BY: CLARE LONGRIGG
THE wife of comedian Rik Mayall yesterday said she was more optimistic as her husband continued to recover from serious head injuries after being crushed by a quad bike. "We think he is OK," said Barbara Mayall, who has been at her husband's side since the accident at their Devon home on Thursday.
Mayall, aged 39, has been in intensive care, heavily sedated, on the neurological ward of Derriford hospital, Plymouth, since the accident. Yesterday, the hospital confirmed he was "still stable".
Two of Mayall's Comic Strip comedy partners, Peter Richardson and Adrian Edmondson, have visited him, and fans and friends have been ringing in and sending flowers. A film co-starring Mayall, Four Men in a Car, was screened last night after his family gave the go-ahead.
The accident happened when Mayall was driving the four-wheel motor bike, watched by his three children. It toppled over him on a steep slope and he was found unconscious. The rescue services flew him to Plymouth.
Mayall bought the country estate last year as a retreat for his family. Famous for his comic role in the BBC series, The Young Ones, he was also in The Comic Strip Presents, and The New Statesman.