The Young Ones
Created by Ben Elton, Lise Mayer, Alexei Sayle, Rik Mayall
On BBC Two
A frenetic, anarchic sitcom built on surreal slapstick and satirical chaos, where plot dissolves into pure comedic mayhem across a shared student house.
The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).
Clusters
Genres
Where to watch
Questions people ask
Is The Young Ones one of a kind? Yes, very. More singular than 99% of series.
Does The Young Ones leave you hopeful? No. Less hopeful than 96% of series.
Is The Young Ones sad? Barely. Less sad than 88% of series.
Is The Young Ones violent? Yes. More violent than 81% of series.
Is The Young Ones scary? Barely. Less frightening than 76% of series.
Is The Young Ones easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 61% of series.
These describe how the series comes across across its whole run, compared with other well-known series. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked episode by episode, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.
Written about
- The Opposite of HBOFinding
Cinnamon Score
How much this series gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.
Distinctly its own thing.
How unlike any other series this one feels
How much more it delivers than it promises
How much audiences actually like it
Ensemble
Everything like The Young Ones, and what each one shares →
Like The Young Ones
Nearest across the full emotional profile.
Same Mood as The Young Ones
Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.
Like The Young Ones, But Darker
Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.
Like The Young Ones, But Lighter
Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.
Like The Young Ones, But Less Popular
Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.
