Category: Goon Pod

There’s a treat for Goon Show lovers to look forward to next week as Tyler Adams’ podcast about all things Goon related returns for a second series.

Tyler described how the podcast came to be in an article in the latest issue of our newsletter which goes to all our members, Goon Show News. Series one of Goon pod started in May of 2021 and ran for an almost uninterrupted 140 weekly episodes before taking a well-earned break at the start of the year. That’s probably comparable to the BBC demanding 30 Goon Shows from Spike Milligan for a series.

We’re promised a detailed look at a classic Goon Show episode when the first show of the new series becomes available on 20^th March.

Goon Pod is available through all the usual Podcast sources, or through this link. The most recent episodes will also appear below.

Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) – Goon Pod

“You’re worth more dead than alive!”We’ve talked a lot about Steptoe & Son – and its principle artistes – recently on Goon Pod and the sister show so it feels appropriate this week to air this interesting chat.It is July 1973 and the second feature film based on the hit BBCTV sitcom about a pair of rag-and-bone-men has just come out. Unfortunately its release coincides with a much more popular film in the shape of Roger Moore’s maiden Bond outing Live And Let Die and most people go to see that instead. Although Steptoe & Son Ride Again worked better than the first film, as it anchored the characters in familiar territory, it did badly where the first had done well. Co-writer Alan Simpson said “I suspect the majority of people hadn’t liked the first one so didn’t go back for the second, which is a shame.” When their aging horse Hercules has to be put out to pasture,father-and-son totters Albert and Harold Steptoe face galloping financial calamity. Falling in with Frankie Barrow, the ‘Godfather of Shepherd’s Bush’, Harold foolishly buys a greyhound, hoping ‘Hercules II’ will be the answer totheir pecuniary woes… only to discover the dog is extremely short-sighted and useless for racing. With money owing to Barrow Harold hits on a scheme which if pulled off would get Frankie off his back but would require him and his father to start a new life where nobody knows them (“I could be Harry Faversham”): they will fake Albert’s death and claim his life-insurance money. From this fairly simple premise comes great comedy and some marvellous character work, not least from the two leads, Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. They are ably supported by a cast which includes Milo O’Shea as a brandy-ridden sawbones, Henry Woolf as Frankie, Yootha Joyce as Harold’s Auntie Freda, Frank Thornton, Bill Maynard, Neil McCarthy, Richard Davies and, memorably, Diana Dors as a recently-widowed housewife wanting a bit of the other from a frankly terrified Harold.Joining Tyler are Michael Livesley & Paul Carmichael, and while discussing the film the three regularly meander down conversational alleyways, chatting about the lost art of home taping, antiquated or regional profanities, the history of Live TV, the great British tradition of innuendo, and boomer nostalgia, while referencing the likes of One Foot In The Grave, The Goodies, Married With Children and even Bottle Boys! Plus they talk about their great love for the Steptoe TV series, the actors involved and even envisage Wilfrid Brambell squaring up to Frank Zappa!This was recorded in October 2025 and originally put out as part of Goon Pod Film Club: Patreon.com/GoonPod

1. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
2. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
3. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
4. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24
5. Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) 01:26:35

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.

Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) – Goon Pod

“You’re worth more dead than alive!”We’ve talked a lot about Steptoe & Son – and its principle artistes – recently on Goon Pod and the sister show so it feels appropriate this week to air this interesting chat.It is July 1973 and the second feature film based on the hit BBCTV sitcom about a pair of rag-and-bone-men has just come out. Unfortunately its release coincides with a much more popular film in the shape of Roger Moore’s maiden Bond outing Live And Let Die and most people go to see that instead. Although Steptoe & Son Ride Again worked better than the first film, as it anchored the characters in familiar territory, it did badly where the first had done well. Co-writer Alan Simpson said “I suspect the majority of people hadn’t liked the first one so didn’t go back for the second, which is a shame.” When their aging horse Hercules has to be put out to pasture,father-and-son totters Albert and Harold Steptoe face galloping financial calamity. Falling in with Frankie Barrow, the ‘Godfather of Shepherd’s Bush’, Harold foolishly buys a greyhound, hoping ‘Hercules II’ will be the answer totheir pecuniary woes… only to discover the dog is extremely short-sighted and useless for racing. With money owing to Barrow Harold hits on a scheme which if pulled off would get Frankie off his back but would require him and his father to start a new life where nobody knows them (“I could be Harry Faversham”): they will fake Albert’s death and claim his life-insurance money. From this fairly simple premise comes great comedy and some marvellous character work, not least from the two leads, Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. They are ably supported by a cast which includes Milo O’Shea as a brandy-ridden sawbones, Henry Woolf as Frankie, Yootha Joyce as Harold’s Auntie Freda, Frank Thornton, Bill Maynard, Neil McCarthy, Richard Davies and, memorably, Diana Dors as a recently-widowed housewife wanting a bit of the other from a frankly terrified Harold.Joining Tyler are Michael Livesley & Paul Carmichael, and while discussing the film the three regularly meander down conversational alleyways, chatting about the lost art of home taping, antiquated or regional profanities, the history of Live TV, the great British tradition of innuendo, and boomer nostalgia, while referencing the likes of One Foot In The Grave, The Goodies, Married With Children and even Bottle Boys! Plus they talk about their great love for the Steptoe TV series, the actors involved and even envisage Wilfrid Brambell squaring up to Frank Zappa!This was recorded in October 2025 and originally put out as part of Goon Pod Film Club: Patreon.com/GoonPod

1. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
2. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
3. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
4. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24
5. Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) 01:26:35

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.

