Remembering Rik Mayall

That’s right, peasants! Before the stadium tours, before the Baftas, before I was officially recognized as the most gorgeous man on television, there was the Devil Fish Horn Club.

Just me, Ade, and a desperate need to show off in front of people drinking warm pints. “Comedy’s answer to Frankie Goes to Hollywood” they called us. Well, we wrote that bit ourselves, obviously. But it was true! We were bringing you the shocks and thrills of big screen entertainment, live on stage!

And look at the billing: Burke ‘n’ Head. The greatest comedy double act of our generation. We were catching bullets in our teeth! Fired from Clint Eastwood’s big gun! Or at least, that was the plan until someone realized we couldn’t afford a gun, let alone Clint Eastwood. So we settled for dicing with death with an egg in Russian Omelette. Much more dangerous, frankly. You try getting raw egg out of a cheap suit.

It was pure, unadulterated chaos. No script, no safety net, and absolutely no respect for authority. Just two brilliant young men changing the face of comedy forever, while simultaneously being entirely crap.

What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done for a laugh? (And don’t say ‘watch Bottom series 3’, because that was pure genius).