Max Kinnings

Rik: The Lives And Times Of Rik Mayall is the only official authorised biography of the star of shows including The Young Ones and Bottom, who left a huge legacy, having died in his fifties in 2014.

Using over 100 hours of conversations recorded with Rik himself, interviews with his close family and many long-term friends and collaborators, as well as a host of legendary writers, promoters, TV executives, and figures from across the entertainment world, Rik: The Lives And Times Of Rik Mayall is full of amazing stories about the lives he led, the shows he starred in, and the people he was influenced by and influenced in turn.

As a backdrop, it paints a vivid picture of post-war British culture, from rundown 1970s Manchester where Rik first found his love for comedy and life-long colleagues, to the explosion of British alternative comedy talent in the 1980s, where Rik first found success, from The Young Ones and his brief and brilliant cameos as Flashheart in Blackadder, through to The New Statesman and Bottom, appearances on the West End stage and a brief flirtation with Hollywood. The book also discusses the impact of the quad bike accident in 1998 that put him in a coma for five days, and his relationship with comedy partner, Adrian Edmondson.

First published: Wednesday 8th March 2028