I look how well if there's a rumor going around the
corporation that you're thinking of leaving well John I have been
getting offers it was you're not going to leave us.
Remember. You're British Dear John.
What can I say? What's the matter?
What is aren't you happy with? This isn't isn't three pounds.
Ten a week enough, not quite job.
But man, alive, you a free copy of the radio times every week.
Yes, there is that. Well, now look, what is what
John? I've been given Authority with
you. Four pounds a week and you can
read the 9:00 news at 5:30. You 12m, take your own time
about it. First name.
That voice came out of a little bowl of fat that sprang from
behind a fellow. My name is Mindy Siegel, what a
memory. You have not so fast.
I said it as slowly as possible. Sir.
You're the famous John snack. Yeah, numbers the mail.
Sabrina love Portland Place, steady seagull or our ban your
record on housewives choice. I knew somebody who his ambition
in life, but he didn't have great Ambitions.
But his one ambition in life was to go to Disneyland and do
something so heinous, that he, oh my God, he would be arrested
by the Disneyland police and put it like to that underground
Cellar that they talk about. Okay.
Is there a dragon in there and sit like that?
Maybe Mickey goes in with the cash and counseling, If you
scatter, your loved ones ashes in the park.
So I heard that's a like, you immediately arrested and frog,
marched out and banned for like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that that's
what he wanted to do. And they've lost touch with him.
So he may, well, he may well be serving time in Disneyland as we
did, by the way, by the way. Hello and welcome to goon pod.
Hello! Hi.
Happy New Year. Yeah, Happy New Year.
I'm joined by my new best mate donna.donna.
We have to stick to the Forum. Okay.
And I'm gonna have to pretend that we haven't been yakking for
the last absolutely mates. Okay, yeah.
So I decide I'm gonna say, Donna, welcome to the show.
How are you? I'm fine.
How are you? Tyler mustn't, Grumble, Grumble
to quote, Stevie Merit from Lazy Sunday.
It's not gone Flay. We could do a whole other
podcast about that as well. Real eye-opener.
Yeah, brilliant. Stanley Unwin, my dad.
My dad also loved as well as the goons and we looked at least
Lobster me on one. Oh, yeah, love Stanley Unwin.
My as I'm not going to break the mold here but it was my dad that
brought me to the goons and he loves Stanley Unwin at anything
slightly. Off-kilter like that Vic and
Bob, he loved Vic and Bob, he loves young ones, Pete and Dad.
Yeah. Do you know what actually funny
enough former guest? In fact, I had a, he was on very
recently, Jeremy Lim who was a guest of mine, and he came on,
and talked about recently, talked about the Peter, Sellers
film two-way. Stretch now, Jeremy is among
other things, a comedian and I know that he does a mean Stanley
on went he is a remarkable. It's got a rabbit's his party
piece doing so brilliant. That is quite an achievement to
do that to speak. Like that.
Yes. Well I'm very much like an
orphan The good pound. Listen, a of a happy, you know.
Hope all Gathering most to amuse it and have a tilt, the elbow or
a glass each a little while. So you keep old acquaintance, be
forgot and never have a load out of mind.
I don't know. So those deep joy in the good
talkers for a very happy, 20 thrown good thruppence, tall
goodly by load. So your case here already look
you've already preempted. What?
I was going to ask you so your dad that your dad got you into
the goons? Yes, yes, he had quite a lot of
his vinyl collection. It was like, Black Sabbath
cream, Led Zeppelin The Other Side, the goons Pete, and dud,
python all of those. So, it was throughout my
childhood. I heard them quite a lot.
I don't know, quite how he came to the goons, I assume because
he really loved Peter Sellers and Spike equally.
I'm assuming he probably got into Spike by watching.
You know the you know his TV stuff in the 60s.
Yeah. I'm probably in the late 60s,
though was the Q Series and happening, then.
Yeah. And I don't know if you saw son
of Fred or anything like that, but and he also loved Peter
Sellers. He loved because we grew up in
Ealing, West London. I think the whole comedy thing
was was quite big eel of the ladykillers and all those
bolting Brothers films. And of course, he loved all the
Inspector Clouseau films, and I do remember really vividly as a
kid. Obviously the my first
experiencing Peter Sellers was it was as Inspector Clouseau and
I think two-way stretch, you mentioning two-way, stretch was
on telly and my dad going, do you realize that that guy there
is Inspector Clouseau and it kind of blew my.
Yeah, I need my mind and I couldn't, I couldn't believe it
and it was almost like something went off in my head and I
thought I want to do that, that's what I want to be.
I just want to be other people. And then I got into acting like,
Excessively as a as a kid and then went on to drama school.
But that, that was the thing. Seeing, Peter Sellers and I had
other influences. I'd like python like Victoria
word, Rik, Mayall, all those people, they all kind of
coalesced, and I sort of they all it was all comedians.
I went to a quite a posh, drama school Central, the Central
School of speech and drama, which we nicknamed, the Central
School of speech and drama and And Laurence Olivier and Vanessa
Redgrave and Judi Dench, all these people have been there but
I was so knocked out when I found out that Kenneth Connor
from the carry on Films gone there as well.
That was well I didn't realize he didn't, he's a legitimate
training. Yeah Workshop or something.
Let's go. Okay, so I did actually reach
out to you in the in the past and suggested that you might
want to come on and hmm talk about the show.
Yeah. A bit.
You're a bit reticent. I think I do.
I'm not quite sure you just felt.
Maybe it wasn't for you but then you change your mind.
Yeah, I did. Yeah.
Well I just thought I was going to listen to me because I looked
at the list some of the people that been on and I thought he's
going to listen to it. I thought it was just my own
insecurities really. Thinking are nobody's going to
want a little me but and then I thought well you know, I do love
comedy, I've grown up around it, you know, my dad was obsessed
with with funny people and and so am I and a friend of mine,
actually, he's a stand-up comedian, how Crittenden?
And he's always running jokes by me.
He we were at drama school together, okay.
