Culture

This is personally my favourite episode. Kept simple, just the two of them rying not to be bored.

An awful episode, I was actually bored watching this episode, the questions about the names of the chess pieces has been seen in countless other TV shows, and I expected better from "Bottom"

Plot In A Paragraph: Richie and Eddie are depressed and bored when their TV set is taken away by Radio Rentals (a true sign of the times) when they fail to pay their license fee and cannot think of anything to keep their minds occupied. Richie decides to challenge Eddie at playing some games, including "How much Custard can you put in your underpants" pin the sausage on the fridge and Chess. Richie and Eddie decides to play Chess by using various items in the house to replace the missing pieces. Once the have enough Richie reveals he doesn't actually know how to play chess, leaving Eddie to give him a quick lesson before the game can actually start

Richie and Eddie's television is confiscated by the rental agency so they attempt to amuse themselves.

This one has an excellent concept that ridicules people's reliance on constant entertainment to get through life. Of course its done in a crude, violent and juvenile way as Richie and Eddie try a variety of competitive activities to pass the time of day.

One of the things I like about this episode is that for me Eddie actually outshines Richie for the majority. Many others are dominated so much by Richie's madness that sometimes Eddie is merely there to just get him into trouble or react to his behaviour. However, here we see Eddie slowly unravel throughout the episode and erupt like a volcano at Richie's inability to grasp the concept of things like the rules of chess.

Adrian Edmondson gives one of his funniest performances, delivering some excellent lines with superb timing. My favourites are his responses to Richie about about Emmerdale Farm, James Bond and of course the Esther Ranzen drink. He also conveys a level frustration and anger that is so quintessentially Edmondson you feel like Richie's driven him back to a Vyvyan (Young Ones) level of psychopathy.

It all builds towards a hilarious slapstick confrontation that we can see coming and to be fair it doesn't disappoint. It's visual humour and Eddie breaking the forth wall to comment on TV violence is priceless