Bottom (partially lost cut content from British sitcom; 1991-1995)

Cover of a script book for the series' original scripts.

Status: Partially Lost

Bottom is a 1991-1995 sitcom created by Rik Mayall and Ade Edmonson. The show follows a pair of perverted lunatics with little money who concoct wild schemes together. It ran for three seasons on BBC2 with the same two stars (the show's creators) and a collection of other recurring secondary characters. After seeing cancellation, it was continued by touring live shows and a feature length film in 1999.

The show is noteworthy for being aired in front of a live audience for 35 minutes and being edited down to 30 minutes for production. The remaining 5 minutes of content from each episode was not reused in future episodes; it was entirely unused in the official series.

Some of this cut footage was put into various home media including the 1991 VHS tape Bottom Fluff. Some of the content was also included as special features on the DVD releases for the series. The original scripts have been preserved through published scripts, but some of the filmed footage hasn't yet been released on a video format.

According to Ed Bye, director and producer on series 1 and 2 of Bottom, one episode managed to clock in at 45 minutes before being trimmed for broadcast.

External Link

• Wikipedia article. Retrieved 18 Mar '17
• Talking Bottom podcast interview with Ed Bye Retrieved 15 Aug '15