Lost Horizontally
The eighth episode of the Goon Show’s sixth series marked the first time Spike Milligan had embarked upon a literary spoof on his own as...
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The Seagoon Memoirs
Chronicling a 21st century idiot's obsession with a 1950s radio comedy masterpiece.
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time capsule
Welcome, dear reader - pull up a bollard.
UPDATE: JUNE 2024
I am in the process of transferring this blog to Substack. You'll find me at theseagoonmemoirs.substack.com, where you can read for free and sign up to receive new posts (twice a week) direct to your email.
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On 28 May 1951, four young men took to the airwaves on the BBC's Home Service to launch their unique brand of comedy on an unsuspecting world.
In the mid-1990s, an even younger idiot was introduced to recordings of their broadcasts - and there began a strange obsession crossing decades and generations.
The Seagoon Memoirs is an attempt to channel this obsession into something creative, chronicle the show's history, development and legacy, and in some small way contribute to preserving this masterpiece of British radio comedy.
Listen to me waffle on about the Goons on the excellent Goon Pod here. Alternatively, listen to more interesting people on other episodes of Goon Pod, including Jane Milligan, Al Murray, Dirk Maggs, and the cast of 'Spike!', the new Milligan/Goon-themed play by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman.
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My Wildest Dream
The same week as the third episode of the Goon Show’s sixth series aired (see ‘The Last Emperor’), producer Peter Eton roped in Harry...
Third Division debuts
The issue of the Radio Times published on this day in 1949 carried a preview of a new series of shows on the BBC's Third Programme. No...
Going Round the Bend
On this day in 1958, the Radio Times carried a preview supplement letting readers know the entertainment highlights they could expect...
Happy Holiday
It wasn’t all about the Goon Show for our intrepid heroes. Spike Milligan had a role in the Max Bygraves radio series Paradise Street,...
Paradise Street and other distractions
Writing the Goon Show couldn’t pay the bills on its own, as Spike Milligan was often to lament. So what else could an emerging talent get...
The Beatles of Comedy - Firesign Theatre
In the mid-1960s, four Americans who came across the Goons in the late 1950s, decided to assemble their own comedy troupe. Firesign...
Bumblethorpe
The 12th episode of the first series of the Goon Show was broadcast on 16 August 1951 at 8pm on the Home Service. The listing is here....
Coronation Edition
Today I’m taking the first of several detours from the chronological order of this blog to acknowledge an anniversary. On this day in...
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