Richard Usher thanked John Repsch for his service.
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
Steve Palmer has announced that his book The Making & Legacy of The Goon Show: The Goons Go To Africa is now available to buy as a hardback.
The blurb: Three quarters of a century has passed since the first Goon Show of 1951. Yet this BBC radio show is still being repeated in national broadcasts, continues to inspire artistic endeavour, is internationally celebrated, and has a legacy exceeding that of any other mid-twentieth century radio show. Why is this? What broadcast magic is contained in its trailblazing formula? And can we learn anything about humour itself from the brilliance of its central comic actors? In this book, author Stephen Palmer evokes the trials, losses, victories and success of The Goon Show using its own techniques. He imagines the men of the show, including those, like Jimmy Grafton, Larry Stephens, John Snagge and the irrepressible, remarkable Wallace Greenslade, who both supported Milligan and acted as the framework in which his genius flourished. This is no dry history of great times in radio broadcasting. This is the book of the show. Now, read on!
SEAGOON: Hello folks. None of the proper posh BBC announcers are here folks, so I’ll just have to act the part myself, through this silver plated articulating speaking trumpet.
ORCHESTRA: cut price fanfare
SEAGOON: Ladies and gentlemen, it falls on me to announce this preview of The Goons Go To Africa, a book by Mr Stephen Palmer. The scene is a staff bar hidden in the bowels of Broadcasting House. Sitting at a table are two gentlemen, Andrew Timothy and Wallace Greenslade, accompanied by a generous supply of gin and tonic. No wonder I couldn’t find an announcer folks. Their manager approaches, carrying a package wrapped in paper and brown string.
FX conversation, clinking glasses, gin being sipped.
JOHN SNAGGE: There you chaps are, I’ve been looking all over for you. Wallace, this package is for you.
WAL GREENSLADE: Why thank you John. Is it a wad of used fivers?
SNAGGE: I’m afraid not.
WAL: Too much to hope for. Come and join us, there’s a little gin left. What’s in the package?
SNAGGE: It’s a book written by a chap called Palmer. He’s sent us each a copy. It’s called The Goons Go To Africa.
ANDREW TIMOTHY: It’s not that old chestnut about Milligan lobbing a big gun off the top of a cliff in Libya trying to hit Secombe, is it?
SNAGGE: No Andrew, this is a novel, a bit of fiction. The story has Wal and I as the heroes, leading the Goons on an expedition into Africa in search of a humour mine where we can finally discover just what humour is. We’ll be looking deeply into the subject, and into the mine.
WAL: Oh that does sound exciting, but isn’t it dangerous? Surely if you analyse the humour in jokes then all the funniness is lost.
SNAGGE: Not in this case Wal. There’s a novel length Goon Show being played at the same time. It can’t not be funny.
TIM: It sounds ghastly.
SNAGGE: Andrew, this book is for people like Wal and I who love the Goon Show, it’s a celebration of it. You never really liked the show.
WAL: You have to agree Andrew, me taking over from you did us both a huge favour.
SNAGGE: And there’s more Wal. You get to tell the story of the Goon Show as the book goes on. You’re interviewing the people, recalling the facts.
WAL: Gad, me, a proper historian! So does our mission succeed in the end, John? Will the Greensladers be proud of me?
SNAGGE: In the end, Wal? I don’t want to spoil the ending for you. Take your copy and read it, you’ll get to it in your own good time.
FX approaching footsteps
BBC DUTY OFFICER: Ah Mr Snagge, thank goodness I’ve found you. We have a problem, there’s no one to read the news bulletin this evening.
SNAGGE: okay… Andrew. Oh he’s disappeared. Wal, you’ll have to do it then. Goodnight.
FX: footsteps receding
SEAGOON: And so Wal Greenslade went off to the studio to read the evening news, his usual waddling gait exaggerated by the amount of gin and tonic he carried inside. The bulletin included several difficult to pronounce foreign place names, but what could possibly go wrong?
The 2026 Members Meeting was held for the fourth year at Stephens House in Finchley on 10th October
There’s not much to report from the business of the AGM. The reports were accepted, we still have members from around the world, we still have funds, and no one has taken on any new positions in the organisation. If you would be interested in playing a bigger role in the GSPS, please get in touch.
As well as the members who attended in person, we were joined by others who tuned in on a Zoom relay. Notable was the enthusiastic Joey who was taking part from an early morning in the USA.
For entertainment after the business, we had John Repsch’s “Queen Victoria’s Bedpan” game out and it was used as a scoreboard for quizzes set by John and by Richard Usher. We had a chat with Steve Palmer about his soon to be published book, and with Pete about the book he’s working on. Richard also performed a couple of Galton and Simpson scripts which were originally written for Peter Sellers.
