The Young Ones never moved out.

The house

1. RickRik Mayall

   The People’s Poet. Anarchist in theory, Cliff Richard fan in practice.

2. VyvyanAdrian Edmondson

   Punk medical student with metal stars in his forehead and a hamster called SPG. Solves most problems through a wall.

3. NeilNigel Planer

   The hippie. Cooks the lentils, does the washing up, takes the blame. Heavy.

4. MikeChristopher Ryan

   “The cool person.” Runs the house, or says he does.

Also in residence: Alexei Sayle, as most of the Balowski family, the landlord Jerzy Balowski among them.

Twelve episodes

Written by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer, produced by Paul Jackson. Six in 1982, six in 1984, then the bus went over the cliff.

A band in every episode

Every episode stops for a live band. Booking music let the BBC count the show as light entertainment, which came with a bigger budget. Madness played twice. Motörhead did “Ace of Spades” in “Bambi”. Dexys Midnight Runners turned up in “Cash”, and The Damned in “Nasty”.

The quiz

In “Bambi” the house goes on University Challenge, hosted by Griff Rhys Jones as Bambi Gascoigne. The other team, from Footlights College, Oxbridge, includes Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Emma Thompson. It ends about as well as you’d expect.

After the house

1. 1984

   Nigel Planer, as Neil, takes a cover of “Hole in My Shoe” into the UK top ten.

2. 1986

   The Young Ones and Cliff Richard, with Hank Marvin, record “Living Doll” for Comic Relief. It goes to number one.

3. 1987

   Mayall and Edmondson return as a double act in Filthy Rich & Catflap, written by Ben Elton.

4. 1991

   Bottom: Mayall and Edmondson, a flat in Hammersmith, the same violence, older.

5. 2014

   Rik Mayall dies, aged 56.

More on the show: The Young Ones on Wikipedia.