This is Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondsons fifth Bottom live show, and this one is, as always, worth a watch - especially if you are a fan of the two immature old boys :) I won't recommend it for a first time Bottom live show watcher, since this one is weaker than the first three live shows, and not nearly as much fun. But then again it's not as "weak/bad" as the fourth, An Arse Oddity. But not to worry, there's still quite a few memorable moments that make you laugh out loud (for example the scene with "The Evacuator" ... which is a clever little device to be used in stead of a toilet ... Richie is of course the one who test drives it - trust me, this scene will leave your in tears with laughter) - and this live show does contain one of their best and most impressive scenes - the one where they travel 30 minutes back in time with Eddies invented time machine "The Turdis". Thereafter they fast forward those 30 minutes, which means they have to reenact the 30 minutes they have already acted once, and they do this in a very VERY fast pace. I was really impressed with this stunt as it must have taken a REALLY long time to choreograph into perfection. Well - to the plot: In this live show Eddie has invented several thing: The "Time Machine" (The Turdis") i've just mentioned, "Weapons Grade Lager" and "The Patent Painless Tattoo-Remover". And that's pretty much the plot... What other thing, that happens in this show I will leave as a surprise. It's worth a watch, but don't watch it with too high expectation, because this one is not their funniest work.
8 Reviews
''You can tell we're in Essex, can't you?''
Rabical-9119 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Two years after their last show 'Bottom Live 2001 - An Arse Oddity', Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson resurrected Richie and Eddie for one last stage outing - 'Bottom Live 2003 - Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour', filmed live from The Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.
'Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour' kicks off with Richie, desperate to use the toilet, being unable to relieve himself due to the fact that Eddie has been locked in the bathroom for a fortnight. After gaining access he is shocked to discover that Eddie has been creating all sorts of creations, such as Weapons Grade Lager ( which he has named 'G.M.T.V' ), The Patent Painless Tattoo Remover ( which does not so much remove the tattoo as make it merely illegible, as Richie finds out much to his cost ) and a special vacuum cleaner of which the suction is so powerful it strips a room of its entire contents.
Richie is also surprised to find that Eddie has built a time-travelling toilet as well, which he names 'The Turdis' ( an blatant dig at 'Doctor Who' ). Predictably, one mishap leads to another and Richie and Eddie end up being blasted into the unknown, only for The Turdis to run out of power in the middle of nowhere. Survival looks slim...
'Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour' is not a shining example of Rik and Ade at their best but it is not a bad farewell either. Some gags were recycled from previous shows such as the Stephen Fry reference from 'The Big Number 2 Tour' and 'The Pants Song' from 'An Arse Oddity, neither of which worked particularly well here ( though in my opinion 'The Pants Song' didn't work first time round ).
There are some corkers though such as Eddie rhetorically asking Richie ''Who would have thought you could have been so full of s**t!'' after sucking the waste from his body with the vacuum, Richie claiming to have a 'quad bike flashback' ( another reference to Mayall's quad bike accident ) and Eddie's underpants shrinking to microscopic proportions whilst he is still in them.
And that is where 'Bottom' ends. Rik and Ade felt they were getting a bit too long in the tooth to be knocking each other about with frying pans and were keen to move on. Probably a wise decision. In 2012, Rik and Ade planned on making a revival of 'Bottom' for television based on the 'Hooligan's Island' stage show but due to Edmondson's reluctance, it never came to anything.
Funniest moment - Richie asking Eddie why he has named his home-brewed lager 'G.M.T.V'. ''Because it completely f**ks up your mind!'', replies Eddie.
Second funniest moment - Richie and Eddie apparently having travelled so far back in time they have transformed into Vyvyan and Rik from 'The Young Ones', much to the delight of the audience.
'Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour' kicks off with Richie, desperate to use the toilet, being unable to relieve himself due to the fact that Eddie has been locked in the bathroom for a fortnight. After gaining access he is shocked to discover that Eddie has been creating all sorts of creations, such as Weapons Grade Lager ( which he has named 'G.M.T.V' ), The Patent Painless Tattoo Remover ( which does not so much remove the tattoo as make it merely illegible, as Richie finds out much to his cost ) and a special vacuum cleaner of which the suction is so powerful it strips a room of its entire contents.
Richie is also surprised to find that Eddie has built a time-travelling toilet as well, which he names 'The Turdis' ( an blatant dig at 'Doctor Who' ). Predictably, one mishap leads to another and Richie and Eddie end up being blasted into the unknown, only for The Turdis to run out of power in the middle of nowhere. Survival looks slim...
'Weapons Grade Y-Fronts Tour' is not a shining example of Rik and Ade at their best but it is not a bad farewell either. Some gags were recycled from previous shows such as the Stephen Fry reference from 'The Big Number 2 Tour' and 'The Pants Song' from 'An Arse Oddity, neither of which worked particularly well here ( though in my opinion 'The Pants Song' didn't work first time round ).
There are some corkers though such as Eddie rhetorically asking Richie ''Who would have thought you could have been so full of s**t!'' after sucking the waste from his body with the vacuum, Richie claiming to have a 'quad bike flashback' ( another reference to Mayall's quad bike accident ) and Eddie's underpants shrinking to microscopic proportions whilst he is still in them.
And that is where 'Bottom' ends. Rik and Ade felt they were getting a bit too long in the tooth to be knocking each other about with frying pans and were keen to move on. Probably a wise decision. In 2012, Rik and Ade planned on making a revival of 'Bottom' for television based on the 'Hooligan's Island' stage show but due to Edmondson's reluctance, it never came to anything.
Funniest moment - Richie asking Eddie why he has named his home-brewed lager 'G.M.T.V'. ''Because it completely f**ks up your mind!'', replies Eddie.
Second funniest moment - Richie and Eddie apparently having travelled so far back in time they have transformed into Vyvyan and Rik from 'The Young Ones', much to the delight of the audience.
They got old, but definately did not lose it!!!
filmfreak-52 January 2004
I found out purely by coincidence on imdb that this was out, didn't know...ordered it from amazon.co.uk and had it three days later..
This is yet another masterpiece of a show...personally I think they started to focus a little TOO much on butt-jokes, but it's ok.. It's no news ofcourse, but it's gotten a little too anal focused now...but it's no problem, it's still one hell of a joyride, and I still give it 10/10 although I still prefer the older stuff a little bit more..
Rik and Ade is still empowered like hell, you can see they're not totally young anymore, but atleast they have not sold out like to many genious geezers before them once they start to fear not being able to each the cash they need...these guys are still going strong, and all I wish could for, was that they would take their live shows around the world, and not JUST in the UK....I would literally kill to see these guys live!
This is yet another masterpiece of a show...personally I think they started to focus a little TOO much on butt-jokes, but it's ok.. It's no news ofcourse, but it's gotten a little too anal focused now...but it's no problem, it's still one hell of a joyride, and I still give it 10/10 although I still prefer the older stuff a little bit more..
Rik and Ade is still empowered like hell, you can see they're not totally young anymore, but atleast they have not sold out like to many genious geezers before them once they start to fear not being able to each the cash they need...these guys are still going strong, and all I wish could for, was that they would take their live shows around the world, and not JUST in the UK....I would literally kill to see these guys live!
it is fantastic.a must for fans of this type of humour
nickybeet19813 January 2006
i saw this tour live in Birmingham and they were great. They interact with the crowd so well. I would say that this was there second best tour behind hooligans island. I don't think that they have lost any of there spark. I also have the video of this tour and it is laugh out loud funny. i definitely recommend that any bottom or young ones fan goes out to the shops straight away 2 buy this Ade+Rik are true comic geniuses of our time. this was there last live tour and what a way 2 finish. this was a top notch performance from start to finish i would definitely give i a 10 out of 10 not only for content but also for style and stage presence.the other reason this works so well is that u can truly believe that Ade edmondson is Eddie Hitler and that Rik mayall is Richard Richard Esq. I must issue a warning though,when i first saw this show i laughed so much that my face,ribs and stomach hurt for days. This show just like the other live shows,bottom series and the actors definitely get better with age and the more you watch the funnier it becomes.This is just what u expect from Rik+Ade but thats not to say it is boring,formulaic or predictable.
