Edmonson starred in Bottom alongside Rik Mayall (Picture: BBC)
Mayall (right) starred in Bottom alongside Ade Edmonson (Picture: BBC)

Bottom star Rik Mayall has said that he is desperate to bring back classic ’80s sitcom Bottom.

Bottom was due to return in the form of new series Hooligan’s Island, but the comedy sequel never got to the filming stage after being shelved by Mayall’s Bottom co-star Ade Edmonson.

Speaking to The Mirror about the cancelled series, Mayall said: ‘I thought it would be fun and Ade thought it would be fun but then he had a change of heart. It’s a shame.

‘Of course, I f**king tried to persuade him to change his mind. But if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t want to.

‘I’m desperate to do it. I thought it would be lovely to have them in a different situation and being much older.

‘Ade said we weren’t old enough to be mad old b**tards – but if we leave it another ten years, how the f**k are we going to do anything?’

‘I’ve always loved Wilfred Bramble, who played Steptoe, I wanted to play [Richie, his Bottom character] like that.

‘But I think Ade thought we shouldn’t repeat what we’d done.’

Mayall returns to screens tonight in the Jonathan Creek Easter special as Gideon Pryke, a role he last played in 1998.