Goon Pod

Over a career spanning seven decades the composer and arranger Angela Morley brought something special to every project she was involved with, be it movie soundtrack, record, radio show or television programme. Working with such heavyweights as John Williams, Shirley Bassey, Noel Coward, Scott Walker, Andre Previn and Frankie Vaughan she gained a reputation as a talented, reliable and resourceful...

The One Where We Chart The Development Of Peter Sellers' Beard! Writer and Summer Wino Bob Fischer is this week's guest - he came along to talk about one of the most obscure and little-seen Peter Sellers films of all: The Blockhouse, from 1973.  Despite the film's bleak, at times harrowing depiction of desperate men entombed awaiting the inevitable, it was a very upbeat and enjoyable conversa...

Joining Tyler this week to discuss this very fine Series 8 show is Molly McDade, who explains why The Goons mean so much to her. We spend a fair chunk of the episode talking about the behind-the-scenes dramas getting this show aired and ask the question, why was someone who didn't like The Goon Show put in charge of producing it for a couple of weeks? And how many four-letter oaths did Millig...

Recorded at Cambridge University in December 1973 and issued as a double LP in Spring 1974, An Adult Entertainment brought together the inspired lunacy of Spike Milligan and the musical whimsy of Jeremy Taylor. Spike read extracts from some of his books, recited poetry, shared anecdotes and generally treated the audience to a cornucopia of classic Milligana. Jeremy Taylor played some of his songs,...

Who is The Fox?  I am The Fox! In 1966 Peter Sellers made a film which this podcaster considers one of his top five despite it being commercially and critically underwhelming. It rarely gets spoken about in the same breath as some of the actor's other movies such as Dr Strangelove, Being There, The Pink Panther or The Ladykillers yet is a highly entertaining international romp featuring a sta...

The award-winning master of spoken word audio, this week's guest is the endlessly entertaining Dirk Maggs. Dirk has been overseeing the production of The Sandman: Act III, the latest in a long line of collaborations with Neil Gaiman. He was first introduced to Neil via a mutual friend at DC Comics, as Dirk had been involved in audio productions of The Adventures of Superman, Batman: The Lazarus Sy...

Recorded recently during his latest tour as The Pub Landlord – Gig For Victory – Al Murray joined Tyler to talk comedy and revealed how The Goon Show formed the foundations of his comic sensibilities. Al explained why he considers Spike Milligan’s war memoirs to be among the greatest of their kind – brutally honest while blisteringly funny and as fine a testament to the day-to-day life of soldiers...

In all, Peter Sellers played Inspector Clouseau in five films (within his lifetime that is!) - The Pink Panther, A Shot In The Dark, The Return Of The Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again and Revenge Of The Pink Panther. The Clouseau character was also portrayed on screen in a 1968 film starring Alan Arkin as the hapless Inspector.  Gary Rodger from podcasts The Sitcom Club & Jaff...

Novelist and scriptwriter Eddie Robson is this week's guest and we discuss the stone cold classic from Series 7, "Wings Over Dagenham" in which Seagoon & McChisholm invent the aeroplane (at a stroke putting the horse-drawn zeppelin market out of business), Henry Crun builds an aerodrome at Croydon and a flat-earther from the Geographical Society sets up a classic Goon Show gag. The conversatio...

Sacré Fred! This week we're popping across the Channel to the Paris of 1880 and meeting Neddie Toulouse-Lautrec and his beloved Fifi in the classic Series 6 episode 'Tales Of Montmartre'. This was to be the last script collaboration between Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes on The Goon Show and that was not the only thing coming to an end - the following week there'd be a brand new theme tune and soon...

Joining Tyler this week is Jon Auty from Behind the Stunts to talk about a 1971 British comedy film featuring some of the biggest names in comedy and light entertainment at the time.  The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins was conceived, directed and produced by Graham Stark and he managed to bring together the likes of Bruce Forsyth, Harry H Corbett, Leslie Phillips, Alfie Bass, June Whitfield, R...

Laura Grimshaw is this week's guest, the producer behind some of BBC Radio 4 Extra's landmark deep-dives into legendary figures from the world of comedy, including Les Dawson, the Bonzos, Barry Humphries and, notably, Neil Innes. She is also a regular host on Podcast Radio Hour, showcasing the wide world of podcasts, and contributor to 4 Extra's Comedy Club.  From an early age she develo...

We revolt tonight! High treachery abounds as Neddie Seagoon, on a walking tour of Austria, attends a Grand Ball in honour of the Emperor’s son, Kron Printz Arnold. Fooled into believing he is the rightful heir to the throne (although somebody's in there) by those two unspeakable traitors Colonel Grytpype and Count Moriarty, Neddie is soon embroiled in a plot to plant a bomb in the Kron Printz's be...

