I'll be the voice of Sanity. Don't even use to me.
I'm doing is for children in. They don't worry.
I'm not one of these people going to cause be really
shouldn't be. I'm from children.
Doing it for children need. I've been sponsored by my
friends, I don't catch it. It's sponsored by my friends.
I said if I can on the show, they'll give a huge amount of
money for children in need less you and I've got to stay on here
till the end of the show you must do that.
Oh, thank you very much. Thanks so much.
Thanks for your kindness. It's a dreadful machine.
He's here, he's gonna stay. Yeah, she's gonna stay with us
again to give their money. Yeah, city after the show, I'll
beat the shit out of you. Hello and welcome to goon pod
this week. It's the jet propelled guided
neffe, but before I introduce my guest, just a quick bit of
housekeeping it used to be a running gag but I am
occasionally contacted by people still to this day.
Requesting that I dedicate an entire episode to covering the
Melting Pot o, including someone just last week.
Now the thing is podcasting is an audio medium.
And I don't really know how entertaining it would be or how
much information I would be able to adequately convey with my
head in my hands, slammed over the desk quietly weeping.
My guest, this week is James page and it's a slightly shorter
episode than normal owing to some technical issues and you
Mike that didn't properly work. Some of the recording was
impaired at the good news is I've got a new another brand-new
Mike, and I'm hoping that this is going to do a better job it
To do it, bloody better do. Anyway thankfully what was last
was mostly me whittling on about Sarabia Fredrika.
Schaefer the famous herbalist and cunning woman from Finland
so no great loss. Okay anyway we join the
conversation of me. Typically interrogating my
guests about how old they are. Hope you enjoy it.
So James. So just before we started
recording you indicate, you said I'm very old now.
You sound like a spring chicken but oh well you don't have to
give me the exact. But what sort of region are we
talking? Hey, in the region of 46 years
old and about 8 months roughly, shut up, get out, I'm older than
you. Oh not really by two years.
Oh that's nothing. That's no wages or you posted a
very nice tweet about the show. Several months ago and Off the
back of that, I contacted you. And and you said, you know,
you'd be happy to come on the show and talk about, you know,
one of your favorite gun shows. So, but before we crack on with
that, what's your, you know, I always ask this question, what's
your history with the Goon? Sure.
How did you come to it? Well, I think he's probably like
most people. It was through my dad.
He was a huge fan of of the goons of radio.
Really. He was he worked for a local
station and he had a long kind of History because I love of
Radio itself and all the comedies he was into it in that
way. My actual, my first experience I
think of the Goon show was actually I haven't I didn't hear
it until I was in my mid-twenties.
So it was probably my first experience was when I was a
child and he had the, the gun show script books on the
shelves. Yep.
And I found that fascinating because I was at the age of six
or seven where I love reading, but I was kind of moving from.
The younger children's books to the older children's books and
all of a sudden the books that I was getting from from the
library and at school didn't have pictures in anymore and I
was like I got a second this is this is a bit rubbish book
cement her pictures, have a mixer know what people look like
that kind of thing and imagine what's happening.
All of a sudden books are just were some being ripped off it
and I was a bit miffed about that and then all of a sudden
the found this goon show script book and it was just full of
Doodles. He's brilliant little pictures
that all the cars to drawn and they've been adding to the book
and And certainly if I actually have as grown-ups can have
pictures in the books as well. This is fantastic.
I loved it. I didn't really get into the
story lines that much what I love most of all was the little
introduction B. So the kind of before the show
got started properly, all the messing around at the beginning.
All the twitching greenslade and making silly noises and dropping
in sound effects and that kind of thing.
Those are the bits. I love the most, I think,
because at the time I watched a lot of children's TV as well and
a lot of that was starting to get kind of pulling back her and
as well. You're breaking the fourth wall
and, you know, looking at your How It Was Made adding bits
before the credits, after the credits, that kind of thing a
messing around with the format. So I love that kind of, you
know, not just doing a straight radio show but, you know,
messing around with the announcer and doing things
before. The story started, I thought
that was fascinating. I loved it.
Your that became more and more pronounced as the show went on.
As we get to into the ninth Series in the tenth series.
There's certain shows where the First Act if you like, it's just
them. Messing about and yeah Bears no
relation to the actual story, proper deaf.
And I think the last guy we should have all his pretty much
all that isn't. I don't think it's actually a
storyline. It's all to the man.
I don't know that that that's got to feel something that was
dashed off in a, in a rush. Yeah, I think because some, when
I started reading these scrapbooks, I think the goons
well the various members were definitely part of my childhood
as well separately as well. Yeah.
Because Spike Milligan he could pop up a lot.
Like I said, my dad was a huge fan and he had the Books, the
war Memoirs, that kind of thing. And yes, but admitted himself
just popped up a lot in my childhood as well.
There was. Do you know the cartoon the
rattie's? I certainly do.
Oh, I love that show. It was incredible.
It was nice to watch that as a kid.
It was like, no other cartoon on children's TV at the time for
this, fantastic and Spike was just the most incredible
narrator of that. So it was written by his Laura,
wasn't it a story? That's right.
Yeah. And I love that.
