Goon Pod kicks off a new series for 2026 by looking back at a film which is unbelievably fifty years old but when released was hailed as a modern masterpiece of comedy cinema, and which lifted Peter Sellers from an extended period of career inertia: The Return of the Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards.

Sellers plays Inspector Clouseau once again, back on the trail of the mysterious Phantom – aka Sir Charles Litton (Christopher Plummer) – who apparently has stolen the famed Pink Panther diamond again. Along the way the hapless ‘tec nearly gets shot, gets blown up by a bomb, drives into a swimming pool, is outwitted by a parrot, assists a bank robbery, gets squashed in a revolving door and is the victim of countless other indignities.

Joining Tyler is Sitcom Club co-host Gary Rodger and the conversation, rather like Clouseau on the waxy museum floor, goes in all directions:

• How Lew Grade came to the rescue
• Who might have been cast in the mooted Pink Panther television series
• Prince Charles moistening a lady in Montreal
• What happened to Niven?
• We love John Bluthal
• Zwamm?
• Douglas Fairbanks Jr as an early casting choice
• How Sellers’ career may have panned out had this film not happened
• Cheering Lodge & Stark
• Pan & Scan technology
• Last of the Summer Wine
• Catherine Schell corpses, Victor Spinetti fumes, Mike Grady shines and Carole Cleveland makes a splash
• Did Dreyfuss overreact?

And much much more. It’s all here folks!

As mentioned, Gary is going to run the London Marathon this year (or kill himself trying) on behalf of Alzheimer's Society – please show your support here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/gary-rodger