Young ones 25th year DVD box set

[Jonsmad]

A little news about a new dvd that this website tipped me off about a while back.

I wonder in relation to the paragraph below, whether Chris or Norman might
pop up briefly in the 3rd documentary that is planned for the extras.

http://www.phoenixmedia.co.uk/phoenix/news.htm

“Also we’re planning a couple other docos as well, one is about the comedy
revolution of the late 70’s early 80’s leading to the inevitable explosion onto
our mainstream screens, another is about all the guest stars that appeared on the show, because a remarkable fact of The Young Ones was how a very large percentage of the guest talent that appeared on the show went on to become the cream of not only British comedy but also award winning acting talent and we felt it had to be acknowledged.”

Topic

[pfm]

I CANNOT WAIT for this release!

Just think of all the people they could have for those docos. A who’s who of ’80s comedy, anyone?? Even if Chris or Norman aren’t interviewed I’m sure they’ll get a mention. And it says they’re doing cast commentaries which should be interesting. Thank god this FANTASTIC and OFTEN CRIMINALLY OVERLOOKED IN BEST SITCOM POLLS series is getting a set that it deserves.

[Phil]

I saw one episode of The Young Ones and I didn’t like it.

*is stoned to death, and probably rightly so*

[pfm]

> I saw one episode of The Young Ones and I didn?t like it.

Can you remember which one it was or what it was about?

[John Hoare]

I honestly can’t think of a comedy release that I want an extras-laden release of more. This is just fabulous stuff. And I never thought it’d happen, with the lacklustre releases a few years ago…

Also: FUCKING COMMENTARIES! YES!

[Phil]

>Can you remember which one it was or what it was about?

Nah, this goes back YEARS. All I remember is that one of the characters…some guy in a hat…I think there was a party going on in the house, or something, and the guy in the hat was addressing the camera about how he didn’t like that a party was going on. Or that he did like it. I dunno. Something with him addressing the camera is all that I remember.

I HAVE kept meaning to give it another shot, but British shows aren’t run commonly here (except for PBS and BBC America), and I haven’t had the chance to watch it again since.

Now that I’ve enjoyed so much else from the mind of Ben Elton, I reckon I’d be better equipped this time around.

[Danny Stephenson]

Sounds like ‘Summer Holiday’ to me…

Young Ones is brilliant. Give it a(nother) go!

My dad nearly didn’t watch Red Dwarf because he didnt’ like the idea of a small red person running around a ship. Or monty Python coz he doesn’t like snakes. or circuseseseses.

Go figure!

[Seb Patrick]

Phil, seriously, fucking download it. The lot of it.

[Seb Patrick]

Also Phil, reply to my email, y’bastard.

[Phil]

>Phil, seriously, fucking download it. The lot of it.

Actually, I was thinking of picking this set up if it’s cheap enough. I don’t DOUBT I’d enjoy it…I just must have seen it at a time I wasn’t receptive to its type of humor.

But I’ll be on the lookout for downloads.

>Also Phil, reply to my email, y?bastard.

!!!

I didn’t get one! Where did you send it? My yahoo account?

[Seb Patrick]

It’s the one you’ve now replied to, on the NTS list ;-)

[pfm]

> Sounds like ?Summer Holiday? to me?

My guess is that it was ‘Interesting’.

[Danny Stephenson]

> My guess is that it was ?Interesting?.

It could’ve been a number of episodes to be honest. A lot of dialogue in young ones is directed at the camera, particularly Alexei Sayle’s bits. And there a lot of parties…

[Danny Stephenson]

I’ve already bought the First vanilla releases of Young Ones. Will this new box set feature the uncut versions?

[pfm]

> Will this new box set feature the uncut versions?

There’s a thought. Who knows how much they’d have to fork out to use the songs they had to cut. They might not bother. Is there other cut material?

[John Hoare]

All the episodes were 35 minutes long originally, but there are also 30 minute long versions, which are often shown instead now. I don’t actually know what’s on the original DVDs, as I refused to buy them, although the BBFC would suggest that it’s mostly the 35 minute versions.

But yes, there were music edits. Hopefully they’ll manage to clear as much of it as possible for this release – the extras would suggest that a lot of care and attention has gone into it, and they will. I suspect anything that isn’t in this release is just currently completely unclearable.

[Jonsmad]

The only major ommission from the shows I could see missing on the original release in Region 1 dvd, was the Jool’s holland super band Bob Dylan number was cut completely from “cash”. Dont know about the UK dvd’s though.

