Ben Elton reflects on his remarkable career in new memoir
Ben Elton’s new memoir is titled What Have I Done? The short answer to that question is: a lot. The long answer is that he has penned 16 novels, eight television sitcoms – including the generation-defining The Young Ones and three series of Blackadder, often cited as the greatest British sitcom of all time – five stage plays, and four stage musicals, including the hugely successful Queen-inspired We Will Rock You. Additionally, he has established himself as a prominent stand-up comedian for over four decades, reports BritPanorama.
Elton’s path to success became apparent early in his life. Growing up in Catford and later moving to Guildford, he decided by age 14 that he wanted to be a comic writer. “I started writing PG Wodehouse-style short stories,” he recalls. “I was writing stories about people in gentlemen’s smoking clubs in the 20s and I was a 14-year-old boy living in Guildford.”
Elton pursued drama at Manchester University, where he met future collaborators Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson. At just 21, he was commissioned by the BBC to write a pilot episode of The Young Ones, completing the script in a single night. He reflects on this process, stating, “You can’t learn it. There is such a thing as talent. Everyone’s brains are different. Some people can write tunes. I can write comedy.”
His breakthrough came in the mid-80s with Saturday Live, a Channel 4 programme that showcased his political and abrasive brand of stand-up comedy. “I was briefly the most influential comic in Britain,” he asserts. The show debuted alongside the second series of Blackadder, co-written with Richard Curtis, solidifying Elton’s status in the comedy landscape. “It wasn’t until I wrote this book that I computed just how successful I was in the 80s and how ubiquitous,” he explains. “That’s why I think so many people were very irritated by me.”
Elton recalls being the focus of a Newsnight episode discussing his perceived faults, including an article by playwright John Osborne called “Why I hate Ben Elton.” “Nobody forgets,” he says of harsh critiques. “If you overhear somebody say: ‘What an asshole,’ you’ll always remember hearing it.”
Despite the criticism, Elton has maintained strong friendships with colleagues from the late 70s and early 80s, including Mayall, Fry, Laurie, French, Saunders, and Atkinson. “Sustaining friendships has been the gift of my life,” he acknowledges. His recent book tour included appearances with friends such as Emma Thompson and Richard Curtis, demonstrating enduring relationships within the industry. “I’m sure Rik will come up,” he says of an upcoming event with Edmondson.
Elton’s friendship with Mayall was marked by both collaboration and tension; Mayall once vetoed Elton’s casting as Mike in The Young Ones despite early assurances of credit. “Rik was very self-obsessed. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t kind, or he didn’t love his friends,” Elton reflects. Their relationship, complex yet rewarding, included memorable experiences like attending a concert featuring Carl Perkins, where they encountered George Harrison.
Elton also befriended Paul McCartney, stating, “The single greatest gift of my small degree of celebrity has been that it somehow ended up with me getting to know two Beatles and work with Queen.” An offer from Andrew Lloyd Webber to dine with Margaret Thatcher was declined, as Elton noted, “I was worried I might like her.”
Although he once dominated the entertainment scene, Elton now expresses concern about fading relevance. “No one’s very interested in me,” he states, despite having attracted large audiences on recent tours. “I’d like to think there’s another tour in me,” he adds, expressing a desire to continue performing.
Television opportunities have also dried up, as he remarks, “We filmed my last stand-up tour, but we could no more get that on Netflix than fly to the moon.” Nevertheless, he is exploring new projects, with plans to write another novel and possible future tours in the works.
“I used to be a radical,” he reflects, contemplating his evolution. While he may identify partially as a curmudgeon, those who engage with his work recognize an enduring passion. “We were a lucky generation,” he admits. “Somebody who’s had as good a fortune as me can’t be bitter about it.”
Ben Elton will be in conversation with Adrian Edmondson at the Hay Festival on Wednesday. His book ‘What Have I Done?’ is out now.
