Starring Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan
Announcer: Andrew Timothy
Music by The Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray. The Wally Stott Orchestra was conducted by Peter Knight
Script: Spike Milligan
Producer: John Browell
Recorded: Sunday 30 April 1972
First Broadcast : Thursday 5 October 1972 on BBC Radio 4
The cast were re-united, as far as possible, for this show, which was recorded for the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the BBC
The show starts with producer John Browell introducing the cast, announcer, and musicians. Spike sings “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”. Harry sings “Falling in Love with Love” accompanied by Peter on the timpani. Andrew Timothy reads a telegram from Prince Charles. Her Majesty the Queen was to have opened The Goon Show, but since she declined, Ned Seagoon stands in for her dressed in a floral cretonne frock. The Goon Show has trouble starting because the fuel tonk is empty, so Ned shouts some (very corny) jokes in. With plenty of combustion going on, Ned pronounces Goon Show 161 open. At the Westminster City Rubbish Dump in Hyde Park, Grytpype and Moriarty spy Neddie driving an unlicensed Goon Show with CD plates on. In return for Ned’s £100 war gratuity, they agree to lag his legs with the 800 feet of new lagging that the Council discarded because it was in feet and inches and they’ve gone metric. It’s then that Ned discovers that Bluebottle has been in his trousers and has taken unsavoury snapshots of Ned’s bloomers. Min and Henry are trying to tune a piano for the Military Dairy Show at Olympia. Ned arrives at Bloodnok’s to find Dennis in a confrontation with his mortal enemy, the Red Bladder. It seems the BBC has switched Goon Shows, and it’s now number 162. After Bloodnok has his perversion, he sends Ned into the coal cellar to rest. There Ned finds the coal man, Eccles, who has been there for years because he didn’t let go of the sack (the company said they were giving him the sack). While Ned is sleeping, Bluebottle shows up and, with the help of Eccles and Little Jim, throws Ned down the well, where he falls in the water. Bloodnok shows up, having been chased out of his Goon Show by the Red Bladder. Grytpype tells Ned he’s just discovered Goon Show 163, in which Ned plays the lead as an under floor heating defective. He and Moriarty nail Ned under the theatre floorboards. Bluebottle shows up and spots Ned’s belly poking through a knot-hole. He sells tickets at sixpence each to poke Ned Seagoon. The rest of the show is total pandemonium with Ned trying not to be poked, Min and Henry doing the hokey-pokey, Bloodnok fighting the Red Bladder, and loads of sound effects. The show ends with an explosion.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 