A (very) British way of life
Episode 10 of the third series was broadcast on 13 January 1953. It was titled ‘The British Way of Life’. The Radio Times has details on...
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The Seagoon Memoirs
Chronicling a 21st century idiot's obsession with a 1950s radio comedy masterpiece.
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A digital
time capsule
Welcome, dear reader - pull up a bollard.
On 28 May 1951, four young men took to the airwaves on the BBC's Home Service to launch their unique brand of comedy on an unsuspecting world.
In the mid-1990s, an even younger idiot was introduced to recordings of their broadcasts - and there began a strange obsession crossing decades and generations.
The Seagoon Memoirs is an attempt to channel this obsession into something creative, chronicle the show's history, development and legacy, and in some small way contribute to preserving this masterpiece of British radio comedy.
Listen to me waffle on about the Goons on the excellent Goon Pod here. Alternatively, listen to more interesting people on other episodes of Goon Pod, including Jane Milligan, Al Murray, Dirk Maggs, and the cast of 'Spike!', the new Milligan/Goon-themed play by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman.
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Women in the Goon Show
The first Goon Show of 1953 was episode nine of the third series, broadcast on 6 January. Titled ‘The Navy, Army and Air Force’, it is in...
Mrs Dale's Diary
The eighth episode of the third series – ‘Where Does Santa Claus Go In The Summer?’ – was broadcast on 30 December 1952. The Radio Times...
Robin Hood
Episode seven of the third series was a Christmas pantomime, ‘Robin Hood’. It was broadcast on Boxing Day 1952, and the Radio Times...
The Archers
The sixth episode of the third series, broadcast on 16 December 1952, featured a parody of what is now the longest running radio serial...
Milligan and mental health
The fifth episode of the third series was broadcast on 9 December 1952, and saw the Goons embark on ‘The Expedition for Toothpaste’. The...
The Saga of HMS Aldgate
The fourth episode of series three, ‘The Saga of HMS Aldgate’, was broadcast 2 December 1952. The Radio Times listing is here. There was...
Exit Bentine
‘I Was A Male Fan Dancer’, the third episode of the third series of the Goon Show, was broadcast on 25 November 1952. It can be found on...
The Egg of the Great Auk
Series 3, episode 2 – ‘The Egg of the Great Auk’ – was broadcast on 18 November 1952 at 9:30pm on the Home Service. Proof, if proof is...
'Three Men In A Whirl'
On 11 November 1952, the third series of The Goon Show began. As was customary for the start of a new series, the Radio Times ran an...
Chinese Wanderers 200, Arsenal nil
As a lifelong Arsenal fan, I have long been intrigued by the numerous references to my team littered throughout Goon Show scripts....
The Telegoons (part 1)
On this day in 1964, the final episode of the second (and final) series of the Telegoons was broadcast on BBC One at 5pm. It was an...
Hiatus
Spriggs: Fear not, little Jim! I will write you a new character who will assist you: [typing] 'The door opened, and a virile figure leapt...
The Beatles of Comedy - Firesign Theatre
In the mid-1960s, four Americans who came across the Goons in the late 1950s, decided to assemble their own comedy troupe. Firesign...
Origins: Michael Bentine
Michael Bentine was a fascinating character. Born in 1922, his father was Peruvian while his mother was British. He grew up in Folkestone...
'Yong-Tong-Iddle-I-Po!'
Among the many catchphrases used by the Goons were a number of nonsense words – “spon”, “lurgi”, “yackabakakka” – which were probably...
The death of Peter Sellers
On this day in 1980, Peter Sellers died of a heart attack. His health had been up and down for years, and he’d already survived several...
Happy birthday, Charlotte Mitchell
Today marks the actress and poet Charlotte Mitchell’s 95th birthday. She starred in two Goon Show episodes, throwing herself into the...
Puckoon
Episode 24 of the second series of the Goon Show was piped into listeners’ ears on 8 July 1952. Page 22 of the Radio Times has the proof....
Spike Milligan: Man of Letters
We’re nearing the end of series two, with episode 23 broadcast on 1 July 1952 at 9:30pm on the Home Service. Turn to page 22 of this...
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