The People's Poet Is No More: Rik Mayall Dies At 56

Mayall made his bones as the co-creator and lead writer for the series, which was among the first to put angry, counterculture British youth on television on a weekly basis. Not only was the character he created anarchic, so was the comedy, crashing back and forth between a quartet of equally unseemly characters. The Young Ones also served as an anti-Top of the Pops stage for underground music to bubble through, notably hosting performances from bands like Motorhead, The Damned, Madness, and many more.

While many people outside of England lost track of Mayall after that series' death (including an absurdly long life in syndication), the actor kept himself busy right up until the present day. Among his better known performances in the UK are his role as Alan B'Stard in BBC series, The New Statesman, and his long running series The Comic Strip Presents. Among his most memorable feature film performances were the title role in the bizarre Phoebe Cates vehicle Drop Dead Fred, and a recent appearance in Eron Sheean's Fantastic Fest favorite, Errors of the Human Body.

We'll leave you with this classic moment from The People's Poet.