• Summary

  • A podcast celebrating the legendary Goon Show and the Goons themselves - Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Michael Bentine Each episode host Tyler welcomes a guest to examine an actual Goon Show, a solo Goon project (films, TV, radio, books, albums etc) or practically anything within the Goon universe. We also talk about comedy in general - whatever direction the conversation takes! Please follow on Twitter @goonshowpod
    Goon Pod
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Episodes
  • Doctor In Trouble (1970)
    Apr 24 2024

    It is June 1970. Ted Heath is days away from becoming British Prime Minister. Mungo Jerry are riding high at the top of the charts. And popular television personality Simon Dee's career is just about to collapse in a spectacular fashion.


    How ironic then that Dee should co-star in the film we're discussing this week, playing a popular television personality!


    Doctor In Trouble was the last of the Doctor film series, which by 1970 had fully committed to aping the Carry Ons. As well as Dee, Harry Secombe is one of the principle cast, and the star is Leslie Phillips playing Dr Tony Burke, who somehow manages to stow away on a luxury cruise liner and spends much of the voyage trying to evade the clutches of Master-At Arms-Freddie Jones!


    Oh, and Robert Morley's in it too.


    Secombe is brilliant, as you would expect, and Dee (although not given a huge amount to do) puts in a fairly creditable performance. Leslie Phillips is, well, Leslie Phillips and how did we forget to mention that the peerless Irene Handl pops up too?


    Joining Tyler this week is writer, director and actor John Hewer. John has been behind some tributes to and revivals of classic British comedy performers and shows, including The Bed Sitting Room, Tommy Cooper and Steptoe & Son.


    They talk about the history of the Doctor series, the sad decline of James Robertson-Justice, the rise and fall of Simon Dee, problematic gay stereotypes from around this period, seventies posh nosh and consider the prospect of a nude Welshman on the film set!


    You'll really dig it!

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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • The Last Tram (from Clapham)
    Apr 17 2024

    "All trams have been melted down and made into melted-down trams."


    In 1952 London's last tram rolled into the depot. Two years later the Goons decided to mark the occasion with a show - better late than never!


    At the London Pleasure Transport Board, Redundant Tram Department, Inspector Ned Seagoon receives a phone call informing him that there’s still a tram at large on the Highgate-Kingsway route, and, indeed, the tram map still has one flag pin stuck in it, for a number 33.


    Driver Henry Crun refuses to move the tram unless he is afforded a proper last tram ceremony. Seagoon has to negotiate with the corrupt Chairman of the Country & Town Planning Society who agrees to the ceremony, but on the cheap.


    Writing was credited to Spike Milligan & Eric Sykes but it seems fairly certain Eric took the lion's share of work that week.


    The Last Tram (from Clapham) is a real gem of a Goon Show - well structured, well-paced, with some interesting one-off characters, a nice pay-off and the odd unusual choice of sound effect (such as the otherworldly harp).

    Joining Tyler to talk about it is our Welsh-language correspondent from Down Under, Andy Bell!

    As well as chatting about the show they discuss Britain's Rudest Man, the length of Alan Ladd, the Telegoons version of the show, Spike in Australia, the history of London's tram network and... Menace Strain Bullshine?


    Andy can be found on Twitter/X: @obelloz

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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest/Robin Hood
    Apr 10 2024

    "In ye year of Grace, Mary and Uncle Fred, 1190, Wallace Greenslade, an itinerant announcer, was bounde for Nottingham when ye coach was stoppd inne Sherwood Forest by Robin Hood who did persuade himme to join hys bande as second sackbuttist and part-time dustman. Greenslade did don Lincoln Green and did assiste ye outlaws in their recklesse adventures."

    (Radio Times listing for 'Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest', December 1954)

    This week Tyler and guest Chas Early look at the Robin Hood-themed episodes of The Goon Show - Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest from Series 5 and the special from 1956, Robin Hood, as well as some brief chat about the earlier Christmas Pantomime of Robin Hood from Series 3 which only exists now in script form.

    All three shows share some similar dialogues and scenes and each featured special guests: Charlotte Mitchell in Ye Bandit; Dennis Price and Valentine Dyall in the 1956 Robin Hood; and Dick Emery & Carole Carr back in 1952.

    There's a lot to unpick so splug yourself on a gillikin spike and tune in!

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    1 hr and 36 mins

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