Rik Mayall dead: Late comedian’s life in quotes, via Lord Flashheart and The Young Ones' Rick

'I don't have moments of weakness. I'm Rik Mayall'

As himself in 'Rik Mayall Presents', 1993 (Rex Features)

Rik Mayall died this morning at his home in London aged 56. The comedian and actor was known and widely loved for his anarchic, high-octane style which spilled over into his real, larger-than-life persona.

As the genius behind some of Britain’s best-remembered comedy characters of the last 35 years, including Rick in The Young Ones, Richard Richard in Bottom, two different incarnations of Lord Flashheart in Blackadder and the devious politician Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, Mayall leaves behind a host of wonderful sayings and extraordinary scenes.

Here we take a look back at some of his most memorable quotations and exchanges, both in and out of character.

Twitter

Actor Rik Mayall arrives at the UK Film Premiere of the classic novel by Jules Verne 'Around The World In 80 Days' at Vue West End in London, 2004

An unverified Twitter account was set up in 2010 using the handle RikMayall. Its sole tweet to date has been credited as one of the finest ever penned, reading: “Opening my very own Twitter to stop another b****** from doing it. So f*** off & don't expect to hear from me any time soon. Love Rik x”.

A charmed life

“I don't have moments of weakness. I'm Rik Mayall.”

Mayall in The Independent’s 5-minute interview, December 2006

“I had a very happy childhood, happy teenage years and I was famous by the time I was 22. A charmed life.”

Mayall told The Mail in 1993

 

“Other people get moody in their forties and fifties - men get the male menopause. I missed the whole thing. I was just really happy.”

Mayall speaking after his 1998 quad bike accident gave him a new perspective on life

Retrospective

“The reason it's called Bigger Than Hitler is because I made so many more sitcoms than Hitler ever made. It`s just vast. Videos of me have been watched in countries that weren`t invented when he was around. It`s just a fact of who I am.”

Mayall speaking about his semi-autobiographical book Bigger than Hitler – Better than Christ

Rik Mayall auditioning actors for the parts of Tony and Cherie Blair for his play 'The New Statesman - Alan B'Stard's Extremely Secret Weapon', Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall in London, 2006

 

Satire

“You know the really great thing about a fudged Coalition is that neither of us need to carry out a single promise of our election manifestos!”

Mayall as fictional MP Alan B’stard

Woof! Rik Mayall makes his grand entrance as Edmund's best man Lord Flashheart in Blackadder

 

Woof

To Baldrick dressed as a bridesmaid]: “Thanks bridesmaid, like the beard. Gives me something to hang on to!”

As Lord Flashheart in Blackadder II

“Captain Darling? Last person I called darling was pregnant 20 seconds later.”

As Squadron Leader Lord Flashheart in Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

Flashheart: “All right men, let's do-oo-oo it! The first thing to remember is: always treat your kite [taps chalkboard picture of a biplane] like you treat your woman [whips the air with his cane].”

Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie): “How, how do you mean, Sir? Do you mean, do you mean take her home at weekends to meet your mother?”

Lord Flashheart: “No, I mean get inside her five times a day and take her to heaven and back.”

Captain Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson): “I'm beginning to see why the suffragette movement want the vote.”

Lord Flashheart: “Hey! Any girl who wants to chain herself to my railings and suffer a jet movement gets my vote!”

As Richie (seen here with Adrian Edmondson) in TV series 'Bottom' (BBC)

Bottom

Richie: “Some people are short-tempered, aren't they?”

Eddie Hitler (Adrian Edmondson): “Yeah, well, about four or five thousand of 'em, by the looks of things.”

Richie: “Yeah. But it's wonderful, though, Eddie. I mean, look. All the local communities are out there, on the streets.”

Eddie: “Beating the shit out of each other.”

Richie: “Yeah! Oh, I love carnival time. Oh, look at that policeman over there!”

Eddie: “Which one?”

Richie: “The one jumping up and down, waving his arms.”

Eddie: “The one that's on fire?”

Richie: “Yeah!”

As Richard “Richie” Richard in Bottom (1991 - 1995)

Are you trying to be funny?

“Sometimes it must be difficult, not to feel as if

“You really are a cliff

“When fascists keeping trying to push you over it

“Are they the lemmings, or are you Cliff?

“Or are you, Cliff?”

As Rick in The Young Ones (1982 – 1984)