Starring: Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, with Valentine Dyall
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
The Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
Script: Spike Milligan
Producer: Jacques Brown
Recorded: Monday 11 August 1957
First Broadcast: Thursday 22 August 1957 on the BBC Home Service
Max Geldray and Ray Ellington were absent. Recorded without audience (music pre-recorded).
There is a gap in the Thames Embankment. Citizens of London Town are falling into the Thames and catching cold. Parliament is in search of something to fill the gap. The builder and sculptor Lord Hercules Grytpype- Thynne offers to make a statue to fill the hole for £39 and 3 dollars (he intends to finish the statue in America). However, the Hon. Bowels (Seagoon) finds that the obelisk, Cleopatra’s Needle, will fit the gap in the Embankment exactly, and he can get it for free. The obelisk is lifted, dusted, put into a wooden container, and launched. It sinks into Alexandria harbour. Salvaging it costs £1500. While the Royal Navy is raising it a hurricane strikes. The bill from the Admiralty for the two ships lost in the hurricane is £12,000. The obelisk finally is raised and towed away to England. Another £8000 is needed to pay outstanding bills in Egypt. Neddie is captured by Bedouins and £20,000 is paid to ransom him. Meanwhile, Cleopatra’s Needle breaks free of its moorings and is lost. Hon. Bowels charters a fleet of Arab dhows to find it. It’s raised but found to be waterlogged and beached in Portugal to dry out. The obelisk finally does make it to London in time for the Silver Jubilee. The bill for erecting it is £20,000. The grand total is £180,000 and eight shillings.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 