It was she wrote it but Was pretty much just any hope of a
plotter. Anything was just there was a
kind of a playground for Spike to run around and jump off and
spin around and do that soaks a million miles an hour.
I was, I think I was slightly too old for it or at least, you
know, I think it was a moved on to slightly older, children's
television by that point. However, it was around that
point that I was getting into the Goon.
So I certainly did make a point of watching it and yeah, and I
used to have a tape for All of it.
Like a VHS tape, full of episodes of the Rat.
He's someone Catholic. There are still episodes on
YouTube. I'm delighted to say, is it's
fun to watch. Now it's it reminds me of, you
know, the, the very early like the first Popeye cartoons, the
black and white ones. Yeah.
The ones where there's no kind of again.
There's no script to such. It's just kind of long noise,
it's got to be access playing Popeye and olive-oil.
They just kind of wittering away the whole time.
I think it reminds me of that cause it's just he's so it's
like sticking a micrometer. Spike Milligan is head the hole.
All an episode of the Rat is listening to these jokes going
off. It's like a match.
Being dropped a box of fireworks.
And it just is, it's 15-minute Milligan noise and that ends the
fantini brothers wallpaper on Comedy whose last decorated
during the war. Watch out Reggie's, Uncle Matt
is on the warpath, they're all wrapped up in themselves.
That's why I never go to be sort of encounter groups may be that
he tears up his bank statement and returned to his magic
career. With the aid of a fan and five
revolving, Gratis, he will create a cyclone.
For his next trick, he will try and stop the Cyclone by
Consulting the book. He wrote three minutes ago,
using a magic wand and the magic word which he has forgotten and
it's working forgotten, must have been the magic word.
Did you ever see when Spike appeared on Logan with Harry?
Yeah. Yes yes it was the most amazing
interview with them. Joanna Lumley as well as
tonight. I haven't, I haven't watched
that for a while, though. I really, I think that's
probably my first memory of of Spike Milligan thinking about it
because it stands out so much that thing that happened halfway
through. Yeah, remind me.
What happens if somebody from the audience, that's it?
Yeah, it was Spike comes on, it's necessary and they're
chatting. I don't know why they were on
whether it was promoting something or just on as a guest
or something. But yeah, they're chatting away
about their time together and then somebody comes out of the
audience in a kind of homemade t-shirt and Joanna Lumley play.
Perfectly cool. Then, as she obviously does and
this man, she looks a little bit concerned that somebody
wandering towards the stage and it's man's is a holler.
It's okay. My friends say they will give
these children in need, lots of money, but I've got to sit here
on the sofa with you for the rest of the show and Joanna
perfectly. Cool says, I'm afraid you can't
do that. But you know, we'll try and talk
something else and Spike is kind of you can tell spikes really
upset by this because he says, Oh no, it's the Machinery.
She's really gutted that this bit of chaos has happened.
And it's been squashed straight away.
Is this man's being led away and spikes it?
We should let him stay. Shouldn't be in the auditor.
And mother, Joanna says, I'm afraid you can't stay, but we'll
sort something out later. And just as he's being led away,
Spike, says, come and come and see us after the show.
And then under his breath, says, with beat the shit out of here.
Let's just get the bigger. I'm sorry.
Obviously Spike, just got of
loving this bit of chaos happening and then being so kind
of oh it's just it's been squashed by the machine, it's
the BBC at suppressing fun again.
Yep. That's it.
My first memory of the obviously something going a bit weird on
TV and then a naughty word on tea time.
Television of. Yeah, yeah, I'll have to retell
after we watch that actually. You know, it's alright, it's
great fun. So you indicated that, I mean I
think you told me that the jet propelled guided nephew is not
necessarily your At gun show. Hmm.
But why? The do you want to talk about
this particular one? I think many many reasons.
I think it's definitely one of my favorites.
It's one of the first ones I heard, I think somebody when I
was in my twenties like I say I hadn't heard a Gun Show and Tell
I was fighting the mid-20s somebody.
Let me the tapes, you know, the Goon show Classics tapes.
Yeah. For four episodes on each one.
And somebody, let me leave us any my like these.
It's amazing. It's on with eat the evils of
bushy spot-on. Yes, history of Pliny, the Elder
and Really batted pulling her lasso, some of the most amazing
episodes all along take. Yeah, because what happened was
because originally, it was released as an LP in September
75 and it was part of the BBC's of BBC started releasing our
piece. Yeah.
Following the success of the last goon show of also it's
released as goon show classics. Number two with with as you say,
the evils of pushy spying on the other side and when they came to
release them in the when was it was it would it be late 80s in
To the 90s, they started releasing the double tapes.
Yes, which is essentially just repackaging, the Goon show
Classics, please. It was, it was joined with Gucci
classics number one which was dreaded better putting hurler
and Pliny, the Elder. It's always been a really
popular episode the jet propelled guarded neffe.
Apparently, one of Peter Sellers favorite episodes of into.
Yeah, I didn't know that. Yeah, and when he died in July
1980. There was a tribute show.
It was repeated, couple of days after his death in the early
minutes of last Thursday, morning, the entertainment.
