willman85 They are presented as life's losers - Richie more so - and their failure at relationships and work are relatable to a degree. Work and relationships are the Big Two most important drives of our lives. In Rik and Ade's own words, Richie and Eddie are the "bottom of the heap" and "unemployed survivors".Alcoholism and dimwittedness are implied to be the factors for their "bottom" position in society. But some of the comedy is in how the duo exhibit flashes of engineering brilliance, or cultural refinedness, or articulate and poetic verbals, in the face of their grim surroundings. It must be stated, however, that these are mere flashes. They are not indicative of intelligence but merely an emulation of it.There weren't many weak episodes - I count Dough, Break and Finger - but the fact that these appear by the end of the run (in Series 3) suggests that the premise might not have been as strong as hoped. Having said that, the remaining three episodes in Series 3 were very strong - Hole particularly so - so maybe quality control in the writing was hampered by laziness or a lack of time or care. Overall the show has a unique comedy BRAND, one that only Rik and Ade can pull off. But the novelty apparently wore off at 18 episodes. Much of the comedy lies in the high degree of suspension of disbelief. Richie, Eddie, Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog are the only ridiculous, absurd, insane characters, and everyone else are sane and normal (if not mad and violent). But the universe gets presented more and more as a rather fantastical place, and physical laws get broken. The shock, surprise and horror loses its impact after a while, and the lifespan would have been greater had they'd have eased into the absurd more gently.Three series is still a respectable run, it must be said. The Mighty Boosh was very much even more surreal, and shared the same lifespan plus 2 more episodes. Bottom, however, has more longevity in re-watch value; The Mighty Boosh's novelty wears thin from repeated viewings quicker IMO. I'd add that I think more stories with Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog would have added to the lifespan, or at least improve weaker script ideas.Minor criticisms aside, Bottom is characterful and unique; and Rik + Ade's comic physicality had no comparison in the early 90s. It wasn't just the violent fighting, it was the reactions in their faces, the delivery of lines, and the pathos. They had chemistry.

RCthirtyDunloP I may be bias towards this show but I have great reason to be. Since being a kid I've grown up with this comic gem and no matter how many times I watch it, it never gets old or boring to me. Rik and Ade's chemistry and genius cannot be matched or replicated, this show is a one off in a lot of senses. Both of their over the top violence and scheming is just off the wall! Lol. It's the kind of show that can rerun scenes in your mind throughout the day and brighten up a dull one! A true one off, comic gem stamp, in English T.V. Comedy history! And of course, I totally recommend it :-) Also, if you watch this and like it, check out the live shows! They're more rude, crude and completely insane! :-P

Audrey_L This show is one of my favorite comedies. When I was a kid, I saw a few episodes from each season on TV, but I never had a chance to see the whole series. In the light of Mr. Mayall's passing, I've decided to watch a few shows in which he starred, to honor his life and work. Up until today I've seen "Bottom", "The New Statesman", "The Young Ones" and "Filthy Rich & Catflap".Last week, I watched "Bottom" from start to finish and I absolutely loved it, that was such a treat. Although some people on IMDb's message board complain that the third series was cartoonish, I don't mind that, to me it's equally good as the first two seasons. My favorite episodes are "Apocalypse", "Holy" and "Finger". But the other episodes are not far behind those three. A lot of times the sequence of events was so silly and surreal that it made me think: 'Oh no, they're not gonna go that far' and they always did. The violent slapstick is marvelously executed and so are the duologue's between Eddie and Richard. Supporting characters, especially Dave Hedgehog and Spud Gun are also charming. I was glad to see Helen Lederer as a guest star, whenever I see her on screen I remember Catriona from Ab Fab. All in all, this is a great show.I give it a 10/10

darksorcerer What else more could you want? Ric and Ade from the young ones together again as the lovable characters Richard Richard and Eddie Hitler.Bottom takes some of the slapstick violent humor from the young ones and the Dangerous brothers and integrates it with some mental instability,poor hygiene habits,alcohol and more violence and fighting.Both character are lovable in there own way and there is always a laugh around the corner, some episodes feature former young one Christopher Ryan (mike the cool person) as Dave hedgehog and the famous 'spudd gun'I have all the DVD collection of bottom. I cannot say anything else but buy or rent them Thats if you one for funny crazy British humor