambi". |
| 138 | * MadeOfIron: Not even being [[OffWithHisHead decapitated by a train]] is enough to kill him. |
| 139 | * MadScientist: Has tendency to muck around with appliances like supercharging the vacuum cleaner or rigging explosives to the doorbell. He also develops a cure for not being an axe wielding homicidal maniac, claiming that the market for such a cure is enormous. |
| 140 | * MeaningfulName: Vyvyan (translates to "lively") [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Basterd]]. |
| 141 | * MetalHead: He wears Music/{{KISS}}, Music/{{Saxon}}, Music/{{Rush|Band}}, and Music/{{Whitesnake}} shirts. In a more literal sense, he's never seen without his nose ring and a forehead studded with metal stars. |
| 142 | * MisfitLabRat: He's a complete punk (loves punk rock, has piercings, generally anti-establishment) and is studying medicine. And when the boys throw a party, all his "medical student friends" that attend are punks too. |
| 143 | * MisterSeahorse: [[spoiler: Subverted. It's actually just gas.]] |
| 144 | * NoIndoorVoice: Has this trope down in spades. Hearing him speak normally in ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' almost comes as a shock. |
| 145 | * NoSympathy: Usually acts pretty harsh, not only to Rick, but to Neil and even Mike as well. |
| 146 | * NotAMorningPerson: To the point where he'll scream at birds and church bells to shut up. |
| 147 | -->Shut up you ''bastards'', '''IT'S ONLY ''ELEVEN O' CLOCK!''''' |
| 148 | * OrganAutonomy: After his head was decapitated in "Bambi", his body acts on its own accord when trying to get the head back. |
| 149 | * ParentalAbandonment: When his mother is introduced in "Boring", it's mentioned she hasn't seen him in years and [[ReallyGetsAround has absolutely no idea who his dad is]]. |
| 150 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: His [[spoiler: last act was to crash a double-decker bus over a [[VisualPun cliff]] and into a ravine, which was pretty much typical for him]]. |
| 151 | * PetTheDog: Treats Neil as horribly as the others, but steps up to help him in "Bambi" when he asks after the laundry machine refuses to take their clothes. |
| 152 | * ThePigPen: Vyv's personal hygiene is so poor that ''his socks are sentient beings'', and he's been wearing the same three pairs of pants for six months. |
| 153 | * PsychoKnifeNut: Throughout the first series, he makes frequent use of a large knife until he upgrades to hand grenades in the second. |
| 154 | * PsychopathicManChild: He's basically an unruly five-year-old in the body of a grown man. |
| 155 | * RealMenWearPink: His favourite drink is the decidedly girly Babycham, he has a girl's name and a pet hamster, albeit a very aggressive one. |
| 156 | * ReducedToRatburgers: He eats a dead rat he finds in the lentil pot. "Brilliant!" |
| 157 | * RefugeInAudacity: Lives and breathes this trope with such acts as [[DynamicEntry bursting through walls]], [[MadeOfIron surviving decapitations]], rigging up insanely powerful vacuum cleaners and bombs to doorbells, and ''blowing up the other team'' so the lads can win University Challenge. |
| 158 | %% * SitcomArchNemesis: With Rick. |
| 159 | * SuperStrength: Can kick a sink over, push the ''entire house'' forwards (though said house is poorly built), bite through brick (disintegrating it), lift Neil over his head, survive being decapitated... |
| 160 | * {{Tsundere}}: Surprisingly, but Vyvyan has the most friends out of the group, as seen in "Interesting", but Vyvyan claims he "doesn't like any of them." He's also like this towards SPG; SPG is as much on the receiving end of Vyvyan's violence as Rick or Neil, (although SPG usually provokes him) but Vyvyan still cries when SPG dies. |
| 161 | * UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: An ultraviolent, psychopathic [[TheQuincyPunk punk]]. |
| 162 | [[/folder]] |
| 163 | |
| 164 | [[folder: Neil]] |
| 165 | !Neil Pye: |
| 166 | -->'''Played by''': Nigel Planer |
| 167 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neil_8.jpg]] |
