The Goon Show

BBC 7 is home to a bunch of classic BBC Radio. For my fellow inhabitants of the USA, the Beeb has been home to people who crossed the line between genius and madness on a frequent basis, and never has this been more apparent than in The Goon Show.

If I were you, I'd just listen to it.

I'll second that recomendation. When you consider that The Goon Show started in the early 1950's their material was even more innovative than Python. Must listen to stuff indeed!!

You dirty rotten scoundrel. You've deaded me again! :mad:

I've listened to a few Goon Show episodes. They are undeniably brilliant, but a lot of times I struggle to follow the references and so on. The pacing is extremely fast so that adds to my bewilderment.

It's like I showed up in the middle of a party and nobody bothered to fill me in on what I'd missed.

Maybe it's because I'm from the United States. Some of the humor may not translate well to 21st century U.S. listeners.

We're talking post Second World War British humour here Max. Anarchic and ground breaking indeed - but I can fully understand why some of it passes you by!

Plus, it's very much based on the common experiences of the people involved.

To find out where it all came from, it's worth reading the war memoirs of Spike Milligan -

Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
Rommel? Gunner Who?
Monty - His Part In My Victory
Mussolini - His Part in My Downfall
Where Have All the Bullets Gone
Peace Work
Goodbye Soldier
Gunner Milligan

I think there are audio versions of all but the last - also worth acquiring to hear Milligan giggling helplessly at recollections and ad-libs. It's the next best thing to being there in the early 50s when a bunch of strange young men used to hang around the Grafton Arms talking nonsense and laughing.