Starring Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, with John Snagge
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Music by Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet
The Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
Script: Spike Milligan
Producer: Peter Eton
Recorded: Sunday 18 December 1955
First Broadcast: Tuesday 20 December 1955 on the BBC Home Service
Mike Coveney’s commentary on The Greenslade Story
Wallace Greenslade, seeking refuge from hard work, applies for a job as a BBC announcer. Eccles is also applying for the job, but despite his Cambridge tie he’s thrown out even before he can say “winds light to variable”. Greenslade uses the same phrase to impress the BBC official with his elocution and is hired. This greatly irritates Neddie Seagoon, who runs a private school for announcers. How will the school succeed if the BBC keeps turning down its ace pupils like Eccles? Neddie hires Grytpype and Moriarty to kidnap the BBC announcing staff. Three months later they still have not kidnapped Greenslade, but they have a different plan – they offer him a contract to appear on stage. The BBC doesn’t give up without a fight – they send John Snagge to persuade Greenslade to stay. The villains top the BBC’s offer and Greenslade leaves for the stage. As Snagge laments the downfall of the great BBC announcing staff, Seagoon offers him Eccles. He accepts. All is well backstage at the opening night at the London Palladium, despite some trouble with Min and Henry, autograph hounds in search of Wal’s signature. Sometime later, Lew bursts in to report that the audience has gone home to listen to Eccles on the radio. Neddie sends Grytpype and Moriarty to kidnap Eccles, but instead they hire him for a stage tour. Ruined, Seagoon and Greenslade are begging for coppers outside the Palladium. Inside, Eccles is set to go onstage. Lew bursts in. It’s happened again—the audience have gone home. They switch on the radio to hear Bluebottle reading the news.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 