Goon Pod

Have a gorilla! Napoleon’s Piano is one of the most loved Goon Shows of all time and joining Tyler this week to talk about it is Angie Budd. Angie has a lot to say about the show and among other things we discuss Wallace Greenslade’s ripe French accent, the art of piano leg sawing, Anthony Eden and the Cambridge Spies, the ubiquity of Maurice Ponk, Britain claiming ownership of a final piece of so...

Comedy writer, novelist and Goon Show fan David Quantick is Tyler’s guest this week. With Spike Milligan being one of David’s earliest influences as a writer he was keen to explain how, for him, the Goons had more of an impact than the Pythons and helped sharpen his comic sensibilities, along with the likes of absurdist playwright NF Simpson. As well as general Goon chat there are conversational m...

On the 8th September 1921 Harold Donald Secombe entered the world and the world was never quite the same again! To mark his centenary Tyler and comedy writer Mike Haskins present this special episode of Goon Pod as a tribute to the multi-talented Ned of Wales whose legendary voice, infectious giggling, kindness to others and unfailing good humour held him high in the public’s affection for over fi...

This week we remove our legs from the vulgar gaze of public and refuse to have a haircut as we pay tribute to the quite wonderful Michael Bentine’s Potty Time! First there was the Goon Show, then The Bumblies, then It’s A Square World and then, erm, Rentadick, but after that there was Michael Bentine’s Potty Time which enchanted children and adults alike in the 1970s with Potty adaptations of clas...

This week Tyler welcomes a senior scoundrel to the pod in the shape of Tilt Araiza, who popped along to talk about the Series 9 episode Queen Anne’s Rain and much more besides. This episode includes: Tilt’s relationship with and occasional astonishment at the Goon Show, the rhythm of jokes and the art of building audiences up to a state of comic ecstasy, the wonderful Wal Greenslade and his unique...

This week Tyler chats to writer and comedy historian Mark Cousins about Peter Sellers and some of the lesser-known aspects of his career. Mark has neared completion of a sizeable Sellers chronology which has been years in the writing and he has advised on and contributed to several radio and television documentaries on the life of the former Goon. Sellers’ radio, television, film and stage work is...

This week Tyler chats with Richard Usher, actor, performer and voiceover artist, who as a member of the Fred Theatre Company has brought the magic of The Goon Show to new audiences, appearing as part of The Birmingham Comedy Festival. Richard has taken on the role of Peter Sellers in a number of sell-out live Goon Show performances in recent years (staging such shows as The Phantom Head Shaver of...

Pull up a chair and cock an ear to the latest episode of Goon Pod! This week Tyler is joined by Paul Abbott of the Head Ballet and Big Beatles Sort Out podcasts to rhapsodise about one of the best-known and most fondly remembered Goon Shows of all time: The Whistling Spy Enigma from 1954. We explore the show itself, the characters and gags and acknowledge how this show marked the beginning of a ne...

Well, we know what it is, we know who done it but for heaven’s sake tell us where it is! This episode of Goon Pod we’re joined by Scott from the Reel Britannia & Talking Pictures podcasts (among others) to cast an ear over the Series 9 episode ‘I Was Monty’s Treble’ which is a near as damn it faithful scene-by-scene tribute to the 1958 John Mills feature film I Was Monty’s Double (not really!)...

New episode - cunningly disguised as the 7:20 train to Bradford! Joining me on the pod this week is motorsport commentator and presenter Jake Sanson who has a deep and enduring love for the Goons and his enthusiasm is really infectious. We had a great conversation about one of his favourite Goon Show episodes (and mine), “The Great Bank Robbery” from series 7. Along the way we touched on such topi...

An episode of Goon Pod where we’re talking about puppets? Can only be The Telegoons right? WRONG! There was a time when Hollywood A-listers would be queuing around the block for the opportunity to sing a duet with a bit of coloured felt with ping-pong ball eyes. The Muppet Show was one of the biggest TV successes of the 1970s and today we welcome guest Manning Krull to the pod where we will be tal...

Let the needle drop on the latest episode of Goon Pod as Tyler chats to writer and broadcaster Tim Worthington about Sellers’ and Loren’s 1960 collaboration on vinyl: “Peter & Sophia”. We discuss Tim’s relationship with the record and Sellers’ LPs in general (step forward George Martin), with conversational forays taking in that mucky pup Serge Gainsbourg, The Last Goon Show Of All and a certa...

Fill up your horses with three gallons of hay as we welcome guest John Dredge to the podcast! We're talking about the classic Series 9 Goon Show episode The Call of the West but also find time to talk about The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins, dying in Coventry, laughs filched from I Love Lucy and even Tiswas! We also address the burning question - wh...

In the fifth episode of Goon Pod it's the welcome return of Adam from RetroTube podcast - despite concerns that he’ll see the big board!  We have a right old chinwag about what is arguably Peter Sellers’ second greatest cinematic performance(s) – in the 1964 Stanley Kubrick Cold War satire Dr Strangelove. Among many other things we talk about the fact that Spike Milligan was possibly partiall...

We Need To Talk About Larry: In this episode the special guest is Julie Warren, author of the wonderful new book It's All In the Mind - The Life & Legacy of Larry Stephens.  We talk about the man who was one of the most important figures in helping shape and develop the Goons, as well as being a close friend and collaborator of Tony Hancock. Stephens was of the hardest-working comedy scri...

The Goons on film! All four of 'em! In glorious black and white! This week Adrian from @SecondFeatures podcast guests on the pod to discuss the only - to date - full length feature film starring the original Goon quartet! Tune in to discover everything you need to know about this classic British movie about which Roger Ebert said "Never heard of it." 

In the second part of our discussion on The Man Who Never Was from Series 8, Tyler and Adam continue to talk about all things Goons (with occasional conversational meanderings via Alan Alda, Steptoe & Son and even K9!) (BTW please rate and review on iTunes, it all helps!)

Join host Tyler and guest Adam Leslie as we kick off a brand new podcast all about the Goons (look 'em up teenagers)  On the 70th anniversary of the very first episode of the Goon Show Tyler and Adam discuss all thing Goons with particular focus on the celebrated 1958 episode The Man Who Never Was. Along the way we talk about our time in the Goon Show Preservation Society, our history with th...