The Young Ones

TV Show • 1982  

Report
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, broadcast in Great Britain from 1982 to 1984 in two six-part series. Shown on BBC2, it featured anarchic, offbeat humour which helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers. In 1985, it was shown on MTV, one of the first non-music television shows on the fledgling channel.
This tv show contains 29 potentially triggering events.
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Your Triggers
Does the dog die?
467 supporters
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4
Unanswered Triggers
Is someone sexually assaulted?
192 supporters
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0
Is there excessive gore?
104 supporters
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0
Is an animal abandoned?
104 supporters
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0
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0
Is a woman brutalized for spectacle?
100 supporters
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0
Is an animal sad?
93 supporters
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Yes
0
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0
Is there domestic violence?
86 supporters
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Yes
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0
Are rabbits harmed?
76 supporters
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0
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0
Yes
0
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Is there body horror?
65 supporters
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Is there sexual content?
64 supporters
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Abuse
Yes
3
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0
0
NakNakNak
Vyvyan's mum grabs his groin when he makes a sexist comment, and it's shown to pain him greatly.

She is stated to have given him two gifts in his lifetime--the first was a book of matches when he was eight weeks old. The second, in his University years, is an empty bottle of vodka--she flips him off and cackles while she yells "Up yours, ugly!" before disappearing for the rest of the series.
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sp00k3t0ast
in fact, Vyvyan (who is implied to have been abused by his mother as a child) refuses to forgive his mother for abusing him.
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Is someone stalked?
22 supporters
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0
No
3
Is a child abused?
114 supporters
Yes
1
No
2
1
sp00k3t0ast
Vyvyan is implied to have been abused as a child.
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Addiction
1
VinceNoir
weed.
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Is there addiction?
22 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Animal
0
sp00k3t0ast
All of the animals in the show are puppets except for this one elephant in the episode "Bambi", and I can't find anything about the treatment of it on the set, so I assume nothing happened to it.
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Does a horse die?
107 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Does an animal die?
(besides a dog, cat or horse)
184 supporters
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Yes
7
No
0
Are animals abused?
212 supporters
Yes
9
No
0
1
Mister
S2
 E6
Vyv accidentally crushes the hamster with a car in the series finale.
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3
Is there a dead animal?
118 supporters
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5
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0
Does a cat die?
187 supporters
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3
Does a pet die?
172 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
0
NakNakNak
In the finale, SPG--Vyvyan's hamster--dies by means of sleeping on a car radiator when the vehicle gets into a crash. Vyvyan is visibly upset by this.
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Does a dragon die?
34 supporters
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0
No
3
Are there bugs?
39 supporters
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Yes
3
No
1
Assault
Is there pedophilia?
136 supporters
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0
No
3
Is rape mentioned?
95 supporters
Yes
2
No
1
1
sp00k3t0ast
Rick worries about going to prison and getting raped. This is a joke.
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0
BobBob
S1
 E4
Rick says he cannot go to prison as he'll get r*ped- played for laughs
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Bodily Harm
Yes
5
No
0
1
gothiccobweb
S2
 E1
Vyvyan sticks his head out of the train window, causing his head to be cut off.
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Is there cannibalism?
37 supporters
Yes
2
No
2
0
BobBob
S1
 E1
a rat is killed by rick and is then promptedly eaten by another rat
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0
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4
0
NakNakNak
S1
 E2
Neil mentions the possibility in "Oil," stating that he would have gone to sleep and burned up if Vyvyan hadn't told him the bedroom was on fire. Played for laughs, and no one actually burns.
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Does a head get squashed?
58 supporters
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3
Is there a hanging?
31 supporters
Yes
7
No
1
2
FracturedImages
A main character tries to hang himself in the first episode
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Is there genital trauma/mutilation?
92 supporters
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1
No
2
0
BobBob
people are knocked unconscious repeatedly- always played for laughs and they recover quickly
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Does someone have a seizure?
10 supporters
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0
No
3
Yes
6
No
0
0
BobBob
S1
 E3
Vyv accidentally cuts off his finger
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Is someone tortured?
93 supporters
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0
No
3
Is there eye mutilation?
103 supporters
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3
Children
Is an infant abducted?
29 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Does a kid die?
64 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is a minor sexualized?
115 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Death
Yes
5
No
1
0
GazKing
S2
 E6
A bus falls down from a cliff and explodes, all of the main characters (except the landlord) are on the bus but it is revealed they survived until the bus explodes. If media like the Neil concept album and the Living Doll single are cannon in the show then that means all of the characters somehow survived
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Does someone die?
13 supporters
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Yes
4
No
0
Disability
Is the r-slur used?
30 supporters
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0
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4
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NakNakNak
No r-slur, but Rick sometimes uses the British equivalent of "spaz" or "spazzy".
1 comment | Add comment
Family
Does a parent die?
22 supporters
Yes
6
No
0
2
FracturedImages
Off screen, but in the last episode one protagonist gets a call saying his parents are dead
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Does someone cheat?
22 supporters
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0
No
3
Fear
Are there jump scares?
68 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there a shower scene?
8 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Gross
Does someone vomit?
113 supporters
Yes
6
No
0
2
Zombie5kyFlower
S1E1 "Demolition" - safe
S1E2 "Oil" - NOT safe - Near the end of the episode, Vyvyan gets a pick axe in his head while in the cellar. He collapses and soon after that he v*. Audio and visual.
S1E3 "Boring" - safe BUT in the Goldilocks sequence, she spits lentils out, might be triggering for some.
S1E4 "Bomb" - safe
S1E5 "Interesting" - NOT safe - near the end of the episode a guy comes in and Belowski grabs him and says ‘Between you and me, I think I’m going to be s*’ then sticks his head behind him. No visual, cuts to another scene. There’s audio but done for comedic effect. Next time we see the other guy, he has v* on his back.
S1E6 "Flood" - safe

