“I like the Pickwick score, it’s robust and British. I’ve often been offered parts in American musicals but I’ve always turned them down. No matter how good they are, I always feel they are not part of us. That’s why I waited and thought of this idea of making a musical of ‘Pickwick.” - Harry Secombe, 1963.

And so the idea was realised, based on the 1837 Charles Dickens novel The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known simply as The Pickwick Papers.

Harry got the idea for the musical while on holiday in the Bahamas, inspired by the success of Oliver! The writer Wolf Mankowitz agreed to turn it into a musical but faced the considerable challenge of condensing the 250,000words and loosely-linked anecdotes from the original novel into a workable stage production. He eventually decided to use the Pickwick-Bardell breach of promise action as a basic skeleton from which to hang the two-act musical adaptation.

Pickwick premiered in Manchester in summer 1963 and as well as Secombe as the titular rotundity featured the likes of Anton Rodgers, Julian Orchard, Hilda Braid, Peter Bull and Norman Rossington among the cast.

It swiftly transferred to the West End and two years later opened in the United States. Some of the original British cast reprised their roles (obviously including Harry) but Charlotte Rae came on board as Mrs Bardell and a young scapegrace called Davy Jones took up the part of Sam Weller. The story is he was spotted and signed up for The Monkees during this, and was subsequently replaced by the great Roy Castle.

An original cast recording was released on LP in 1963 and in 1969 the BBC broadcast a 90-minute colour adaptation of the musical, adapted for the screen by James Gilbert and Jimmy Grafton. It reunited Secombe with Roy Castle and Julian Orchard and introduced us to Hattie Jacques as Mrs Bardell, Aubrey Woods as Mr Jingle and Robert Dorning as Tupman.

This week returning guest Tim Worthington talks all things Pickwick but as you would expect with someone like Tim the conversation is wide-ranging and he pulls many a thread from the tapestry of sixties popular culture!

"What's become of that crispy bacon we had before the war?"

Yes, this is that episode. 'Fireball' doesn't perhaps get the love it deserves, as it contains a fairly strong plot (by Goon Show terms). Henry Crun believes the sun is on fire, ergo the world is coming to an end and soon his fellow villagers are drawn into the drama. Seagoon is dispatched to see the Queen, a dissenting lad climbs a 200-ft ladder with a bit of bread on the end of a toasting fork and a rocket is constructed out of wood, brown paper and string, the idea being that it will transport the villagers up to the sun with buckets of water to put it out. Still with me?

Joining us this week is Jeff Walker, host of Podcasto Catflappo - a podcast all about Filthy, Rich & Catflap.

This week Goon Pod welcomes Gavin Sutherland, conductor, musician, composer, arranger and general music nut with a passion for both the high-brow and the not-so-high-brow. As well as all that he's involved in podcasts such as The Peggy Mount Calamity Hour and has just released an album of old TV tunes, idents and ephemera: 'The Next Programme Follows Shortly'.

Gavin has long been a fan of the Goons and thanks to his job and connections has met a number of former musicians who have played on the Goon Show, as well as, most notably, Angela Morley. Gavin talks about Angela fondly and describes how she was much in demand for her musical arrangements.

He and Tyler talk about some music heard in the Goon Show over the course of the series, some of it highly memorable, while some of it merely a useful example of dependable linking music.

It's a hugely enjoyable conversation which will appeal to comedy and music fans alike!

In 1966 Jonathan Miller's BBC Television adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classic children's story caused something of a moral panic, even before it was broadcast. Amidst much foot-stamping, harrumphing and letters to the Editor the point was very much missed - yes, it was to be screened after nine o'clock in the evening and was not aimed at children but not because it contained questionable material (or, as some believed, 'X-rated filth'!).

The writer and performer Bob Fischer first saw Miller's Alice In Wonderland about twenty-odd years ago and was immediately drawn in. It was a snapshot of the time it was made despite the period trappings, an example of early psychedelia with offbeat performances, thought-provoking visuals (inspired by Victorian photography), and an overall dreamlike undercurrent set to music by Ravi Shankar. All of it conveyed the torpor of an endless summer.

Miller eschewed actors in animal costumes and was blessed with a stellar cast including Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Brambell, Peter Cook, Alan Bennett, Leo McKern and even Malcolm Muggeridge, not to mention the girl at the centre of the film, Alice herself, played by Anne-Marie Mallik.

Bob & Tyler immerse themselves in the film and discuss its background, the controversy, the casting, story, score and much else besides. Bob throws in the odd Alan Bennett impression and wonders if 1966 AIW could in some ways have inspired both The Prisoner and The Rutles, and even draws some parallels with Revolver, released around the time the film was in production.

Bob is @bobfischer.bsky.social‬ and as well as writing for the Fortean Times, Electronic Sound and Doctor Who Magazine is one of the people behind Mulgrave Audio and Summer Winos and tours with Scarred For Life.

In May 1991 At Last The Go On Show was broadcast on BBC Radio 2, designed to celebrate the Goon Show's 40th anniversary. It was a stunning documentary that still sounds fresh and relevant today and two of the three men behind it - Dirk Maggs and Ted Kendall - joined Tyler and Graeme Lindsay Foot to discuss how it all came about and the challenges they faced.

Ted (who it turns out wanted to be a racing driving before getting into audio engineering) talks about bringing together the clips and sequences which proliferate throughout and the techniques employed to improve their quality.

