Excellent news has reached us from across the oceans. New Zealand’s Goons fans, new and old, are going to be entertained by another show produced in Dunedin by Harry Almey and SillyBilly Productions.
They’re following up their performance of Foiled by President Fred last August with two more classic episodes, which audiences are guaranteed to love. There’s The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler (of Bexhill-on-Sea), which was a great hit when it was performed by Penrith Players in the UK last year, and the Christmas panto-style show Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest.
We’re excited and delighted that a book just been published which brings stories from the world of the Goons in the 1950s. The book is A Lifetime in Television, it’s the memoirs of Marjorie Graham.
The book is published by Kaleidoscope Publishing. It’s currently available as a hardback here on LULU. (see hint below)
Marjorie Graham? I hear many of you ask. To have her introduce herself, here’s an excerpt from an article she wrote under her maiden name of Sullivan for Girl Film and Television Annual in 1957.
I remember several years ago, when I was leaving school, wanting to do work that was unusual and out-of-the-ordinary, but I never imagined my Boss would turn to me one day and ask me to find an elephant from somewhere and arrange to transport it. Neither did I imagine during my normal working hours I would ever be seated in the rear of a 1934 taxi with my Boss grimly clutching what was left of a steering wheel as we chugged slowly across a cricket pitch. But now, after a few years as a Television Production Assistant I find that these and many other similar happenings are all part and parcel of the daily work. Since joining one of the London Independent Television Companies, I have been working in the Light Entertainment Department on many shows, including the Peter Sellers & Spike Milligan ‘Fred’ series and the Tommy Cooper series, and – on looking back, I can’t think of any career which could be more out of the ordinary.
Marjorie wrote that piece in 1957 to encourage girls into the Film and TV industry. (The article was reproduced in full in the September 2022 issue of Goon Show News, if you’re interested.)
Marjorie has been a great supporter of the GSPS over the years. Her contributions include a talk she gave at the Son of a Weekend Called Fred meeting we held in Brighton in 1997. She has also provided insights to the, largely lost, TV programmes which involved the Goons in the mid 50s. Not least, she provided copies of the scripts for an episode of A Show Called Fred, four episodes of Son of Fred, four episodes of The Idiot Weekly Price 2d, an episode of Yes, It’s the Cathode Ray Tube Show and a show called After Hours (starring Michael Bentine).
For a taste of what to expect, GSPS members will find the December 2021 issue of Goon Show News included a transcript of Marjorie’s talk at our 1997 meeting.
hint: Its suggested that if you’re going to buy a copy, log in to the site first and create an account. Pause… You’ll be sent a code for 10% off and two quid is two quid. Then you can go back in and buy your book.
Happy New Year everybody. To begin the year, we have excellent news to share in the form of the following press release:
Our “Highly Esteemed” organisation has received its own version of a New Year’s Honour in the shape of a communication confirming that His Majesty The King would be delighted to retain Patronage of The Goon Show Preservation Society.
We are overjoyed that His Majesty continues to honour us with the Royal Patronage he bestowed upon us as the former Prince of Wales. It is well documented that His Majesty has been a lifelong aficionado of The Goon Show and a friend and admirer of the principal stars of the series, Sir Spike Milligan, Sir Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine.
The Goon Show Preservation Society was created in 1972 following a performance of The Last Goon Show of All for the BBCs 50th anniversary celebrations. Famously, the then Prince of Wales was unable to attend the recording, which was, however, attended by Prince Philip and Princess Anne. A telegram was despatched and read out by announcer Andrew Timothy: “One of your most devoted fans is enraged at the knowledge he is missing your last performance. Last night my hair fell out and my knees dropped off, having turned green with envy at the thought of my father and my sister attending the show. One day, perhaps, you will find time to give a performance to a shipful of Seagoons.”
The GSPS is not simply a humble fan club, oh no! The clue is in the society’s name, a remit to preserve anything associated with a radio series that began life as Crazy People in May, 1951, and quite literally changed the landscape of British comedy for generations to come. As devotees of this groundbreaking radio comedy show, the membership of the GSPS has collected and collated a mass of items including scripts, photographs, rare film reels and even a typewriter. Much of the society’s archive is now deposited with the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, while we continue to seek out rare items and safeguard all things Goon.
In addition to our Royal Patronage, the society is proud to have as honorary presidents, Spike Milligan’s daughters, Silé and Jane Milligan, who look after their father’s archive and perpetuate his legacy through Spike Milligan Productions Ltd.
