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.

Jet Storm (1959) – Goon Pod

Jet Storm, also known as Jet Stream or Killing Urge, is a British thriller directed and co-written by Cy Endfield and starring Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Patrick Allen and Virginia Maskell. It is an early example of what would become the aviation disaster-film genre, preceding films such as Airport by more than a decade. Released in October 1959, it centres almost entirely on a transatlantic flight from London to New York and the psychological and moral crisis that develops among its passengers when one of them threatens to destroy the aircraft.And why are we covering it on Goon Pod? Because one of the passengers is Ned of Wales himself, playing a washed-up comic called Binky Meadows. Binky sits next to Dame Sybil Thorndike and despite the chaos going on around them during the flight the pair manage to amuse each other with some gentle ribbing and leg-pulling and Secombe, naturally, helps leaven the drama. The film was the fourth collaboration between Cy Endfield and Stanley Baker. Endfield had previously been blacklisted in America after being named as a Communist before the HUAC hearings and subsequently moved to Britain. His earlier American work had been marked by cynicism and social criticism, making the relatively hopeful view of human nature in Jet Storm particularly interesting. The film was made five tears before the pair's later and much more famous collaboration, Zulu.Joining Tyler to chat through it all is Martin Holmes, host of Vision On Sound in which he and his guests talk about old telly, but he’s got a real soft spot for British films of this ilk, particularly those featuring Baker. The pair talk about the obvious plot holes and some rather fruity performances but overall they were impressed. One to watch out for on TalkingPictures TV!

1. Jet Storm (1959) 01:27:10
2. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
3. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
4. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
5. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24

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.

Jet Storm (1959) – Goon Pod

Jet Storm, also known as Jet Stream or Killing Urge, is a British thriller directed and co-written by Cy Endfield and starring Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Patrick Allen and Virginia Maskell. It is an early example of what would become the aviation disaster-film genre, preceding films such as Airport by more than a decade. Released in October 1959, it centres almost entirely on a transatlantic flight from London to New York and the psychological and moral crisis that develops among its passengers when one of them threatens to destroy the aircraft.And why are we covering it on Goon Pod? Because one of the passengers is Ned of Wales himself, playing a washed-up comic called Binky Meadows. Binky sits next to Dame Sybil Thorndike and despite the chaos going on around them during the flight the pair manage to amuse each other with some gentle ribbing and leg-pulling and Secombe, naturally, helps leaven the drama. The film was the fourth collaboration between Cy Endfield and Stanley Baker. Endfield had previously been blacklisted in America after being named as a Communist before the HUAC hearings and subsequently moved to Britain. His earlier American work had been marked by cynicism and social criticism, making the relatively hopeful view of human nature in Jet Storm particularly interesting. The film was made five tears before the pair's later and much more famous collaboration, Zulu.Joining Tyler to chat through it all is Martin Holmes, host of Vision On Sound in which he and his guests talk about old telly, but he’s got a real soft spot for British films of this ilk, particularly those featuring Baker. The pair talk about the obvious plot holes and some rather fruity performances but overall they were impressed. One to watch out for on TalkingPictures TV!

1. Jet Storm (1959) 01:27:10
2. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
3. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
4. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
5. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24

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.

Jet Storm (1959) – Goon Pod

Jet Storm, also known as Jet Stream or Killing Urge, is a British thriller directed and co-written by Cy Endfield and starring Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Patrick Allen and Virginia Maskell. It is an early example of what would become the aviation disaster-film genre, preceding films such as Airport by more than a decade. Released in October 1959, it centres almost entirely on a transatlantic flight from London to New York and the psychological and moral crisis that develops among its passengers when one of them threatens to destroy the aircraft.And why are we covering it on Goon Pod? Because one of the passengers is Ned of Wales himself, playing a washed-up comic called Binky Meadows. Binky sits next to Dame Sybil Thorndike and despite the chaos going on around them during the flight the pair manage to amuse each other with some gentle ribbing and leg-pulling and Secombe, naturally, helps leaven the drama. The film was the fourth collaboration between Cy Endfield and Stanley Baker. Endfield had previously been blacklisted in America after being named as a Communist before the HUAC hearings and subsequently moved to Britain. His earlier American work had been marked by cynicism and social criticism, making the relatively hopeful view of human nature in Jet Storm particularly interesting. The film was made five tears before the pair's later and much more famous collaboration, Zulu.Joining Tyler to chat through it all is Martin Holmes, host of Vision On Sound in which he and his guests talk about old telly, but he’s got a real soft spot for British films of this ilk, particularly those featuring Baker. The pair talk about the obvious plot holes and some rather fruity performances but overall they were impressed. One to watch out for on TalkingPictures TV!

1. Jet Storm (1959) 01:27:10
2. Steptoe & Son Ride Again (1973) 01:32:33
3. The Last Laugh Before TV-am (C4, 1985) 01:30:02
4. The Seagoon Memoirs 01:23:58
5. The Royal Variety Performance 1963 (with Steven Cockcroft) 01:42:24