Edmondson and Mayall finally reached the essence of their insane partnership with Bottom, a television showcase for the unique brand of hyper-violent, bug-eyed slapstick that theyd first put together with their Dangerous Brothers act.The pair had by now distilled the chemistry of their partnership to a refined perfection: an odd way to describe a show as obnoxious as Bottom, but accurate. This synergy would allow them to take Bottom on tour, working live with even more profane, crude storylines and a largely ad-libbed script, and the riot of violence often saw one or both of them being hospitalised.Richie was no relation to Rick of The Young Ones or to Richie of Filthy Rich & Catflap, but you can see patterns emerging. All three men are delusional and rather dim grotesques, like characters from a Roald Dahl children's story. Mayall encouraged the audience to laugh at him, not with him. For a man who made his name calling attention to himself: never knowingly underacting, shrieking, leaping around and flattening himself and others with makeshift weapons; he delivered performances with a striking lack of ego.