List of The Goon Show episodes

The following is a List of The Goon Show episodes. The Goon Show was a popular and influential British radio comedy series, originally produced by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 and broadcast on the BBC Home Service.

Availability of The Goon Show episodes

Lost episodes

Many of the earliest radio episodes no longer exist. When the first episodes were broadcast, recording technology was still expensive and primitive by later standards. Audio tape was not in general use, and any recordings were made directly on to acetate discs. These could be played back, but tended to wear out quickly and did not survive unless further processed to create a master disc, which was only done for recordings intended for sale. Only one episode from the fourth series was preserved in the BBC Sound Archive (as a tape dub from an acetate disc).

Other episodes from Series 2–4 have survived, sometimes in incomplete form, as off-air recordings of varying quality. Four episodes from Series 4 were released on CD as The Goon Show: Series Four, Part One (2010). A further seven episodes from Series 2–4 are included in The Goon Show Compendium Volume 13 (2017) along with the only surviving fragment of the Series 4 episode "The Giant Bombardon". Volume 14 (2018) includes all of the remaining Series 4 episodes, including those from the 2010 set.

The special episodes "Archie in Goonland" (1954) (a crossover with Educating Archie) and "The Missing Christmas Parcel – Post Early for Christmas" (1955) (a 15-minute insert in Children's Hour) are also believed lost.

Surviving episodes

Commencing with the start of the fifth series (in 1954), BBC Transcription Services began making copies for overseas sales, and even commissioned re-recordings of some key fourth series episodes for the "Vintage Goons" series, which was mainly intended for overseas markets.

The BBC Transcription Services versions were then cut to remove topical and parochial material and anything that might be potentially offensive. Later, BBC Transcription Services releases had further cuts for timing purposes. For many years, these abridged versions were thought to be only surviving copies of many episodes, but in recent years restoration experts such as Ted Kendall have found and restored a considerable amount of missing material.

According to Kendall's sleeve notes to the Goon Show Compendium CD box sets, Transcription Services originally seem to have used the original broadcast tapes as the basis for their versions, making cuts as necessary. The cut material was often spliced onto the end of the reels in case it needed to be restored. When the "Vintage Goons" series began, episodes were recorded by TS at Maida Vale. Since these were performed on the same nights as Series 8 episodes, it made sense for Transcription Services to make their own simultaneous recordings at Maida Vale and it seems that this technique was also used on Series 9 and 10. These were then edited to match the broadcast versions before TS made its own cuts. However, it seems that in some cases the TS versions inadvertently preserve lines slated for deletion, meaning that longer cuts of these episodes can be reassembled.

To date, the BBC has released 30 CD sets of these re-mastered episodes (originally on audio cassette tapes), containing 120 shows, plus an additional CD set comprising The Last Goon Show of All and Goon Again. Another twelve shows had been previously issued by EMI, but for contractual reasons these were all heavily cut to remove musical interludes and other music cues. Until 2015 these were the only commercially available versions of those particular episodes, but three of them are included without the cuts, in their original chronological order, on The Goon Show Compendium Volume 11, indicating that the rights to at least the earliest EMI releases had by then reverted to the BBC. It was later confirmed that Volume 12, released on 3 November 2016, would include all of the remaining "missing" episodes, plus The Last Goon Show of All and bonus features.[1]

The 25th CD set, as well as the first of a new series of Goon Show Compendiums (which contains the first 13 episodes of series 5), were released on 7 April 2008. The Compendiums' bonus material includes notes by Ted Kendall, audio researcher and restorer, on the sources used for the recordings, which include BBC Sound Archive and Transcription Services master tapes and discs, unofficial copies made by engineers or other BBC staff, and even domestic off-air recordings from which a few cut lines were restored.

Broadcasting

Episodes of The Goon Show are still occasionally repeated on BBC Radio 2 or Radio 4 in the United Kingdom. More recently the show has become a regular feature on the digital radio station BBC Radio 4 Extra, which features both new material and archives from several decades of BBC comedy and drama.

The on-line station GoonShowRadio broadcasts most of these 100 episodes continuously.

The ABC Radio National network in Australia has regularly broadcast The Goon Show since the 1960s. For many years, the series was broadcast every Saturday afternoon, just after the midday news bulletin. More recently, it was broadcast twice a week, on Friday mornings and Sunday afternoons. The network took the series off the air in January 2004, but following listener response to the cancellation, broadcasts of the show resumed in the Friday time slot in June. The ABC's broadcasts of the series have made The Goon Show one of the most repeated and longest-running of all radio programmes.