S2E1 “Bambi” - mostly safe, although a washing machine at the launderette groans and expels water, which may be triggering for some.
S2E2 “Cash” - safe
S2E3 “Nasty” - mostly safe, but reference to being s* after Rik asks Vyvyan why he’s not in his room.
S2E4 “Time” - when Neil starts questioning Rik about him spending the night with the girl, Vyvyan goes into detail about being s*, and a few moments later he v*. Audio and visual. When Rik starts to say “I took off my dungarees”, mute and look away for a few seconds. Also when Rik introduces everyone to Helen he says Vyvyan is being s*, but you don’t see or hear anything.
S2E5 “S***” - NOT safe, but also not what it seems, it’s a cold, lots of snot, very gross.
At the beginning, Vyvyan leans over the side of his bed, but he’s coughing. Might be triggering.
After Mike comes in *without* the fish, Neil projectile snots and does this a few more times, including out of the window which hits a guy and sparks a street riot.
Brian Damage pulls the bin bag off Neil’s head and it looks gross but no more projectile snot.
When Vyvyan introduces himself to Neil’s mum, she says “I think I’m going to be s*”, but she isn’t.
S2E6 “Summer Holiday” - NOT safe. As Rik comes out of the door singing, Vyvyan bends over and v*. No audio, but visual.
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NakNakNak
Rick tries to OD on laxative pills in "Boring", but only succeeds in soiling his trousers. Nothing is seen, but the look of panic on Rick's face coupled with the fart sounds paints a picture.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
2
No
1
0
NakNakNak
In "Demolition," Vyvyan bursts in on Neil sitting on the toilet.
1 comment | Add comment
Does someone spit?
11 supporters
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Yes
6
No
0
Is there audio gore?
49 supporters
Yes
1
No
2
0
BobBob
S1
 E3
Neil pulls a skewer out of his head and it makes a squelchy sound, grossed me out a bit
1 comment | Add comment
Large-scale Violence
Yes
0
No
5
1
Mister
The show ended 17 years before 9/11.
1 comment | Add comment
Law Enforcement
Is there copaganda?
32 supporters
Yes
1
No
3
0
sp00k3t0ast
This show hates cops. Hell yeah!
1 comment | Add comment
LGBTQ+
Yes
0
No
3
3
sp00k3t0ast
the characters are transphobic for their time period and use derogatory words towards transgender people, but no slurs.
1 comment | Add comment
Is there deadnaming or birthnaming?
39 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Medical
Is electro-therapy used?
20 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there a mental institution scene?
29 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Is there a hospital scene?
13 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Does someone have cancer?
19 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Mental Health
Yes
2
No
1
0
sp00k3t0ast
Rick attempts to overdose on pills, but these turn out to be laxatives. This is a gag and it is not taken seriously. I'm pretty sure there are other bits where characters purposefully injure themselves, but they are not graphic and usually not involving knives or cutting.
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Is there autism specific abuse?
53 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
2
alan001
One of the main characters attempts to commit suicide multiple times.
2 comments | Add comment
1
sp00k3t0ast
The Young Ones is very absurdist and very cartoonish despite being live-action. Events occur that are not possible in real life.
1 comment | Add comment
1
gothiccobweb
S2
 E1
Rick says to his friends, “hands up who likes me”. however when nobody puts their hand up, he says he is going to kill himself.
2 comments | Add comment
Does someone have an eating disorder?
42 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
3
FracturedImages
Nobody dies but one of the protagonists attempts suicide twice in the first episode and more of his suicide attempts are often alluded to
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Does someone suffer from PTSD?
32 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Noxious
Yes
3
No
0
0
sp00k3t0ast
There is a sudden bang. Mike then says "Sorry about the sudden bang, I just fired a gun." There's also plenty of sudden loud noises that happen throughout the series besides this.
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Is there screaming?
16 supporters
Yes
4
No
0
0
NakNakNak
The first minute of "Sick" is basically all yelling. Vyvyan looks into a mirror and yells at himself to feel better, and Rick and Neil shout at each other through a shared bedroom wall. At one point, Rick shouts as loudly and obnoxiously as possible to "prove" he wasn't shouting before ("I am NOT shouting, matey! THIS is SHOUTING! AHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHH!")
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Is there obscene language/gestures?
8 supporters
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Yes
3
No
0
1
alan001
S1
There is some subliminal messaging in the form of flashing images.
2 comments | Add comment
Paranoia
0
Mister
S2
 E1
A scientist observes the lads, who are, to him, microscopic beings.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
0
NakNakNak
In "Oil," Mike looks directly to camera until some subtitles appear onscreen, at which point he says "Thank you," and moves on.

