Film Finance Corporation Australia presents a Hatchling Productions film in association with 2005 Adelaide Film Festival I told you I was ill: the life and legacy of Spike Milligan “We don’t have a plan, so nothing can go wrong” PRESS KIT 20-25 word Précis An intimate portrait of comic legend Spike Milligan, a complex and multifaceted man who trod the thin line between genius and debilitating depression. Brief synopsis I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SPIKE MILLIGAN is an intimate and deeply personal portrait of comic genius Spike Milligan through the eyes of his brother, three daughters and third wife. Each saw a very different side of this complex and multifaceted man who forever changed English comedy and trampled on the notions of decorum and deference. For the first time his family have opened up their personal archives to reveal Spike as a brilliant, tortured and visionary man who trod the thin line between genius and debilitating depression. Jane Milligan with Spike PRESS KIT I told you I was ill: the life and legacy of Spike Milligan Page 2 One Page Synopsis This is the definitive story of the man dubbed ”The Godfather of Modern Comedy” For the first time, Spike’s family have agreed to open the archives and reveal the real Spike Milligan: visionary, comic, writer, father, husband, knight of the realm, and the most famous manic depressive in England. Featuring commentary from a cast of Milligans, including his brother, three daughters and third wife, plus Joanna Lumley, Michael Palin and Eric Sykes, this intimate portrait uncovers the man behind the silly noses, funny accents and unending love of the absurd. From 19th Century vaudevillian Ireland to an Australian backwater he satirically christened "the largest above ground cemetery in the world", and all points in between (including Rangoon, London and outer Lewisham), Spike’s story unravels like one of his scripts. Alternately comic, dramatic, romantic and often surreal, it paints a picture of an idyllic childhood tempered by war, depression and English weather, and casts a light on the reckless and sometimes tortured trail left by a man burdened with the gift of genius. For centuries there has been debate about the connection between creative genius and mental illness and particularly manic depression, now known as bipolar disorder. Aristotle asked in the 4th century BC "Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic?" English poet John Dryden wrote: "Great wits are sure to madness near allied" and throughout the 20th Century the claim has been made that "there is a thin line between genius and madness". The life and legacy of Spike Milligan adds a new chapter to this debate. The central storyteller of the film is Spike’s youngest daughter, Jane Milligan. She and her sisters Laura and Sile have agreed for the first time to open their family archive and tell the story of their father as they knew him. They do not believe that Spike’s depression was inherited or that it has been passed down to the Milligan children and grandchildren. Jane speaks to people who were close to Spike during key periods in his life, and through these interviews and archive footage, the story of Spike’s life is re- examined and reviewed. Much of the story is located in a small Australian town just north of Sydney called Woy Woy, where Spike’s parents lived for 40 years and where Spike made frequent visits. He wrote many of his famous books in his parent’s small weatherboard house and became involved in local campaigns to protect the environment and heritage of the area. Over the years, Woy Woy came to regard Spike as one of their own, and after his death, the town came together to stage a unique festival called Spikefest in honour of their famous visitor. Spike’s brother Desmond and daughters Laura and Jane played an active role in the festival, and Desmond allowed the crew to film in the Woy Woy house which is a treasure-trove of Milligan family history and memorabilia. His own archive plus Jane’s discovery of Spike’s old home movies shot in Woy Woy create a vivid picture of Spike’s family history in Ireland, India and their connection to Australia. The story of Spike’s professional life is revealed through his manager Norma Farnes, and colleagues such as Eric Sykes, Joanna Lumley, Eddie Izzard and Michael Palin. His children reveal what he was like as a father, sharing their memories as well as their photographic, audio and visual archives. Shelagh Milligan talks about Spike from the perspective of a wife and partner for 25 years. This unique portrait of a man who changed the face of English