Cash (Young Ones episode)
Encyclopedia
"Cash" was the eighth episode of British sitcom The Young Ones
. It was written by Ben Elton
, Rik Mayall
and Lise Mayer
, and directed by Geoff Posner. It was first aired on BBC2 on 15 May 1984.
); Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson
); Rick (Rik Mayall
) and Neil (Nigel Planer
). Alexei Sayle
starred as a Benito Mussolini
cabaret act and police recruitment officer.
, from outside and Vyvyan is forced to go around the neighbourhood to find winter fuel although the episode is set in September. Eventually they decide that someone - Rick - needs to get a job to bring money into the house, but when the only vacancy advertised in the local paper is for the Army
, Rick and Mike both rule themselves out on medical grounds (Perforated eardrum and flat feet, respectively), while Vyvyan, after Neil demands to know why he can't join up, declares he is pregnant
. After a poor haircut and a quick loan of Mike's suit, Neil goes to join up, but, having been told not to mention it, is rejected for being a pacifist. After spotting a recruitment poster, the other three throw Neil into the police station next door, where he meets Alexei Sayle
's character, a Mussolini-lookalike. While the others get lucky when a lorry full of food and expensive furnishings crashes through the front window, Neil takes to his new job - arresting a bunch of his drugged-up hippie friends. Arriving home, Neil tries to arrest his flatmates, assuming they had stolen all of the luxury items. His harsh use of the truncheon
forces Vyvyan into labour
. Mike leaves the room, being afraid of the sight of childbirth. Instead, Vyvyan actually ends up loudly passing wind. Rick and Neil frantically try to escape the smell, having been handcuffed together with Vyvyan, but Neil is unable to find the key. Unaware, Mike comes back in, and tries to light a celebratory cigar. The flame reacts with the gas, causing the house to explode, thus sending all their new-found riches up in smoke.
, Stewart Copeland
and Chris Difford
performing "Subterranean Homesick Blues
" by Bob Dylan
. For contractual reasons, this has been edited out of DVD releases in the past, but has been reinstated for the 25th Anniversary edition.
On the original release DVD's, to go with the edit, the scenes of the main cast are cut, all bar the scene where they take Neil to the job centre. The band's name is also edited out of the credits, but rather than simply erase the name, the portion of credits with the group name is cut, with the credits before and after that intersected by a thick orange line, which also shows two sets of footage playing.
This particular episode is unusual in that it is filmed to enable the wall with the fireplace, which would usually be 'behind camera,' to be in view during internal scenes. In this case, the wall with the living room window becomes the 'fourth wall.'
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
. It was written by Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
, Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
and Lise Mayer
Lise Mayer
Lise Mayer is a television and film writer. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States, and is best known as a creator and co-writer of the BBC comedy series The Young Ones, alongside Rik Mayall and Ben Elton...
, and directed by Geoff Posner. It was first aired on BBC2 on 15 May 1984.
Characters
As with all episodes of The Young Ones, the main four characters were student flatmates Mike (Christopher RyanChristopher Ryan
Christopher Ryan is an English actor. Ryan is perhaps best known for his role as Mike "The Cool Person" in the BBC comedy series The Young Ones.-Early life:...
); Vyvyan (Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
); Rick (Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
) and Neil (Nigel Planer
Nigel Planer
Nigel George Planer is an English actor, comedian, novelist and playwright.Planer is perhaps best known for his role as Neil Pye in the cult BBC comedy The Young Ones. He has appeared in many West End musicals, including Evita, Chicago, We Will Rock You, Wicked and Hairspray...
). Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
starred as a Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
cabaret act and police recruitment officer.
Plot
The quartet are so poor that they are burning their clothes and belongings just to keep warm, while Neil is being forced into preparing meals of snow, passed off as RisottoRisotto
Risotto is a class of Italian dishes of rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-, fish-, or vegetable-based; many kinds include Parmesan cheese, butter, and onion...
, from outside and Vyvyan is forced to go around the neighbourhood to find winter fuel although the episode is set in September. Eventually they decide that someone - Rick - needs to get a job to bring money into the house, but when the only vacancy advertised in the local paper is for the Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, Rick and Mike both rule themselves out on medical grounds (Perforated eardrum and flat feet, respectively), while Vyvyan, after Neil demands to know why he can't join up, declares he is pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
. After a poor haircut and a quick loan of Mike's suit, Neil goes to join up, but, having been told not to mention it, is rejected for being a pacifist. After spotting a recruitment poster, the other three throw Neil into the police station next door, where he meets Alexei Sayle
Alexei Sayle
Alexei David Sayle is a British stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was a central part of the alternative comedy circuit in the early 1980s. He was voted the 18th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-ups in 2007...
's character, a Mussolini-lookalike. While the others get lucky when a lorry full of food and expensive furnishings crashes through the front window, Neil takes to his new job - arresting a bunch of his drugged-up hippie friends. Arriving home, Neil tries to arrest his flatmates, assuming they had stolen all of the luxury items. His harsh use of the truncheon
Truncheon
Truncheon may refer to:*Baton *Cutting , means of plant propagation used by gardeners*HMS Truncheon , a British submarine commissioned during Word War II and later sold to Israel...
forces Vyvyan into labour
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
. Mike leaves the room, being afraid of the sight of childbirth. Instead, Vyvyan actually ends up loudly passing wind. Rick and Neil frantically try to escape the smell, having been handcuffed together with Vyvyan, but Neil is unable to find the key. Unaware, Mike comes back in, and tries to light a celebratory cigar. The flame reacts with the gas, causing the house to explode, thus sending all their new-found riches up in smoke.
Edits
The episode features a performance from Ken Bishop's Nice Twelve, a one-off conglomerate of high-profile rock musicians and theme writers, including Jools HollandJools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
and Chris Difford
Chris Difford
Chris Difford is a singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer....
performing "Subterranean Homesick Blues
Subterranean Homesick Blues
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, originally released in 1965 as a single on Columbia Records, catalogue 43242. It appeared 19 days later as the lead track to the album Bringing It All Back Home. It was Dylan's first Top 40 hit, peaking at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also...
" by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. For contractual reasons, this has been edited out of DVD releases in the past, but has been reinstated for the 25th Anniversary edition.
On the original release DVD's, to go with the edit, the scenes of the main cast are cut, all bar the scene where they take Neil to the job centre. The band's name is also edited out of the credits, but rather than simply erase the name, the portion of credits with the group name is cut, with the credits before and after that intersected by a thick orange line, which also shows two sets of footage playing.
This particular episode is unusual in that it is filmed to enable the wall with the fireplace, which would usually be 'behind camera,' to be in view during internal scenes. In this case, the wall with the living room window becomes the 'fourth wall.'