Gold orders Bottom doc
February 9, 2024
UKTV’s comedy channel Gold has announced that it will celebrate Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall’s much-loved sitcom Bottom with a new retrospective, Bottom: Exposed (1×120’), airing later this year.
In Bottom: Exposed, Gold delves deep into the story behind the acclaimed sitcom, which spanned eighteen episodes across three seasons from 1991 to 1995, as well as five sell-out stage shows. Co-creator and star Edmondson will give his first-hand account of making the show with the late, great Mayall, alongside contributions from a host of the show’s cast, crew and famous fans, plus narration from Stephen Fry.
Edmondson commented: “A long time ago, deep in the mists of time, two blokes – I was one of them, Rik Mayall was the other – decided to make a career out of beating the shit out of each other. It was a tempestuous, an anarchic and occasionally quite a dangerous time – we both required hospital treatment on occasion – but above all, it was bloody good fun. We made each other laugh, and luckily for us, we made audiences laugh. This programme seeks to get to the bottom of why it worked.”
Bottom: Exposed will explore the show from its anarchic production to its success both on screen and on stage, right through to its legacy and the relationship between Edmondson and Mayall at its centre. Bottom: Exposed will also uncover a library of rarities giving a unique behind the scenes insight into Bottom, with footage that has never been broadcast and exclusive stories from the set.
Producer and series director Ed Bye, former Bottom cast members Helen Lederer, Kevin McNally, Roger Sloman, Lisa Maxwell and Paul Bradley, and famous fans such as Chris McCausland and Maisie Adam will reflect on the show and its monumental impact on the sitcom genre.
Bottom: Exposed is commissioned for UKTV by Mark Iddon, senior commissioning editor for comedy and entertainment and Jason Dawson, commissioning executive, and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Executive producer is Matt Crook, managing director of Studio Crook.
Dawson said: “We are delighted to be working with Studio Crook and Adrian Edmondson to commemorate this inimitable series with a brand-new documentary. With reams of unseen footage and contributions from beloved alumni and famous fans, audiences are in for a treat.”
Casey said: “It’s an exciting experience to commemorate one of the UK’s most cherished series. The show Bottom holds a special place in the hearts of our Gold viewers, and we are thrilled we’ll be giving them this unique insight into the series.”
Crook added: “Studio Crook is beyond excited to be working on Bottom. It was such a huge show and has never had a documentary until now, so we feel incredibly privileged and excited to be given this opportunity by UKTV to work with Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall’s estate to celebrate one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.”
Bottom: Exposed will air on Gold on a 2024 date TBC. The Bottom boxset will also be available on Sky, Virgin and NOW.