The People’s Poet – Rik Mayall RIP

The wonderful Rik Mayall - comedian, actor, writer - has died. He was in Drop Dead Fred, Bottom, Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, Lord Flashheart in a brilliantly memorable Blackadder cameo, but for me (and lots of others) Rik in The Young Ones was his finest creation. I loved anarcho-socialist Trotsky-loving people's poet-student Rick. His shouts of Sexist!, Fascist!, and chronic uncoolness made me laugh through the 80s and bey0nd. Heck, I still have my dog-eared, falling apart copy of Bachelor Boys with its sections of Rick's poetry.

Here's the finale of "Rick's teen anguish poem":

could it be

that I'm going to grow up

to be a great poet and thinker, and all those other

wankers in my class are going to have to work

in factories or go on the dole?

yes, I think it could.

Youtube has clips of Rik in action as Rick - poetasting like a champion (poet Ashleigh Young picked this one on Twitter):

I didn't know he had written an autobiography - Bigger than Hitler, Better than Christ (ahem) - so am keen to read more about Rik. Because he was ACE.

• Search the catalogue for Rik Mayall
• Rik Mayall, star of The Young Ones, dies aged 56 BBC