Rik Mayall

When almost anyone who's had their 15 minutes dies now, social media is awash with people who have never given the deceased a second thought chiming in that they'll be missed. When Rik Mayall died suddenly in June, thousands tweeted their grief.

"He was a golden youth," says Ben Elton. "He was the greatest of us all," says Alexei Sayle. "The sexy genius, Rik Mayall," says whoever wrote Simon Callow's suitably grandiose narration for this tribute programme, which does the usual run-through of all the late star's famous roles, making out that each was incredibly groundbreaking, while celebrity chums say what a great guy he was.

The thing is, with Rik Mayall, for once all of that is absolutely true. He was a bloody sexy genius. He was unique and I'm quite willing to believe he was brilliant to know. And that grief felt real: to a certain generation, at least, he was ours in a way no other entertainer could be and loved as much as any stranger could be. He never sold out, never became a sentimental, corny shadow of himself.

This tribute programme - obvious as it is, missing (totally understandably) any contributions from his family or Adrian Edmondson, but filled with wonderful early footage and photos - reminds us of just what we lost.

You may cry a wee bit. But you will definitely laugh.

A Christmas instalment of Greg Davies's sitcom ahead of a full new series next year, though one that will be sadly missing the late Rik Mayall among its cast. Dan (Davies) has had a tough 12 months, but he's trying to turn things around. A festive thorn in the side, however, threatens to derail his efforts with the unwelcome arrival of his Aunt Nesta (Stephanie Cole). Meanwhile, Jo and Brian have realised rather sooner than expected that a farm is really not their natural habitat.

How to remember Rik Mayall

The death of Rik Mayall in June 2014 quite rightly made the front page of every newspaper. There is no one better than the BBC to make a warm and loving tribute to a comedy hero.

British Comedy Awards 2014 programme

Read an online copy of the programme for the British Comedy Awards. It includes various articles, including tributes to Rik Mayall and Addison Cresswell.

Rik Mayall 'Bottom' bench to be unveiled in Hammersmith

A roadside bench matching the one that featured in the opening credits of BBC sitcom Bottom is due to be officially unveiled in the same spot in London.

Campaign to get Rik Mayall to number one

A campaign has been launched today to get a song recorded by Rik Mayall's spoof heavy metal band Bad News to number one in the run-up to Christmas.

Video: Rik Mayall 'Bottom' bench unveiled in London

The bench which features in the opening credits of the sitcom Bottom has been reinstalled after a campaign by fans.

Ben Elton's tribute to 'wonderful' Rik Mayall

Ben Elton has spoken to Sky News Entertainment Week about his close friendship with comedy great Rik Mayall.

Ade Edmondson interview

Ahead of appearing in stage play Neville's Island in the West End, Ade Edmondson reflects on his life and work, and on the recent deaths of three close friends, including his Young Ones co-star Rik Mayall.

Rik Mayall's last TV appearance draws 400,000

Nearly 400,000 viewers watched the late Rik Mayall's last TV appearance on Dave's storytelling show Crackanory.