And so we've known each other for years and he's every other
day. It's like what do you think of
this joke and that joke? And I go well that sounds a
little Bit like, you know, Al stretching time, you know, but a
sketch from Monty Python, maybe change that, or do this, and he
said, you know, more about comedy and I doing he's actually
a professional. So, so I am a bit obsessive
about comedy really hard. Okay.
Now, let's excellent, excellent. And I know that if I think Chris
Shaw for my guests, yes to dramas well to heed ye just said
what you should do it you'll be fine.
Just do it, do it so clear, I am I'm here.
Okay. And and it's quite it's quite
neat as well because the show that's gone out before this one
was special show where I counted down Alan Freeman style or not
the state has no no yes yes but And choke Kappa, sewed?
Okay. Yeah.
And, and the show that we're going to talk about today, which
last stop being Coy, it is the greenslade story.
It, it was number two. Wow.
So I'm going to talk about, you know, about the show itself want
to talk a lot about greenslade as well.
Because not not, not enough get spoken about him.
Yeah, but I want to give you a bit of background.
First of all, okay, the actual show itself was broadcast on the
20th of December 1955. So it was It was their Christmas
episode. Yeah, they do mention Christmas
in itself. They somewhere along the line.
Well, yeah. And actually, and depending on
the version you listen to it. Also yes.
It also has a quite remarkable Ray.
Ellington number. Yes, I think.
Is it the one with the The Barking?
Yes. Yes.
Bless re my dad. I just remember the needle on
the stereo gangs Music kicked it.
Oh, really go down case. Need listen to it but mostly I
think after a while but the kind of harmonica it's that yet,
let's get to the funny stuff and he just skip it unfortunately.
But yeah, that is very strange, isn't it?
Well yeah I find if I'm going to skip any music at tends to be
geldray. Max tend to listen to re more
and more these days and he plays, he does Jingle Bells on
the green Side Story. That's Yang does.
Yeah. Yeah, and and he's and halfway
through. He kind of breaks off and starts
barking and sort of joshing with the band members including dick
cats, right? Yeah.
And he also spoiled somewhat spoils Wallace's.
Quit at the end where Wallace says that real engine is
currently appearing at Battersea dogs home.
Oh yes. Ray mentions Battersea drink
during the song so he's obviously just pinched that but
it is quite remarkable. But and certain versions of The
green Side Story that went out on transcription services or via
transcription services, that song was replaced because it's
very seasonal seasonal. Yeah.
So the The Pick of the goons version.
Edit of the green Side, Story replaces Jingle Bells with the
ABC Boogie from right on the whistling.
Spy Enigma and sort of pick that up and just drop that in, which
is a shame because it's it's almost G.
The Remington Jingle Bells but it's not quite just sort of
stays on the right side of the line.
Yeah, come on boy.
Reddington is now appearing at the Battersea dogs home.
Ray Ellington is actually his ashes on near Peter Sellers
ashes in golders, green crematorium in his.
His plant gives right next to sellers placker there because I
used to live in East Finchley and do the kind of, you know,
which is like goon Central is Nick benchley.
So, I used to go up to Peg and Bill's flat and have a look
outside and wonder go to golders, green crematorium and
and there was big seller. Is Rose Bush, and railings, and
stare, and lots of other famous people to.
Yeah. Obviously.
Meant a great deal to be part of that show and be, you know, you
were close to them. He maintained well, they all did
Oscar. So he maintained railings in
maintained, you know, close ties with the goons after the show
ended and yeah, you know, he would turn up on Parkinson with
them. And so I've seen them on couple
of chat shows with Sellers, and yeah.
In the 70s, which is nice. I like, yeah, yeah, I always and
Pete. Obviously, very famously said,
it was like the happiest time professionally in his life doing
the Goon show that was his happy place.
Yes, evening, yeah. So, so yes, it was broadcast on
the 20th of December 1955. It's from Series 6 episode 14 on
the day was broadcast, just just a bit of History here, card of
became the capital of Wales, and, and Harold.
Melon became Chancellor of the exchequer, right?
Was recorded. Two days before was recorded on
the 18th of December, which is my daughter's birthday brother.
Yeah. I look to see what happened on
that day. Not much apart from the fact
that the recently late Ray Liotta and boom on the other
bills them. Okay, now is recorded on the
18th alongside another show, they recorded two shows that
night because obviously the following Sunday was going to be
Christmas day. So there wouldn't be recording
this, right? Yeah, that week.
So, they recorded this and they recorded the Hastings flyer
robbed, which was basically just a just retitled.
It was, it was The Peasants eBay disaster episode, they just
change the title because the parents eBay desires, there had
been due to be broadcast in November.
They recorded it. And and then it was shelved,
because there was an actual real rare rail derailment in Milton
and 11 people died. So so, A shelf that, that that
episode and just replaced it with a repeat of China story.
So, but yeah. So they just, they just they
re-recorded the Bevins of a disaster, change the title, and
that went out. I think the week after the great
story, or something like that. Anyway, Spike wrote the script
and producer Peter eaten. And guest star Johnson egg.
Yeah, Jon Snow. And I had no idea that that he
was, so such a champion of And save them quite right a few
times from being cancelled. I over thought it was so
popular. They were it was never under any
threat but obviously clearly was with over 30 plus complaints by
senior BBC management over the years.
Did they not like huge amps and things like that?
Though. They didn't like, the, the
Anarchy or the establishment? Yeah, they were the
establishment. And this is this group of very
anti-establishment. Abla Shannon.
Yeah, and to be fair Spike, spike didn't make it easy.
A lot of the time and also, Peter Sellers was frequently
threatening to leave. And it was awkward.
I mean, he was, he was just saying that because he was a bit
of a prima donna, you know. I don't get any intention of
ever Christ Joe. But yes, yeah, you know what he
was. Like, he, he go to bed with one
idea and wake up with a different idea than exactly.
Yeah. Yeah, speaking of sellers.
So the so this goes out and December 55, Around this time.
The ladykillers comes out in that in cinemas.
I love that film. Yeah, which was obviously
sellers. Big breakout role, though, he
wasn't the lead, he was one of the gang but again, you boy.
