‘Working With Rik and Other Grim Tales’ helps raise funds for Headway UK

‘Working With Rik and Other Grim Tales’ took centre stage at Norbury Theatre in Droitwich Spa as part of the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival, helping to raise funds for Headway UK.

A pioneer of British alternative comedy, Mayall found fame in the 1980s in the BBC series The Young Ones and became one of the best-known comic actors of his generation.

Renowned for his outrageous and high-energy characters, Mayall’s career spanned TV, film, stage, and voice work, earning a BAFTA, a British Comedy Award and an Emmy.

In 1998, Mayall survived an almost-fatal quad bike accident, which left him in a coma for several days. He largely recovered but was left with epilepsy, for which he had to take daily medication.

The Rik Mayall Comedy Festival was launched in 2025 to celebrate the legacy of Mayall, who died in 2014 at the age of 56. After his passing, thousands of fans rallied to raise money for Headway UK in his memory.

“We wanted to do the same in his honour”, said producer and hostess of the event Elene Hadjidaniel. ‘Working With Rik and Other Grim Tales’, was a Q&A session with director Bob Baldwin.

Baldwin was Mayall’s close friend who collaborated with the late comedian on the ‘Grim Tales’ children’s series, ‘Horse Opera’, ‘Violent Nation’ and ‘Tales of Uplift and Moral Improvement’, along with other projects.

The event featured unheard and unseen content from the pair’s collaborations over the years, including stories from Bob about their productions and friendship, and also photographs and artwork from Baldwin’s personal archive.

Elene said: “Thank you to everyone who attended such a momentous event!

“We wanted to support the wonderful Headway UK and managed to raise £200 in memory of the legend that is Rik Mayall.  

“This was a phenomenal experience and included some exclusive material that has never been seen before.  

“It was very fitting to share it for the very first time in the venue where Rik first began performing, so in a way we managed to bring it back ‘home’ for him.  

“Members of Rik's family were in the audience too, which was an amazing surprise and an absolute honour to have them with us!  

“A huge thank you to Bob Baldwin, to the Norbury Theatre tech team, to the incredible Rik Mayall Comedy Festival organisers and volunteers, and to everyone who has given support along the way and who came to the event - a truly unforgettable adventure for me."

Thank you to photographer Andy Hollingworth (www.andyhollingworth.com) for supplying the accompanying images.