Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule (2014 TV Movie) User Reviews

A Well Deserved Tribute To A True Comic Genius

[Rabical-91 · 10/10 · 23 November 2015]

On 9th June 2014, a tragic thing happened, the legend that was Rik Mayall dropped dead of a heart attack, aged only 56. It is not very often that the death of a celebrity hits me so hard but Rik's death was quite a blow. Along with Gregor Fisher, he was a childhood idol who to this day I still hold in high regard as both an actor and comedian.

Narrated by Simon Callow, 'Rik Mayall - Lord Of Misrule' was a celebration of the comic's career showing highlights from his most memorable work such as 'The Young Ones', 'The New Statesman', 'Bottom', 'Jonathan Creek', 'Man Down', 'The Comic Strip Presents..' and 'Drop Dead Fred' as well as some seldom seen clips from his earliest stand-up routines, whether they were as one half of 'The Dangerous Brothers' or as his alter ego, the harebrained investigative Brummie reporter Kevin Turvey. Strangely not mentioned were his 1989 children's comedy show 'Grim Tales', his ITV series 'Rik Mayall Presents' and his 2002 sitcom 'Believe Nothing', scripted by Laurence Marks & Maurice Gran, who had earlier written for him 'The New Statesman'.

Anyway, that small drawback aside, the documentary was excellent. Many of Rik's greatest friends and co-stars appeared to share with us their favourite memories of working with the man. Among the contributors were Lise Meyer, Greg Davies, Alexei Sayle, Rowland Rivron, Lenny Henry, Michael Palin, Pauline Melville, Ben Elton, Paul Jackson and Ruby Wax. Mayall's long-term comedy partner Ade Edmondson declined to be interviewed. A short time prior to broadcasting, Edmondson told The Guardian: "I was sent the synopsis and it was all wacky and wild. You could see it was just going to be a load of talking heads and clips, so I pulled out of that. I just think he deserves something better than that. And I think, if someone important dies, you can't be flippant about it.". Not an unfair reason I have to admit.

Many kind words were spoken here. Greg Davies ( who bears a strong resemblance to Mayall ) recalled with fondness being greeted with a hug from Rik every morning of filming 'Man Down'. Rowland Rivron reckoned Rik's death had shook the nation so much because he never upset anyone. He loved his fans just as much as they loved him.

Within hours after Rik Mayall's death, the streets of London were strewn with messages of sympathy, flowers, pictures and even banners proclaiming ''R.I.P. Rik''. You may think that ridiculous, but it just went to show how much his fans ( myself included ) loved him. Rik's death was also on about every front page. One wonderful front page ( which is mentioned here ) was that of 'The Times' in which Michael Gove said that is was about time British values were introduced into schools and right next the article was a picture of Rik in character from 'The Young Ones'. Another wonderful headline featured on the front page of 'The Sun' read ''R.I.P. Rik. You were a funny B'Stard!'.

As the documentary came to a close, Simon Callow concluded by slowly and thoughtfully reciting the lyrics from the opening theme to 'The Young Ones'. As Callow finished off with - ''there's a song to be sung, because we may not be the young ones very long!'', I found myself close to tears.

With his iconic comic status still reaching new audiences, up in that great studio set in the sky, one Richard Michael Mayall must be looking down, smiling and saying to himself: ''Quite bloody right too!''

The Peoples Poet

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 5 April 2015]

It was in the 1990s when we had early casualties of the 1960s satirists/comedians/actors such as Peter Cook, Willie Rushton and John Wells. Roy Kinnear had died in 1988 in an on set accident.

So its no surprise that about 30 years after they burst on to the alternative comedy scene we are having some early casualties of the comedians/actors from the 1980s era. Mel Smith passed away in 2013 and Rik Mayall's death in 2014 came as a shock to many of his fans, he was only 56.

With bombastic commentary from Simon Callow this was a tribute to Rik from celebrity fans and collaborators. We saw clips from The New Statesman, The Young Ones, Blackadder, Man Down, The Comic Strip, Kevin Turvey. There was unseen footage but I was struck by a big omission. Although we had Lenny Henry and Ben Elton taking part. Absent was his good friend and comedy partner Adrian Edmondson, as well as Nigel Planer, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Christopher Ryan. Maybe they were still too upset to take part.

Still it was a decent enough tribute but I expected something more in depth and maybe a straightforward commentary.

Predictable Trot Through the Life of the Comedy Actor

[l_rawjalaurence · 5/10 · 11 January 2015]

With portentous narration by Simon Callow, RICK MAYALL - LORD OF MISRULE tells a familiar tale of the life of the comedian and star of such groundbreaking series as THE YOUNG ONES, THE NEW STATESMAN and BOTTOM. With the help of friends and colleagues such as Ben Elton, Ruby Wax and others (but interestingly not Ade Edmondson - Mayall's longtime partner) we learn about Mayall's supreme self- confidence on stage, as well as his belief in himself. Even while a student at Manchester University, he was convinced that he was going to be a great comedy star. At the same time - perhaps conventionally - we learn that he was a warmhearted person offstage, free of the kind of neuroses that plagued the lives of other great comics of the past.

The program includes clips of all Mayall's famous television series, as well as fascinating examples of his early work as a stand-up comedian. He possessed a unique capacity to make people laugh, even when he wasn't actually saying anything funny. But there is a lingering sense that director Andy Humphries hasn't got too much to say in this program (the ubiquitous Michael Palin turns up to offer his thoughts, even though he has little or nothing to do with the development of Mayall's professional career). Perhaps a half-hour format might have been better suited to the material.