Yeah. You mentioned, Sellers and
two-way stretch and your father pointing out, you know, that's
closer. You look at Ya Sellers, as Harry
in the lady killer, she'd you would not think it's the same
active. No, not at all.
It's just, it's incredible. How you would change, I know
that in that documentary. About sellers the arena one,
there's Harry seek him saying, you know, he would physically
change and become these people, it was.
Yeah, the ladykillers. It's just a great.
It's not a very showy performances it and and two-way
stretch isn't very showy either know, that just shows that he
had this sort of innate confidence in his abilities, you
know, everybody's kind of spinning around him, really.
But he said, he inhabited the role already.
He's becoming a really great. Actor.
Yeah and and I think it's probably not that film The
ladykillers so much, but the Naked Truth.
When he really stole my God that is a brilliant when he loses it
that scene when he loses it goes when the guy mentions East ditch
and he goes shut up about you Stitch and he's you know it's
really frightening. You've really get a sort of
insight into his sort of temper tantrums there and you know who
that old guy is that he shall answer We who is it?
Who was it? Wilfred Lawson and Wilfred
Lawson, you may know. Do you know the wrong box of?
Yes, yes will fit. Lawson is the decrepit old
Butler. Yeah.
Is it the same guy? Yes.
Oh that's a brilliant fact. Yeah, it's not entirely
successful film but I do I love I love Tony Hancock as well.
So he's at what, everybody's in that film, aren't they?
I don't think Tony Hancock remembered.
He was in that film. He was them.
Yeah. Well, there's only sales at the
time. Yeah, therefore fella, yeah, so,
and and around this time, Harry is beginning, rehearsals as
buttons in Cinderella, which was resolved at the Manchester
Palace Theater. Also, I'm not quite sure of
exact dates, but it was around December 55, Peter and Spike
recorded, a special show for the light program called The
Listening Room. Okay, it's Peter, Peter mainly.
Doing. I think it's henrique run and
just it's kind of like a desert island discs.
Kind of idea. It's just a, it does exist and
still it. But the the notable thing about
it included the world premiere of, I'm walking backwards for
Christmas. How fantastic?
Yeah. Which spike and Peter recorded
on the 28th of December. Okay.
So that was that was after this. To create must cross them.
It's the miner to me. But they just look at me and
you see me working backwards. And and it was included in the
the show, The Listening Room which also included Dance with
Me Henry, which was the B-side of Unchained Melody which was
the unreleased wounds single produced by George Martin.
Yes, yes us. I was thinking about George
Martin a day because I was listening to the because I love
all the sellers albums as well. And listening to the Suddenly
It's a folk song with yes hilarious.
And you can put the the kind of the kind of leery, West country,
folk singer, and there's obviously more voices in the
background and I suddenly thought that really sounds like
George Martin in the back than it.
Probably was only was it like higher loads of people to help
out in those days. So they just got the, you know,
George Martin, and a couple of technicians can't just sing
along. You know, I love all that stuff
with, I really Handley did. It was.
Yeah, he's obviously had so much respect for her because she
wrote some of those sketches didn't see this.
And it was a grassy. Oh that's so sweet and lovely
any so you can tell you so warm towards her and so respectful of
her I'm thinking he wasn't like you know, it was very rare to
hear that in a way with sellers, he was so every role was about
him, you know, he wasn't a very good Chooser of projects one,
see people, I know people I said that because he just look at the
role and see what. Oh, what can I do?
How can I excel? And it wasn't about the story or
necessarily who be working with, or this would be a great
experience. Is all about how flashy is this
role and what can I do with it, you know.
But with her with irony handle he really shared this scene with
her in a way that he really didn't with other people at all.
So that's quite special in a way.
I think that's always. I love irony and like she's
brilliant. She is regularly cited on this
show as one of the girls. Yeah yeah yeah.
I uh my first memory of her of course was as the the Dottie
grandma in metal. Icky.
Oh yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah.
Probably may as well just seeing her and on telly and, you know,
like in the rebel and stuff with Tony Hancock.
Yeah, this is there's a famous story.
I'll put it. Cut those out.
I'd like to think it's true. I'd like to think it's true.
So, during the filming of metal Mickey, or when they're, when
they're preparing god-metal Mickey, they were using green
screen a lot, right? They had, I really handle and
they were sort of talking through the process of filming
and Young technician was was saying, right?
So miss mishandle. We've got this technology called
green screen and he started, he started going through what it
involved and she sort of interrupted him.
And she said, oh, I'm sorry, dear, you're confusing me and he
went, oh no, it's quite simple, actually, it's quite.
So when she was, she said, no, no, you're confusing me for
someone who gives a fuck. Ha ha ha.
I really hope that's true. True.
I really hope. That's true.
Oh my God, that is hilarious. I do love her.
I love, you know, the little detail because you can see it in
like a later on with like Julie Walters, you know, with the sort
of bra strap hanging down and things like that little details
like that is so good. You mentioned your dad possibly
saw or may have seen son of Fred or shouldn't show called Fred.
Yeah, if he lived in the London area, that he possibly did,
because we'll certainly a show called Fred was only screened in
London region, right? It wasn't networked.
It was on Associated rediffusion, okay?
Yeah, and the reason I mentioned that is three days after the
green sludge story was broadcast on television.
There was a screening of the dick.
Lester show, which dick Lester actually appeared.
It was his own show. Hey, and Peter, that was the
broadcast that Peter saw and was so impressed for some reason,
not quite sure, because I don't think dick Lester was a
particularly great performer. But anyway, Peter phoned up
dick. Lester an hour.
If he would work with him on what was to become the saying,
oh no idiot weekly price. Tuppence use the which was the
Forerunner to show called Fred and that began early 56.
Okay, right. So as Richard Lester directed,
all those yeah? Oh wow.
And aren't they? Most of them wiped or pretty
much all of these things got wiped in.
They there's, there's there's a, there's bits that survivors,
have private. Something that is fragments.
