Neil Pye

Played by Nigel Planer, Neil Wheedon Watkins Pye, the hippie, is a clinically depressed, pacifist, vegetarian and environmentalist working towards a Peace Studies degree. He is victimised by other housemates (especially Rick and Vyvyan) and forced to do the housework, including shopping, cleaning and cooking. He is never acknowledged for it unless it goes wrong.

Personality
Neil is pessimistic and believes everyone and everything hates him, although he does have two hippie friends - one also named Neil and one named Warlock. This actually makes him the second most sociable character behind Vyvyan. He dislikes most forms of technology, (Except for TV and video) and speaks out for Vegetable Rights and Peace. He is also a chronic insomniac, believing that sleep causes cancer. Neil wants the others to feel sorry for him, or just acknowledge his presence. His attention-seeking ranges from banging himself on the head with a frying pan, being at the other flatmates' beck and call all day long, and in the pilot episode repeatedly attempting suicide. He claims "the most interesting thing that ever happens to me is sneezing". When that happens it results in a big explosion.

In the pilot episode "Demolition" Neil is shown to have suicidal tendencies - attempting to kill himself at least three times - however this was not carried through for the rest of the series.