| 168 | ->The whining, put-upon and suicidal hippie who acted as the dogsbody for the entire house and is convinced (accurately) that no one likes him and everyone is out to get him. |
| 169 | * BerserkButton: He very nearly hits Rick with a frying pan for mocking his flares. |
| 170 | * BewareTheNiceOnes[=/=]BreakTheCutie: He also delivers Rick a TheReasonYouSuck speech in the final episode. |
| 171 | * BrilliantButLazy: Like all of them, he barely studies, although when he's not being apathetic he's probably the most studious of the four, and suggests they attend some classes in "Boring". In the final episode, it's stated that he did the best out of the four lads in their exams, though it's kind of a moot point since they all apparently came "bottom in the entire world". |
| 172 | * ButtMonkey: Along with Rick. |
| 173 | -->'''Neil''': "When you guys said 'panic', I didn't think that meant 'hang me'." |
| 174 | * CaptainObvious |
| 175 | * CharacterCatchphrase: There are several catchphrases unique to him. |
| 176 | ** "Oh, heavy!" |
| 177 | ** Often comments people/things are "really bringing him down" and "hassling" him. |
| 178 | ** Often utters a drawn-out "Oh, nooooo..." whenever something unpleasant happens to him. |
| 179 | ** In the second series, he takes to referring to Rick as a [[DirtyCoward "yellow chicken"]] on a couple of occasions. |
| 180 | * CordonBleughChef: None of the others like his cooking, which consist entirely of lentil casserole. |
| 181 | * DrivenToSuicide: Tries to kill himself three times in the pilot, and digs his own grave in "Boring" to try and cure his boredom. It's PlayedForLaughs, obviously. |
| 182 | * TheEeyore: Constantly having a "really bad time". Sharing a house with Rick and Vyvyan will do that to you. |
| 183 | * ExtremeDoormat: Most of the time, but he will stand up to himself if pushed. |
| 184 | * {{Expy}}: Nigel Planer portrayed a depressive hippie in a 1980 TV special. |
| 185 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Melancholic - The whining shut-in of the four. |
| 186 | * FriendToAllLivingThings: In "Flood", he manages to rescue some kittens on the way back from the shops, and mentions in one episode wishing people could live a pastoral existence. |
| 187 | * GentleGiant: The tallest of the guys, but he's passive and generally rather calm. |
| 188 | * GeniusDitz: Though he often is ComicallyMissingThePoint, Neil is shown to be fairly clever, is the only one who bothers to study properly for university challenge, quite knowledgeable on Oscar Wilde and he scores the best out of the lads in their exams. |
| 189 | * HeyYou: Rick and Vyvyan both refer to him as simply "Hippy" a good few times, generally in a tone of disgust. |
| 190 | * HopelessWithTech: He can barely use a phone properly and when he tries to use a washing machine, it spits out his clothes out of disgust. He's convinced machinery hates him. |
| 191 | * ICannotSelfTerminate: He botches his every attempt at suicide (too disgusted by the filthy gas oven to suffocate himself in it, rope too long to hang himself on a self-built gallows), so eventually resorts to putting his head in the path of a worker's sledgehammer, remarking "You'll be doing me a favor." The worker just lifts the hammer higher to strike the wall ''above'' Neil's head. |
| 192 | * IronButtMonkey: "Time" has him clocked on the head [[RunningGag several times]] with little damage. When Vyv throws a MolotovCocktail at him and Rick in "Sick", despite destroying the wall between his and Rick's room, the only effect it has on him is temporarily clearing his sinuses. |
| 193 | * TheKlutz |
| 194 | * LiteralMinded: |
| 195 | ** Uses this to annoy Rick in "Bambi." |
| 196 | ** His mother told him about the birds and the bees, but he didn't believe it, as the two animals were incompatible. |
| 197 | ** When Rick says, "Talk about Creator/OscarWilde", Neil does so. |
| 198 | ** When his mother asks if he made his bed, he replies that he bought it. |
| 199 | ** Before the bank robbery when Mike is asked about the water pistols: |
| 200 | -->'''Mike''': Let's just say, I did't get 'em Tescos, alright? |
