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ATTENTION PLEASE!

Following the long service of our chairman, John Repsch, he has decided to take a break and pass the chair to somebody else.

We need your help!
We need a new chairperson to help steer the Society towards its main goal, to keep The Goon Show fresh and alive in people’s minds and habits and to spread the word to the world.
We need to keep the pressure on the BBC to broadcast shows, appeal to the public for more lost audio treasures, perhaps encourage theatre groups to perform scripts of shows the BBC no longer holds recordings of, and to help build our archive of everything Goon.
In addition, we need to keep membership growing, and to find a long-term solution regarding our archive.

If you are attracted by this role, please let the Secretary know. Alternatively, if you’d be interested in the secretary role, get in touch anyway. A reshuffle of roles could well be possible [Contact Form]
Please briefly outline your history with the Society and The Goon Show, and your ideas to ensure the GSPS thrives and fulfils its central aim to: ‘… perpetuate enjoyment of The Goon Show among its members and the wider public, by increasing their knowledge and awareness of The Goon Show, including its pleasures and its place in entertainment history.’

It’s your society, so why not become part of the team that runs it?

Please…
and thank you.

Regards, Richard Usher
Secretary (Acting Chairperson), GSPS

On 7^th January, BBC Radio 4 Extra played a previously unrepeated edition of the Goon Show, episode 27 of the 6^th series, The Man Who Never Was.

What, what, what, what, what, what? you say in your best Seagoon voice. I’ve heard The Man Who Never Was many times. An excellent show it is too

Well, yes indeed, but no. That story, adapted by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens from World War Two’s real Operation Mincemeat, was actually recorded three times by the Goons. The version the BBC has carried up until now was the 1958 recording from series 8.

This repeat is of the 1956 version, which had pretty much the same plot, but there are a few differences. So, if you want to spot them and, for one thing, hear Eccles singing about how he’s ‘young and foolish’, then give this earlier version a listen.

The first recording of the story was made in 1953 as the main part of episode 20 of the 3^rd series. It was quite historic, in that it was the first time Harry Secombe’s character was called (Lord) Seagoon, and also the first time the Peter Sellers character was referred to as Bluebottle. There is no available recording of that show, or of any others from series 3.

As Goon Shows played on 4 Extra no longer have the privilege of long term availability on the BBC Sounds app, the series 6 show will be available to stream for 30 days only, here.

Indeed, the calendar is still ticking over on all those Goon Shows which have been available on BBC Sounds for years. Their availability, alas, is due to expire at the end of March. After that, it appears, only shows broadcast during the previous 30 days will be available.

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The Man Who Never Was was the first ever subject of Tyler Adams’ GoonPod podcast, back in 2021. You can look listen to it here:
part 1 – part 2

Here’s something to get us through the Christmas week. One of the things we got up to at the GSPS annual meeting in September was this Goon Show Quiz, which was devised by Richard Usher.

With limited time to think things through, the best team of two scored 34 out of a possible 59. Take a sheet of paper and write down your answers. Can you do better? No cheating though.

Award one point for a correct answer:

Part 1 – Which Goon Show is this clip from?

Part 2 – Name that Movie featuring a Goon

Part 3 – General Knowledge, with some tenuous connection to the Goon Show. (These questions also appeared in our December 2024 newsletter)

and after a suitable pause….

The answers

December has arrived and, for our members, the December issue of Goon Show News will arrive soon too.

Highlights this quarter include a look at the Radio Series Danger! Men at Work! which was an influence on the formation of the Goons, and memories of Spike Milligan by Bexhill journalist John Dowling. There’s lots more too, see the list of contents below.

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The newsletter is published quarterly and sent to all of our members. If you’re not getting it, why not join the GSPS. You won’t be disappointed.

Time appears to be running out for the Goon Shows which have been available to stream from the BBC Sounds website for years. It’s a great resource, used by many Goon Show lovers, and if it ends it will be missed by many.

Most programmes on BBC Sounds are available for 30 days after broadcast, but other shows for which the BBC holds rights have been made available for longer. This has applied to the Goon Show, and there are currently 104 episodes listed as available at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes.

Until recently, the time the 104 shows were to be available for was listed as ‘more than a year’ and seemed endless. However, they’re all showing as available for only four months now, and counting. That countdown is due to reach zero at the end of next March.

When the Vintage Goons series was aired for the first time on Radio 4 Extra, nearly a year ago, those shows were treated differently and only got the standard 30 days availability.