Yeah. We've covered the show called
Fred on this show. Yeah.
In fact, what Jeremy Lin who I mentioned before?
Yeah. And there's there's I'm not
quite coming back. How many that there's possibly
four or five, complete or incomplete episodes that
survived. And there's, there's some audio
of of one or two as well. I think there's no surviving
episodes at all after you do it weekly?
No, no. I had a feeling that, that It
doesn't exist anymore. It's absolutely is awful, Isn't
it? It's just such a shame.
Yes, you know that these were just, you know, they just taped
over repeatedly reused all the time recycled and when you know
we obviously we lost most of not only but also and all those yes
well, terrible just terms of these days because of
digitization and just technology, everything can be
easily stored. There is where as you couldn't
easily store, you know try to keep everything Yeah, you need a
massive Warehouse. They probably have like a shared
out the back of TV Center and they just didn't have enough
room. Yeah.
So okay. So you imagine that your wallets
greenslade and you know and you turn up at the Camden theater on
the 18th of December 1955 and you get given the script and you
see that it's called the greenslade store.
Can you imagine? It's brilliant, it's a great
idea. Like a star is Born.
But it's like a BBC announcer. Yes he was on form as well.
Luckily because he's very much front and center but this whole
show I mean the the premise is that it's yeah like you say it's
the life of one has green said, how did he become this the star
BBC announcer from from such humble beginnings and I mean the
first sort of Stand Out gag which everybody remembers is the
Cambridge tie say it's so good. Yeah.
We don't write up is still relevant today.
Isn't it? The old school tie?
But yes, wave the time you'll get a job as a producer at the
BBC. Yeah.
Spike was like, was using that
into the 70s if not Beyond, you know, that gate because he was
fighting them all the time was knee.
Yes, it's sort of it's almost as famous.
So goon show gag if you like as the what time is it?
Al's. Yeah.
But but so greenslade obviously is applied for a job at the BBC
and he's there waiting to be interviewed and okay, in the
script, let me just find the script, okay?
Because Peter Sellers plays both the secretary.
Yes, I love that character and it's I think in the original
script and got it to hand, I thought I did the Peter Sellers,
what you call him the The chief announcer, who's going to
interview the yeah, he's interviewing them.
Yeah. Yeah.
He was like a audition like a like a auditioning for a part.
Yeah, very much like that. He's down as I think something
along the lines of pompous BBC announcer or something, pompous
man, a man as a whole, but the secretary and sellers, as the
secretary is on fire. It's it's it's so specific in
its like heat. This is what sets them apart I
think from other People you could you have immediately have
an image in your mind of that character because it's so
specific The Voice you know that he had come across people and
think what I'm going to store that in the memory banks that
voice is amazing. Like like the guy who inspired
blue bottle glass which is an extraordinary voice.
That man had a Crookston he would still Hayward.
Yeah. Yeah, it's just because it's out
Beyond The Genius that was but yeah, the slightly that's the
haughty. But slightly fruity kind of
secretary voices, just fantastic and and you wouldn't know you
could be easily forgiven for thinking that as someone else
that's not sad. As that could do that.
Couldn't you lately? Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah. And that voice he you try and
phone up for a doctor's appointment these days.
You get that kind of. Yeah, receptionist don't forget,
the gate. Keepers.
Yeah, there's a sort of, you know.
Yeah, it's such a, it's such a great character.
So small that it is just a throwaway character, really,
it's only a few lines but, you know, so much thought went into
it. Yeah, the detail of it.
Good morning, Miss, I mr. W greenslade.
Oh yes. You've come for the vacant post
of an answer. Yes, I have do take a seat with
the other applicants. Thank you.
I've sat down next to a man wearing a brass deerstalker.
White Cricket boots and a shredded cardboard wig.
Good morning. A variable, pardon winds light
and variable. Oh, really, yeah.
When like a variable I'm practicing, you know, don't tell
me you're applying for the post of announcer.
All your mind, all good at who, You see, I'm wearing a Cambridge
pie, you you would at Cambridge? Yeah.
What were you doing there? My own art pie,
this is it who told them? Thousand pounds a year and a
hunter. Get out you idiot.
Something like, wait a minute, you ain't even heard me speak.
You will write to you. Well, that's no good.
I can read but she, but she actually refers to the pompous
man that the interviewer as mr. Liddell.
Where did that name come from? Well, I'm thinking it's a
reference to all. Valid L&L valid L was another
announcer, very famous BBC. Answer and I may come to later
actually mention again. Okay, but it's unclear, but I
think he's meant to be Elver Liddell but it's never quite
made explicit, you know what I mean?
But again, but again, Sellers as this interviewer particularly
when he when he obviously he's unimpressed by Eccles and kick,
some kicks them out within seconds.
Straight line. Oh and Echoes Vehicles, mentions
his electrician teacher electrocution lessons which,
which is an early memory. My dad used to say that a lot
before I'd heard the Goon my dad used to talk about electrocution
less, it is when you listen back so many things that your dad
kind of said that that comes from like, well, my guys did
too, and it's so weird. Listening back now, I can hear
exactly the points, where my dad used to Roar laughs, I can hear
it. It in my head.
You know, have that memory? Yes, that's quite nice.
I was going to say cuz I write stuff down like the very tenuous
links. Like my family have to like
various people involved with the goods.
Yes. Yes.
My grandma used to be landlady of the Gatehouse Pub in Highgate
and she actually barred Spike Milligan from her Bob.
Right? What sort of behavior I didn't
obey. Maybe he was just he was a bit
out of control and if maybe he was sort of having a spiraling
upwards kind of episode. Yeah.
Or maybe he was just pissed. I don't know.
It's just, he was, he was getting a bit out of control.
So she she slung him out of a pub.
Yes. Well, he wasn't though.
He wasn't known for being a drunkard or a.
No, he did not have that reputation, but maybe, as I say,
he wasn't, he was having a bit of an episode and in those days
people didn't recognize that and being a bit manic maybe and And
you know, but yeah, she yes he talks about it, but my dad also
had mental health issues and sort of had panic attacks.
