Planer guesses hippy's future

The Young Ones actor Nigel Planer reckons his character Neil would be a millionaire by now.

Planer said he saw the hapless hippy making a fortune in the Eighties property boom, then setting up his own range of ethical products, like the Body Shop.

And he said that Rik would most likely be a bank clerk, Viv in prison and Mike a gynaecologist 20 years down the line.

Planer said he it was unlikely there would ever be a follow-up to the cult sitcom, even though fans are always asking him about it.

"Ben Elton has the rights to it," he said. "And he's bit grand for that."

Planer was talking at the Edinburgh Book Festival, where he was promoting his book Faking It, about men's post-feminist crisis of identity.

And he revealed he had another literary project on the go.

He said: "It's ostensibly called The Long Night Of The Penis, but I don't think I am going to get the time to do it.

"I have the four main characters, but not the plot."

He said he subsidises his writing from his acting, making it difficult to set aside enough time to work.

Published: 27 Aug 2001