Vyvyan from the Young Ones was one of the greatest characters in British comedy. Check out some of the best Vyvyan lines here!
Vyvyan Basterd from The Young Ones
Vyvyan, often referred to as “Vyv”, is a psychopathic heavy metal/punk medical student. He’s the most volatile member of the house. He also gets bored very easily!
Sporting spiked orange hair and four metal stars seemingly embedded into his forehead, he wears a denim waistcoat over a black T-shirt, a black studded belt across his denim jeans and bovver boots.
Mindless Violence
Whilst he loves attacking Rick and Neil, for some reason he looks up to Mike, whom he never attacks and often addresses as “Michael”.
He despises Rick more than he does Neil; for example when Rick, Mike and Neil meet his mother at a bar in the episode “Boring”, he calls both Neil and Mike his friends, but refers to Rick as “a complete bastard.”
Brighter than he looks
Regardless of his violent and mostly simple-minded nature, Vyvyan seems to be the smartest of the group and he has on a couple of occasions demonstrated his talent as a medical student.
In the episode “Flood”, he develops a potion to transform a person into an “axe-wielding homicidal maniac”, claiming that “it’s basically a cure… for not being an axe-wielding homicidal maniac… the potential market’s enormous!”.
University Challenge
Is Vyvyan Compassionate?
Although Vyvyan is constantly unruly, he does possess a compassionate side; primarily in the episode “Cash”, when he thought he was pregnant.
He was considering names to call his baby and he also patted his “bump” saying “that’s my boy!” when it hit Rick in the face and knocked him into the fireplace.
Vyvyan Quotes
Here’s a few funny lines and quotes from Vyvyan:
Vyvyan: I’m entering a contest to win a Ford Tippex. You have to say what Cornflakes mean to you in 10 words. So I said: Cornflakes. Cornflakes. Cornflakes, Cornflakes. Cornflakes, Cornflakes, Cornflakes, Cornflakes, Cornflakes.
Vyvyan: I must be hallucinating. What’s a good thing for a hangover?
Mike: Drinking heavily the night before.
Vyvyan: It was in the sequel, “Bambi Goes Crazy Ape Bonkers with his Drill and Sex”
Vyvyan: I myself have three pairs of socks, and three pairs of knickers. That means I’ve only worn them… 269 times each since the last wash.
Vyvyan: This calls for a delicate blend of psychology and extreme violence.
Vyvyan: It’s not, it’s a ferret. A severely deformed ferret, I’ll grant you that. So severely deformed in fact that it looks a little bit like a pig.
Vyvyan: “Do not lean out of the window.” I wonder why?
Vyvyan: That is the single most predictable and BORING thing that anyone could ever say whilst playing Monopoly.
Vyvyan: That’s a friend of mine named Neil, that’s a friend of mine named Mike… and that’s a complete bastard I know named Rick.
FAQ About Vivian Young Ones
Here are some questions and info about Adrian Edmondson, Vyvyan and the Young Ones:
Who played Vyvyan?
British comedian Adrian Edmondson played Vyvyan in the UK comedy show The Young Ones.
How many episodes of The Young Ones was there?
There were a total of 12 episodes of The Young Ones. As with a lot of BBC comedy shows, there were 6 episodes in a series, with there being two series of The Young Ones.
What would Vyvyan do?
Vyvyan has been known to abuse the other residents, violently smashing through walls, doors, and windows, destroying televisions and wiring the door bell up to a bomb.
What was Vivians hamster called?
In the 1980s BBC comedy series The Young Ones, Vyvyan Basterd’s pet hamster was called SPG, which was short for Special Patrol Group.
More characters from the Young Ones
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Young Ones Episode List
Here’s a look at all the Bachelor Boys episodes and when they were broadcast.
Season 1 The Young Ones
- 1. 1-1 09 Nov 82 Demolition
- 2. 1-2 16 Nov 82 Oil
- 3. 1-3 23 Nov 82 Boring
- 4. 1-4 30 Nov 82 Bomb
- 5. 1-5 07 Dec 82 Interesting
- 6. 1-6 14 Dec 82 Flood
Season 2 The Young Ones
- 7. 2-1 08 May 84 Bambi
- 8. 2-2 15 May 84 Cash
- 9. 2-3 29 May 84 Nasty
- 10. 2-4 05 Jun 84 Sick
- 11. 2-5 12 Jun 84 Time
- 12. 2-6 19 Jun 84 Summer Holiday
Cast & Crew
Here’s the main cast that were starring in this hilarious UK comedy series
Main Young Ones Cast
- Rik Mayall Rick
- Adrian Edmondson (as Ade Edmondson) Vyvyan
- Nigel Planer Neil
- Christopher Ryan Mike
- Alexei Sayle Balowski Family
Writing team
The writing team responsible for the scripts and TV programme were:
- Ben Elton Writer
- Rik Mayall Writer
- Lise Mayer Writer
- Alexei Sayle Writer (Additional Material)