Why Preserve the Goon Show?

Question:
The Goon Show.
It was a radio comedy series in the 1950s. It ended over sixty years ago. Everyone who was in it is long gone, and hardly anyone listens to the radio any more. So, what’s so important about preserving the Goon Show?

Answer:
For one thing, there’s history. History is important. Lots of people study history, some of them even make a living from it. The Goon Show was hugely important in the history of radio and comedy. Thanks to the genius of Spike Milligan, Peter Seller’s vast range of voices, the boundless enthusiasm of Harry Secombe and, originally, the madcap Michael Bentine, it was innovative and stretched the bounds of what comedy could be.

A Goon Show was a surreal world where bizarre things happened. Mountains were climbed from the inside, London’s buildings grew hair, a Wurlitzer organ was raced across the desert, Dartmoor Prison took to sea and Tuscan salami were bred in captivity for use as ballistic missiles.

The show was the forerunner of the great satire boom of the 1960s. It challenged the 1950s attitudes and deference to authority, it was years before its time.

But even better, it was funny, really laugh-out-loud funny. If you imagine yourself in the 1950s and listen to the shows with an open mind, you’ll hear so much to enjoy. In fact, jump over to BBC Sounds, you can listen to a selection of shows right now. Many, many comedians have learned from the Goons and been inspired by the Goons. Few have ever rivalled them. It is one of the greatest comedies of all time.

Yes, we at the GSPS would say that, but we believe we’re right. Please explore the content of this website to get a flavour of how amazing the Goon Show was. If you’d like to know more, then consider joining us and taking advantage of the archive of material we have. We’re not expensive. It’ll make you feel good to know you’d be contributing to the preservation of this important part of entertainment history. And you’ll enjoy it too.