‘The Giant Bombardon’ was the subject of episode 13 of series four, broadcast on Boxing Day 1953 at the much earlier time of 4:30pm, as per page 46 of the Radio Times.
The episode saw the return of Michael Bentine for a one-off guest appearance, presumably as Osric Pureheart. One small fragment of this show is preserved, but unfortunately it only features Henry Crun singing and doing the washing up, so Pureheart’s input is once again a mystery.
This episode was reworked and rerecorded as part of the Vintage Goons series and broadcast on 6 October 1958, with Valentine Dyall taking Bentine’s parts. Ahem.
It’s interesting to note that the script, according to the 1958 listing, was said to have been written by Milligan – even though the original show was written by Milligan and Larry Stephens. It’s an indicator that Stephens’ contributions were being diminished even while he was still alive.
Bit of a damp squib this one. To make up for it, here’s a photo of Spike, taken by Larry Stephens, shared by Larry’s cousin and biographer Julie Warren in April last year.
Title: The Giant Bombardon
Series 4, Episode 13
Broadcast: 26 December 1953
Written by: Spike Milligan & Larry Stephens
Producer: Peter Eton
Vintage Goons version
Title: The Giant Bombardon
Producer: Roy Speer
Broadcast: 6 October 1958