comedy and left an indelible impression wherever he went is accompanied by a comprehensive web site with a rich array of additional features. A DVD is currently in production. The film includes a rich archive of Spike Milligan material from the BBC and ABC as well as valuable personal and family photographs, audio tapes and home movies of Spike with his family, where he claims he came closest to finding some kind of happiness and a sense that his life was worthwhile. PRESS KIT I told you I was ill: the life and legacy of Spike Milligan Page 3 Principal Characters Spike Milligan Jane Milligan (Spike’s daughter) Laura Tierney (Spike’s daughter) Sile Harrower (Spike’s daughter) Desmond Milligan (Spike’s brother) Shelagh Milligan (Spike’s third wife) Norma Farnes (Spike’s Manager) And interviews with: Michael Sellers (son of Peter Sellers), Joanna Lumley (Actor), Eric Sykes (Comedian), Michael Palin (Comedian), Eddie Izzard (Comedian), Richard Lester (Film Director), Beverley Spiers (very close friend of Spike’s), Georga Malcolm (Spike’s Granddaughter), Paul Gunning (Historian), Myles Dungan (Radio Presenter and Author). Principal Character Details Spike Milligan Terance Alan (Spike) Milligan was born in Ahmadnagar, 100 miles from Bombay, on 16 April 1918. His only brother, Desmond Patrick Milligan was born in Burma in 1925. Their father, Leo Milligan, was in the British army, but his post was abolished in 1933, and the family sent back to London. In April 1940, Spike’s call-up papers arrived and he joined the British Army - D Battery in Bexhill- on-Sea - and his war adventures began. In 1944, he was sent to an officer’s rest camp south of Naples where he joined a dance band. From there he was posted to the newly formed Central Pool of Artists (CPA) near Naples and his career as a performer took off. After the war, he teamed up with ex-gunner, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine to write a comedy show. The first recording of The Goon Show was made at BBC Variety headquarters on Sunday 21st May 1951 and went on to become an international sensation. On the Spike Milligan website (www.spikemilliganlegacy.com), a series of icons provide links to detailed insights of Spike’s life. Scroll over each icon to reveal an intimate portrait of Spike as: - Godfather of comedy - Professional - Friend - Soldier - Citizen - Traveller - Explorer - Conservationist - Father - Family man - Romantic - Mentally ill - Looking Back (the alarm clock icon) provides a timeline of key dates/descriptions of the Milligan family and Spike’s life - Looking Beyond (the tombstone icon) provides Jane Milligan’s commentary about her father, his life and his legacy. PRESS KIT I told you I was ill: the life and legacy of Spike Milligan Page 4 Jane Milligan (Spike’s daughter): Jane is Spike’s youngest daughter. She is 38, single and works as a professional performer and singer. She is the only daughter of Spike’s second wife Paddy, and lives in North London. She says of her father: “He was a wonderfully funny, sexy guy, unconventional, talented, great to be with, and I think he was very hard to resist. And he loved that. He knew he was a catch. I think he was certainly having affairs, probably several at one time. I know he made two other kids. But I know he was in love with my mother, which is a wonderful thing to know, because he told me that until the day he died”. Laura Tierney and Sile Harrower (Spike’s daughters): Laura is 52, married with two children, Jay and Georga. She lives in Sydney and works part-time while maintaining an active interest in writing, drawing and cartooning. She is involved in the development of the Woy Woy comedy festival, Spikefest. Sile is 47 and lives in North London near Monkenhurst where the family lived until the mid 1980s. She is married and has three sons, Hasty, Callam and Brodie. She works in a local school and is on the committee of the Finchley Spike Milligan statue fund. Desmond Milligan (Spike’s brother): Desmond is 79, married with one son and lives in Sydney. He is retired following a long and successful career as a graphic artists, cartoonist. He continues to draw and paint, and is also actively involved in Spikefest. He says of his brother: “He was a man of extremes. He was about three or four different people, all locked into one body. Some of them wonderfully passionate and saving of the world, and others mad as Adolf Hitler, raving and screaming at you. It was sort of like Jekyll and Hyde, but I suppose if you put the various facets of it together, it was the sort of mad genius that gave us the Goons and changed British comedy”.