Greenslade – Ladies and Gentlemen, the Goons and myself, after a period of, ahem, retirement, are pleased to announce that we’ll be featured in a modern podcast-type pop-type chart, voted for by those good people who still remember us.
Seagoon – What, what, what, an awards show? I’d better get the acceptance speech written.
Bloodnok – It’s not about you. It’s 20 chances to hear my best internal noises.
Bluebottle – More like 20 more chances for me to get deaded.
Minnie – Help Henry, I’ve been surveyed!
Moriarty – Owwww. Place your bets at Honest Grytpype’s Bookmakers Shop…
Eccles – 20, 19, er.. 18, er…. where’s that list?

During 2022, Tyler Adams has asked the listeners and followers of Goon Pod to nominate their three favourite episodes of the Goon Show. The results are in, and they’ve been weighed, measured and sent to stand in a queue.

The top 20 will be revealed in a special episode of Goon Pod, coming out on New Year’s Eve. Tyler and his guests, Sean Gaffney and Mike Haskins, will discuss and dissect the people’s choices.

Once 31st December comes around (has it been asleep then?), you’ll be able to listen to the chart show on the player below. Or, of course, you can download it at your convenience on your usual podcast app.

Listener’s Top 20 Goon Shows

update: so what were the top 20 shows? – the list is here

Causing much excitement, an until-now lost recording of a Peter Sellers performance has been found, and it’s being broadcast in a restored state on BBC Radio 4 on 18th October. The show is an episode from the first series of Hancock’s Half Hour which was only ever broadcast once, in February 1955. In it, Sellers stood in for an absent Kenneth Williams.

Radio 4 are also running a documentary about the search for old recordings and finding the lost episode. It’s called Raiders of the Lost Archive, and it’s available to stream on BBC Sounds.

After its first airing on Radio 4, the Hancock episode, which is titled The Marriage Bureau, will also be available to stream here.

Our favourite podcast – Goon Pod – is onto the story this week. Tyler’s guest is voice actor and restorer Keith Wickham, who presented and co-produced the Raiders of the Lost Archive programme.

Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) – Goon Pod

“You’re worth more dead than alive!”We’ve talked a lot about Steptoe & Son – and its principle artistes – recently on Goon Pod and the sister show so it feels appropriate this week to air this interesting chat.It is July 1973 and the second feature film based on the hit BBCTV sitcom about a pair of rag-and-bone-men has just come out. Unfortunately its release coincides with a much more popular film in the shape of Roger Moore’s maiden Bond outing Live And Let Die and most people go to see that instead. Although Steptoe & Son Ride Again worked better than the first film, as it anchored the characters in familiar territory, it did badly where the first had done well. Co-writer Alan Simpson said “I suspect the majority of people hadn’t liked the first one so didn’t go back for the second, which is a shame.” When their aging horse Hercules has to be put out to pasture,father-and-son totters Albert and Harold Steptoe face galloping financial calamity. Falling in with Frankie Barrow, the ‘Godfather of Shepherd’s Bush’, Harold foolishly buys a greyhound, hoping ‘Hercules II’ will be the answer totheir pecuniary woes… only to discover the dog is extremely short-sighted and useless for racing. With money owing to Barrow Harold hits on a scheme which if pulled off would get Frankie off his back but would require him and his father to start a new life where nobody knows them (“I could be Harry Faversham”): they will fake Albert’s death and claim his life-insurance money. From this fairly simple premise comes great comedy and some marvellous character work, not least from the two leads, Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett. They are ably supported by a cast which includes Milo O’Shea as a brandy-ridden sawbones, Henry Woolf as Frankie, Yootha Joyce as Harold’s Auntie Freda, Frank Thornton, Bill Maynard, Neil McCarthy, Richard Davies and, memorably, Diana Dors as a recently-widowed housewife wanting a bit of the other from a frankly terrified Harold.Joining Tyler are Michael Livesley & Paul Carmichael, and while discussing the film the three regularly meander down conversational alleyways, chatting about the lost art of home taping, antiquated or regional profanities, the history of Live TV, the great British tradition of innuendo, and boomer nostalgia, while referencing the likes of One Foot In The Grave, The Goodies, Married With Children and even Bottle Boys! Plus they talk about their great love for the Steptoe TV series, the actors involved and even envisage Wilfrid Brambell squaring up to Frank Zappa!This was recorded in October 2025 and originally put out as part of Goon Pod Film Club: Patreon.com/GoonPod

1. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
2. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
3. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
4. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24
5. Soft Beds, Hard Battles (1974) 01:26:35