Profession was a truly great International comedy actor, and
I lost a very dear and close mate.
We are fortunate, however, in that many of Peters performances
on film on in radio are preserved for posterity so we
can still enjoy his matchless laughter making genius.
Peter always maintained of the happiest days of his life.
Although Sunday's spent recording the Goon show, I must
say that they were my happiest days to.
And so what better way to pay tribute to Peter and to repeat
one of those gold show that he himself regarded as well as his
own particular favorites. The jet-propelled guided naffy
he sounds like he's in a lot of fun in this in this episode it
sounds like he's kind of really getting into it and you know
being himself and yeah well I'm not being himself a being
everybody basically. Ali and really getting stuck
into it. Obvious, one of the, one of the
reasons that I really like is because it's at the first third,
the first for activate it just sounds like they're just having
fun. They just really enjoying it
there and making each other laugh and you know it's like I
say one of the one of the things I loved about reading the Goon
show. Script was all the messing
around at the beginning and this episode I think is the First Act
is basically the messing around at the beginning for a whole 10
minutes. It's wonderful.
The it starts off with them in, in parliament's having an Wiry.
And it's just them being making silly noises, but doing
different voices and you're being about five different
people, each and just causing a crowd between, you know, just
the three of them, it sounds so much fun.
I want to give a bit of background before we start
talking about the show. That's okay.
So it's it's from Series 6, it's episode 19 and it was broadcast
on the 24th of January, 1956, written by Spike and producer
with Peter eaten. That was one of Peter Eaton's
last episodes to produce He went off to work for Granada.
Okay. He did come back and do a couple
of shows. Produced a couple of shows at
the beginning of Series 7 but it was a pet Dixon took over.
Okay. Oh yeah.
I just wanted to give a little bit of context as well because
So, this is, this is 26, May 24th, January 56, sort of at the
beginning of January. The BBC were starting to think
about commissioning the seventh series, another series of the
Goon show, because it was so so successful that we're getting
about 3 million listeners tuning in, to the Home Service
broadcast every week. But as I say the BBC, working to
commission, a new series and Spike was up for it, but he had
reservations. Actions.
Okay, there's a memo in the archives written by the variety
booking manager, Patrick Newman. He writes, he writes to the
assistant head of variety, which is Jim Davidson, not that one,
I'm good. Yeah, and he says, Spike tells
me that it is not that he himself is tiring, but he
wonders. Whether the British public is
and thinks it might be advisable for the return of the show to be
made at a much later date. Oh, by which time he feels that
listens will be crying out for it.
Yeah, okay. So Spike obvious, I don't know
how, what period of time, he was thinking, maybe a year maybe
more between series, but the BBC were clamoring.
Really form or sooner if you like, yeah, one of the issues
they had potentially, was that Spike and Peter were asking for
more money? Yeah, kick off.
But a major problem or potential problem was that Harry.
Deacon was booked to appear. Pretty much nightly at the
London Palladium from May to December 56, okay?
And as a result you know, he was going to be their most, you
know, five or six nights a week, right?
Yeah. He was saying, do I really want
to spend my Sunday's recording the Goon show?
It's only day off. I'm going to have.
So he was kind of I'm not saying he didn't want to do it, but he
was sort of saying, well, perhaps we could shift the
recording days. To, you know, sometime during
the week, and you can record it, you know, during the day on a
weekday, the BBC wasn't keen on that and Spike, certainly wasn't
keen on that. Okay, so in the end, they didn't
shift from recording on Sundays, so I guess Harry just had to
take it on the chin. Yeah, now the week leading up to
the recording of the jet-propelled, guided Nephi,
Peter Sellers agent wrote to Patrick Newman and and and we're
with with typical Even informed him.
That Peter Sellers does not wish to be associated with the gun
show ever again. Wow, which apparently stemmed
from some argument that sellers had with Milligan earlier in the
week, which often happened, I believe ya.
Yes, it's so this episode of the Goon show, it starts off with
this, this some quite interesting historical
references that have been lost in The Mists of time.
Yes. Yes.
So there's this quote that greenslade reads from I think
it's the telegraph, the telegraph.
Yes. Where he refers to what did he
say? In building a new residence for
the High Commissioner in Colombo, the British government
was taken for a ride by the contractors, a witness at an
inquiry. So the semicircular City cost
four hundred and twenty pounds. It's Slightly bizarre sounding
but it sounds like there's a ring of Truth to that.
Yeah. Yes the way.
But I never thought anything much about it until recently,
just in, you know, during the course of Twitter, I interact
with a lot of people and there's neck from the sea green Memoirs
website, and I think he contacted me, or we got into a
Twitter discussion about whether this new story actually is based
on, on fact. Hmm, yeah.
And I checked with friend of the show Andrew Pixley.
Basically Spike did pick up this story, from presumably the
telegraph at the time and took it as the jumping off point for
writing the show, I just want to read you the news story that the
precise quote taxpayer taken for a ride in Colombo, okay?
Way the British government was taken for a ride by the salon
contractors who built 500 pounds at Colombo official buildings
for the UK High. Commissioner, a witness told the
Committee of Public Accounts Sir, Cecil saez has been UK High
Commissioner in Salon since 1951 at the inquiry.
