Starring Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan, with Charlotte Mitchell
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Music by Max Geldray and The Ray Ellington Quartet
The Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
Script: Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes
Producer: Peter Eton
Recorded: Sunday 15 January 1956
First Broadcast: Tuesday 17 January 1956 on the BBC Home Service
Paris, 1880. Neddie Toulouse-Lautrec buys a 20-foot easel from Monsieur Henri Crun to help make himself taller. He is visited in his studio by Count Fred Moriarty, a firewood collector, who tries to buy the easel from him. Moriarty commissions Paul Gauguin, who has moved in with Neddie, to paint a portrait of the 20-foot easel. He will then take the actual easel for firewood, leave the painting in its place, and Neddie will never know the difference. Gauguin starts work on the mysterious painting. Neddie, meanwhile, marries the beautiful Fifi, his model. When he introduces her to Gauguin they fall in love immediately. Distracted by Fifi, Gauguin stops work on the painting. Moriarty sends Bloodnok to offer a higher price for the easel. Neddie agrees and wraps it up in brown paper for him. Moriarty takes the easel to sell it to M. Crun for firewood, but it turns out that Neddie gave Bloodnok Gauguin’s portrait of the easel instead. Crun gives Moriarty 1000 francs for it. Moriarty now wants the easel more than ever – if the portrait is worth 1000 francs, think what the actual easel must be worth! He hires Bluebottle’s cab to drive him to Neddie’s studio. Meanwhile, Neddie, distraught that Fifi doesn’t love him anymore, sets fire to himself to get her attention. She fries an egg on him, and then she and Gauguin throw the 20-foot easel on the fire to keep it going. Moriarty arrives to find the easel burning and his plans in ruins. He falls in love the moment he sets eyes on Fifi and is shot by Gauguin in a duel. Gauguin and Fifi are about to leave Neddie, but not leave him penniless – Gauguin leaves his paintings, which will be worth a fortune when he’s dead. Neddie shoots him. Neddie Toulouse-Lautrec is now rich, but he doesn’t get Fifi. She leaves him yet again – for Bluebottle.
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