Lise Mayer
Biography
Lise Mayer (born 29 November 1959) is an American television and film writer. She was creator and co-writer, alongside Rik Mayall and Ben Elton, of the BBC comedy series The Young Ones. Mayer was born in Chicago, Illinois, to David and Anne Mayer. She met Rik Mayall when she was at school in Manchester and Mayall came to study drama at Manchester University, where her father was a professor. Her mother is a theatre publicist. In addition to The Young Ones, she has written for television programmes including The Last Resort, Paramount City, London Underground, The Fast Show, Saturday Zoo and Casualty, and produced Denis Leary's No Cure For Cancer. She was a writer/consultant for the film The Borrowers, and co-writer of Suite 16, Paper Marriage, Flushed Away and The Matchmaker. Books include Bachelor Boys: The Young Ones Book, People I Have Shot (with ITN cameraman Sebastian Rich), The Utterly Merry Comic Relief Christmas Book, Go to Bed With Jonathan Ross, Amassed Hysteria and In Search of Happiness (with Angus Deayton). She is an activist and filmmaker for the advocacy group The Citizens. Mayer was in a relationship until 1985 with Rik Mayall, including the period when they co-wrote The Young Ones. She has a son with comedian and television presenter Angus Deayton, with whom she was in a relationship from 1991 to 2015. Her sister, Catherine Mayer, co-founded the Women's Equality Party with Sandi Toksvig
Known For & Full Filmography4 Titles
Drama Series - 1982, 16 episodes • as Woman in Hawk advert
The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).
Movie - 2018, 2h 15m • Main Cast Role
This documentary explores the legacy of one of the most notorious British sitcoms of all time. Launching alternative comedy onto our screens, the show made household names of its performers and writers and proved to be a huge influence, despite the BBC reportedly being baffled by what they'd commissioned back in 1982. Never before had a flagship comedy show contained so much violence, depravity and anarchy - it was a shot across the bow to mainstream comedians that things would never be the same again.
Movie - 2014, 2h 15m • as Self
Comedian Rik Mayall died suddenly on 9 June 2014. Mayall's blend of rocket-fuelled physical comedy, surrealism, subversive satire and pompous punk wit left a body of work that spanned four decades. Mayall's characters include the Black Country's investigative nerd Kevin Turvey, Felicity Kendal-adoring student and 'People's Poet' Rik in The Young Ones, ruthless MP Alan B'Stard in The New Statesman, seedy loser Richie in Bottom and larger-than-life characters Robin Hood and flying ace Lord Flashheart from Blackadder. Narrated by Simon Callow, this programme salutes Rik Mayall and celebrates his part in the UK's comedy history using rare and unseen archive footage. It also features contributions from people who knew or admired him, including Michael Palin, Simon Pegg, Lenny Henry, Ben Elton, Alexei Sayle, Christopher Ryan, Tim McInnerny, Jools Holland, Ruby Wax and Greg Davies.
Movie - 2007, 2h 15m • as Self
A look back at the making of the insane sitcom and the impact it caused.