The deputy secretary of the ministry of Works was asked
whether efforts were made to bring down the cost of the
revenue of the residents. But there's a point, I want to
get to mr. Muir answered the questions
about the specially designed 12,000-pound Furnishings for the
house, he said this house is a specially designed house.
In what is called a contemporary style of architecture?
I am told there is nothing else, like it in Colombo, mr.
Muir said the furniture was chosen on the design by the then
minister of works. Okay?
How now this is a joke as I say, it's been lost to the sands of
time, but the content Every audience listening to this goon
show would would be probably familiar with the minister of
works or at least some of them would be you know his name was
go on so David Eccles? No, yes.
Oh my gosh. No.
It's like they began the Goon show 6 years before just to make
up to this point. That's incredible, the longest
Black Mirror episode ever. Well you thinking probably
spikes read this. At this news story.
Yeah, he's I has alighted on the reference to David Eccles and he
saw. Okay, let's write a show about
this. And if, and if it's true, then
he's written the show, very, very quickly.
It's been a really quick turnaround.
Yeah, I'm using. And, and as you say the show
opens with this parliamentary investigation into why a
semicircular City in Colombo, cost four hundred and twenty
pounds and their calls who's the minister of Works, who wouldn't
go amiss in As Government I was going to say he'd be buying
people, you know, wouldn't me. He would be to inform.
No. Hang on.
He wouldn't be like something
that looks like pee pee. But no.
But he'd also I was going to say he'd fit into this government,
but he wouldn't actually cuz he resigns doesn't mean that
imagine and nobody in this government.
Resign, sorry to get political. But but I'm thinking the, you
know, the Contemporary audience, hearing Echoes being, you know,
Echols referred to as the minister of works.
Yeah, they would appreciate that.
Yeah. This is an inquiry into the cost
of a government building in Colombo.
Is this, you know mr. Echols here.
Yeah, I told all the furniture myself, mr.
Eccles. Why did a 7 and 6 when he Window
Seat Cuts, 246 pounds. Always mine.
Speak to my secretary, you can't talk now government minute, I
like that, I won't be out of work long, you stream at
Ministry of Fisheries job, You watch.
I've kept go for mr. Echo Echoes.
We are not for one moment, doubting your sincerity.
It's just your intelligence that in question.
Well, I accept your apology. Are you interrupt me when I
wasn't saying anything? I love about the this pole seen
as well, is because when I listened to it on tape years
ago, I think you've mentioned in the past a lot of jokes, get cut
for the brought for the types of episodes for the episodes that
get released later. But like I don't like this kind
of thing. This kind of topical stuff, they
cut out, topical jokes, and there's a joke that I didn't
hear when I had it on tape that I've only heard since when I
heard it on the think was the BBC they replayed the episode
recently. And they're all firing up all
these questions at each other. And what about the dreams in?
Hackney what, what about dreams of these features?
Fully delivered acting in the dreams bond, which is the best
use of the word pong ever. It is.
And all these questions being shouted and all of a sudden,
Peter Sellers. I'm, I don't know whether it's a
Winston, Churchill impression, it sounds a bit like him, but he
suddenly says, Roger about all this washer go outside.
Number 10, I'd love to know what that was all about.
If there's a, he gets a massive laughs, obviously there's
something going on at the time to do with Washing outside
number 10. Yeah.
Today. What?
That was all about? No, no actually.
Yes. Again with a lot of the
Contemporary topical references. There is, you know, I've got
risk resources where I can find out what they refer to know.
There's nothing I can find. Yeah.
Behind, you know, perhaps listeners some of the more
resourceful listeners are able to access newspaper archives
from around this time and see if there was any new stories.
About washing lines in Downing Street.
I'd love to know. Yeah, it's, that is such a
massive laugh at the time. It is they know something.
What was that? That was such a neat of Ganesha
reference at the time must have got such a tweet, tweet
something with people, that makes no sense at all, tweaked
something with people everything.
Does a reference to the Korean War?
Yes, which I didn't check but I think didn't attend about 53,
the Korean War. Hmm, the only thing it could be
is I mean, around this time, in fact, I think Contemporaneous to
this show. Going out, the film Hill in
Korea was out. Okay, I don't know if you're
aware of that film, I don't know.
Don't turns it turns up on talking pictures TV.
I haven't watched it for quite a while.
The only thing of note about it, it's about the set in the Korean
War. There was a British soldiers,
and the only thing I know about film really is that it was the
screen debut of film debut of Michael Caine.
All right okay I don't think he's got a speaking role I think
he's just one of the soldiers. Yeah might be wrong but around
56 guy Burgess resurfaced publicly in Moscow having
defected with Donald MacLean in. Well literally I think two or
three days before the Goon show began in 1951.
They poke they defected and And Kim philby was still, well, kick
around this time. I know.
Kim philby was getting a bit of heat.
He was still working for, I believe the security services,
but there was some because of his friendship with particularly
guy. Burgess, there was some
questions being asked about his credibility and suitability and
whether you know, whether he was perhaps in hock to the Russians.
But yes, so around this time, 56, as I say, Russian spies and
British defectors were all over the news.