He had a real Affinity with Spike and often.
Whenever he heard spite was in hospital, used to write via
normal Farms, letters to spike or I sent him a card.
Get well card, I get letters back from Spike.
Do you still have them? I have a couple in a frame
somewhere in storage. Yeah.
Well if ever you whenever you come across the next let me know
and send me a picture or something if I will.
Ya mind that be fascinating. Yeah yeah I've got I've got a
couple of them and my dad actually went to see Spike at a
book signing when he was very old and frail in Brighton where
my parents were living in Brighton.
And there was a lady in the queue in front of my dad and she
had a sort of carrier bags of stuff.
And when she got to the front, she got out all these little
dolls. And she said, though, My dad
made these and they're all the Goon characters and Spike was
looking at them and saying, oh my gosh, they're wonderful and
he say and this lady said my dad wanted you to have them but
unfortunate couldn't be here today is not very well and
spikes it all. What's his what's his name and
address? And he's writing it down and he
said we're not finished. Here I'll go and visit him and
you just know Spike would have done that but it gave the poor
fella, heart attack, you know, turning up on his doorstep.
Step you just say no Spike would have just yeah, you know,
toddled off you know, yes drive or whoever it was and gone to
this guy's house and I find that really moving actually now
because my dad is no longer here, my dad got a couple of
books sign then you think he'd get them signed for himself.
But both books assigned to me, right?
Okay. Yeah, which is quite moving now
because I know my dad had panic attacks and it was a big deal to
be in a queue waiting system. If he was, he wouldn't have done
it for anybody else. But Spike and the fact that I he
dedicated them to me. I said it's a, you know it's
very special it's the most Selene book and one of the later
books about his family I think is it ends in magic or so?
Yes, yeah, yeah. So those two.
I've got spikes autograph. Excellent.
Yeah. It's very sweet.
Yeah. So and sell it the sellers at
ourselves as mr. Liddell was very taken by
greenslade to the point that he almost starts.
Coming into raptures describing, delicious, isn't it?
It's delicious. It's like, he's like, I so
overcome with emotion. I must say, actually, in this
show they're all informed that sellers is, particularly on form
in this. Yeah.
So, yeah, I think just capture it like that, like we said, the
secretary mr. Liddell, and then later and I
want to come well looks can come on till now.
Let's jump ahead because I want to talk about Lou.
Today say come in for me, of course, one of course, come in.
Who is it her agent? Come in please, you're gonna
kill him. You're finished all that shaving
and thing is all finished on with the mutters.
It's all washed up. Valpo, annealed out front
tonight. So do your best.
I'll see you get a nice big bonus.
Goodbye my lovely boy. The guilty.
He's my Dad loved that character.
It didn't appear that much but when he did, he was very
memorable. Yeah, obviously, over the top
Jewish character based on the grade brothers and obviously Lou
is Lou turns up as Greensleeves manager, and it's just a force
of nature. Yeah, he mentions by the way.
I just picked up a because we're recording the second morning.
I got up this morning, had a cup of coffee and just listen to the
show again, just although, you know, I could recite it without,
you know, know it so well. But I listen to it again.
And one thing I picked up Lou is very dismissive of seeking or
seeking and seeking the seek him talking about, he mentions on
with the motley on with the motley was a single that Harry
seeking to put out. In November, right?
I think it got to number 16 and the charts or something and and
the character of Lou was very dismissive of that, but he's but
he's all over greenslade and he promises Ed Sullivan TV and it
just occurred to me that actually, three of the goons
have appeared on The Ed Sullivan, Show benteen seek Him
and sellers have all appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, right?
This is Spike never appeared. I don't think he did know most
about it. I haven't had time to check
because there's only this morning that this occurred to me
benteen appeared. A couple of times, I think in
the very early 50s, he was over there in America and appeared
now, seek Him appeared in the early 60s when he was doing
Pickwick it on Broadway. Yeah, and also certainly
sellers, he may have appeared more than once but I know that
he appeared on film promoting after the fox.
The film right? Yes.
With with Britt the new characters, borderline
offensive, I suppose you you kind of give give obviously you
give them a free pass because sellers was Jewish anyway but
stare. Yeah but I do love that
character. Yeah great character and but but
circling back obviously Ned has this school for a private school
for announcers, is it? 6,000, trainees, the sad sad
indictment is that equals is the star pupil.
And I love that. I love.
I love when they're protesting, because they've obviously roped
in the band too. Yeah.
Add some voices Pro? Yes, and I love it.
It's just a slight little throwaway thing that you miss,
when they, when they protesting and and see green kind of calms
them down. One of them is one of the the
end goes warning. Brad, please gentlemen, keep up
your spirit. It's just something about it.
Just tickles me. I must have absolutely loved
cup. Like, like the sound effects
Department must have just loved doing.
The Goon show. Yes.
And the musicians, just absolutely love it.
Yeah, like the highlight of their week, working on that
show. They Love this.
Yeah, and it's so important that all three Harry Spike and Peter,
were all very musical because, you know, music and rhythm is so
much part of the comedy. Yeah, it is.
And I can't remember when it was.
I posited the theory probably completely wrong that.
What you've just said there is yes, you can sell as Megan.
All musical benteen Banting wasn't right?
Yeah, that's very interesting, isn't it?
But he didn't quite fit. Maybe, maybe there is a rhythm
and a tutu gags, isn't there? And there's a, there's a
musicality to what they were doing and sort of riffing off
that coming back to a central theme is very Jazzy, isn't it?
Yes. Yeah.
I'm you said you lived in East Finchley.
I'm sure you know, if you've been to East Acton, I went to
school in East Acton. Can you believe?
I actually went to school in east east.
Acton didn't experience any earthquakes though.
But I did, I did go to to school went to a performing arts school
in East Acton, right? Yeah, that was so so there's a
there's a little tenuous link there to this to the greenslade
story as well. They were Quakes midi High is
gripped by the Moriarty to kidnap the BBC announcing stuff.
