Our favourite Podcast, Tyler Adams’ Goon Pod, featured an interview this week with the GSPS member and luminary of time almost immemorial, Chris Smith.
Chris described at length how the Goon Show Preservation Society developed from humble beginnings and told stories of some highlights of GSPS meetings, including appearances by Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine. It’s a great listen, especially for whipper-snapper, Johnny-come-lately members like your humble Website Charlie here.
Goon Pod is available from all the usual podcast sources, including the feed below.
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) – Goon Pod
Goon Pod kicks off a new series for 2026 by looking back at a film which is unbelievably fifty years old but when released was hailed as a modern masterpiece of comedy cinema, and which lifted Peter Sellers from an extended period of career inertia: The Return of the Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards. Sellers plays Inspector Clouseau once again, back on the trail of the mysterious Phantom – aka Sir Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer) – who apparently has stolen the famed Pink Panther diamond again. Along the way the hapless ‘tec nearly gets shot, gets blown up by a bomb, drives into a swimming pool, is outwitted by a parrot, assists a bank robbery, gets squashed in a revolving door and is the victim of countless other indignities. Joining Tyler is Sitcom Club co-host Gary Rodger and the conversation, rather like Clouseau on the waxy museum floor, goes in all directions:How Lew Grade came to the rescueWho might have been cast in the mooted Pink Panther television seriesPrince Charles moistening a lady in MontrealWhat happened to Niven?We love John BluthalZwamm?Douglas Fairbanks Jr as an early casting choiceHow Sellers’ career may have panned out had this film not happenedCheering Lodge & StarkPan & Scan technologyLast of the Summer Wine Catherine Schell corpses, Victor Spinetti fumes, Mike Grady shines and Carole Cleveland makes a splashDid Dreyfuss overreact? And much much more. It’s all here folks! As mentioned, Gary is going to run the London Marathon this year (or kill himself trying) on behalf of Alzheimer's Society – please show your support here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/gary-rodger
If the weeks have moved on and the episode with Chris has moved down the list, you can get to it directly through this link.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 