He and and we have here, segen returns home from the
Parliamentary session either with a set of secret plans, for
a jet-propelled guided Nephi. And his Butler I suppose you
call him. That is grip pipe then.
Hmm. Yes.
And grip Pipestone is working for the Russians along.
Yes. The author of my ten years as a
Russian spy. That's right.
Yeah, yeah, so yeah because it seems got these the secret plans
for this jet-propelled guided Nephi, that can be launched to
anywhere in the world and set up in 16 seconds.
Hmm, first of all, are you aware of nafeez or what our nephews
do? You know, I didn't know what it
was for years. I looked it up the other day.
Apparently, it stands for the Navy Army, Air, Force Institute.
Yes, it's kind of a fun. It's a great video on YouTube.
Like an advert for the naafi. It's like black and white advert
and it looks basically like a tea room, kind of dance hall,
kind of establishment, it looked great, it was advert for come
and work for the naffy and it was lots of people.
I've been a dancer of a cup of tea.
Yeah, it was set up in 1920 it was basically there was set up
to to let soldiers get something to eat and blow off a bit of
steam. Hmm, recreational facilities.
You know they could have tea dancers or that's not what they
call them. Yeah.
And and at its peak the If he employed 110,000 people all
right and had over 10,000 Outlets selling, you know I
guess biscuits cigarettes chocolate to your soldiers.
Yeah so again you know when I first heard this show I had no
idea what an Effie was hmm But and and of course back then that
you know you didn't have the internet and it was it wasn't so
easy to look things up and I don't yet have a really looked
up what the nephew was. I just kind of Kind of got an
idea what it probably was. Yeah and accepted it as such you
know. Funny enough recently for a show
we did recently about Michael benteen's TV show to square
World. There was a sketch on that about
anafi. Okay, not very good one but so
see ya. So seeking has got this.
There's, there's these plans drawn up for a jet-propelled
guided nephew that can be launched to anywhere in the
world and set up very quickly. And as a sort of part of a
feasibility study, he has a prototype guided Navi launched
to Malaya. Hmm.
Yes. And we here, six seconds later
telephone rings and it's spiked doing unusually for the Goon
show. Kind of William make cobblers
voice. Yeah I thought I was sellers
doing that voice. It's like doing it pretty sure
it is. Yeah and I'm guessing the reason
for that is because Go to the mic, has to have the setting,
the telephone? Oh yes.
Setting and sellers is standing by his grip pipe thin.
So, I'm assuming that's why despite my Spike did it and then
he calls back soon after in says that the basically, these ten
thousand cups Cups of Tea and what are they going to do with a
million? Just going to Chuck them away.
I love the way he says that and what the the kind of resignation
is voices, do you want to or should we throw it all away?
And obviously the watchword being Me, he gets Egan is
outrageous. There's no way he's going to
rearrange. The fly 10,000 soldiers to
Malaya to drink the tea drinker. Meanwhile grip pipes didn't has
tricked ready into letting him photograph, the plans.
Mmm, he says that first of all, before we go on holiday snap and
Ladies of yasur don't get on my bathing.
Costume is how the plans up just just been further, lovely.
I love the way he but a snap of Neddy.
I love the way. Does it just right?
Hold them right up under your chin is a bit.
Yeah. Now, one of the most memorable
sequences from this show is the is the grip pipe in Moriarty.
Oh yes, exchange siguen, falls asleep, and grip pipe.
This is the, this is the point where Moriarty announces
himself. Who's that?
How do you spell it? You a literate swine?
It's Moriarty. Where are you?
Yeah. The pianos the devil.
Are you doing in there? Don't be silly.
Haydn's been dead for years, I don't know that neither do, I
destroy? This is one of the piano strings
which string are you? I think I'm a g-string, so
that's why I can't see you. I'm not sure which string I am.
So you better play a scale go, no Ray, no me.
Got me like this has got to be the best jokes in it in the
whole episode. Some of the best series I think
it is and you know and you know that if this had been written
and recorded and broadcast around the time of the last, you
ensure that all this would have had this joke where Moriarty
ghost yes you know there would have been a different pay off.
Yes. Oh yes.
And Moriarty is secreted in the piano and is that great line
which still gets quite to this day.
What the devil you're doing in there?
I'm hidin obesity Haydn's been dead for years, freely online.
It's probably a presuming. It's probably a more padded out.
Like I do Marx. Brothers liner something that's
better. Yeah, squirreled away.
You know? Now I'm looking actually, I've
got to copy of the script that Spike spike me.
In script from the actual recording.
All right okay and and I highlighted one particular
Edition because more or less you know there's that there's a
future if you go through the script as if you Crossings out
and things like that but there's also some additional lines
written in that they've obviously during the rehearsal
period. It's you know it's spikes had
inspiration and decided actually it's add this line yeah or
whatever. And interestingly when Moriarty
says That he's in the piano and he's disguised as one of the
strings grip. Pipe in the script, says which
Stringer you in the script? Moriarty says I'm not sure play
a scale. Okay.
But you can see in spikes handwriting here.
He's written in. I think I'm a g-string.
