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I've been writing Twitter threads about The Goon Show for the past few months or so, usually to highlight the musical numbers, obscure/topical gags, edits, versions, and the like. Starting with Series 8, I'll add them here as well.
For those who don't know, The Goon Show was a massively successful BBC radio comedy in the 1950s, which greatly influenced most of modern British comedy, particularly Monty Python. Series 8 ran from 1957-1958. It starred Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan. Spike also wrote it, sometimes with co-writers. At the time of this series he usually co-wrote with Larry Stephens, who also wrote for Tony Hancock, another legendary British comic.
So, let's talk about the run up to The Goon Show Series 8. (I am using Andrew Pixley's booklets in the Goon Show Compendium as a primary source, all credit to Andrew.) Producer Pat Dixon wanted to leave the show, but was OK with staying 7 episodes into 8. (Pat had cancer, and was also a bit tired of being the intermediary between Spike & Larry and the BBC. Honestly, it's hard to blame him.)
Jacques Brown, who had produced the special episode The Reason Why, was slated to do Series 8 after Pat left. The BBC, meanwhile, wanted to promote its Transcription Services broadcasts (broadcasts for overseas listeners, particularly Canada) by remaking 14 Goon Shows from Series 4, and wanted Spike to rewrite them. Spike wanted FEWER Goon Shows - in Series 7 there had been several weeks where they did two shows in one night to accommodate schedules and it was rough on him, and now he was being asked to do it for half a year? Plus his co-writer Larry Stephens was busy and couldn't rewrite the scripts over the summer.
Now moving to Julie Warren's Larry Stephens biography as source, Larry says it wasn't made clear to him the rewrites were happening till he agreed to write shows for Bernard Braden, Dickie Valentine, etc. He and Spike could only start rewrites In September, right as Series 8 was also going out. Larry had also been working on TV show The Army Game... and was also told around the start of Series 8 he only had a year to live... IF he gave up smoking and drinking immediately. His blood pressure was far too high.
While this was happening, the BBC also moved The Goon Show to Mondays. Unfortunately, this meant Pat Dixon couldn't do the first seven, as he was committed to produce Michael Bentine's new radio show, Round the Bend. Jacques Brown also couldn't do it anymore, so Roy Speer was appointed producer. Then Roy pointed out that, since the Goon Show was now on Monday, he couldn't start producing it till Educating Archie had ended in November. (Educating Archie was a ludicrously popular radio show starring Peter Brough (a human actor) and Archie Andrews (his ventriloquist dummy). Harry Secombe appeared on it as well in the early 50s.)
So this is why they brought in Charles Chilton to produce at the start. It wasn't (as I'd wondered) that he had to leave for a commitment after 5 shows, he was always only there for those first five shows in the first place. Chilton also knew Spike, and had subbed in as a producer in Series 3.
So, we arrive at the start of Series 8. 26 episodes, much to Spike's annoyance. Plus 14 TS shows. Meaning every two weeks there were two shows to write and one to rewrite... and the rewrites were sometimes extensive. But, at last, next time we'll be discussing the first episode of Series 8, Spon, starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, and Harry Secombe as always! Because surely nothing ELSE could go wrong, right?
For those who don't know, The Goon Show was a massively successful BBC radio comedy in the 1950s, which greatly influenced most of modern British comedy, particularly Monty Python. Series 8 ran from 1957-1958. It starred Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan. Spike also wrote it, sometimes with co-writers. At the time of this series he usually co-wrote with Larry Stephens, who also wrote for Tony Hancock, another legendary British comic.
So, let's talk about the run up to The Goon Show Series 8. (I am using Andrew Pixley's booklets in the Goon Show Compendium as a primary source, all credit to Andrew.) Producer Pat Dixon wanted to leave the show, but was OK with staying 7 episodes into 8. (Pat had cancer, and was also a bit tired of being the intermediary between Spike & Larry and the BBC. Honestly, it's hard to blame him.)
Jacques Brown, who had produced the special episode The Reason Why, was slated to do Series 8 after Pat left. The BBC, meanwhile, wanted to promote its Transcription Services broadcasts (broadcasts for overseas listeners, particularly Canada) by remaking 14 Goon Shows from Series 4, and wanted Spike to rewrite them. Spike wanted FEWER Goon Shows - in Series 7 there had been several weeks where they did two shows in one night to accommodate schedules and it was rough on him, and now he was being asked to do it for half a year? Plus his co-writer Larry Stephens was busy and couldn't rewrite the scripts over the summer.
Now moving to Julie Warren's Larry Stephens biography as source, Larry says it wasn't made clear to him the rewrites were happening till he agreed to write shows for Bernard Braden, Dickie Valentine, etc. He and Spike could only start rewrites In September, right as Series 8 was also going out. Larry had also been working on TV show The Army Game... and was also told around the start of Series 8 he only had a year to live... IF he gave up smoking and drinking immediately. His blood pressure was far too high.
While this was happening, the BBC also moved The Goon Show to Mondays. Unfortunately, this meant Pat Dixon couldn't do the first seven, as he was committed to produce Michael Bentine's new radio show, Round the Bend. Jacques Brown also couldn't do it anymore, so Roy Speer was appointed producer. Then Roy pointed out that, since the Goon Show was now on Monday, he couldn't start producing it till Educating Archie had ended in November. (Educating Archie was a ludicrously popular radio show starring Peter Brough (a human actor) and Archie Andrews (his ventriloquist dummy). Harry Secombe appeared on it as well in the early 50s.)
So this is why they brought in Charles Chilton to produce at the start. It wasn't (as I'd wondered) that he had to leave for a commitment after 5 shows, he was always only there for those first five shows in the first place. Chilton also knew Spike, and had subbed in as a producer in Series 3.
So, we arrive at the start of Series 8. 26 episodes, much to Spike's annoyance. Plus 14 TS shows. Meaning every two weeks there were two shows to write and one to rewrite... and the rewrites were sometimes extensive. But, at last, next time we'll be discussing the first episode of Series 8, Spon, starring Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, and Harry Secombe as always! Because surely nothing ELSE could go wrong, right?