What will happen if the availability ends? As far as we can tell, only four shows will be available at any time, during the 30-day period after they’re played on the regular Tuesday Radio 4 Extra slot. Listeners who have downloaded shows within the Sounds app to listen offline will have those disappear on the expiry date too. This is the situation if you fancy listening to, for example, a Navy Lark.

It’s not just the Goon Show which will be lost. The Hancock’s Half Hour‘ show’s are on a countdown too.

What are the alternatives if this comes to pass? The GSPS would of course recommend that members invest in a copy of Encyclopedia Goonicus which includes more recordings than you can imagine. However, if you want the convenience of streaming, collections of Goon Shows are available on the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and various other online locations of varied legitimacy

But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that and the BBC resets the expiry dates.

For those who take an interest in these things, Spike Milligan Productions have a new Instagram account where a fascinating selection of Spike related content is being posted.

Take a look at www.instagram.com/spikemilliganproductions/

The P in GSPS stands for Preservation, and part of our reason for existing is to collect and save original material relating to the Goon Show. Until now, our collection of material has been lovingly kept by society members, but this isn’t sustainable in the long term.

We’re delighted, therefore, to be upping our preservation game by entering into a partnership with The Borthwick Institute for Archives, part of the University of York, which is renowned for its expertise in archival preservation and in making historical records accessible to everyone.

At the GSPS annual meeting in September, our guest speaker was Gary Brannan, whose job title is Keeper of Archives and Special Collections at the Borthwick Institute. Gary described the facilities the Borthwick has for storing items and making them available for viewing. He also talked about some of the archives it already holds, from the likes of Barry Took and Frankie Howerd.

Gary is very enthusiastic about this project as, it turns out, he’s a big Goon Show fan too. At the meeting, we had a quiz and a reading of The Jet Propelled Guided NAAFI script, and Gary played his part in both.

The next tasks will be to gather the material which is being stored by our members around the country and transfer it to York where it can be safely stored.

There’s more information on this in the article in our recently issued newsletter no 186, and see also the Borthwick Institute website.

This year’s GSPS annual meeting will be held on Saturday, 14th September at
AVENUE HOUSE at STEPHENS HOUSE & GARDENS
17 EAST END ROAD, FINCHLEY,
LONDON N3 3QE

PROGRAMME*
• 10am – Arrivals with Tea & Coffee
Introduction by Richard and summary of AGM Voting and Minutes Discussion
• 11am – The Big Goon Quiz with Prizes including the new Goon Show News book!
• 12.30 – LUNCH BREAK…round the back for the old brandy!
• 1.30pm – Presentation with Gary Brannan from the University of York Borthwick Institute of Archives
• 2.30pm – Goon Show Script Read (just for fun folks!)
• 3.30pm – Screening of Spike’s Holiday Home Movie followed by various Goon related bits & pieces
• 4.30pm – Farewells and Custard Pie Throwing
*Subject to change and the whims and wishes of…well, everyone!

CAFE ON-SITE for coffee, tea and lunches.
BY BUS
Buses 13, 125, 143, 460 and 326 stop nearby.
BY UNDERGROUND
Nearest underground station: Finchley Central on the High Barnet branch of the Northern Line. On leaving the station walk up to Regents Park Road, turn left and, at the a504 junction, turn left again into East End Road. The house is on the left.

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The September edition of Goon Show News is being pushed through letterboxes. It’s a hefty 40 pages, and it left a dent when it hit my floor.

Among the articles, there’s:
an appreciation of Telegoons’ puppeteer Ann Perrin who passed away in May,
exciting news about preservation of the GSPS’ archives,
an origin story about Minnie Bannister,
the story of Spike Milligan growing up (as told in the 1969 Judy for Girls annual!)
and lots more interesting history.

The newsletter is published quarterly and sent to all of our members. If you’re not getting it, why not join the GSPS. You won’t be disappointed.

Sad news has reached us at the GSPS of the passing of Ann Perrin on 24th May this year.

Many members will be aware of Ann’s involvement with the Goons as one of the puppeteers who made the Telegoons films.
Others will remember Ann’s attendance at several GSPS London meetings, usually accompanied by her Eccles puppet. Or her story, as part of Telegoons issues of our newsletters. Indeed, she had been due to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Telegoons at our meeting last September, only to be thwarted by a rail strike.

Our condolences go to Robin and all the family.

Take a look at Anne’s websites – blog – puppethouse – YouTube – to get a flavour of her puppetry, poetry and much more

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Anne’s funeral will be at 1pm on Monday 17th June 2024 at the Downs Crematorium in Brighton, followed by a celebration of her amazing life at The Downs Hotel in Woodingdean.