So that's why I can't see you. Okay, I didn't know g-strings
existed. No, I did not 50s.
Yeah, you learned some educational this show?
Yeah. I'm so glad that I mean that's a
great line, it is. And and you know, just shows
that you know, even up to the point of recording they were
tweaking and adding to the to the script.
So okay, isn't it? It's around this point that we
get the max geldray number. I always ask guests.
Did you know, did you skip the music brakes?
Or did you always listen to them?
It depends how I'm listening if I'm sitting at home then.
No, I'll usually listen to it as well.
Leave music in if I'm listening. What about when I'm?
Well, I've got my earphones in while I'm walking the dog.
I will usually skip Max geldray as bit just because great
musician and get a great Tunes. But when I've got my earphones
in, and I'm listening to the gun show.
I like to have the sound up as much as possible, so I can hear
all the little bits and pieces going on and don't miss any bits
and then all of a sudden somebody blows a harmonica in my
ear. It's a little bit.
I could do without that little bit differently but some how do
you? Yeah, I do like a general, like
music. Wellington's pieces are so I
think a great, he's done some great tunes and it's I think
it's a really nice thing to hear can as part of, you know, the
era as well. That's one of the things I like
about the Goon show. Using it takes you back to that
era just on the music. One of the notable points about
this show, this particular episode.
Is it is it's the introduction of a new theme tune signature
tune. Oh yes, so up to the point and
so the previous show was tails of my Mantra and that was the
last time that the goons Gallop theme tune was used.
Okay, starting from jet-propelled, guarded neffe.
There's new signature tune, which is called Lucky Strike,
okay? And it's written by Ray
Ellington guitarist Frank, Denise, and while he stopped,
okay? Okay.
So, I'm guessing that, presumably the estate of rail
mounted son, or, you know, get some form of royalties from that
thing tuned, because it's, you aware of, obviously, you're
aware of that theme tune, are you aware of the goons Gallop?
Which was the the previous ancient witch?
How does it is that I want to go through that at the bit bit bit
bit? That's the one.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's quite straight, I don't
know. The reason why they decided Come
eventually halfway through a series to change it.
That's a strange time to change it.
Yeah, it is. Don't have had any connection
with change of producer. Possibly, I might be having said
that PD Easton was still producer for this one.
I'm not quite sure, I'd love to know that the reasoning behind
that, perhaps, it was just the case that they decided, actually
the sick and tired of of the goons gallop, and this Lucky
Strike, does sound a bit more jazzier, doesn't it?
Yes maybe. Yeah.
Maybe They just they would just butchering and maybe yeah, yeah
it's a strange. It's like when Morecambe and
wise these two finished with obviously bring me sunshine and
then all of a sudden you see an episode, a repeat of an episode
and the be finishing with like, positive thinking that.
But but what's, this isn't bringing sunshine in the vice
and then whether it was when they went to ITV or what they
suddenly changed it. Yeah, I was trying to think of
other shows, comedy shows that have had different things, you
know, things you sort of changed during the run, I know that.
The first and second series or just the first series of Only
Fools and Horses had a different theme tune.
That's right. The first one had a more classic
kind of zany wacky thing. She's in sitcom theme tune yeah
it comes to a boil and then yeah to the with on everyone knows
and yeah I think it was a second series.
I started using one. That's more kind of suited to
the situation of the sitcom. Yeah, because Peepshow as well.
But you had for the first I think couple of series had a
piece of Was Daniel Pemberton relative whose massive in theme
choose, he's unloading, Mexican music, he's written, loads of
things. And then I think for the second
or third series, they started using black officer by Harvey
Danger instead which it's a great tune really works as a
pinching but it was a strange kind of choice to suddenly
switch from one to another so different was it.
Yeah, I remember because the original theme tune for Peepshow
would then be used during the later series as musical stings
wouldn't it? Yeah.
Because it was very sort of experimental.
MMG, it was. Yeah, because this was at the
time when P20 Shake first came out, it was experimental itself.
And so, it suited that and I suppose it may be when it became
more of a mainstream sitcom. Not, you know, by changing, but
because people kind of latched onto it and got, you know what
they were doing? Maybe then they thought, well,
it's over yeah. Punchiest theme tune for it now
and but yeah, like I say, keeping all the stings.
Yeah, I'm trying to think of others.
Other comedy shows that change the thinking.
Any any suggestions from listeners will be gratefully
received. So please, this is probably
something obvious. Some people said something
stirring, it is in the face. There's one from I'm thinking of
right now and I can't think which one it was.
But like you say it, they change the theme tune but all the bits,
the stings stayed the same from the original one.
I can't think what it is. That's going to come to me at
3:00 in the morning. If you don't mind, I'll be mu it
when it comes to me. I've got it.
That's fun. Who's your favorite character or
characters? Venture?
Click definitely echolls. In this one, I love the way the
equals is used as a kind of a running joke, but also a kind of
surprise. Basically he kind of pops up
every so often to resign his. I love the way they use that.
He kind of the first time we have him resigning.
It's that, you know, as you say when he's a minister of works
and they questioned him on why this the sofa cost so much.
And he thinks for a minute then says, I resigned that's it.
