So says Adrian Edmondson

It was a groundbreaking sitcom that defined a generation of comedy – but its star Adrian Edmondson reckons The Young Ones hasn't aged well.

And in a new interview, he also was keen to underplay the importance of the groundbreaking 1980s show, which also starred Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle.

Confessing that he has only seen it 'occasionally' since it aired between 1982 and 1984, Edmondson told The Mail on Sunday's Event magazine: ‘It looks tired and slow. If you watch The Good Life now though, you think: yeah that still looks relevant. You think: that’s funny.’

Which may be an ironic comment to make given his character Vyvyan Basterd railed against the Richard Briers sitcom on the alternative comedy classic, raging: 'They're nothing but a couple of reactionary stereotypes, confirming the myth that everyone in Britain is a lovable middle-class eccentric. And I hate them!'

And reacting to the suggestion that the show – written by Mayall, Ben Elton and Lise Mayer – revolutionised comedy, Edmondson said: '‘I think you might be overstating what effect we had.

 ‘We were always a cult. Which is a nice way of saying we delivered very low audience figures.’

The actor, now 63, was speaking about his role in the Sky Atlantic series Save Me Too, about a man searching for his missing teenage daughter, which airs from Wednesday.

Published: 29 Mar 2020