There's a lovely little bit when grip pipes then or seller's as
grip pipe then almost corpses. We must apologize for the break
in the news. In the meantime here is a
records It's great though. Yes Magic.
And then and then we have this. This is wings like to very into
something that's me. That's right.
That's right, that's right but we have the the standout
sequence I suppose is the is the two-hand essentially between
snag on snag and greenslade. It's so good which isn't which
is trying to think of a comparable goon show scene,
where none of the Goons Around it in that black sea for two or
three minutes or however, long it is.
And I can't think of a comparable.
Seen the BBC sends Jon Snow to persuade greenslade not to not
to leave, and that's just amazing.
And you can just because your Johnson egg had been or was at
this time Greensleeves boss as well, right?
Life. Yes.
So he comes crawling crawling to him.
Yeah, it's great. I love A bit.
When he's saying, man alive, you get a free copy of the radio
times every week and he UPS his salary to four pounds a week.
Yeah. Spike.
By the way. Was paid initially on the Goon
show. 18 pounds a week for writing and Performing, okay?
So so I don't know with inflation.
I didn't check how much that would be today.
But, you know, for pound a week, 18 pound is not a huge hike from
for bag because there are no. It's yeah.
Well, he was always, he was always better that he was paid
less than the other two. It's like, you know.
Yeah. That's and what it cost him a we
all know, you know what, it cost him to to churn.
Out those shows every week. Yeah.
And the toll it took on him that is appalling, that he was paid,
so little and less than the other two.
Yeah, terrible grip. Pipe then comes along and offers
greenside £5 to appear on the stage.
There isn't that much? Does he say?
Yes, really enjoying it. You can tell they're really
enjoying that scene. So they would have had a sort of
table read There are set around beforehand and read through the
script. Well, what they, what they would
do is they would they would arrive at the Camden in the
early afternoon on Sunday. They do the three of them would
well-liked and greenslade and I guess snag would do a
run-through of the script without the orchestra.
I think in without the FX guys on possibly with the FX guys,
and then they do another rehearsal with the orchestra.
Hmm. And then they do the show in the
evening, that's quite terrifying.
But quite exciting, isn't it at the same time?
Yes, you can imagine that that Rush that sellers, that's the
thing that all of them. Well, I know Spike was probably
different because he had other pressures going on, but sellers,
you know, had him a script and because let him go it probably.
Yep. That's, that's He loved it so
much obviously because it was so exciting.
Yeah. And one of the things, one of
the great things about this scene as well, as you can hear
Sellers, and Milligan and particular offstage giggling
laughing. Yeah.
So, in the end segan offers Johnson egg equals who he takes
off his tricycle and we get to a bit We're Echols sings the the
tune of the man from Laramie but it's become the man from
Coventry. Did you pick up on that?
If I pick up, I don't remember that bit but maybe I didn't.
Who's who's from Coventry, right?
Okay, well I just want to very quickly talk about commentary
here, okay? Cuz because it's an end of
documented this on the show before.
So I won't go into too much detail because people people
know this but in early early November, To early December 55.
The goons had appeared at the Coventry Hippodrome in a series
of shows, I think it was marking the city's birthday.
I'm not sure what birthday it was, but it was like, it was
like a variety show written by buy them by Jimmy graft and Eric
Sykes and Larry, David Stevens. Yeah, and they were all stare at
She interviewed at the Hippodrome for a home service
program and that was broadcast on the 18th of November.
Well, I'm here in the dressing room of the At Coventry, there's
no and here the goons I could ask them to introduce
themselves. First of all, hello, I'm Jung,
Min T. Seagle what are we normally now?
You ask, how does he go? How do you, how do you do?
Hey, end up bleep battle in cupboard nature thing threatens
friends were getting me up. Didn't on this reading program
thing, I will exit left now for another continued.
Keeping just about how are you and bring back?
In one of the goons, aren't you? Yeah.
And how do we know Spike Milligan a talk?
Like that? Like that?
Yes, I like that. And hello there.
Folks, the country shows were not a success Spike.
Particular was really depressed by the reception that had from
the audiences. And there's a there's a couple
of famous stories, one that he stamped on his trumpet in
frustration. Oh yes, one that he'd tried to
hang himself in his dressing room although that works.
Yes, I heard about that. Yeah, right about that one.
That Peter Sellers was so outraged by the audience that he
just went out and sat around. Cordon made a record of
lollipops Christmas, that's it. Yeah.
So I remember that. Yeah.
So that was that was the Coventry experience.
Okay, right. And for some time, after this
Spike would include these references to Coventry very
bright from complimentary references.
Yeah. So it's a byword for awfulness.
Yeah. It's a bit like David Bowie and
Croydon apparently. Oh also say that's so cool.
Widen his. All right, to him Croydon
represented everything he hated and everything he was running
away from right. Okay.
This is a similar thing. Coventry was like, you know,
yeah, well in the original script for the green Side Story,
there's a bit that either wasn't recorded or was never, or was
recorded, but never included in the in the show, okay?
And I just want to read you this little bit of script because
it's quite interesting. So it's at the bit where John
snag take seconds off on his tricycle, and in the script in
the script. It says, it says, next day you
took greenslade off and it's triumphal stage to it.
Birmingham and then it says, G as in sound effects, big
Applause, whistles big appear, then Spike says Bristol G, big
Applause, and Peter says Manchester G Applause, with
thunder driving rain and sneezes Harry says, Glasgow G mad
Applause with bagpipes of course.
And then Spike says Coventry and in the script it just says
silence. Yeah, and then and then G,
single sheep bleating. I think most people that want to
be famous. It's like almost like an act of
Revenge, you know, they just want to get back at everybody.
That's ever, slighted them or every bad experience in use that
in, you know, whatever they are successful at.
Yeah, so that is the that's Coventry.
So he know, he never got over Coventry, still was talking
about it years. After and I want to mention by
the way, there's also a callback to a earlier goon show episode
which I only picked up on the other day.
The bit where sequence says, I've got a hunch and grip that
says it's suji. It's so cute and then he goes
on, goes on to say to a black jack and my red.
