Bottom-The Very Best of Bottom (1991)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Comedy	Gallery-Photo
Rating
Year Of Production	1991
Running Time	151:48
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (88:06)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Jon Plowman Bob Spiers Ed Bye
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Adrian Edmondson Rik Mayall
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	None Given

    The press release for this DVD claims that this collection includes the entire first series of Bottom, which is a mistake. It actually features two from the first season in 1991 (“Smells” and “Accident”), two from the second series in 1992 (“Digger” and “Holy”) and one from the third and final series in 1995 (“Hole”).

    Here’s a rundown on the episodes;

Smells (29:29)

    Frustrated with their sex lives, Richie and Eddie come across an ad in the newspaper for a medically proven bottle of instant sex appeal called ‘Pheromone Sex Scent’. After a quick visit to the local sex shop, the lads make their way down to the pub in a bid to pick up some birds.

Accident (29:24)

    It’s Richie’s birthday, and that calls for a party. Twenty or thirty of Richie’s close friends were invited (or so he says), only no one has confirmed they’re coming. While hanging some decorations, Richie falls and breaks his leg, confining him to a wheelchair. Meanwhile, two of Eddie’s mates – Spudgun (Steve O'Donnell) and Dave Hedghog (Christopher Ryan from The Young Ones) arrive, and help celebrate Richie’s pathetic birthday.

Digger (29:14)

    This time the lads try a dating agency called ‘Lily Linneker’s Love Bureau’ out, in the hope of finding someone to shag. After submitting their videos, Richie is matched up with a woman by the name of Lady Natasha Letitia Sarah Jane Wellesley Obstromsky Ponsonsky Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Smythe Oblomov Boblomov Dob. Will he finally lose his virginity?

Holy (34:42)

    It’s Christmas time, and Santa Richie has filled the boys’ stockings. After opening their presents, they prepare for Christmas dinner. Richie cooks up a storm the way that only he can, and Eddie sets the Christmas tree on fire. Spudgun and Dave Hedgehog arrive, and the four of them celebrate together. There is an additional five minutes of footage added into this episode, which apparently never aired on TV. I’m unsure exactly which footage was added, as it’s been a while since I’ve seen this episode. I’m unsure whether it’s when Richie accidentally cuts his finger off, with a continual blood flow – or a biblical reference in which Richie believes he is the Virgin Mary, and a baby left on their doorstep is the baby Jesus. Either way, it’s great to have the entire episode.

Hole (28:59)

    Stuck at the top of a Ferris wheel, the lads still try their best to pick up birds, and cause a ruckus. That is, until the ride closes anyway. After a deep and meaningful of sorts, Richie and Eddie devise a way to get off the ride, which leads to boredom, violence and mishap.

    Politically incorrect at times, and hysterically violent at others, Bottom is an offensive piece of British trash – full of toilet humour and sexual references aplenty. Those are the things that make Bottom one of my favourite TV shows of all time. In my opinion, it’s the second best thing Brit comedians Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall have ever been involved in. The Young Ones will always remain superior in my mind, but Bottom is a very close second. I'm a huge fan of Rik and Ade, and never fail to enjoy watching their brilliant partnership at work. They’re not exactly diverse in their comedic ability, but they are so good at what they do that it doesn’t matter. Bottom also spawned a live version in which Ade and Rik toured during 1993 and again in 1995, which proved very popular. While it would have been great to have maybe a 3-disc set with the entire collection of Bottom episodes, this DVD is still worth owning if you’re a fan. I do not agree that these are the five ‘best’ episodes from the show, but nonetheless they are still a great collection, and I’m glad to have them on DVD.

Video

    Being a TV show, the episodes are presented in their original full screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1. There is no 16x9 enhancement.

    The transfers are incredibly clear and sharp for their age. Ranging from 7-10 years old, they have been well looked after. This is definitely the best condition I have ever seen them in, and probably as good as they’ve ever looked. Black levels and shadow details are very strong, and there is only the slightest amount of grain detectable, which is hardly a blemish worth mentioning.

    Colours are bright and strong, and don’t appear faded at all. Most of the show features a drab colour scheme, but when prominent colours are on-screen, no bleeding or smearing occurs.

    No MPEG artefacts were evident, and aliasing is only very slight, never becoming distracting. No film artefacts were present.

    This is an RSDL disc, and the layer change occurs at 88:06, which slots nicely in between episodes "Digger" and "Holy".

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The only audio track on this DVD is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

    Dialogue remains clear and intelligible at all times throughout every episode. There were never any problems with distortion, or with volume levels. Audio sync never became an issue either. There was also no problems with clicks, pops or dropouts. There’s not much to discuss here, as the show was recorded in stereo, and is presented in stereo. No need for a 5.1 mix here, and everything is what you’d expect for a TV show.

    The closing theme "Last Night" by Chips Moman comes across clearly, and does not require any volume adjustments. This plays over the closing credits.

    There was no action whatsoever from the surround channels.

    There was no action whatsoever from the subwoofer.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Gallery-Photo

    This is a collection of 16 photos from the show, and is the only extra feature present on the disc. Too bad a little more effort wasn't put into it, as I'd love to hear a commentary from Rik and Ade, which will likely never happen unfortunately.

    The video transfer is almost perfect, and is nigh on reference quality.

    The audio transfer is of high quality, but is limited only to 2 channel stereo.

    The extra features are almost non-existent, which is a shame.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall