Rik Mayall Memorial Bench to Be Unveiled Today
Ceremony with tribute and sing-song in Queen Caroline Street at 2pm
An online petition to have a memorial bench for comedian Rik Mayall placed in Hammersmith has paid off, with a new bench provided by H&F Council set to be officially unveiled at 2pm today.
The bench, at the junction of Hammersmith Bridge Road and Queen Caroline Street, bears the inscription: "In Memory of The Man, The Myth, The Legend".
At the unveiling, a tribute written by Mayall's Young Ones co-star Nigel Planer will be read, along with those from fans of the comedian.
There will also be a comedic sing-song, with the playlist including the theme to The Young Ones, the Young Ones cast's Living Doll duet with Cliff Richard, and Because I'm Evil from 20th Century Coyote.
Hammersmith and Fulham councillor Wesley Harcourt says: "Bottom was set here, with the opening credits filmed on a bench in Hammersmith Broadway.
"That bench was later moved, so it seems right to put a new bench near the spot in memory of a great comic actor."
The petition, addressed to Hammersmith and Fulham Council, followed the appearance of an English Heritage style blue plaque paying tribute to the comedian on Hammersmith Broadway following his sudden death on Monday June 9.
The words on the "True English Heritage" plaque were a reference to the TV show Bottom, which starred Rik and his comedy partner Ade Edmondsen and the QR code links to a YouTube clip of the show's opening sequence.
The clip was filmed in Hammersmith, including a bench on
Hammersmith Bridge Road, and the series centred on a hopeless pair living in a flat in Hammersmith.
You can see the full opening clip here.
Jaime Bird, who organised the petition, says the bench would be " an honour to the late, great Rik Mayall and to serve as a permanent memorial to him."
Since then, the petition gathered over 7,000 signatures from fans while the memorials and messages from fans at the site have steadily grown.
The 56 year-old comedian died of "an acute cardiac event" after returning to the family home in Barnes from his regular morning run in June.
November 14, 2014