The programme has been broadcast in the United States. NBC broadcast The Goon Show as early as the mid-1950s.[2] Terry Gilliam of the Goon-influenced Monty Python comedy troupe recalled first hearing it broadcast on FM radio in New York City in the 1960s.[3] When Vermont Public Radio signed on the air in 1977 (as a single station which has since evolved into a statewide network), the first programme to air was an episode of The Goon Show.[4] The show was described as a "madcap radio comedy classic".[5]

Episodes

The following list of episodes of The Goon Show includes any "specials" and all episodes made for the BBC Transcription Service unaired domestically at the time (and therefore listed at the date of their recording).

Series overview
Series Number of episodes First episode Final episode Date of season special(s) Ref
1 17 28 May 1951 20 September 1951 16 December 1951 [6]
2 25 22 January 1952 15 July 1952 [7]
3 25 11 November 1952 5 May 1953 3 June 1953 [8]
4 30 2 October 1953 19 April 1954 11 June 1954
31 August 1954		 [9]
5 26 28 September 1954 22 March 1955 [10]
6 27 20 September 1955 3 April 1956 8 December 1955
29 August 1956		 [11]
7 25 4 October 1956 28 March 1957 22 August 1957[lower-alpha 1] [12]
8 26 30 September 1957 24 March 1958 [13]
Vintage Goons 14 6 October 1957 23 March 1958 [14]
9 17 3 November 1958[lower-alpha 2] 23 February 1959 [15]
10 6 24 December 1959 28 January 1960 [15]

One-off special shows

Series Number of shows Date of broadcast Date of broadcast Ref
One-off specials 2 5 October 1972 29 May 2001 [16][17]
BBC recording numbers
Code Definition
SLO 33​1⁄3 rpm coarse groove 16" disk recorded at Broadcasting House
SBU 33​1⁄3 rpm coarse groove 16" disk recorded at Bush House
SOX 33​1⁄3 rpm coarse groove 16" disk recorded at 200 Oxford Street
TLO 15 i.p.s. tape recorded at Broadcasting House
TBU 15 i.p.s. tape recorded at Bush House
TNC 15 i.p.s. tape recorded in Newcastle

First series: Crazy People (1951)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, Michael Bentine, The Ray Ellington Quartet, The Stargazers, Max Geldray and the BBC Dance Orchestra, conducted by Stanley Black.
Announcer: Andrew Timothy
The shows were all recorded on a Sunday; episodes 1–9 were broadcast on Mondays, 10–17 were broadcast on Thursdays.[18] No episodes are known to survive.

Episode # Title Recording number Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 Untitled SLO 90268 28 May 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
2 Untitled SLO 90269 4 June 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
3 Untitled SLO 90452 11 June 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
4 Untitled SLO 90366 18 June 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
5 Untitled SLO 59949 25 June 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
6 Untitled SLO 91295 2 July 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
7 Untitled SLO 91565 9 July 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
8 Untitled SLO 92262 16 July 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Denys Drower replaced Andrew Timothy as announcer
9 Untitled SLO 92468 23 July 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
10 Untitled SLO 92867 2 August 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Denys Drower replaced Andrew Timothy as announcer
11 Untitled SOX 61088 9 August 1951 Leslie Bridgmont Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
12 Untitled SLO 93368 16 August 1951 Leslie Bridgmont Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
13 Untitled SOX 61088 23 August 1951 Leslie Bridgmont Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
14 Untitled SLO 93400 30 August 1951 Leslie Bridgmont Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
15 Untitled SBU 71149 6 September 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
16 Untitled SLO 94892 13 September 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
17 Untitled SLO 95143 20 September 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
Special "Cinderella" SLO 99928 26 December 1951 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Lizbeth Webb was Cinderella; Graham Stark was Prince Charming

Second series (1952)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, Michael Bentine, The Ray Ellington Quartet, Max Geldray and the BBC Dance Orchestra, conducted by Stanley Black. The Stargazers were present for the first six shows only.
Announcer: Andrew Timothy
The shows were all recorded on a Sunday, except episodes 24 and 25; all episodes were broadcast on Tuesdays.[18] Only three episodes are known to survive as truncated, off-air recordings.