And we had cake. Mark Earby had baked a splendid Goon Show 75th anniversary cake, and we were lucky enough to have Jane Milligan on hand to cut it. All in all, it was a fun day out.
Final tickets remaining as Robin Colvill, harmonica player Pete Hewitt, and the Wyre Levee Stompers join cast for exclusive, never-to-be-repeated afternoon on 17 October at The Scenic Theatre, University of York.
The Goon Show: 75 Years will be an unrepeatable, strictly one-off celebration honouring the 75th anniversary of Britain’s most influential radio comedy series. It will bring together live comedy, rare archival displays, live music, and special guest appearances for one afternoon only. Act quickly, there aren’t many tickets left.
Although His Majesty King Charles III cannot attend in person, attendees will receive a special message from the King, Patron of The Goon Show Preservation Society (GSPS), exclusively during the event.
Organisers have announced major new additions to the line-up, including Grumbleweeds star Robin Colvill, who joins the cast to play legendary BBC announcer Wallace Greenslade. To complete the authentic live radio broadcast experience, acclaimed harmonica player Pete Hewitt will perform live, recreating the iconic style of original Goon Show house musician Max Geldray, while the Wyre Levee Stompers will echo the classic jazz of the show’s musical interludes originally provided by the Ray Ellington Quartet, bringing a superb trad jazz feel to the proceedings.
The Guest Artists
The Goon Show Preservation Society, the Birmingham Comedy Festival, and the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York, are co-hosting the event. Attendees will get a rare look at Borthwick’s extensive comedy archives, including original scripts, recordings, photographs, and personal memorabilia, alongside a live Q&A.
At the heart of the afternoon is Birmingham Comedy Festival’s acclaimed live stage production, recreating two classic Goon Show episodes complete with live sound effects: 1958’s The Seagoon Memoirs and 1954’s The Phantom Head Shaver (Of Brighton) – the latter originally recorded on the exact same date, 17 October, 72 years ago! The show stars Mark Earby (Spike Milligan), Jimm Rennie (Harry Secombe), and Richard Usher (Peter Sellers), alongside Robin Colvill (Wallace Greenslade).
the preview
This exclusive celebration will not tour or be repeated. With tickets priced at just £10, comedy lovers and radio history enthusiasts are advised to book immediately before the remaining seats sell out. The afternoon forms part of the annual York 50+ Festival (1–18 October 2026) and directly supports Age UK York.
Here are the key event details:
Date – Saturday 17th October 2026 from 2pm until 4pm Venue – The Scenic Stage Theatre, University of York East Campus, YO10 5GB Admission Price – Tickets £10 with all profits to AgeUK York
Tickets are available now via this link, or this QR code below:
Something to watch out for is the 11th October episode of The Footage Detectives produced by our chums at Talking Pictures TV. The show is a Spike Milligan Special, and it has the team excited.
The listing for this week’s show says: Spike Milligan’s daughters Jane and Silé visit with reels to share from their father’s private archive. They discuss what life was like with Spike and there’s exclusive memories from other stars.
The TPTV Preview
The show will be broadcast on Sunday 11th October at 5pm, and at 7pm the next day. You can watch Talking Pictures TV on Virgin 445, Freesat 306, Freeview or Youview 82 or on the Sky digital satellite platform, channel 328. Schedules are available at talkingpicturestv.co.uk. After transmission, The Footage Detectives is made available through TPTV’s catch-up service here at TPTV Encore, and hopefully also on their YouTube Channel.
The Footage Detectives ran a Goon Show Special last year, more on that here.
Issue number 194 of Goon Show news has been printed, posted and is generally on its way to our members.
Hopefully, it’s a collectible rather than a recyclable. Whatever you do with yours, we hope you enjoy this quarter’s selection of articles. The topics include:
The Best of Fred TV show A 1950 Michael Bentine feature
The Australian Goon Appreciation Society
The Goon Show in Canada in the 1950s
The Penny Points to Paradise movie
A look at a Goon Show you’ve never heard
the story of the Goon Show Scripts books
A gracious letter from our royal patron
and much more…
The Goon Show News newsletter is published quarterly and sent to all of our members. A sample copy can be downloaded here. If you’re not getting it, why not join the GSPS. You won’t be disappointed.
The September edition of the GSPS newsletter (due to appear any day now) includes an article about the Goons-related ‘Fred’ TV shows of the mid-1950s, and speculation about a soon to come video release. The British Film Institute has rather pre-empted this with their announcement of their forthcoming DVD/Blu-ray box set – The Goons at Rediffusion…
[the BFI blurb]In the mid-1950s, four outstanding Associated-Rediffusion television shows – The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d, A Show Called Fred, Son of Fred and Yes, It’s the Cathode-Ray Tube Show! – adapted the brilliantly bizarre humour of BBC radio comedy The Goon Show into visual form.