He says no, mine's red and gray. Pipe says nevermind decals as
colorblind. Anyway, that's a call back.
Possibly or may not be a cool about it.
May it may not be intended to be but an earlier show that in the
series foiled by President Fred. The the the to the penultimate
scene hinges on the fact that Echols is colorblind, right?
So I like the fact that, you know, I maybe I'm overanalyzing
this but I like the fact that they reference that again that
could well be or all or could be like you know, a bit like
Dickens. You know, spikes churning this
stuff out and it's like, you know, there's no time to really
to check. If I had done that before and
just keep going, keep moving forward, writing script.
Yeah, but yeah, it could. Well be a callback and that's
part of their Echols, you know, make up there cause backstory.
Yes backstory. Yeah, I want to mention the
scene where fallen on bad times segan and greens later outside
busking on the street. Yeah let's Slide the Palladium
and and Comes up and doesn't quite recognize them and thinks
and he says you Jolin walrus. Oh, yeah.
Now we know Morecambe and wise, do you had you heard of Jimmy
Joel and by has yeah, Jimmy Jewel and yeah, notorious, what
was that sitcom? He did Nelly pledge God.
It was a terrorist embarrassed. Yes, well, they absolutely hated
each other than any didn't speak on what a nightmare.
Didn't they hated each other? Famously.
Yeah. And must have been hell for the
all the people everybody else working on that particular show.
But yes, Jimmy Joe, I haven't seen footage of Jewel and Morris
but I've certainly heard of them.
Yeah. Like to do like him one foot in
the grave. I wasn't a regularly.
I mean, I've seen various episodes, but I didn't watch it
regularly, but yeah, I know. I know a bit about it right.
Okay, the reason I'm saying is because Jimmy Jewel, one of the
last roles he ever had was in. In one foot in the grave.
I was here. Yeah, as an old man, as I know
it must have been pretty old then, but it's quite a pivotal
role in the particular episode because he because his character
gets murdered. Would you believe my name?
Yeah. And the Morecambe and wise
reference obviously today that would seem listening today or
listening back in the, in the lp came out.
The green said, sorry you just thought, well, hang on, more
than ways of the biggest stars in Britain, but obviously, as
ever as everyone knows not, then not, then they had this 5954
comedy show called running wild. Oh, the one the Box they buried
multi-man wise in that famous this oats.
Yeah, that's right. And didn't Eric Eric.
Yeah, because that was, that was the scathing television.
Yeah, and yeah, carried a clipping of that review around
in his wallet to me until the day he died.
I think. Yeah.
That's right. Yeah.
And and there's a great. There's a look, I know we've
kind of rushed through this, but there's another, the great sort
of Dumont for the, for the episode is, is Luber.
Similar Nichols is about to go on stage.
Saying it's happened again. The audience have gone home.
Oh yeah, my dad. Loved that line ever gone up and
gone over. I don't know why.
I just really tickled him. Yeah.
But if you were listening to this, you know, at the time it
went out and you'd be looking at your watch thinking.
Well it's nearly 9:00 and bluebottle still not turned out
what's going. Yeah, then where is he?
There is, there he is right at the end.
This is the BBC has 78 Blue Button.
We can use perfect. Perfect ending.
I think for one who was not, you know, Spike often struggled to
end episodes but this is a perfect wrapping up I think.
Yeah, and I just wanted to because because this is this
episode of the green Side Story. I thought it was the appropriate
time just to talk a bit about greenslade himself before we
wrap up with. That's okay.
Yeah, I'm see fine because there's not a huge amount of
information out there about him, but I've cobbled together from
various sources including give thanks to Duncan Gray for some
of this information. He he wrote a fantastic article
for the Goon show preservation. In Society magazine earlier,
this year to Mark, Walls 110th birthday.
Whoa. Yeah, because he was born first
of July 1912 as well as Frederick Powers greenslade Bond
and form, be, which I think is Liverpool.
Isn't it greens like was married to a lady called Carol?
It's all I can find out. I don't know if he had any
children at. Don't don't know if he did, I
can't find out but he served as a lieutenant.
Wanda in the Royal Navy Reserve during the war, okay?
And as a person with the piano shipping line and join the BBC
after the war as as an announcer.
And by the end of the decade, he was a full-time staff announcer
on the home service. Mhm.
You must have got popular enough that he actually had his own.
He was a Castaway on desert island discs in right December
52, which doesn't exist anymore. Sadly because that would give a
lot of information. I would imagine.
What wouldn't? That.
Yeah, because you go on Wikipedia, there's very little
information about him there as but yeah, that would have been
lovely to listen to him, just being himself and giving some to
detail about his his life. Yeah, indeed.
Yeah. And he turns up, he joins the
Goon show in October 53, early on, in the fourth series.
Starting with through the sound barrier in an airing cupboard,
replacing Andrew Timothy, who decided to leave The only
surviving recording with green State on is from show 15 of the
fourth series, which is the missing prime minister.
Okay? Yeah.
And greenslade himself made the news in September 54.
So the Daily Mirror reported on his appearance in the whistling
spy Enigma, which was the first of the fifth series and it was
the 100th episode of the Goon show as well.
And in that show, I don't know if you remember the beginning of
the Muslims, by Enigma Green Slade's appearance.
He he's introduced, wearing chains
and the Daily Mirror. There's a headline titled Clank,
Clank, it's 9:00 Wallace again, and the piece reads.
I'll just read this out on a screen.
Slide, the BBC announcer, who's recording of last Wednesday's?
Clock news caused such trouble is on the air again.
Tonight in the gun shows hundredth program when the show
was recorded on Sunday, the studio audience roared with
laughter because green sleds first appearance at the
microphone was accompanied by a loud clanking of Chains.
It's suggested in fun that the BBC were punishing him for his
muddled reading of the news and but as a result of this
appearance, he has caused another spot of bother British
Equity. The end is Trade, union has
protested to the BBC because it's variety.