This week Tyler is in conversation with actor & musician Jane Milligan who very kindly agreed to talk about her father Spike. Among things discussed: * Pixies, Fairy Kings and Badjelly! * Harry, Peter & Mike! * Spike's opinion of 'newer' comedy and his love for the greats! * On the set of The Muppet Show! * Wine, Wossy and THAT comment! * The misconception that Spike was truly mad And much...

Two stories for the price of one with The Sock Jelly Murders and Ned the Miser in a show called The £1,000,000 Penny? All rather confusing really.  Harking back to earlier series formats, this excellent show from Series 9 begins with a mystery crime caper which then makes way for the episode's 'proper' drama, involving Miser Ned, a certain penny, two perfect scoundrels on a stagecoach pulled...

Recorded as part of the BBC's anniversary celebrations 50 years ago this week, The Last Goon Show Of All brought together Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers along with Max Geldray, Ray Ellington, announcer Andrew Timothy, producer John Browell and many of the original musicians from the show's heyday in the fifties for a ripsnorting rambunctious reunion! On 30th April 1972 at the Camd...

Recipe for a riotous sixties romp? Take two aging thespians, mix in a dozen dependable character actors, add three or four comic geniuses to bind it all together and season with a generous pinch of psychedelic Victoriana. Top it off with a rising young star and the director's wife and the result is a complex confection full of surprises which the whole family can enjoy! Joining Tyler this week is...

Chris Diamond of TV Cream joins Tyler to talk all things Goon-related as well as a whole heap'o'other stuff. Having been aware of the Goons for as long as he can remember, Chris shares stories of discovering things like Q, The Last Goon Show Of All and The Great McGonagall (the latter of which he expounds upon at length) and there is a brief digression on the genius of Ken Campbell. Plus: Spike on...

The co-creator and star of hit Radio 4 comedy series Ed Reardon’s Week - Christopher Douglas - is this week’s special guest! Christopher talks about radio comedy and its impact and influence on postwar Britain and his own involvement in the medium. Apart from the Goons we talked about Muir & Norden’s writing partnership, June Whitfield working with Peter Sellers, Stars In Battledress, Tony Han...

This episode is sponsored by Muc ™ - it cuts down trees! Actor, musician and comedian Jeremy Limb is this week's special guest as we discuss the Goons' foray into television in the mid-fifties, specifically A Show Called Fred.  Although few of the Fred shows survive (and none of its immediate predecessor Idiot Weekly Price 2d) Tyler and Jeremy worked with what they could get and what results...

Mark Cousins makes a welcome return to the podcast this week to talk in some detail about the early wireless career of Peter Sellers leading up to the launch of the Goon Show (or Crazy People) in 1951.  Following his famous episode of chutzpah telephoning Roy Speer, Sellers was within a very short space of time one of the hardest working performers on British radio and in huge demand by produ...

Everyone’s favourite Goon Show character Reuben Croucher is discussed in this week’s episode, alongside other such heavyweights of the show: Justin Eidelberger and Flowerdew. Yes, this week we’re talking about Series 5’s The Canal and once again we find Mr Valentine Dyall in fine form and at his villainous best, chewing it up something rotten! Joining Tyler to talk about the show is Singapore-base...

All hail the Roly-Poly Regent of Raspberries, the Moon-Faced Monarch of Mirth, the Spherical Sovereign of Song! (Alright, that’s enough – Ed.) This week Tyler is joined by Tony Cross to talk about Harry Secombe, focusing on his two volumes of memoir Arias & Raspberries and Strawberries & Cheam. The emphasis is on the pre-Goons days, particularly his wartime service and post-war pursuit of...

Stand by thrills, spills and a stereophonic Moriarty as this week we examine the Series 10 episode The Silver Doubloons! Joining Tyler is Graeme Lindsay-Foot who explains why he chose The Silver Doubloons as opposed to one of the more fondly remembered episodes and makes a strong case for it being a classic, despite its chaotic ‘end of term’ atmosphere. There’s a lot of love for Valentine Dyall an...

“Stale. Bloody stale!” The meaning behind this bitter ejaculation from a formidable matriarch will be revealed as this week joining Tyler on the show are Michael Livesley and Paul Carmichael, the rum blades behind the hit podcast Nice Things, who pitched up with plenty to say on the subject of… well, everything really, but of course looming over the chat was the long shadow of the Goons. It’s a sp...