New retrospective for the Gold channel

Adrian Edmondson is to give his first-hand account of how he and Rik Mayall made Bottom in a new two-hour programme.

Bottom: Exposed is being made for the Gold channel and will also feature previously unseen footage as well as contributions from cast, crew and famous fans, plus narration from Stephen Fry.

 Adrian Edmondson said: ‘A long time ago, deep in the mists of time, two blokes – I was one of them, Rik Mayall was the other – decided to make a career out of beating the shit out of each other.

‘It was a tempestuous, an anarchic and occasionally quite a dangerous time – we both required hospital treatment on occasion – but above all, it was bloody good fun. 

‘We made each other laugh, and luckily for us, we made audiences laugh. This programme seeks to get to the bottom of why it worked.’

Bottom ran for 18 episodes across three series from 1991 to 1995, and spawned five successful stage shows. 

Those taking part in the retrospective include producer and series director Ed Bye, former cast members Helen Lederer, Kevin McNally, Roger Sloman, Lisa Maxwell and Paul Bradley, and celebrity fans such as Chris McCausland and Maisie Adam.

Matt Crook, executive producer on the new show, said: ‘[Bottom] was such a huge show and has never had a documentary until now, so we feel incredibly privileged and excited to be given this opportunity by UKTV to work with Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall’s estate to celebrate one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.’

And Gold’s Jason Dawson, said: ‘With reams of unseen footage and contributions from beloved alumni and famous fans, audiences are in for a treat.’ 

Bottom: Exposed will air later this year.

Published: 9 Feb 2024