Episode # Title Recording number Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 Untitled SLO 1768 22 January 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol.13
2 Untitled SLO 2147 29 January 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
3 Untitled SLO 2519 5 February 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol.13
4 Untitled SLO 2519 19 February 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
5 Untitled SLO 3334 26 February 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
6 Untitled SLO 3627 4 March 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
7 Untitled SLO 4179 11 March 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
8 Untitled SLO 5112 18 March 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
9 Untitled SLO 5277 25 March 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
10 Untitled SLO 5380 1 April 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
11 Untitled SLO 5684 8 April 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan
12 Untitled SLO 6306 15 April 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
13 Untitled SLO 6737 22 April 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
14 Untitled SLO 6959 29 April 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
15 Untitled SBU 83555 6 May 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
16 Untitled SLO 7761 13 May 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
17 Untitled SLO 8202 20 May 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
18 Untitled SLO 8179 27 May 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
19 Untitled SLO 9302 3 June 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Also included the BBC Revue Orchestra, conducted by Robert Busby
20 Untitled SLO 9307 10 June 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Also included the BBC Revue Orchestra, conducted by Wally Stott
21 Untitled SLO 9638 17 June 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Bentine
22 Untitled SLO 9955 24 June 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
23 Untitled SLO 10474 1 July 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
24 Untitled SLO 11378 8 July 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
25 Untitled SLO 10808 15 July 1952 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol.13

Third series (1952–53)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Andrew Timothy
The shows were all broadcast on Tuesdays, with the exception of episode 7, a Christmas special.[8] Only one excerpt and one full episode are known to survive.

Episode # Title Recording number Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "Fred of the Islands" SLO 17297 11 November 1952 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
2 "The Egg of the Great Auk" SOX 82948 18 November 1952 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
3 "I Was a Male Fan Dancer" SLO 18332 25 November 1952 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
4 "The Saga of HMS Aldgate" SLO 18613 2 December 1952 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
5 "The Expedition for Toothpaste" SLO 18848 9 December 1952 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan
6 "The Archers" SLO 19414 16 December 1952 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan
7 "Robin Hood" SLO 19526 26 December 1952 Peter Eton Jimmy Grafton Christmas pantomime: running time: 45 minutes
Recorded without Milligan, with Dick Emery and Carole Carr
8 "Where Does Santa Claus Go in the Summer?" SLO 19783 30 December 1952 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Ellis Powell
9 "The Navy, Army and Air Force" SLO 20695 6 January 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Dick Emery
10 "The British Way of Life" SLO 20695 13 January 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Graham Stark
11 "A Survey of Britain" SLO 20948 20 January 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Dick Emery
12 "Flint of the Flying Squad" SLO 21647 27 January 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Graham Stark
13 "Seaside Resorts in Winter" SOX 86757 3 February 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Dick Emery
14 "The Tragedy of Oxley Tower" SLO 22493 10 February 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Graham Stark and Valentine Dyall
15 "The Story of Civilization" SLO 22860 17 February 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Dick Emery
16 "The Search for the Bearded Vulture" SLO 22973 24 February 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Recorded without Milligan, with Graham Stark. Excerpt released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol.13
17 "The Mystery of the Monkey's Paw" SLO 23540 3 March 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Milligan returned, with Dick Emery. Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol.13
18 "The Mystery of the Cow on the Hill" SLO24224 10 March 1953 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
19 "Where Do Socks Come From?" SLO 24432 17 March 1953 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
20 "The Man Who Never Was" SLO 24764 31 March 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
21 "The Building of a Suez Canal" SLO 25520 7 April 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
22 "The De Goonlies" SLO 25873 14 April 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
23 "The Conquest of Space" SLO 26517 21 April 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
24 "The Ascent of Mount Everest" SLO 26797 28 April 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
25 "The Story of the Plymouth Hoe Armada" SLO 27952 5 May 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton
Special "Coronation edition" SLO 29390 3 June 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens, Jimmy Grafton Running time: 40 minutes. Without Geldray; with Graham Stark

Fourth series (1953–54)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcers: Andrew Timothy (Episodes 1–5) and Wallace Greenslade (Episodes 6–30, plus specials)
Episodes 1–20 were broadcast on Fridays; episodes 21–30 on Mondays.[19]