After 13 years they still got it
shepja710 December 2003
The two loser's on the stain on underwear of life Richie and Eddie return with their un-orthadox, crazy, and disgusting knob gags, in this sellout UK tour that left audiences laughing, me included, as I went to see it LIVE and got it on DVD.
After spending 15 days in the lavatory, Eddie has invented some of the most....useless contraptions in the history of man, based on ideas conceived by Richie's uncle. A giant toaster, painful tattoo remover, and weapons grade alcohol. But his most brilliant idea, and time machine made out of the toilet, which Eddie has dubbed....'The Turdis'. Together they travel through time and space trying to get to the bar before the audience does, but with bad consequences.
The story, though sounding extremely, EXTREMELY far-fetched, is another great comedy classic made by the slapstic kings Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, and the fight scenes, though obviously fake, still pack in the laughs.
Another definate great from the duo, and I would love it if they returned in two years with another show, because an after 13 years, from their first episode in 1991, to their first Live show, their debut film, to the present, I feel they still have what it takes, to make great comedy.
After spending 15 days in the lavatory, Eddie has invented some of the most....useless contraptions in the history of man, based on ideas conceived by Richie's uncle. A giant toaster, painful tattoo remover, and weapons grade alcohol. But his most brilliant idea, and time machine made out of the toilet, which Eddie has dubbed....'The Turdis'. Together they travel through time and space trying to get to the bar before the audience does, but with bad consequences.
The story, though sounding extremely, EXTREMELY far-fetched, is another great comedy classic made by the slapstic kings Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson, and the fight scenes, though obviously fake, still pack in the laughs.
Another definate great from the duo, and I would love it if they returned in two years with another show, because an after 13 years, from their first episode in 1991, to their first Live show, their debut film, to the present, I feel they still have what it takes, to make great comedy.
The best of the Bottom live shows
harryplinkett1424 March 2020
It was the best possible final show. It's an homage to everything these two have done not just in 'Bottom', but in their entire careers. This is the sublimation of these characters and the themes that underpin the 'Bottom' show. It operates on a meta level that true fans will no doubt find most enjoyable. The show virtually dispenses with a plot, and comes across as an indulgent orgy of excess, as well as beautiful, laconic summary of the protagonists' character traits and the very essence of what makes them so funny and tragic at the same time. Of course, this applies mostly to the character of Richie, who is at the core of the entire show, with Eddie just being around to animate Richie's personality. Thus, the show is a mix of this beautiful laying bare of the very essence of what 'Bottom' is about, and of gratuitous indulgence in violence and depravity on a level suitable for a grand finale. It's everything a fan of the show would want. My only complaint is that it ends on a sort of anticlimax. I expected a treat at the end that never came to pass. Hence nine stars instead of ten.
Brill!
jess238864 February 2004
I had the pleasure of seeing this show in Manchester, it was on a Friday after Rik and Ade had done 4 consecutive nights all over the UK, and yet they still had the energy to make the show great for us!
The DVD is also brilliant, let's hope they do another show together... long live Rik and Ade :)
The DVD is also brilliant, let's hope they do another show together... long live Rik and Ade :)
Good but not their best
Bulldog713 January 2004
I have watched every Bottom Live show and own copies of three of them. This is the least good of the lot. I say least good instead of worst because it is still extremely funny. I do think it could have done with a better ending though. Overall I think it was very funny and I can watch it over and over just as I have done with the others. It falls short of the others by only getting 7 out of 10 to the 9 and aboves but still a very worthy effort.
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