Smells (Bottom episode)
Encyclopedia
"Smells" is the first episode of British
sitcom Bottom
. The episode was originally transmitted on Tuesday 17 September 1991.
and Eddie's been kicked in the testicles. In a desperate attempt to get a girlfriend, the two write a "lonely hearts" advert for Richie to put in the local paper. After trying several ideas including "Ugly virgin desperately seeks sex of any description" and "Musky Fox, Musky minky sly old stoaty stoaty stoat" the two give up. Richie then spots an advert for a revolutionary new sex spray. The next day the pair visit the local sex-shop in order to buy a can each.
That night the pair prepare to go out. Richie uses up his biro
s drawing on chest hair, however he has to use a green pen, as he has used all the black pens ink on his legs; while Eddie shaves his tongue. Eddie attempts to remove Richie's nasal hair (at Richie's request) using a pair of pliers. However he ends up throwing Richie around the room, this in turn leads to a fight between the two, until Richie stops it by saying they should take it out on the 'birds' later. Both apply the sex-spray liberally and Richie fantasises about finally "doing it". Eddie slowly becomes inebriated on the spray, after spraying it into his mouth.
The pair then venture to their local pub, "The Lamb and Flag", where Richie attempts to pick up the wife (Harriet Thorpe
) of a large man (Clive Mantle
). He and Eddie pretend to be insane in order to prevent him from beating them up, but not before Richie has his testicles crushed by the man. They then force themselves upon two attractive ladies (Cindy Shelley
and Carla Mendonça
) sat nearby, who are eager for them to leave. They leave them - in a less than subtle fashion - in order to buy condom
s. In the toilet, Richie is punched by the large man.
When the two return from the toilet, the girls have moved tables in the hope of avoiding them. When Richie confronts them, they claim to be lesbians and leave. Richie is disappointed, but this subsides when he realises a drunken Eddie is now attempting to seduce him, as he has become completely 'drunk' off the sex-spray. The episode ends with Richie punching Eddie in the face.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom Bottom
Bottom (TV series)
Bottom was a British sitcom television series that originally aired on BBC2 between 1991 and 1995. It was written by comic duo Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson who star as Richie and Eddie, two flatmates living on the dole in Hammersmith, London...
. The episode was originally transmitted on Tuesday 17 September 1991.
Synopsis
Richie and Eddie are finding it impossible to attract women and they attempt to pick up women using sex spray supposedly loaded with pheromones.Plot
Richie and Eddie return home from a disappointing night on the pull - Richie's bird lies to him, claiming to be a lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and Eddie's been kicked in the testicles. In a desperate attempt to get a girlfriend, the two write a "lonely hearts" advert for Richie to put in the local paper. After trying several ideas including "Ugly virgin desperately seeks sex of any description" and "Musky Fox, Musky minky sly old stoaty stoaty stoat" the two give up. Richie then spots an advert for a revolutionary new sex spray. The next day the pair visit the local sex-shop in order to buy a can each.
That night the pair prepare to go out. Richie uses up his biro
Ballpoint pen
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument with an internal ink reservoir and a sphere for a point. The internal chamber is filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at its tip during use by the rolling action of a small sphere...
s drawing on chest hair, however he has to use a green pen, as he has used all the black pens ink on his legs; while Eddie shaves his tongue. Eddie attempts to remove Richie's nasal hair (at Richie's request) using a pair of pliers. However he ends up throwing Richie around the room, this in turn leads to a fight between the two, until Richie stops it by saying they should take it out on the 'birds' later. Both apply the sex-spray liberally and Richie fantasises about finally "doing it". Eddie slowly becomes inebriated on the spray, after spraying it into his mouth.
The pair then venture to their local pub, "The Lamb and Flag", where Richie attempts to pick up the wife (Harriet Thorpe
Harriet Thorpe
-TV:She was in the mid-to-late 1990s British television sitcom The Brittas Empire, playing Carole Parkinson, the receptionist who was prone to depression and fits of emotion who permanently kept her children with her, in drawers under her desk and would sometimes be seen feeding them or washing...
) of a large man (Clive Mantle
Clive Mantle
-Early life and education:Mantle was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He was a pupil at Kimbolton School, Cambridgeshire and a chorister in St John's College Choir for four years...
). He and Eddie pretend to be insane in order to prevent him from beating them up, but not before Richie has his testicles crushed by the man. They then force themselves upon two attractive ladies (Cindy Shelley
Cindy Shelley
Cindy Shelley is a British actress, best known for her roles in two high profile BBC television dramas of the 1980s - Alice Courtenay in Tenko and Abby Urquhart in Howards' Way.-Career:...
and Carla Mendonça
Carla Mendonça
Carla Mendonça is an English actress. She has a degree in Theatre Studies and Dramatic Art from the University of Warwick...
) sat nearby, who are eager for them to leave. They leave them - in a less than subtle fashion - in order to buy condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s. In the toilet, Richie is punched by the large man.
When the two return from the toilet, the girls have moved tables in the hope of avoiding them. When Richie confronts them, they claim to be lesbians and leave. Richie is disappointed, but this subsides when he realises a drunken Eddie is now attempting to seduce him, as he has become completely 'drunk' off the sex-spray. The episode ends with Richie punching Eddie in the face.
Recurring Themes
This episode introduces a few themes that recur throughout the series:- Lee CornesLee CornesLee Cornes is a British actor.He appeared in three series of Blackadder, as a talking extra, in two episodes of The Young Ones and in the TV show Bottom, as barman, 'Dick Head'. He made an appearance in the first episode of Filthy, Rich & Catflap as a binman. He also starred in children's drama...
makes the first of three appearances as Dick Head, the landlord at "The Lamb and Flag" public house. - The unseen dogs outside "The Lamb and Flag" attack Eddie and Richie on the way in. In this episode it is explained that they are attracted to the sex-spray. However, from this point on, every time they enter the pub they are attacked by the dogs.
- Richie's favourite, and only, pick-up line: "My, what a smashing blouse you have on".
Continuity and Production Errors
- Richie and Eddie are getting ready to go out with the new sex spray when Richie notice a large nose hairs. Lacking tweezers, Eddie gets a pair of pliers and clamps them onto Richie's nose. Look carefully as the pliers are in fact made of rubber or something similar, as the pliers are seen bending.
- Richie and Eddie are talking to a pair of lesbians in one scene. For one or two shots, the glass one of the ladies is holding disappears.