A bench in Hammersmith is to be officially unveiled today in honour of Rik Mayall. The bench will be similar to the one that featured in the opening credits of the sitcom Bottom. 

The comedian, who died suddenly in June, had said that he was sad to discover that the original bench had been removed. After his death a petition was set up to get it replaced. 7000 people signed it and the bench will have the slogan “In Memory of The Man, The Myth, The Legend. Dr The Rik Mayall. Pan Global Phenomenon. Equality, Opportunity, Wisdom, Freedom & Love. “Barbara: Love Is The Answer”. Mayall was married to Barbara Robbin.

The bench will be on the junction of Queen Caroline Street and Hammersmith Bridge Road, close to the Hammersmith, now Eventim, Apollo, where Mayall and Ade Edmondson played a number of gigs. This is close to where the bench in Bottom's opening credits originally was. Mayall once told the BBC that discovering that the original bench was gone was the “worst journey” he had ever made.

Nigel Planer will be reading a tribute at the unveiling and there will be songs including The Young Ones, made famous as the theme song of the sitcom of the same name.