| 201 | -->'''Neil''': (Pointing his gun at the camera) I didn't get 'em at Tescos, alright? |
| 202 | * LongHairIsFeminine: Frequently mocked for it by Vyvyan. In "Time", Sir Boryn mistakes him for a damsel. |
| 203 | * NewAgeRetroHippie: He likes "Rock Around The Clock", is severely depressed, is into New Age and has friends called Warlock, and claimed Music/JimiHendrix once pissed on his guitar amp. All in the early '80s. |
| 204 | * NiceGuy: The only "good guy" of the apartment, if passive-aggressive sometimes. |
| 205 | * OneNoteCook: He does the cooking for the household; unfortunately, he only seems to be able to cook lentils. |
| 206 | * OnlySaneMan: As the episode "Bomb" shows. |
| 207 | * ThePigPen: Not as much as Vyvyan, but several characters (and the occasional complete stranger) often complain that he smells terrible. Mike even orders him to have a bath in one episode. |
| 208 | * ShirtlessScene: Gets one in "Summer Holiday", after imagining himself to be the Incredible Hulk. |
| 209 | * StonersAreFunny: As seen in 'Party', plus his friends Warlock and Stonehenge are almost perpetually stoned. |
| 210 | * TeamMom: He's responsible for the cooking and cleaning and tends to be the more emotional one of the group. |
| 211 | ** Lampshaded at one point |
| 212 | -->'''Neil''': I do all the cooking, ''and'' the cleaning. I might as well be your mothers. |
| 213 | -->'''Rik''': That's not entirely true Neil, [[ButtMonkey we don't hate our mothers]]! |
| 214 | --> '''Neil''': All right, so not all metaphors stand up to close comparison! |
| 215 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In "Sick", he manages to trigger a riot in the neighborhood just by sneezing out the window. |
| 216 | * WalkingTechbane: See above under HopelessWithTech. |
| 217 | [[/folder]] |
| 218 | |
| 219 | [[folder:Mike]] |
| 220 | !Mike (The cool person): |
| 221 | -->'''Played by''': Christopher Ryan |
| 222 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mike_5.jpg]] |
| 223 | ->The Charmer of the flat; a smooth, flash and mysterious con-artist who tried it on with every girl he came across; he's still waiting for it to actually work. |
| 224 | * AffablyEvil: Sort of. He's not really evil, but he is implied to be involved with numerous criminal dealings and occasionally acts immaturely or insane, such as in "Oil". Despite that, he's also probably the most likeable member of the flat along with Neil and seems to be an honestly nice person at times. |
| 225 | * BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: He is revealed to be blackmailing his tutor in "Summer Holiday", which explains how he managed to get through the year despite never going to university. |
| 226 | ** Muses he might ask for a Ph.D. from the Dean, implying he has dirt on him, too. |
| 227 | ** In the opening credits for the first series, he's seen bribing a lecturer at his graduation. |
| 228 | ** Subverted in the final episode, where he's failed his final exams along with the rest of the lads. |
| 229 | * CasanovaWannabe: Although the reactions of the girls at the party and Vyv's mum imply that he's less of a wannabe than Rick, a later episode confirms that all four of the lads are virgins. |
| 230 | * TheCharmer: He attempts to enforce this reputation on himself, but isn't very successful. The other lads find him charming and he was found attractive by the girls at their party (and Vyvyan's mother), but otherwise doesn't seem to be very popular, [[CasanovaWannabe especially with the ladies.]] |
| 231 | * CoolShades: Wears 'em almost the entire time. |
| 232 | * DeadpanSnarker: Constantly makes one-liners the rest are too dim to get, most of which are pretty lame. He does have his moments, however. |
| 233 | * DistractedByMyOwnSexy: In "Bomb", just the atom bomb in their living room is about to go off, Mike is distracted by his own reflection. |
| 234 | -->'''Mike:''' Mike, the cool person, stays steady as a rock while all around him is chaos! He checks his reflection! (looks out window) That's good! That's very good! That's the only way to go! |