Episode # Title Recording number Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Dreaded Piano Clubber" TLO 35079 2 October 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
2 "The Man Who Tried to Destroy London's Monuments" TLO 35432 9 October 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 13
3 "The Ghastly Experiments of Dr. Hans Eidelburger" TLO 35740 16 October 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 13
4 "The Building of Britain's First Atomic Cannon" TLO 36235 23 October 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
5 "The Gibraltar Story" TLO 37145 30 October 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
6 "Through the Sound Barrier in an Airing Cupboard" TLO 37511 6 November 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
7 "The First Albert Memorial to the Moon" TLO 37898 13 November 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
8 "The Missing Bureaucrat" TLO 38482 20 November 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
9 "Operation Bagpipes" TLO 37891 27 November 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
10 "The Flying Saucer Mystery" TLO 39091 4 December 1953 Peter Eton Larry Stephens
11 "The Spanish Armada" TLO 39790 11 December 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
12 "The British Way" TLO40412 18 December 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
Special Short insert in: "Christmas Crackers" TLO 40660 25 December 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
13 "The Giant Bombardon" TLO 40660 26 December 1953 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with Michael Bentine. Excerpt released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 13
14 "Ten Thousand Fathoms Down in a Wardrobe" TLO 40965 1 January 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
15 "The Missing Prime Minister" TLO 41242 8 January 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 13
16 "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Crun" TLO41552 15 January 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
17 "The Mummified Priest" TLO 42416 22 January 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
18 "The History of Communications" TLO 42842 29 January 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
19 "The Kippered Herring Gang" TLO 48011 5 February 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
20 "The Toothpaste Expedition" TLO 49072 12 February 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
21 "The Case of the Vanishing Room" TLO 49191 15 February 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
22 "The Great Ink Drought of 1902" TLO 49628 22 February 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
23 "The Greatest Mountain in the World" TLO 50206 1 March 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
24 "The Collapse of the British Railways Sandwich System" TLO 50546 8 March 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
25 "The Silent Bugler" TLO 50871 15 March 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
26 "Western Story" TLO 51429 22 March 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
27 "The Saga of the Internal Mountain" TLO 51769 29 March 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
28 "The Invisible Acrobat" TLO 52346 5 April 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
29 "The Great Bank of England Robbery" TLO 52585 12 April 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14
30 "The Siege of Fort Knight" TLO 52599 19 April 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
Special "Archie in Goonland" TLO 55169 11 June 1954 Roy Speer Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan with Peter Brough and Archie Andrews, Hattie Jacques and the BBC Variety Orchestra
Special "The Starlings" TNC 408 31 August 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan Released on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 14

Fifth series (1954–55)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Tuesdays.[10] All episodes from this and subsequent series survive.

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Whistling Spy Enigma" 28 September 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
2 "The Lost Gold Mine (of Charlotte)" 5 October 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
3 "The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler (of Bexhill-on-Sea)" 12 October 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
4 "The Phantom Head Shaver (of Brighton)" 19 October 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
5 "The Affair of the Lone Banana" 26 October 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
6 "The Canal" 2 November 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall
7 "Lurgi Strikes Britain" 9 November 1954 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
8 "The Mystery of the Marie [sic] Celeste (Solved!)" 16 November 1954 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
9 "The Last Tram (from Clapham)" 23 November 1954 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
10 "The Booted Gorilla (Found?)" 30 November 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
11 "The Spanish Suitcase" 7 December 1954 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
12 "Dishonoured (or The Fall of Neddie Seagoon)" 14 December 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
13 "Forog" 21 December 1954 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
14 "Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest" 28 December 1954 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes A Christmas episode. Featuring Charlotte Mitchell. Several jokes appear to have been reused in the later Christmas episode 'Robin Hood'
15 "1985" 4 January 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
16 "The Case of the Missing Heir" 11 January 1955 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
17 "China Story" 18 January 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
18 "Under Two Floorboards" 25 January 1955 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
19 "The Missing Scroll" 1 February 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
20 "1985" 8 February 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes Remade edition, with John Snagge (pre-recorded)
21 "The Sinking of Westminster Pier" 15 February 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
22 "The Fireball of Milton Street" 22 February 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
23 "The Six Ingots of Leadenhall Street" 1 March 1955 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
24 "The Yehti" 8 March 1955 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan
25 "The White Box of Great Bardfield" 15 March 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
26 "The End (aka Confessions of a Secret Senna Pod Drinker)" 22 March 1955 Peter Eton Eric Sykes, Spike Milligan

Sixth series (1955–56)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Tuesdays.[11]

