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FREE THE GOON SHOW COMPENDIUM: V. 1 PDF Spike Milligan,Harry Secombe,Peter Sellers | 1 pages | 07 Apr 2008 | BBC Audio, A Division Of Random House | 9781405678001 | English | London, United Kingdom The Goon Show Site - Goon Show Releases on Audio CD The show's chief creator and main writer was Spike Milligan. The scripts mixed ludicrous plots with surreal humourpuns, catchphrases and an array of bizarre sound effects. Some of the later episodes feature electronic effects devised by the fledgling BBC Radiophonic Workshopmany of which were reused by other shows for decades. Many elements of the show satirised contemporary life in Britain, parodying aspects of show business, commerce, industry, art, politics, diplomacy, the police, the military, education, class structure, literature and film. Subversive and absurdist, The The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 Show exercised a considerable influence on the development of British and American comedy and popular culture. It was cited as a major influence by the Beatlesthe American comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre[3] :4,5,61 The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 the British comedy troupe Monty Python. The series was devised and written by Spike Milligan with The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 regular collaboration of other writers including Larry Stephens contributing to around episodesEric Sykes who co-wrote most of the episodes in Series 5Maurice Wiltshire and John Antrobusinitially under the supervision of Jimmy Grafton. Famously, Milligan first encountered Secombe after Gunner Milligan's artillery unit accidentally allowed a large howitzer to roll off a cliff, under which Secombe was sitting in a small wireless truck: "Suddenly there was a terrible noise as some monstrous object fell from the sky quite close The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 us. There was considerable confusion, and in the middle of it all the flap of the truck was pushed open and a young, helmeted idiot asked 'Anybody see a gun? The group first formed at Jimmy Grafton's London public house called "Grafton's" in the late s. The four clicked immediately. He pressed the BBC for a long term contract for the gang, knowing that it would secure Sellers for more than just seasonal work, something for which the BBC had been aiming. The BBC acquiesced and ordered an initial series, though without much enthusiasm. The series had its premiere in May and audience figures grew rapidly, from aroundto nearly two million by the end of the 17th show. The BBC commissioned a second series and a number The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 other changes occurred. The musical interludes were shortened, and Max Geldray The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 the lineup. Eton brought stricter discipline to the show's production. He was also an expert at sound effects and microphone technique, ensuring that the show became a far more dynamic listening experience. However, a few episodes into the series Milligan suffered a major nervous breakdown. He was hospitalised in early December[9] just before the broadcast of episode five, but it, and the following episode, had already been written, and the next 12 episodes were co-written by Stephens and Grafton. Milligan was absent as a performer for about two months, returning for episode 17, broadcast in early March Bentine left the show at the end of series 2, citing a desire to pursue solo projects, although there had been an increasing degree of creative tension between him and Milligan. Milligan blamed his breakdown and the collapse of his first marriage on the sheer volume of writing the show required. Many senior BBC staff were variously bemused and befuddled by the show's surreal humour and it has been reported that senior programme executives erroneously referred to it as The Go On Show [3] [17] : 37 or even The Coon Show. The radio show had high audience ratings in Britain at its peak; tickets for the recording sessions at the BBC's Camden Theatre now known as KOKO in London were constantly over-subscribed and the various character voices and catchphrases from the show quickly became part of the vernacular. The scripts exist mostly in fan-transcribed versions via The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 websites. Although three books [14] [23] [24] were published containing selected scripts, they are out of print, and typically available only in libraries or second-hand. Some more recent biographical books contain selected scripts. There were 10 series in total, plus an additional series called Vintage Goonsrecorded at the same time as the eighth series, which featured recordings of redevelopments by Milligan of short sketches from early shows which had not been recorded by transcription services. The first series had 17 episodes plus one special, Cinderella ; the second series had 25 episodes, ; the third series had 25 episodes plus one special - The Coronation Special —53 ; the fourth series had 30 episodes plus one special, Archie The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 Goonland —54 ; the fifth series had 26 episodes plus one special - The Starlings —55 ; the sixth series had 27 episodes plus three specials, — 56 ; the seventh series had 25 episodes plus two specials, —57 ; the eighth series had 26 episodes, —58 ; the Vintage Goons were re- performances of 14 episodes from series four; the ninth series had 17 episodes, —59 ; and the tenth series had six episodes, — Throughout its history, each episode of The Goon Show, which usually ran just under 30 minutes, was essentially structured as a comedy-variety programme, consisting of scripted comedy segments alternating with musical interludes. The first two series were mostly produced by Dennis Main Wilson ; none of the episodes was given an individual title [27] and these early shows were loosely structured The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 consisted of four or five unconnected sketches, separated by musical items. According to later producer Peter Etonthe musical segments took up around half the programme. From Series 3, The Goon Show as it was now officially titled gradually settled into its 'classic' format. Milligan, Stephens and Grafton began to work within a narrative structure and by the second half of Series 4 each episode typically consisted of three acts linked by a continuing plot, [9] with Geldray performing between Acts I and II and Ellington between Acts II and III. Almost all the principal and occasional characters were now performed by Milligan and Sellers, The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 Secombe usually playing only Neddie Seagoon, who had replaced Pureheart as the hero of most of the stories. The closing theme, backing for Geldray and incidental music was now provided by a big band of The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 musicians under the direction of Wally Stottwho had been writing for the show since the first series. From Series 3 onwards, the principal character roles were: [28]. The traditional plots involved Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty getting Neddie Seagoon involved in some far-fetched plan, and meeting the other cast members along The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 way. Many characters had regular catchphrases which quickly moved into the vernacular; among the best known are:. The Goon Show has been variously described as "avant-garde", "surrealist", "abstract", and "four dimensional". Whole scenes were written in which characters would leave, close the door behind The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1, yet still be inside the room. Further to this, characters would announce their departure, slam a door, but it would be The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 character who had left the room. That character would then beat on the door for re-admittance, the door would open and close and again the wrong character would be locked out. The show paved the way for surreal and alternative humour, as acknowledged by comedians such as Eddie Izzard. It was the surreality of The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 imagery and the speed of the comedy that I loved - the way they broke up the conventions of radio and played with the very nature of the medium. Cleese recalls listening to The Goon Show as a teenager in the mids "and being absolutely amazed by its surreal humour. It came at a key stage in my own development and I never missed a show". Orchestral introductions, links and accompaniment were provided by a hand-picked big band made up of London-based session musicians. Stott produced many arrangements and link passages, further improved by the first-class sound quality the BBC engineers managed to achieve. The show's concluding music was usually either " Ding-Dong! In keeping with the variety requirements of the BBC's "light entertainment" format, The Goon Show scripts were structured in three acts, separated by two musical interludes. Both Ellington and Geldray also made occasional cameo appearances; Ellington was often drafted in to play stereotypical "black" roles such as a tribal chieftain, native bearer or Major Bloodnok's nemesis and counterpoint to Bloodnok's affliction "The Red Bladder". It was in The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 use of pre-recorded and live sound effects that The Goon Show broke the most new ground. Secombe recalled "Back in the studio, Spike had already placed a sheet of three-ply near a microphone. In the beginning, when the programme was recorded on disc, it was extremely difficult to achieve the right sound effect. It was only when tape came into use that Spike felt really happy with The Goon Show Compendium: v. 1 effects. If you can't get two lions, two hippos will do". Over time, the sound engineers became increasingly adept at translating the script into desired sounds, assisted from the late s onwards by specialists in the BBC's newly formed Radiophonic Workshop.