| 235 | * ExtremeOmnivore: During the first episode, while trying to seduce the woman from the council, he eats the cube he was chalking a pool cue with. Either that, or he was using a marshmallow because he didn't have a real chalk-cube. |
| 236 | * FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Phlegmatic - The easy-going, fun-loving one of the bunch. |
| 237 | * HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday: To the point of strewing women's underclothes around his bedroom. |
| 238 | * HellBentForLeather: Sometimes wears a leather jacket. |
| 239 | * IncrediblyLamePun: He's known for making these. |
| 240 | * KidWithTheLeash: In relation to Vyvyan. Why they have the most amicable relationship among the lads is never explained. |
| 241 | * MadeOfIron: He recovers very quickly from having [[spoiler: nailed his own legs to the table]], and may have felt no pain initially, considering he did it ''twice''. |
| 242 | * MeaningfulName: Parodied. While he speaks of himself as "Mike the cool person", there is no indication in the series that that is his last name. There is however is a book of the series, ''Bachelor Boys'' in which they feature official paperwork about the characters. In the book at least Mike's surname is Thecoolperson. The book's [[{{Canon}} canonicity]] has been debated. |
| 243 | * MysteriousPast: He's the only lad for whom no definite {{Backstory}} is given. |
| 244 | * TheNapoleon: Subverted. He's the shortest member of the flat but at the same time TheAce. His height is Lampshaded twice-in "Bambi" in the SwappedRoles bit with Christopher Ryan as [[GentleGiant Neil,]] now suddenly much shorter; and in "Nasty", when the boys are carrying the coffin, Mike is simply holding his arm up and walking along side them. |
| 245 | * NoSympathy: Far moreso than Vyvyan, he's just nice about it. |
| 246 | * NotSoAboveItAll: Despite being the member of the house least likely to start shenanigans and most likely to point out flaws in the others' wackiness, he somehow manages to stupidly nail both legs to the table in "Cash". |
| 247 | * OnlySaneMan: Well, 'saner' compared to the antics of the other three. |
| 248 | * RealMenWearPink: He's seen wearing a pair of pink pyjamas early in "Bomb". |
| 249 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He repeatedly insists he is a suave and sophisticated ladies man, even though everyone outside of the main cast seem to hate him as much as they hate the others and he is later revealed to be a virgin. The other housemates swing between actually treating him like "the boss" and treating him as if they're just playing along with his delusion. |
| 250 | * StandardizedLeader: He's the "leader" of the house, and is relatively grounded and subtle in his mannerisms. He helps to balance out the craziness of everyone else, and has his own gems occasionally though, as well as driving key "plot" moments and setting up some jokes for the rest of the cast. One could say he gives a little more direction when it's needed, and comes up with all the plans. |
| 251 | * SugarAndIcePersonality: He's generally aloof and cold, but has moments of warmth towards the others (except Rick). Particularly towards Vyvyan, like teaching him to tell the time and comforting him when Vyv's car gets destroyed and SPG dies. With Neil this is especially exaggerated, [[{{Tsundere}} being harsh and cruel to him sometimes, or being helpful or oddly kind other times.]] |
| 252 | * SunglassesAtNight: Frequently, although he is sometimes seen without them. |
| 253 | * TeamDad: By virtue of being the oldest. The others always look to him for leadership and his own behaviour towards them, such as teaching Vyvyan and Rick to tell the time or scolding Vyvyan for not controlling his socks, can often come across as parental. |
| 254 | * TwoDecadesBehind: Mike has been at college for much longer than the other three, something demonstrated by the fact his fashion sense is still stuck in TheSeventies: Aviator specs, huge ties, three-piece suits with bell-bottom trousers and so on... In fact, this pretty much cements his status as TheNapoleon by making him look even shorter. |