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Man Who Won the War (aka Seagoon MCC)" 20 September 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
2 "The Secret Escritoire" 27 September 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes
3 "The Lost Emperor" 4 October 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
4 "Napoleon's Piano" 11 October 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
5 "The Case of the Missing CD Plates" 18 October 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
6 "Rommel's Treasure" 25 October 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
7 "Foiled by President Fred" 1 November 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
8 "Shangri-La Again" 8 November 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
9 "The International Christmas Pudding" 15 November 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
10 "The Pevensey Bay Disaster" (22 November 1955) Peter Eton Spike Milligan [lower-alpha 3]
11 "The Sale of Manhattan (aka The Lost Colony)" 29 November 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
12 "The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu-Manchu" 6 December 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
Sp. "The Missing Christmas Parcel – Post Early for Christmas" 8 December 1955 Peter Eton, John Lane Eric Sykes
13 "The Lost Year" 13 December 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
14 "The Greenslade Story" 20 December 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan with John Snagge
15 "The Hastings Flyer – Robbed" 27 December 1955 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
16 "The Mighty Wurlitzer" 3 January 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
17 "The Raid of the International Christmas Pudding" 10 January 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
18 "Tales of Montmartre" 17 January 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes with Charlotte Mitchell
19 "The Jet-Propelled Guided NAAFI" 24 January 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
20 "The House of Teeth" 31 January 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall
21 "Tales of Old Dartmoor" 7 February 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan
22 "The Choking Horror" 14 February 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
23 "The Great Tuscan Salami Scandal" 21 February 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan with John Snagge (pre-recorded)
24 "The Treasure in the Lake" 28 February 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan
Sp. "The Goons Hit Wales" 1 March 1956 Unknown Spike Milligan
25 "The Fear of Wages" 6 March 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
26 "Scradje" 13 March 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with John Snagge (pre-recorded)
27 "The Man Who Never Was" 20 March 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
10 "The Pevensey Bay Disaster" 3 April 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan [lower-alpha 4]
Sp. "China Story" 29 August 1956 Dennis Main Wilson Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes Remake

Seventh series (1956–57)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Tuesdays, except episodes 10 and 13, which were on Wednesdays.[21]

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Nasty Affair at the Burami Oasis" 4 October 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
2 "Drums Along the Mersey" 11 October 1956 Peter Eton Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall
3 "The Great Nadger Plague" 18 October 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
4 "The MacReekie Rising of '74" 25 October 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Recorded without Milligan, with George Chisholm
5 "The Spectre of Tintagel" 1 November 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with Valentine Dyall
6 "The Sleeping Prince" 14 February 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
7 "The Great Bank Robbery" 15 November 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
8 "Personal Narrative" 22 November 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
9 "The Mystery of the Fake Neddie Seagoons" 29 November 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
Sp. "Robin Hood (and His Merry Men)" rec. 2 December 1956
broadcast 25 December 1988[22]		 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens A Christmas episode. Featuring Valentine Dyall and Dennis Price. Also features many repeat jokes from 1954's 'Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest', also a Christmas episode.
10 "What's My Line?" 5 December 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
11 "The Telephone" 13 December 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
12 "The Flea" 20 December 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
Sp. "Operation Christmas Duff" 24 December 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
13 "Six Charlies in Search of an Author" 26 December 1956 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
14 "Emperor of the Universe" 3 January 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
15 "Wings Over Dagenham" 10 January 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with George Chisholm
16 "The Rent Collectors" 17 January 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with Bernard Miles
17 "Shifting Sands" 24 January 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with Jack Train
18 "The Moon Show" 31 January 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
19 "The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker" 7 February 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
20 "Round the World in Eighty Days" 21 February 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
21 "Insurance, the White Man's Burden" 28 February 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
22 "The Africa Ship Canal" 7 March 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
23 "Ill Met by Goonlight" 14 March 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan
24 "The Missing Boa Constrictor" 21 March 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
25 "The Histories of Pliny the Elder" 28 March 1957 Pat Dixon Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
Sp. "The Reason Why" 22 August 1957 Jacques Brown Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall

Eighth series (1957–58)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Mondays.[13]