[Danny Stephenson]

I’m looking forward to this release. One program there isn’t much information about is the Young One. I had a book of it a while back: “An anarchist’s guide” or something, it’s gone elsewhere. Saying that actually, we used to have all the original Star Wars toys and we ended up selling those at a car boot. They’re worth a fortune now!!!

[pfm]

I have the Young Ones book ‘Bachelor Boys’. I remember it uses the phrase ‘Smeg-face’ as an insult in it (this was written in 1984, yet another pre-Dwarf use of the word). I’ll have to dig it out again, it’s funnier than most TV tie-in books. Now you’re lucky if you get actual content in them.

[Seb Patrick]

Hmmm. Are these the band performances that get cut, then? That’s a shame – there are quite a few that are more incidental (and, for want of a better word, crap), but some that are not only great, but also necessary narrative-wise as you get the boys travelling somewhere while the band’s playing – I’m thinking specifically of Madness in “Boring” and Motorhead in “Bambi”, here.

Also, I love the story of why the bands were even in the show in the first place…

[Jonsmad]

Madness and motorhead are on the dvd region 1 i have, I think all the other
songs are there.

It’s only the bob dylan song they had trouble clearing I think.
Most of the bands that appear in the show singing their own songs
get a few of some kind for appearing I guess so are happy to clear
the song rights. But Dylan isnt singing that one, it’s jools holland,
rowland rivron and some bloke out of the police, so maybe dylan gets
lets money or perhaps he doesnt like the version who knows.

[Danny Stephenson]

Aye it’s just the Jools Holland, still there’s a big jump in the episode. I couldn’t put my finger on it til I realised that the music was cut from it.

[Jonathan Capps]

> Also, I love the story of why the bands were even in the show in the first place?

There’s something about Paul Jackson and getting the absolute most money he can for his sit-coms, isn’t there?

[Tanya Jones]

>Aye it?s just the Jools Holland, still there?s a big jump in the episode. I couldn?t put my finger on it til I realised that the music was cut from it.

It’s my favourite performance, as well…

[Danny Stephenson]

it’s weird how some songs can trigger a past memory. I was in a shop and I heard “Our House” by Madness. To this day I can’t hear that song and NOT think of the Young Ones.

[Seb Patrick]

It’s “House of Fun” that they play in The Young Ones, though, isn’t it?

“N-n-n-n-n-n-no no miss, you’ve misunderstood – sixteen today, full pint, in my manhood”.

[Danny Stephenson]

they play both, fella. House Of Fun they play at the “Kebab and Calculator”

and they also play Our House, outside Their House when they’ve all got colds and they’re performing acupuncture on Neil. With Six-Inch Nails.

[John Hoare]

Yep, House of Fun is in Boring – Our House is in Sick.

[Danny Stephenson]

I’ve always had a problem remembering the names of the episodes….

[pfm]

The first series contains a couple of the most surreal sitcom episodes you’ll see.

[Jonsmad]

Pulling that BBFC trick,
Here are the documentary extras for the box set.

Run Time 75m 10s
The cast for this work includes: Mark Arden, Andy Le Tour, Lisa Mayer.

Widescreen, DVD additional material – THE YOUNG ONES DVD EXTRAS,

13:23:15 ALTERNATIVE REBELLION – THE COMEDY BEHIND THE YOUNG ONES
50:27:02 SILVER JUBILEE 25 YEARS – THE MAKING OF THE YOUNG ONES
11:19:05 THE GUEST STARS – THE OTHER YOUNG ONES

Wonder if Chris or Norman are in the third featurette.

[John Hoare]

That’s a great set of documentaries.

I’m really, *really* hoping the rumoured commentaries are going to be on there…

[Seb Patrick]

>The cast for this work includes: Mark Arden, Andy Le Tour, Lisa Mayer

Hooray! As anyone who’s seen Comedy Connections will attest, more of Lise Meyer onscreen is a GOOD THING.

[Jonsmad]

Warning contains spoilers for anyone who doesnt want to hear more about
this DVD before buying it.

…..

Well there is good and bad with this DVD release. Picked up my copy this morning.

First the bad. Advertising “commentaries” on the back of your dvd and not saying how many or who is bit a of marketing angle rip off in my mind. People may assume 12 commentarys and them being full cast. Neither of which is true.

