Starring Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Music by Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet
The Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
Script: Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens
Producer: Peter Eton
Recorded: Sunday 7 February 1954
First Broadcast : Friday 12 February 1954 on the BBC Home Service
Part 1 of the show is from 2/2. The remainder is “The Expedition for Toothpaste” from 3/5 The Expedition for Toothpaste.
This episode had three sketches
- Rottingdean – England’s Oldest School is a documentary about England’s oldest public school, founded by the Dean of Murdle, who is buried on the school grounds, hence its name. The sketch touches on the courage of the faculty during the great school fire, horseback riding, the school wood shop, and schoolboy romances.
- The Toothpaste Expedition chronicles the exploits of two expeditions to find new lodes of toothpaste ore. The first, under Commander Burke, has gone to investigate rumours of a rich lode under the sands of the Sahara. Instead, they end up in the frozen Arctic, having been led astray by a compass from a Christmas cracker. They are rescued by the Woolwich Ferry, whose captain also bought a box of the same Christmas crackers. Meanwhile, the second expedition, consisting of the intrepid Dick Barton and his sidekicks Jock and Snowey, set off for another reported lode of toothpaste near the North Pole. They find themselves in Egypt thanks to a compass from a Christmas cracker. A native servant of the great chieftain Rags Tariches leads them to safety. Thus, both expeditions return home safely, but without finding any new source of toothpaste. The consequences are disasterous for the teeth of BBC announcers.
- Henry Crun Goes Moose Hunting tells the story of Mr. Crun’s journey to Canada in search of moose antlers with which to make a hat stand. Crun and Eccles arrive at Sam Secombe’s general store, where a Red Indian tries to sell them a rack of antlers at twice the price Crun is willing to pay. Secombe agrees to guide them to moose country. Crun blows his moose call horn and shoots the creature that answers – another hunter with a moose call horn. They finally bring down a creature with antlers lurking behind a tree – a Red Indian who is now more than willing to agree to Crun’s price for the antlers.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 