Element names, him as two-ton. Terrence O'Toole in the Goon
show cast Equity, Equity. As I can say, buddy, Equity has,
why do I say that Equity has an account with the BBC that
announces must not be billed as performers and mr.
Green Slade's no name appears on the radio.
Times, the BBC said last night, it's a slip on our part.
We've been able to delete mr. Green Slade's name from the cast
given on the recording, but it was too late to alter the radio
times. Okay, so yeah.
Obviously, that was a Daily Mirror article.
Now, his muddled reading of the news now I wonder what all that
was about. Yeah, wasn't that?
This is the 9:00 noise, was it? No, but Nick, Reeve who does the
wonderful sea, green Memoirs, blog.
And as former guest on this show, okay, he did some digging
and he found this front page article from the Birmingham
Daily Post from 23rd of September 1954.
And the headline is Is BBC newsreader was nervous.
Okay, that's the and it describes an unnamed news
announcer making a few errors while we're on a clock.
Mutant nine o'clock news. Okay.
Yeah. One listener said that though
the announcers articulation was slow and deliberate, he made
slips in introducing items which he corrected, he said,
opposition for opposite direction.
Rectifying the mistake immediately and later had
difficulty in pronouncing the word association in.
To an association football result.
Now, I'm wondering whether there's some drinking being
taken, to be honest, possibly the livable echo on the same day
named greenslade as the announcer responsible.
He was Duty Reserve announcer for the day, was not scheduled
to read the news, so it was obviously short notice, and he
wasn't prepared. And he was actually, green said
was approached by the Liverpool Echo and asked about it and he
said, I felt slightly harassed, but there were no flow, Is that
all everything went off. All right?
Okay, okay. So he'd ever see gained a bit of
reputation for at that period in a way for, you know, muddling up
the news and but I just like the fact, you know, that's it's a
little insight into into greenslade there.
Yeah. But obviously, from the fifth
series of the Goon show, it really moved up again and
matured into the show that we all know and love today.
And, and obviously Spike and the other writers would be giving
Wallace a lot more to do, and he frequently interrupted.
It to plug the radio times, he had his own fan club.
The green Slater's. Wow.
He would often take on small roles where he had to adopt an
accent like a French accent in Napoleon's piano from yes.
Yes, of course he was the Phantom head shaver of course,
of course yet. And in 54, he also started
reading the news on BBC television.
Yeah, and he's so much more confident and more experienced
by then a safe Pair of Hands. Well, it was around this time, I
mean I just think maybe Maybe he was, he hadn't been prepared to
read the news that night and just maybe it had a drink or
something. And rice.
There is no. But get him out the pub and
throw him on. Yes, yeah.
Yeah. Then he was when he was on BBC
TV, his stick was to remove his spectacles at the end of each
bulletin every finish reading and he was one of six regular
announcers on BBC Radio. The others being El Valle Del we
mentioned before, Douglas Smith now you know, Douglas Smith
Don't think so. He's the announcer on beyond our
Ken and later around the horn. Oh, yes, yes.
Well, I know his voice. Yeah, my dad was very much into
round the horn as well. Yeah, right.
Yeah, the others were robbing, homes, Alexander noise and
colander. An okay?
And typically, I just the surprise, me typically
greenslade would complete his gun show responsibilities by
9:30 p.m. on Sundays and go straight from the Camden theater
to broadcasting house to News bulletins, make continuity
announcements and often. He would work.
Six days on three days off and sometimes sleep at broadcasting
house. All right?
And as I said, his boss was as BBC, radio announcer was Johnson
egg. He also was the announcer on a
show called The Great Gilhooley, which is lost to the sands of
time. Okay.
Yeah, Variety Playhouse and he'd started working on the Today
programme, when he actually died because he died.
Officially he died a fitness Suddenly at his home in Surrey
in April, 6th, April 61 age, 48 which is mileage.
Now it's incredibly young. Tyler.
Yes. Thank you.
Yes. And although Roger Lewis claims,
he died in the pub toilet. The that?
How is that fella? Oh dear and it was buried, there
was a funeral service, it's Mary's outlands their weybridge
and he was buried at brooklands Lane Cemetery.
Rich and at the subsequent memorial service, John snag gave
an address, and I saw a front page of the evening Express,
announcing his death from 1961 from from that day in 1961 and
he gets he gets a column in the front page with a picture.
Okay, but he's surrounded by some quite lurid headlines,
okay, no such as naked. ADI was under staircase, the
Woody, three fishermen aghast and queen is 35 today, bit of a
mixed bag that day. Yes, you use wise, but I just
like to end this little sort of tribute to Wallace with this
lovely little piece that I picked up, there was an article
in the radio times in March, 1958.
And it says, It is not quite the usual, sort of BBC announcement
yet the voice which makes it has still that calm dignity that we
expect our BBC announcer. This says the voice is the BBC
Home Service. It may not.
It may not be much but it's home to me.
Perhaps the voice is even a little more dignified than usual
as though its owner realizing that at any moment he may be a
set by the unexpected is determined to uphold his proper
station come. What may he may be standing On
The Fringe of lunacy but he is calm and the faith of his own
importance. Nothing.
He seems to be saying to himself must Shake him.
Let those undisciplined Sprites. The goons do their worst.
He was greenslade, will be true to be be secret missions.
Yeah. Cuz you think this is going out,
you know, this sort of, they represent Britain in a way,
don't they? This is the announcers there in
people's homes and people have a relationship with that person.
And and this is going out all around the world you know in the
home service. So this is this is a represent
representation of the you know the stoic, you know, steady
Britain. Yes.
So people you know would have been a big deal when he passed
away and a real shock as well. They must have been very shocked
by all of that. The boys, the goons as well.
Yeah, dude, so there we go. So yeah.
So Jonathan thank you so much for joining me to be so
enjoyable. You're welcome and it's always
nice to have something new on the show and someone with such
enthusiasm and knowledge as well.
Thank you very much Tyler, it's been really great.
I've really enjoyed it. I'm going to go and raid my
dad's record collection again and put a few goon episodes on
today. That's torture shop, let your
Burke.