About "Filthy, Rich and Catflap"

If you haven't heard of Filthy, Rich and Catflap, then don't be glum - you're not alone.

The BBC sitcom, made in 1986 and aired a year later, came from the same stable as The Young Ones and The Comic Strip Presents, but failed to mirror the roaring success of its bedfellows.

It has all the hallmarks of the Mayall/Elton et al team - it's rude and lively, but on closer inspection, it strains at the edges, somehow not quite meeting the high expectations of the mid-80s comedy audience, now well versed in the comedy movement of the time. FR&C was panned critically when compared to its contemporaries - ironic considering the tongue-lashings from reviewers that The Young Ones was initially subject to. Filthy, Rich and Catflap had reasonable viewing figures; it just failed to take off in the same way.

Still though, the six episodes remain an example of time in comedy history, and doubtless an important component of any Rik Mayall fan's collection.

In fact, you could almost say this is the missing link between The Young Ones and Bottom - the infamous fight scenes made famous by Bottom are ever-present in FR&C, as is the vulgarity and the fart jokes.

Planting a satirical smack firmly in the face of the showbiz industry, FR&C sees Mayall take on the guise of Richie Rich, the Z-list celebrity with an A-list ego and, as far as the eye can see, dubious talent.

Richie's useless agent Filthy Ralph (Nigel Planer) and alcoholic minder Eddie Catflap (Adrian Edmondson) complete the trio - characters which are familiar, only under a different name.

Like The Young Ones, the world in which they live is different and surreal to ours; typical of the type of alternative comedy mooching about at the time. But FR&C has a particularly nasty kick to it - all three socialise with grossly exaggerated media stereotypes and parodies, and they have an unfriendly edge.

The show also features some painfully accurate spoofs, most notably the cheesy game show "Oo-er, Sounds A Bit Rude!", and digs at Margaret Thatcher and her government - an Elton hallmark - are frequent.

The plot sees Richie bump off several milkmen and meet The Nolans, Eddie blackmail Richie in a paternity scam, and Ralph sent to prison. Richie eventually becomes famous by dishing the dirt on every celebrity, meaning he's the cleanest actor on the block, leaving TV companies no choice but to hire him.