Adrian Edmondson, the star of The Young Ones and Bottom, has criticised the baby boomer generation for failing to share their wealth with younger people. The 68-year-old actor said his generation has “had the best of it” but “haven’t shared” what they were given, leaving a difficult legacy for his five grandchildren.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Edmondson said: “Sometimes I think we’ve f***ed the whole thing up for them.” He highlighted soaring house prices, noting that when boomers bought homes, a house cost three times annual earnings, whereas now it is 27 times earnings. “How did we let it get like that?” he asked.
Edmondson, who stars in the new series Alien: Earth, also commented on the current political climate, saying it is “very similar to Margaret Thatcher’s time rather than any Labour government” and that Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “not Left”. He added: “It’s unbelievable the f***ing mess we’ve made.”
His remarks come as Nationwide Building Society reported that the average UK house price rose to £272,664 in July, with the price-to-earnings ratio at 5.75, down from a peak of 6.9 in 2022. Chief economist Robert Gardner attributed the improvement to strong income growth and lower mortgage rates.
Edmondson, married to Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders since 1985, reflected on his career and his late comedy partner Rik Mayall, who died in 2014. He admitted their relationship was strained towards the end but said working together was “the most joy I’ve ever had in my life”.