2ndly the non appearance of Rik, Ade, Chris Ryan, and Ben Elton on this dvd in the documentaries and commentary is a huge gaping hole in this attempt at being some kind of 25th year celebration. Alexi and Nigel are interesting, but cant carry the whole documentary from everyone view point and the complete non mention of Chris Ryan is an insult, yeah so we didnt expect a huge focus on him, but no mention at all in the documentary, though this is made up for in the commentary.

3rdly although, lengthy and interesting the main documentary lacks structure, it’s got a good begining and a good end with people saying which bit they liked most. The middle wanders all over different aspects of the show without much focus. Sure they do split the memories up by series a little, but the end of the young ones and the bus comes up 3 times I think in different bits.

…

And now the good bits, Sebs comment that more of Lise Meyer is a good thing, is spot on she’s great and a real indepth insight, as is tons of Ed bye and Paul Jackson. In fact the Ed Bye stuff that is “prop related” is fantastic and fits in like an early chapter on him before Red Dwarf (which he mentions once) documentaries cover his later work.

Any kind of dream we might have had of a huge cast for these doccos from the excellent Red Dwarf documentarys (which this disc is copying the style of) are sadly limited to Andy De la Tour, Mark Arden, Geoff Posner, but it’s nice to see them and get their input. The talking is wider than some previous young ones doccumentary stuff thats come before so we do get some new insights.

The talking about special effects and animation is great stuff, and early glimpses of neil pre young ones I’d never seen, though I’d seen the rik poet ones. The way they cover the flash frames topic is very well done.

Well better than no commentarys at all, are 2 commentarys over “Demolition” and “summer holiday” by Paul Jackson and Geoff Posner. Both a delight to listen too over the first (pilot) and last show. Paul Jackson despite getting the odd fact wrong, pretty much never lets a gap appear in the commentary and is interesting through out the 70ish minutes these two shows cover. Just like a
good commentary should do this sheds new light onto the show, pointing out,
people, effects and recording techniques that I hadnt thought of before in relation to the show. They cover other episodes too sometimes with in the plot,
and find out the inside exclusive on what happend to spg! and which main stream comedy double act influenced vyvian trousers.

I’ve checked if the Jools Holland song is edited out or not, and excellently it’s there! Ace. so better than my USA dvds. So I dont know if this means these are all uncut episodes. What else was trimmed before on US or UK release?

The guests stars and band get there own short featurette which isnt much but it’s nice it’s been included to highlight this aspect of the show, no one new is interviewed in this section either though.

Menu’s are reminisent of the young ones computer game style box, with messyness
and an overhead veiw of a bubbling lentil pot, and let them play to the end for a small surprise. The slip case packaging is nice. I like the rat on the spine.

This could have been a whole lot more, but the little more that it is over previous uk sets, is greater than just leaving this show extra less. I enjoyed the documentaries and glad they made some kind of effort to beef up a uk box set release. I’m still keeping my region one set to go along with it. I would have wished for deleted scenes, out takes or more cast involvement, but without that in the budget they could have at least included comedy connections, the usa box set extras or more boom boom footage to flesh this out to something truly all the more encompassing.

[pfm]

I thought it was mentioned a while ago that there was a reunion of the cast for the DVD extras? Someone was talking out of their arse (it wasn’t me, for once, I assure you). I can’t believe Rik Mayall and Ben Elton weren’t involved. Mayall in particular just IS the show. I wonder if they chose not to do it or other reasons got in the way.

[John Hoare]

Ta for that, Jonsmad. Sounds well worth getting, despite the obvious flaws.

And: a Paul Jackson commentary! Blimey.

[Tanya Jones]

And Ken Bishop’s Nice Twelve! Awesome!

[Anonymous]

Is the racist policeman bit in Boring there? ‘Sorry John, I thought you were a nigger’ being the line that is most likely to be cut.

[John Hoare]

“That’s white man’s electricity you’re burning…”

[pfm]

Did it make it on the first DVD release?

[Danny Stephenson]

i think it did, i’ll have a look later tonight and reveal all…

[John Hoare]

i?ll have a look later tonight and reveal all?

:-o

[Danny Stephenson]

> i think it did, i?ll have a look later tonight and reveal all?

Well, I thought it did, I said I’d have a look later and I said I’d reveal all… Sorry John, no willy tonight, perhaps later…

Yep, it’s completely uncut as far as I can tell.

[Anonymous]

yay. this really does sound like a good release.

[Author]

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