Dirk recalls interviewing Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine and the marathon session putting everything together.

Graeme looks back at it from the fan's perspective and recalls GSPS get-togethers from years gone by.

They also talk about the series of restored shows that aired the following year and the necessary cuts needed in a wide-ranging and thoroughly enjoyable conversation.

John Antrobus is 92 years old and still going strong! He is the last living link with the Goon Show inasmuch as he co-wrote (with Spike Milligan) two shows from the eighth series and would later go on to collaborate with Milligan on a regular basis - mostly notably on The Bed Sitting Room.

Fifteen years Milligan's junior, young fresh-faced Antrobus joined Associated London Scripts soon after its formation and worked with all the older hands - including Johnny Speight, Galton & Simpson and Eric Sykes. It was an education!

A fine comedy writer and playwright, John is long overdue a proper appreciation and joining Tyler this week to bend the knee is Mike Haskins. Mike recalls interviewing Antrobus for some Radio 4 documentaries and examines his career with particular emphasis on his relationship with Spike.

“At least 53 ‘bloodies’ in half-an-hour last night. This is definitely not British sir! I suggest you study the British working man more!"

So thundered a disgruntled viewer in 1969 after watching an episode of the Johnny Speight & Spike Milligan sitcom Curry & Chips. One notes with interest it was the word 'bloody' which triggered him, as opposed to any of the other bad language with which the series as a whole was replete.

Starring Spike Milligan in brownface as Kevin O'Grady, Curry & Chips is chiefly set in the factory of Lillicrap Ltd, a supplier of novelty goods managed ineptly by Arthur Blenkinsop (Eric Sykes) with jumped-up mini-tyrant shop steward Norman (played by Norman Rossington), Kenneth (played by Kenny Lynch) and Young Dick (Geoffrey Hughes) among the workers.

Much of the 'humour' was racist in tone, with Kevin subject to regular verbal abuse by his colleagues, although he usually gave as good as he got. There were also swipes at religion, class, politics, sexuality and pretty much any topic that confused, enraged or affected the grumbling Lillicrap staff.

It has been suggested that Milligan and Speight hoped that the series would produce audience empathy for immigrants and put a mirror up for the working classes to see their own prejudices reflected back at them. Nice try, lads.

Joining Tyler is John Williams, co-host of World Of Telly, who brings his considerable knowledge of the British television landscape in the late sixties to great use, explaining the background and build up to the show, the backlash and eventual cancellation.

Curry & Chips was a pretty bloody (that word again!) awful programme but not completely without a few laughs - thanks chiefly to Spike - tune into our chat to find out what had the pair chuckling once or twice in between the wincing and sighing!

Over a long and rightly celebrated career Ray Galton and Alan Simpson were careful to file away, log and generally archive much of their written output, correspondence, contracts and other ephemera.

Now York University's Borthwick Institute for Archives is attempting to secure the collection for the nation and the Institute's Gary Brannan joins Tyler to talk about the G&S archive and the fund-raising campaign - appropriately titled 'Innit Marvellous'.

More information here: https://yustart.hubbub.net/p/galtonandsimpson/

Among the tantalising discoveries in the Galton & Simpson archive are several short sketches featuring Goon Show characters which were specifically written for Peter Sellers to perform on a long-forgotten radio variety show in late 1954 - literally days before the first episode of Hancock's Half Hour was broadcast. One of these scripts was brought back to life and performed at the York Festival of Ideas recently by actor and voice-over artist Richard Usher, who is also acting Chair of the Goon Show Preservation Society.

Richard joins Tyler and Gary to talk about these scripts and the conversation ranges from Galton & Simpson's career to the importance of archive preservation. Richard talks about how he believes the GSPS can evolve to remain relevant and Gary discusses other collections the Institute currently holds.

There is absolutely no connection between the Goons and the Simpsons so what on earth is this special bonus episode all about?

Well, my very good friends Ian and Michael over at the Lord Of Adders Black podcast - celebrating all things Blackadder - joined me to share our love for The Simpsons and talk through our favourite episodes!

(Their podcast is really good - find it here: https://shows.acast.com/lord-of-adders-black )

Great comedy is great comedy and while it's fair to say that few people could describe most post-2000 Simpsons content as 'great comedy' the stuff that came before remains sublime. I'm not sure what a Venn diagram of Goon Show fans and Simpsons fans would look like but hopefully it's more or less a circle.

So indulge me for this special bonus episode with Michael & Ian where I get a rare chance to gush about comedy from the 1990s!

How young Ned Seagoon journeys by steam packet to the Americas to find the Lost Gold Mine and how, after being foully tricked by several desperadoes, he eventually triumphs. The action takes place aboard the S.S. Filthmuck, in a New Orleans dustbin, near the desert town of San Fairee Ann, and in a dried-up gulch near Hammersmith.

Sandwiched between The Whistling Spy Enigma and The Dreaded Batter Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-On-Sea, this episode of The Goon Show is an often overlooked gem from early on in Series 5. It's a cracking yarn, invoking Treasure of the Sierra Madre-type themes as Neddie tries to retrieve the map of a gold mine he lost to Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty. Much double-crossing and map-tearing abounds, and we even get the opportunity to discuss 1830s pornography!

Returning guest Paul Abbott is co-host of The Big Beatles & Sixties Sort Out and the podcast can be found HERE:

https://linktr.ee/bigsort