by Gary Brannan,
Keeper of Archives and Special Collections
at Borthwick Institute for Archives
at the University of York
The Goons left an indelible mark on the world of popular entertainment. The Goon Show Preservation Society has amassed an incredible collection of original material, that includes scripts, recordings, photographs, correspondence, and memorabilia related to the Show. Until recently, these have been lovingly kept by society members, but as time moves along, it becomes incredibly important to ensure these items are preserved for the future, so they can be used and enjoyed by both GSPS members and the wider comedy-loving community. In the spring of 2024, the GSPS sought to formulate a plan to ensure that this happened.
The Borthwick Institute for Archives, part of the University of York, is renowned for its expertise in archival preservation and in making historical records accessible to everyone. With state-of-the-art facilities and a team of dedicated professionals, the Borthwick houses collections related to other comedy legends such as Barry Took, Frankie Howerd, Sir Alan Ayckbourn and Marks and Gran. Within these archives are a wealth of resources linked to Goon history, not least the many scripts written for Frankie Howerd by Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, and John Antrobus. We also hold the archive of music restorer, JRT Davies, which includes the original off-air transcription discs of the Goon broadcasts used in the commercial releases that all Goon fans know and love.
The GSPS and the Borthwick have therefore agreed to partner up and look after the GSPS archive on the Society’s behalf. As well as helping to preserve the archive, we will also be able to make the archive accessible to researchers of all kinds; from comedy lovers to international academics, all will be welcome to come and delve into Goon history.
The next stage will be the task of collating the distributed GSPS archive into one location, prior to its transfer to its new home in York. Once in York, we’ll place the archive into specialist archival packaging to help protect the items for the future and then create a publicly available catalogue as quickly as possible, so folk around the world can discover and use the gems within. Beyond that, we’ll look at how we might make as much as we can available online, and there may well be future online volunteering to get involved in with this.
The GSPS archive at the Borthwick
On a very personal note, it’s an incredible pleasure and honour to be able to look after the archive. Growing up I was suffused with the Goon humour by my Dad and I have very fond memories of being read The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-on-Sea (with all the voices) as a bedtime story. The way we are approaching this ensures that the laughter and creativity of The Goon Show and its contemporaries will continue to inspire and entertain for generations to come. Here’s to the future of the past!
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of the GSPS newsletter.
The Goon Show Preservation Society 