And then every so often The episode will go wrong or they'll
be a bad decision made. Who did this?
I resigned and it comes out. Yes.
Because he reappears as the minister of food, the minister
of yes, the chancellor of the exchequer as well Ned.
He says, what, what is a quarter of a million pounds?
Plus 8 pounds, 6 jar Chancellor, what is the quarter of million
veterans, by sequences? I resigned.
It's, I'd love a kind of pull back and reveal.
Jackie only works on the radio. You know, if you know, you were
standing there, it wouldn't work.
True. Absolutely.
Yeah, he's also got my favorite line.
I think in the hole. Episode.
I'm not one for quoting the goons in everyday life, but
there's the scene when just after he resigns for the first
time greenslade, says mr. Echols.
We are not questioning your integrity.
It's your intelligence we're questioning.
And equal says, well, I accept your apology and I use that line
on a weekly basis. It's such a brilliant kind of
graceful climb down. You know, if I'm getting the
children, ready for school in the morning and I'll shout down
the stairs. Get your shoes on and who shot
back. Ron.
Okay. I accept your apology.
It works in every situation. Absolutely.
I think Salazar bloop sell. This is what a blue bottles.
Finest Hours. Oh yes.
He gets power. Doesn't he it?
Yeah, I think maybe it's because he's got a proper role in this
particular episode. He's not just like them dropped
in. As you know there's two night
Watchman and all that one of them's bluebottle he's had.
He's part of the story here and he's in charge of the naffy.
And yeah the comic timing Is superb.
The bit where the sausages explode?
Ah, yes. So that's why they call them
bangers. Hmm, but they are on the ball
with the sound effects in this form.
A chess huge response from the audience in massive, love for
that one yet. So I think the biggest laughs it
for this episode is that one there and weirdly back in the
the first scene with Moriarty and and Group B where B, wait,
how do you spell it? Massive laugh for a tiny
raspberry. That's how you do the rodents
and also you can tell that they're on top form because
there's an exchange with between Moriarty and blood milk.
Hmm. Which is just back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth, without missing a beat.
Yes, yeah, it's incredible. That see the model we reached
the only jet-propelled guided nothing in the world.
It must be destroyed. What are you?
A spy? Yes.
Then why are you covered in? Meantime, am inspired.
The merry Christmas to you too. Now listen would you be willing
to sabotage this secret guided nothing.
How have you know? That I am a patriotic English
gentlemen's? And what does that mean?
Means I'll only do it for money pretty well.
Here here is a carbon copy of an imitation.
Hundred pound. Note wait him out.
How do I know this? Carbon copy isn't a forgery.
Oh, look here here's a life-size oil.
Painting of me running the bank with it but it shows you clean
shaven. I was wearing an invisible
beard, great malleable lumps of steam.
Um, I apologize you Chinese think of everything.
I'm not tiny. Then you must have forgotten
something, you should be more careful.
Give me the money, thank you now.
Then what do I do the best often, what, what, what I love
about this episode is just that? It's, it's time.
It's kind of it's set in the present day enough.
That's what I find Most Fascinating about it is, you
know, you can get a picture of what was going on, then, just by
listening to this episode who you got everything in there, you
know, the MPS turning up every so often at Parliament to growl
before. Dashing off to the folies
bergere, you've got all the corruption and I think it's a
lovely, get paint. Such a great picture of that
time. Yeah, it does.
And stripped of its context, as I say.
When I first heard it, when you first heard it, you wouldn't
have known the fact that it was based on the story itself was
based on true fact. And yeah, that's incredible.
And you know, as I said before, the fact that Echols there was a
minister called mr. Eckles It was minister of works,
all that would have, as I say, you know, all of that would have
been very kind, you know, contemporary to the audience of
the time and appreciate it as such.
But even listen to it without having all that context, it's
just a thoroughly enjoyable show.
And it is one of the I can say. There's now it's at the end of
this year, which is only a few weeks away.
I'm going to be releasing a special show, we're going to be
counting down, blisters top, Top 20 gun shows.
Okay, I know that. You've, you very kindly,
supplied me with your favorite show?
Come over. What?
That was actually, which one was it?
Gosh, I remember now I got a second.
I've got it here. Let me try and find.
It was a top three I think, wasn't it?
Yes. Can I find all my goodness?
Oh yes. So my top one Napoleon's piano.
Oh yeah. Obviously big fan of episodes
with pianos in then the green flag story.
Which is just I love that because it's like I said, one of
my favorite things about the goons is when they just messing
around with each other. And that's a whole episode of
just like, navel-gazing just met honest and just about the Goon
show. Basically.
Yep. And then frog, I think I had too
much my third because again it's free it from the present time.
It was all about the great London, Fog and it just painted
a picture of what life was like. Then.
Yeah. So you took your top two.
They're very popular for our viewers.
What are those that never gets Talked about very much really.
It's all right. Great.
It's got one of the the best jokes in it when sequins walking
through the fog and he comes across mini banister and he says
Madam can I direct you somewhere?
And she says, I think I better direct you sir me, you direct me
what makes you think I'm lost here in my kitchen?
