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
Producer: Charles Chilton
Recorded: Sunday 23 February 1958
First UK Broadcast: Monday 29 December 1986 on BBC Radio 4
Based on 4/25 The Silent Bugler
Agent ‘X2’ Seagoon of MI5 is sent in pursuit of the mysterious Russian agent, the Silent Bugler. The Russians have perfected a time machine with which they will go into the future and, once there, build planes that travel faster than the speed of light. Seagoon receives special training from Major Bloodnok, but fails the object identification test administered by Sergeant Eccles. The three are dropped in East Germany and proceed to the Dresden Opera House, where the Silent Bugler (who knows the location of the time machine) is playing. They attempt to spot him by listening for gaps in the playing of the orchestra, but it turns out that the orchestra are all Russian agents miming to a gramophone record—the Silent Bugler doesn’t really exist. They search the theatre. After a close call with a Russian agent they find the time machine and blow it up.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 