For more information or to join our merry band, please browse this website and follow the ‘join us’ link.
GREENSLADE: I would just like to mention that the Radio Times is now on sale at all book stores, price thruppence. Three copper coins, mark you.
Yes Wal, but the latest price on the newsstands is £5.50. Compare that to the value of a year’s membership of the GSPS, with which you get four issues of Goon Show News.
And with that short diversion, we regret to announce that the time has come for the GSPS annual membership fees to go up. They’ve been held at the old level since 2014, but rising postage costs have to be accounted for.
So, the following prices will come into force at New Year 2026: Electronic Membership: will rise to £9 Standard Membership: will rise to £14 Overseas Membership: will rise to £18
Also new to the website and worth a read is a transcript from a 1996 GSPS meeting known as An Evening Called Fred. John Browell talked about his days as producer of series 9 and 10, The Last Goon Show Of All, and later jobs with Spike and Peter. Brian Wiley remembered working with Peter, while John P Hamilton described the making of A Show Called Fred for TV and told a funny blooper story featuring Wallace Greenslade.
And, BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Tuesday Goon Show slot this week features the 1956 panto style episode Robin Hood, featuring Valentine Dyall and Dennis Price. This is a show which was recorded for overseas use and it wasn’t actually aired by the BBC until 1988. UK listeners can stream it here from Tuesday.
Sad news to report from the world of the Goon Show. John Antrobus, the esteemed writer and honorary president of the GSPS, passed away on 15th December at the age of 92.
John was probably the last remaining person who contributed directly to the Goon Show. He co-wrote the scripts to The Spon Plague and The Great Statue Debate episodes from series 8 in 1958.
Having tried army and merchant navy life, John became a full-time playwright and scriptwriter in 1955. At that time met and worked with met Spike Milligan, Larry Stevens, Galton and Simpson, and everyone else at Associated London Scripts.
His other Goon-related involvements included the 1956 Show Called Fred TV series and Spike’s Australian Radio show Idiot Weekly. Later collaborations with Spike included the play, and later film, The Bed Sitting Room, and the 1987 radio series The Milligan Papers. His books include a memoirs of the Goon Show days, Surviving Spike Milligan andGoon But Not Forgotten.
John created many other works during his career and won many awards. A full tribute will appear in the next issue of Goon Show News.
It’s that Christmassy-themed time again, and the final issue of our newsletter for 2025 is on its way to members.
Things in this issue include:
John Browell recalls the Last Goon Show Of All Michael Bentine’s thoughts on comedy The GSPS with Talking Pictures TV at Hebden Bridge The GSPS Annual Meeting report and many more articles, letters and news items.
The clickable Kick up the Archives feature from this issue is here.
The newsletter is published quarterly and sent to all of our members. A sample copy can be downloaded here. If you’re not getting it, why not join the GSPS. You won’t be disappointed.
Peter Sellers’ centenary celebrations are still going on. Those of you in the Birmingham area will have a chance to see a programme of Sellers material at the Midlands Arts Centre on Saturday afternoon, 15th November.
The show, collated by the BFI, will feature a number of Sellers’ TV appearances, including interviews and performances featuring him with Spike Milligan, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Anthony Newley and Eric Sykes. There will also be glimpses of Sellers’ own home movies and a complete screening of that rare filmed Goon Show – The Whistling Spy Enigma.
As the Radio 4 Extra Tuesday Goon Show series completes its airing of Series 8, the episode scheduled for broadcast on 11th November will be the last of the series, The Great Statue Debate.
This show, script written by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus, was originally broadcast on 24th March 1958. This will be the first time the BBC has played it since. It was included in two commercial releases in 2012, The Goon Show Compendium Volume 8 and The Goon Show Volume 29.
The episode will be available to stream on BBC Sounds (for those of us in the British Isles who aren’t geo-blocked) for thirty days from the date of broadcast.
There are currently 22 episodes available to stream on Sounds. Alas, after 15th February next, this will be reduced to just those which have aired in the previous 30 days, as the last batch added for 5 years during lockdown expires.
Hambledon Productions, the theatre company which specialises in vintage comedy, has announced a new production which will tour in Autumn 2026. It’s a new adaption of the Spike Milligan and Ronnie Barker classic, The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town.
The work was originally conceived to be a Goon Show revival project, but Peter, Harry and Spike couldn’t get together at the time. It’s best remembered from the serialisation in The Two Ronnies in 1976.
We believe this will be the first time the story has been adapted for the stage. Keep an eye on hambledonproductions.com for news.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 