Initially overseen by director Richard Lester and starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, but only broadcast in the London region, these supremely silly and surreal sketch shows remain the most uproariously successful attempts to capture the quicksilver genius of The Goons on the telly-box.
This long-overdue box set gathers together all available archival material that still exists from these shows – newly scanned and re-presented in the best possible quality, for new generations of comedy fans to enjoy. Also included is a lavish array of hens’-teeth rarities, featuring members of the Goon Show or their entourage, also from the Associated-Rediffusion collection, much of which appears here on disc for the very first time.
Huge news for The Goon Show Preservation Society! We are delighted to announce a special event to mark the 75th anniversary of The Goon Show!
The GSPS has teamed up with the Borthwick Institute for Archives and Birmingham Comedy Festival to create an afternoon of Goon Show goodies at the Scenic Stage Theatre at the University of York, home to our society archives. The event is made possible by being part of the York 50-Plus Festival and profits are going to AgeUK. There will be a look at the history of the series and a chance to see some of our archive materials, and live stage performances of two classic shows! We hope to add some special guests to the line-up and include a post-show Q&A.
We’ll be presenting two episodes on stage: The Phantom Head Shaver (Of Brighton), by Spike Milligan; and The Seagoon Memoirs, by Larry Stephens and Maurice Wiltshire. Starring Mark Earby (as Milligan), Jimm Rennie (as Harry Secombe) and Richard Usher (as Peter Sellers), plus guests.
The afternoon will also include a deep dive into the archives of the University of York’s Borthwick Institute for Archives – custodians of rare original radio scripts and other Goon-related ephemera, and more.
It is all in a very good cause, and we hope you can make it along to commemorate 75 glorious years! Please, open your wallets and repeat after me, “help yourself!”
The event, taking place at 2pm on Saturday 17th October 2026 in the Scenic Stage Theatre at the University of York, is part of the York 50-Plus Festival and supporting AgeUK York.
Here are the key event details:
Date – Saturday 17th October 2026 from 2pm until 4pm Venue – The Scenic Stage Theatre, University of York East Campus, YO10 5GB Admission Price – Tickets £10 with all profits to AgeUK York
Tickets are available now via this link, or this QR code below:
BBC Radio 4 Extra’s regular Tuesday Goon Show slot is on the verge of competing it’s run through the series. It reaches the end of the Vintage Goons series with The Albert Memorial episode on 28th July, and that will be followed with The Last Goon Show Of All on 4th August.
What’s coming after that is a run of the six part The Milligan Papers series from Radio 4 in 1987. It starts on 11th August with The Incredible Case of the Vanishing Flying Scotsman.
The series was written by John Antrobus. It starred Spike Milligan, with John Bluthal, Chris Langham, John Antrobus and George Chisholm leading his Gentlemen of Jazz.
update After the Milligan Papers run, there’s a Goon Show scheduled for 22nd September. It’s episode 4/23The Greatest Mountain in the World, which is just about the earliest show available. Hopefully it’s the start of a long run.
These shows are available for 30 days after they are broadcast on BBC Sounds. Streaming BBC radio shows on catch-up is no longer available outside the UK. There is still a live stream here.
The popular Telegoons puppet TV series was seen on BBC TV between 1963 and 1965.
When production ceased, some of the studio puppets were given as gifts to friends, whilst others were exhibited in the popular Nellie McQueens restaurant in Sunbury on Thames until that restaurant ceased trading in 1992.
At that time, those restaurant puppets were also given away to well known customers and friends of David Young (brother of Tony Young, who co-founded and produced the series).
Where are they now?
The Goon Show Preservation Society (established 1972) is making one last effort to gather in stories of any of the individual puppets themselves, from the people who were given them (or their families), to add to our extensive documentary Encyclopedia Goonicus project.
Please use this form to send any information which might help
The GSPS will be represented again at the next Talking Pictures TV Festival of Film and TV Roadshow. This time it’s in the Midlands, on Sunday 13th September at the Redditch Palace Theatre.
Hopefully we’ll have our stand where visitors can come and chat to us, and maybe even buy stuff. And not only that, our own Richard Usher will be appearing on stage performing a couple of Goon-style sketches which were originally written for Peter Sellers by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
And not only only that, Richard will be overshadowed on stage by a lady with a Goon Show connection. The legendary actress Britt Ekland, once married to Peter Sellers of course, is topping the bill.
For more information about who else is appearing, and how to get tickets, visit renownfilms.co.uk.