| 255 | ** Averted in later appearances after the show ended: By now he was sporting Wayfarers, a striped 2-piecer with shoulder pads and a slim tie. His hair was also updated as well. |
| 256 | * UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: A shady con artist. |
| 257 | * YankTheDogsChain: ''Almost'' manages to score with Cinderella in "Interesting", but she turns into a pumpkin just before he can. |
| 258 | [[/folder]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | !Recurring Characters |
| 261 | |
| 262 | [[folder: The Balowski Family]] |
| 263 | !The Balowski Family: |
| 264 | -->'''Played by''': Alexei Sayle |
| 265 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/balowski1.jpg]] |
| 266 | ->Jerzei Balowski is The Young Ones' landlord. His numerous other family members look just like him. |
| 267 | * ArmsDealer: Reggie Balowski is an international arms dealer and scrap merchant who Mike tries to sell the bomb to. |
| 268 | * AxCrazy: Jerzei becomes this after drinking Vyvyan's PsychoSerum. |
| 269 | * CloudCuckoolander: His characters are possibly the biggest ones on the show. And that's saying a lot. Billy Balowski takes this up to eleven. |
| 270 | * DropInLandlord: He's the main cast's deranged Russian landlord, and is frequently around, his eccentricity standing out even amongst the rest of the characters. |
| 271 | * {{Expy}}: The police recruiter from "Cash" is an in-universe one for UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini. It's given him a crappy life that's PlayedForLaughs. |
| 272 | * FakeNationality: In universe, Jerzei claims to be Russian, but he breaks character and tells the audience that he "Only does it to appear more sophisticated." |
| 273 | * TheFriendNobodyLikes: In "Nasty" in one of his BreakingTheFourthWall moments he mentions the other actors hate him. We get a CutawayGag showing the four actors AdamWesting themselves saying that they ''do'' hate him (Christopher Ryan doesn't even remember who he is). |
| 274 | * OurVampiresAreDifferent: "Nasty" features a South African Vampire Driving Instructor [[spoiler: who turns out to be "Harry the Bastard" in disguise.]] who can enter without being invited in if he's in a package, and is able to deny he's a vampire. |
| 275 | * OverlyLongName: In "Oil", the leader of the band Rick hires to play a concert says his name is Alexei Yuri Gagarin Siege of Stalingrad Glorious Five-Year Plan Sputnik Pravda Moscow Dynamo Back Four Balowski. It seems his dad was "a bit of a Communist". |
| 276 | ** ActorAllusion: Alexei Sayle was famously a Marxist. |
| 277 | * TalkativeLoon: The Balowskis in a nutshell. |
| 278 | * ThrowItIn: A lot of his material is ad-libbed. |
| 279 | * YouAllLookFamiliar: An entire family played by one guy. Lampshaded once or twice. |
| 280 | [[/folder]] |
| 281 | |
| 282 | [[folder: SPG]] |
| 283 | !SPG: |
| 284 | -->'''Voiced by''': Rik Mayall |
| 285 | [[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spg.jpg]] |
| 286 | -->Aka 'Special Patrol Group' (or 'Cliff Richard' just to get on Rick's nerves), he is Vyvyan's destructive, Scottish-accented pet hamster, whom he has a volatile love-hate relationship with. |
| 287 | * ArtEvolution: Has a different appearance in each episode he shows up in. |
| 288 | * BalloonBelly: Has one of those after eating all of Neil's lentils in one gulp. When Vyvyan drops him he smashes through the floorboards. |
| 289 | * TheChewToy: Usually he deserves it, though. |
| 290 | * KickTheDog: Is abused practically anytime he appears. |
| 291 | * RodentsOfUnusualSize: He's played by a puppet that's closer to guinea-pig-size than hamster-sized. |
| 292 | * TalkingAnimal: Possesses the ability to speak. |
| 293 | * TeamPet: The closest to a consistently present animal in the share house, anyway. Vyvyan takes good care of him. |
| 294 | * ViolentGlaswegian: Like owner, like hamster. The violent part, anyway. |
| 295 | [[/folder]] |
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