Yes, but yes, in the end of December I'll be putting out
this. This top 20 goon show Lister
goon show episode, okay? And I can tell you Not going to
give particular placing but I can't tell you the jet-propelled
garden. Fe is in the top 10.
Oh fantastic. Yeah oh that's great to hear.
I won't give away anything in anything else but now it's a
really enjoyable showed us one that you can listen to again.
And again, there's certain goon shows that I will just listen to
on hard rotation. Mmm.
Yeah, plenty of the Elder, this, the flea, they all tend to be a
funny enough. They all tend to be ones that
were commercially released. Oh yep.
That makes sense. Yeah, yeah, I think this one.
It's got so many memorable jokes that just work on their own as
well. It's got so many quotable lines.
It's got, you know, jokes that kind of like you say, it's
difficult to think about it in a linear fashion because there are
jokes, that could just like they did they stand out so well and
they could sloppy anywhere. It's brilliant.
One of the best ones is back at the scene is with the piano
where Moriarty is disguised as a piano string.
It's, it feels like the perfect joke because Rip up to us to
find him by playing a scale, his players go home.
And I'll tell you, she's been and he plays a note do.
No, that's not me. Ray, it wasn't me.
Let me me, that's me. It's like, it's the rule of
three, it's the third one, and it's me, is me that is it's
like, Spike Milligan wrote to the piano scale just for that
joke. It is, it is I've written on my
notes here as well. Okay, I could just try to work
out what I meant by this. I'd written heavy breathing.
Oh And I just remember what it is.
Oh, so when Blue Bottle puts the sausages in the refrigerator's,
it goes off with Echoes to get a frying pan.
They go out and you hear the door, open and close and then
there's a pause before the door opens again and grip pipe and
Moriarty come in. Yeah.
And obviously, Sellers and Milligan have just been playing
blue bottle and Echols. The door closes.
You can hear both men breathing into the microphone for before
the door opened. Again, yeah, but you never
listen. So even getting into the kind of
character. Do you think is that taking a
pause to kind of become another person?
Possibly? Wow, yeah, headphones.
Yes, that sellers would become each character.
He himself up to be blood milk or he would have himself small,
sort of make themselves small, you know, I suppose.
He would kind of reduce himself in size now, but some shots up
and I can imagine sort of throwing his head back to play
grip pipe thin so maybe he was maybe he was getting into.
Yeah, ha, ha yes. So so James, I'm English.
Thank you very much for for joining me to talk about this
show. Thank you so much for having me
on it. So I think I've just about got
over the year, The Imposter syndrome of appearing, on the
same podcast, is Jonathan Co and Al Murray and so many amazing
people. Oh well, I love having the more
famous people, and I like having bog standard Ordinary People.
Thanks, I just, of course, everyone has got a story to tell
about, you know, their history with the show and what they like
about it. What they don't like about it.
But so James you're obviously on Twitter at drivel cast, I am,
you used to have a Blog that I didn't think you do that now or
do you? That's all logs.
I used to have a Blog up that's still in my mouth.
They still in my By offering to take that out because I've
updated it for about five years. I think the last thing I baste
it with was a some satirical. Topical drink about George
Osborne, being the chance like a lot, but been a while he
resigned, didn't he, he did, he resign go to me.
What did he did? He did he get it?
No, he resigned. Wow, but you're on the radio as
well? I am.
Yes. I want to station black cat
radio. I have a couple of showers A
week is what I do. I show during the day kind of a
big day time you show and then kind of an evening show as well
playing kind of alternative music, new music that kind of
thing. Just kind of stuff that doesn't
get played enough really and oh it's just it's a thrill and a
joy to do and it's I can't believe that somebody's let me
on a radio station to play songs for a couple of hours a week.
Its massive. Privileges some it's wonderful.
Great. Excellent.
It's a black cat radio. If you fancy, it is Andy.
You've gotta find a new favorite band. 8:00, Tuesday nights on.
I'm like a radio. And obviously, your name is
James page. You never call yourself, Jimmy
D. No!
I get that a lot from. Can I call you?
Okay. All right.
James, we'll listen, thanks, mate.
And maybe you can come back sometime and talk about it as a
film or something like that. Thank you, sir, thank you so
much. I'd love to.
He's been it's really surreal talking to you after listening
to the podcast for, so, for so long.
And that surely, you're talking to me.
I think he's asking your question.
This isn't one. Amazing.
I love the podcast so much and this you have regular dog
walking listening. And whenever got a day off, its
it's just, you get some great guests.
And like, I say, and Jonathan, Kobe alone of, I'm not missing
that one yet, but I just can't believe you.
You've come on and so many incredible scaffold for the
week. Thanks again to James and thank
you for that lovely words. And really appreciated having
you on the show? It was great.
I'm sorry. If I sounded a bit flat, I don't
know what was going on there. I I started listening back.
I started very off-key low energy more than usual.
Thank you all for listening. We getting closer to Christmas
and thankfully it will soon all be over.
Take care of yourselves. See you next week.
Bye. I started listening back.
I started very off-key low energy more than usual.
Thank you all for listening. We getting closer to Christmas
and thankfully it will soon all be over.
Take care of yourselves. See you next week.
Bye.