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Rik Mayall (born March 7, 1958) is a British
comedian and actor. He is well known for his
double act|comedy partnership with Adrian
Edmondson and was one of members of the
alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s. 

When he was three, Mayall and his parents moved to
Redditch, Worcestershire, where he spent the rest
of his childhood. He studied drama at the
University of Manchester and gained fame by
appearing at The Comedy Store in the Eighties with
Edmondson. They starred as "The Dangerous
Brothers", supposedly a couple of naive but
anarchic daredevils, and would perform comedy
stunts on stage, often involving the likes of
setting each other on fire. They effectively
brought slapstick to the alternative comedy scene,
albeit in a typically extreme fashion.

Mayall first broke into television with the
character Kevin Turvey on the series A Kick Up the
Eighties. A role as Rik in The Young Ones (TV
series)|The Young Ones  Situation comedy|sitcom,
also in the 'Eighties, ensured wide public
acclaim. The series was written by Mayall with
long-standing friend Ben Elton and Lise Mayer.
Additional material was provided  by anarchist
comedian and actor Alexei Sayle. Mayall has also
starred in Filthy, Rich and Catflap with Edmonson
and Nigel Planer, Bottom (television)|Bottom,
again with Adrian Edmondson (in which the two of
them played similar roles to those they played in
The Young Ones), although he also did solo work
such as several series playing Conservative Party
(UK)|Conservative MP, and Alan B'stard, in the
sitcom The New Statesman.  He has also appeared in
films, notably Drop Dead Fred. He appeared in six
individual comedy dramas under the umbrella title
Rik Mayall Presents in 1993.
He also appeared in Blackadder series 2 and 4 as
Lord Flashheart and on the series "Jackanory".  He
also made a little known film appearance in An
American Werewolf in London as 2nd chess player
alongside chess player Brian Glover.

In 1998 he was seriously injured when he crashed a
All-terrain vehicle|quad bike near his home in
Devon, although he later made a full recovery. 
Both he and Edmondson have subsequently joked
about this event in the various stage versions of
'Bottom'.

Mayall has also played the role of Professor
Adonis Cnut in the sitcom Believe Nothing.

In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he
was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by
fellow comedians and comedy insiders.