大象传媒

In this second series of essays Adrian Edmondson finds five ways to consider moments of personal and career highs, lows and the bits in-between.

5. The Jacobite Rebellion:
In which Adrian Edmondson compares the fugitive Bonnie Prince Charlie鈥檚 flight across the country with his and Rik鈥檚 progress on tour around the kingdom and some of the battles they encountered:

鈥溾��.everything comes to an end. The Jacobite rebellion ends in defeat at the Battle of Culloden. Our Culloden in 2003 is the Watford Colosseum. We鈥檝e done five tours, more than 500 gigs. We put up a better fight than the Jacobites, we aren鈥檛 exactly overrun, but like Charlie I鈥檝e really had enough.鈥�

Adrian Edmondson studied drama at Manchester University where he met his comedy partner Rik Mayall.. He and Rik were part of the first wave of Alternative Comedy where their glorious pursuit of laughter and anarchic performances changed the comedic landscape forever. He starred as Vyvyan in The Young Ones, the series that blasted its way onto our screens tearing into our preconceptions of what television comedy could be. It was followed by Bottom which ran for three series on 大象传媒 television, had a spin off film (Guest Hotel Paradiso), and became a live show.

Adrian's career has since taken him into 'straight' acting as well, at the RSC, 大象传媒 TV鈥檚 War and Peace and EastEnders. He is a writer of books for adults and children; and co-wrote the television series Teenage Kicks. He has had an award-winning music career with his band The Bad Shepherds which fused punk and folk. And he is an award-winning music video producer.

Written and read by Adrian Edmondson
Produced by Caroline Raphael
Recorded by Shane O鈥橞yrne at The Soundhouse
Edited by Nick Manasseh at The Yard
A Dora Production for 大象传媒 Radio 3