Bachelor Boys: The Young Ones Book

by Terence Blacker

BACHELOR The Young Ones Book by Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer 1984 Softcover 8 x 9 inches Sphere Books Ltd. London RICK, VYVYAN, MIKE and NEIL

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Tv, Comedy

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Terence Blacker wanted to be a jockey when he grew and up. In fact, he could ride before he could walk, and his childhood hero was the great steeplechaser Mill House (a horse). He lives in Norfolk, England.

Reviews

[Michael Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book more than any other. I think that says a lot about me.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

People think I’m being glib when I tell them I’d trade this book for Virginia Woolf’s collected works.

I’m not.

[Ian Wood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having recently re-watched ‘The Young Ones’ on DVD and found it very much as entertaining as I did twenty five years ago as a callow youth, I dug out this book and found it pretty disappointing.

Where the humour works on the screen as a sort of live action cartoon when reduced to the written word it’s all a bit puerile really. Still when I was a teenager I thought it great, I was probably a bit puerile really. Hope I live before I get old.

[Zondrae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reread this book so many times over the years it is in pretty poor shape! It isn't a novel as such, but lighthearted toilet humour that still cracks me up. It was amazing to read as an 18 year old and now being somewhat older I still get an inane giggle out of the stupidity of it all. Love it!

[Nakaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personally I thought it was really quite entertaining. I'll agree that the humour works better on-screen than off, but with a certain dose of imagination it really doesn't take much to envision the characters writing or acting out what you read on the pages.
It's nice to have an extension in some form of a series with (sadly) only 12 episodes.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayzing

[Tim]

The best book in the whole world!

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect coffee table book to show the Man the Kids aren't going to stand by and take their fascism.

[Corey Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dippy, pointless, and rude, "Bachelor Boys", at this late date, is mostly fun because of the images. Especially Rik, now that he is gone. Not as good as "Neil's Book of the Dead" but, then, I was a teenaged stoner when I fell in love with that, so maybe I'm wrong.
Recommended for the brain damaged and the Young Ones fan, if no one else.

[Bobbie Allen MacNiven-Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from the minute I opened it on Christmas Day. It had everything I ever wanted from a book back then. It was funny, sick, daft, irreverent, and it was based on a television programme I adored. I was 11 in 1982, and it definitely wasn’t aimed at me, but it led to a lifelong love of good writing, comedy writing, and an appreciation of Ben Elton that continues to this day.

[Alan Fricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tribute to Mayall reread. Still funny

[Steve Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this about a year after first watching The Young Ones. Loved it. Remember taking it to school and giggling with my mates. Reminds me of what a great actor Rik Mayall was.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what would've happened if the characters actually put together a book!

[Sean Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it when I was a kid; still got it somewhere, still bloody funny

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like so many other British television shows of the 1970s & 80s, 'The Young Ones' has its own spin-off book, and it certainly reflects the humour of the original program. To be honest some of the context is not that funny because it is highly contextualised to the TV show and/or is focused on contemporaneous issues from the time the book was published. It would be a little bit difficult to get a giggle out of the incessant references to Margaret Thatcher, and the puerile repetition of poo and fart jokes are hardly avant garde comedy brilliance.

I guess the most positive aspect of 'Bachelor Boys' is that it has such a powerful nostalgic effect for anyone who used to watch the show, or will expand the frames of comedy reference for anyone who is just discovering the show. I was always quite partial to the character of Neil the hippie in the show, and to my mind it's when he is given space in the book that 'Bachelor Boys' is at its best. The 'History of Pop' sections where Rik writes up the role of Cliff Richard as THE father of all popular music are also pretty funny.

I wouldn't say this is a masterpiece, and if one was to compare it to the Monty Python books, 'Bachelor Boys' doesn't offer much that is or was new. However it's an easy, fun read with some prompts for a few chuckles, especially for fans of Rik, Vyvyan, Neil & Mike.

[Keelah Butts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. This is like one of those books you would have by the toilet and read in snippets before phones were a thing. I have always been a HUGE fan of the show, but in book form it doesn't really work. There are some bits of dialog that feel the same and some genuinely funny segments, but as a book it just feels kind of juvenile. Isn't the show juvenile? Yes but the book isn't situational comedy. It's more like little stories written from the characters'pov. It doesn't hit the same. Plus Mike is in it so -1 star. (Does anyone actually like mike?)
I'm still glad to have this as a bit of memorabilia from one of my favorite shows.

[Narzack · Rating 5 out of 5]

It rules, naturally.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

forget wuthering heights, forget the grapes of wrath, forget the lolita; this is the greatest book ever written

[Damobear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite show ever

[Mieke Hooghe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very naughty.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great and funny book. Growing up watching the Young Ones leaves fond memories in my heart and reading this book over the years has made me remember how great this show was.

[Russell Murphy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't imagine it being that funny in the 80's, but it definitely doesn't stand up in 2022.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puerile humor with bits of Cliff Richards love and Thatcher hate. The pictures were great. Mentally reading it in the characters' voices added a lot.

[Rebecca Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1984, before its publication, the late great Rik Mayall described Bachelor Boys as the third series of The Young Ones. Of course, Bachelor Boys isn't quite that - but then, as others have pointed out, capturing the surreal, irreverent, EXPLOSIVE qualities of the show is much more difficult on page than it is on screen. For one thing, if this book actually exploded (as I'm sure certain people named Vyvyan would prefer), you'd miss all the jokes.

There is lots to love about Bachelor Boys. For fans of The Young Ones, with precious few episodes to watch and re-watch, it's basically a must-read. It's unapologetically silly, just like the show, and the characters' voices all sing - or shriek - off the pages. There's also a picture of Rick in a bathtub, which might win the prize for perviest Rik Mayall face on record. Surely that alone gives Bachelor Boys archival significance!

For a companion book, it doesn't skimp on content. It's a good size, and the boys each get a fair share of the pages - yes, even Mike. There are copious pictures throughout that were clearly taken specifically for the book, rather than just being recycled shots from the show. The title page will tell you the authors are Ben Elton, Rik Mayall and Lise Mayer Rick Vyv Mike Neil. If you suspend your disbelief - as any fan of The Young Ones should be well-versed in doing - you can definitely believe as much.

Scour your local early '8os British sitcom companion book shop/web browser for Bachelor Boys. Even if just for nostalgia's sake, you'll find something to laugh at in here!

[David Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neil's Underpants Garden

[BOOKCOMA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! The perfect ode to Rik and all his silliness as well.