Artwork unveiled in tribute to Droitwich Spa's Rik Mayall
It was unveiled today.
Artwork paying tribute to one of Droitwich Spa's famous residents has been unveiled in the town's high street.
An empty shop has been transformed by a special mural dedicated to the life and laughs of comedy star Rik Mayall, who grew up in Droitwich Spa.
Wychavon commissioned illustrator Milan Topalovic to put the piece together to help promote the first Rik Mayall Comedy Festival, which takes place across the town from 31 May to 7 June.
Titled 'Rik Mayall's Comedy Emporium’, the work took between 100 and 150 hours to complete and features a variety of nods to Mayall's career.
They include the iconic characters he played in shows like Bottom, The Young Ones, and Blackadder.
There is even a reference to Peeves the poltergeist, a role Mayall played in the first Harry Potter film, but his scenes never made it to the screen as they were cut.
The design also includes Mayall's face on a King of Hearts playing card, representing his fans' view of him as the King of Comedy.
Around the outside of the card are four of Mayall's five mantras for life – equality, opportunity, wisdom, and freedom – with the fifth, love, represented by the heart on the playing card.
The project was supported by Droitwich Spa Place Board and funded through Wychavon's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Cllr George Duffy, Chairman of Wychavon, who helped unveil the mural on Monday, February 24, said: "We're proud to have commissioned this artwork as a tribute to the joy and laughter Rik brought and still brings today to people around the world. We hope it inspires happy memories of Rik and the characters he so wonderfully brought to life in everyone who stops to see it, as well as help sell some tickets to the festival!"
Illustrator Milan Topalovic added: "The original concept was around a joke shop, so the idea of it being a comedy emporium was confirmed quite early.
"I was very familiar with Rik Mayall to begin with, particularly Bottom and Blackadder but there was still a lot of research involved, particularly into vintage English shop fronts, playing cards and tricks – which plays into the Bottom theme again with them playing tricks on each other."
Stuart Panrucker, Rik Mayall Comedy Festival Director, said: "Milan has done an incredible job. He's taken a lot of feedback on board from Rik's family and captured every part of his incredible career while combining it with local references to Droitwich Spa.
"The festival is looking very promising - the lineup at the Norbury Theatre is fantastic. We are now filling the hospitality venues across the town with even more acts to give everyone a chance to get involved and make this a major event for Droitwich Spa."