The Goon Show

The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960. Occasional repeats were on the BBC Light Programme. The first series was broadcast from 28 May to 20 September 1951. It was titled Crazy People; later series had the title The Goon Show.

The show's chief creator and main writer was Spike Milligan. 
The show was acted by Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Milligan. Michael  Bentine was also a member until 1953.Farnes, Norma 1997. The Goons: the story. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 1-85227-679-7 

Each of the actors played several stock characters, a regular pattern in radio and theatrical comedy. By "stock characters" is meant characters whose idiosyncracies (peculiaririties) is well understood by the listening audience. This was also a feature of much music hall entertainment."Music hall" is Britspeak for vaudeville.

The scripts mixed ludicrous plots with surreal humour, puns, catchphrases and an array of bizarre sound effects. Some of the later episodes had electronic effects devised by the fledgling BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Many of these ideas were reused by other shows for decades. Elements of the show satirised life in Britain, parodying aspects of show business, commerce, industry, art, politics, diplomacy, the police, the military, education, class structure, literature and films.Wilmut, Roger; Jimmy Grafton 1976. The Goon Show Companion - a history and goonography. London: Robson Books. ISBN 0-903895-64-1

The show was preceded by Ted Ray's Ray's a Laugh as the key comedy programme on BBC radio.

The Goon Show had an influence on the later BBC television series Monty Python. Both were absurdist comedies.

 References 

Category:Radio programs
Category:BBC radio
Category:Comedy
Category:1951 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:1960s disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Category:1960 disestablishments