In "Sick," Vyvyan talks to camera when he says that being sick has made him lose his "tolerant" approach to communal living.

In "Nasty," Mike chides the guys for not taking a situation with gravitas. He says "This is very serious!", and the housemates (minus Vyvyan) stare intently into camera.

Alexei Sayles' characters, all members of the Balovski family, are fond of giving monologues to the camera at least once an episode.
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Pregnancy
Is a baby stillborn?
32 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Does someone miscarry?
27 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is there childbirth?
27 supporters
Yes
1
No
3
0
NakNakNak
Vyvyan pretends to be pregnant to avoid having to get a job. When the "labour" stsrts, it turns out Vyvyan's gut was just full of gas.
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Are there abortions?
18 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Prejudice
Yes
5
No
0
0
sp00k3t0ast
Because this is british television they don't say the f-slur (and they don't say the t-slur either) but they basically say all of the other ones.
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0
sp00k3t0ast
constant use of the s-slur, and other derogatory language.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
6
No
2
1
jnoj
In (I believe) season 1, episode 3, a cop wearing sunglasses (which make everything appear darker) tells someone "I thought you was a [n-word]." The intent of the joke is to highlight police's incompetence and doesn't seem to be out of any malice, but it's very unnecessary.
1 comment | Add comment
0
NakNakNak
Neil, having come downstairs after a bath in "Nasty," is wearing a dress. He states he found it in Rick's room, and Rick panics, vehemently denying ownership.
1 comment | Add comment
0
NakNakNak
No one is actually misgendered, but Vyvyan (and once Rick-as-Vyvyan) is known to call the others "girly" if their behaviour seems off to him.
1 comment | Add comment
Does an LGBT person die?
35 supporters
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Yes
1
No
2
Does the black guy die first?
22 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Is there hate speech?
31 supporters
Add comment
Yes
4
No
0
Race
Is there blackface?
36 supporters
Add comment
Yes
0
No
3
Relationships
Is there a large age gap?
40 supporters
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Yes
0
No
3
Religious
Yes
3
No
0
1
sp00k3t0ast
In episode "Interesting", a woman breaks in and starts talking about religion.
1 comment | Add comment
Yes
3
No
0
0
BobBob
S1
 E3
two demons are shown torturing a man in Hell, one later gets summoned to the house and attempts to inflict pain on the boys
2 comments | Add comment
Sex
Is there bestiality?
87 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
0
NakNakNak
In "Time," Rick thinks this has happened. However, it turns out a woman broke into the house and fell asleep in his bed without either of them noticing--explicitly nothing actually happens.
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Are there incestuous relationships?
National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.4673
92 supporters
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Yes
0
No
4
Sexism
0
jnoj
Neil is very often yelled at for displaying any sign of vulnerability or emotion as the entire dynamic of the household is extremely abusive, especially towards him.
1 comment | Add comment
Social
Yes
4
No
0
0
BobBob
S2
 E6
the boys are kicked out of their house and have to live on the street
1 comment | Add comment
Spoiler
Does it have a sad ending?
63 supporters
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Yes
4
No
0
Vehicular
Does a car crash?
20 supporters
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Yes
3
No
0
Does a plane crash?
16 supporters
Yes
3
No
0
0
BobBob
S1
 E1
SPOILERS

at the end of the episode, a plane crashes into the house. it is obvious when this is about to happen, because we see the pilot saying "I hope we don't crash"
1 comment | Add comment
Violence
Is there blood/gore?
57 supporters
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Yes
5
No
0