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "Spon" 30 September 1957 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan Recorded without Secombe, with Dick Emery
2 "The Junk Affair" 7 October 1957 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
3 "The Burning Embassy" 14 October 1957 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
4 "The Great Regent's Park Swim" 21 October 1957 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
5 "The Treasure in the Tower" 28 October 1957 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
6 "The Space Age" 4 November 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
7 "The Red Fort" 11 November 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
8 "The Missing Battleship" 18 November 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Geldray edited from broadcast[23]
9 "The Policy" 25 November 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
10 "King Solomon's Mines" 2 December 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
11 "The Stolen Postman" 9 December 1957 Roy Speer Larry Stephens
12 "The Great British Revolution" 16 December 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
13 "The Plasticine Man" 23 December 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Ellington edited from some broadcast versions[23]
14 "African Incident" 30 December 1957 Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens with Cécile Chevreau
15 "The Thing on the Mountain" 6 January 1958 Tom Ronald Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire
16 "The String Robberies" 13 January 1958 Tom Ronald Spike Milligan with George Chisholm
17 "The Moriarty Murder Mystery" 20 January 1958 Charles Chilton Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire
18 "The Curse of Frankenstein" 27 January 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan Ellington edited from broadcast,[24] with George Chisholm
19 "The White Neddie Trade" 3 February 1958 Charles Chilton Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire
20 "Ten Snowballs that Shook the World" 10 February 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
21 "The Man Who Never Was" (remake) 17 February 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens
22 "World War One (aka !)" 24 February 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
23 "The Spon Plague" 3 March 1958 Charles Chilton John Antrobus, Spike Milligan with George Chisholm
24 "Tiddlywinks" 10 March 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan with John Snagge
25 "The Evils of Bushey Spon" 17 March 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan with A. E. Matthews
26 "The Great Statue Debate" 24 March 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan, John Antrobus

Vintage Goons series (1957–58)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The following episodes were especially recorded for overseas stations only during the Eighth Series and were re-recordings of earlier episodes. Six of these episodes were broadcast prior to the commencement of the Ninth series, which is why the Ninth series was shorter. However, many of these episodes were not broadcast in the United Kingdom until the 1980s or 1990s. So for contextual purposes, the recording dates are listed alongside the original airdates in the United Kingdom.[14][25]

Episode # Title Recording date Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Mummified Priest" 6 October 1957 22 September 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
2 "The Greatest Mountain in the World" 20 October 1957 29 September 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
3 "The Missing Number 10 Downing Street" 3 November 1957 N/A Roy Speer Spike Milligan, Larry Stephens Never broadcast in the UK
4 "The Giant Bombardon" 17 November 1957 6 October 1958 Roy Speer Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall
5 "The Kippered Herring Gang" 1 December 1957 9 April 1994 Roy Speer Spike Milligan
6 "The Vanishing Room" 15 December 1957 13 October 1958 Roy Speer Spike Milligan
7 "The Ink Shortage" 29 December 1957 8 December 2008 Roy Speer Spike Milligan
8 "The Mustard and Cress Shortage" 12 January 1958 17 September 1994 Tom Ronald Spike Milligan
9 "The Internal Mountain" 16 February 1958 28 December 1986 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
10 "The Silent Bugler" 23 February 1958 29 December 1986 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
11 "The Great Bank of England Robbery" 2 March 1958 20 October 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
12 "The Dreaded Piano Clubber" 23 March 1958 26 December 1986 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan [lower-alpha 5]
13 "The Siege of Fort Night" 16 March 1958 27 December 1986 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan
14 "The Albert Memorial" 9 March 1958 27 October 1958 Charles Chilton Spike Milligan [lower-alpha 5]

Ninth series (1958–59)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Mondays, except episode 12, which was on a Tuesday.[15]

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "The Sahara Desert Statue" 3 November 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
2 "I Was Monty's Treble" 10 November 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
3 "The £1,000,000 Penny" 17 November 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
4 "The Pam's Paper Insurance Policy" 24 November 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
5 "The Mountain Eaters" 1 December 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
6 "The Childe Harolde Rewarde" 8 December 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
7 "The Seagoon Memoirs" 15 December 1958 John Browell Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire
8 "Queen Anne's Rain" 22 December 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
9 "The Battle of Spion Kop" 29 December 1958 John Browell Spike Milligan
10 "Ned's Atomic Dustbin" 5 January 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan with John Snagge (pre-recorded)
11 "Who Is Pink Oboe?" 12 January 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan Recorded without Sellers, with Kenneth Connor, Valentine Dyall, Graham Stark, Jack Train and a pre-recorded John Snagge
12 "The Call of the West" 20 January 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan
13 "Dishonoured – Again" 26 January 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan
14 "The Scarlet Capsule" 2 February 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan with Andrew Timothy (pre-recorded)
15 "The Tay Bridge" 9 February 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan with George Chisholm
16 "The Gold Plate Robbery" 16 February 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan
17 "The £50 Cure" 23 February 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan Recorded without Secombe, with Kenneth Connor

Tenth series (1959–60)

Cast: Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan, with Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet, conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The shows were all broadcast on Thursdays.[15]

Episode # Title Original airdate Producer Scriptwriter(s) Notes
1 "A Christmas Carol" 24 December 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan
2 "The Tale of Men's Shirts" 31 December 1959 John Browell Spike Milligan
3 "The Chinese Legs" 7 January 1960 John Browell Spike Milligan with John Snagge (pre-recorded)
4 "Robin's Post" 14 January 1960 John Browell Spike Milligan
5 "The Silver Doubloons" 21 January 1960 John Browell Spike Milligan with Valentine Dyall
6 "The Last Smoking Seagoon" 28 January 1960 John Browell Spike Milligan with John Snagge (pre-recorded)

Specials (1968–2001)
  1. "Tales of Men's Shirts" (8 August 1968)
  2. "The Last Goon Show of All" (5 October 1972)
  3. "Goon Again: the 50th Anniversary Cardboard Replica Goon Show" (29 May 2001)

Notes and references

Notes

  1. A special was recorded on 2 December 1956 for broadcast on the BBC Transcription Services and was not heard in Britain. A second special was broadcast on 24 December 1956 on the BBC General Overseas Service only.[12]
  2. Six episodes of Vintage Goons were broadcast 22 September 1958 – 27 October 1958, prior to the start of series nine.[14]
  3. Recorded 20 November 1955; postponed because of train derailment at Milton; "China Story" repeated instead[20]
  4. Postponed from 22 November 1955[20]
  5. Different paperwork sources for episodes 12 and 14 of the Vintage Goons series are variously dated 9 March 1958 or 23 March 1958. The rehearsal material for "The Dreaded Piano Clubber" was recorded on the same day as Eighth series episode "The Great Statue Debate", which was 23 March 1958. However, along with "The Albert Memorial", it was issued out of chronological order.[25]

References

  1. "The Goon Show Compendium Volume 12: Ten episodes of the classic BBC radio comedy series plus bonus features Audio CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  2. "Under the Influence of the Goons". FIREZINE #4. Firesign Theatre. Winter 1997–1998. Retrieved 14 October 2006.
  3. "The Goon Show Site – Tributes – Terry Gilliam". Pythonline Daily Llama. Retrieved 2 June 2006.
  4. "Vermont Public Radio 25th Anniversary Site". Vermont Public Radio. 2002. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 29 May 2006.
  5. "Vermont Public Radio ::: 70s Timeline". Vermont Public Radio. 2002. Retrieved 3 June 2006.
  6. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 116.
  7. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 117.
  8. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 118.
  9. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, pp. 120–122.
  10. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 122.
  11. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 124.
  12. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, pp. 126–127.
  13. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 128.
  14. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 130.
  15. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 132.
  16. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 147.
  17. "Secombe's son in Goon revival". BBC. London. 15 May 2001.
  18. Farnes 1997, p. 189.
  19. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 120.
  20. Pixley, Andrew; Kendall, Ted (2009). The Goon Show Compendium Volume Three (Series 6 – Part 1) (CD). BBC Audiobooks. booklet 1, p. 9; booklet 2, pp. 8, 11, 14. ISBN 978-1-4084-1044-8.
  21. Wilmut & Grafton 1981, p. 126.
  22. "The Goon Show: Volume 34". Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  23. Pixley, Andrew; Kendall, Ted (2012). The Goon Show Compendium Volume Seven (Series 8 – Part 1) (CD). AudioGO Ltd. booklet 1, pp. 9, 11; booklet 2, p. 6. ISBN 978-1445-891330.
  24. Pixley, Andrew; Kendall, Ted (2012). The Goon Show Compendium Volume Eight (Series 8 – Part 2) (CD). AudioGO Ltd. booklet 1, p. 4. ISBN 978-1445-825601.
  25. Pixley, Andrew; Kendall, Ted (2014). The Goon Show Compendium Volume Nine (Vintage Goons) (CD). AudioGO Ltd. booklet 2, pp. 2–6, 9. ISBN 978-1471-331619.

Bibliography
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