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THEY were one of Prince Charles’ favourite acts and the cast are still regarded as comedy royalty.
In the 1950s, The Goons changed the landscape of British comedy when they first burst onto the airwaves of the BBC Home Service.
Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe brought a brand of surreal chaotic humour unlike anything that had been heard before and revolutionised the way radio comedy was produced.
Now, in Goon Show creator Spike Milligan’s centenary year, the Apollo Theatre Company, who recently produced the 50th anniversary tour of another classic radio comedy, Round the Horne, team up with Spike Milligan Productions to bring the show to the stage for the first time.
With its bizarre characters, fantastical plots and hilarious running jokes, The Goon Show captured the imagination of the British public and made household names of its three main stars, all of whom would go on to achieve fame across the globe.
Producer, Norma Farnes, who was Spike’s assistant and manager for 36 years, says of the production: “There is no better time than the centenary of Spike’s birth to celebrate his most enduring creation. The Goon Show was truly original and unlike anything heard before. Spike’s sense of the absurd created a whole new form of comedy which fuelled everyone’s imagination and still does today.”
On how Spike himself reflected on The Goon Show, Norma recalls: “He once said to me, with warmth and affection, “it was like one very good summer”.
After his success with his book, Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall, which sold over a million copies, I congratulated him and viciously he came back with “it means nothing. When I die they’ll say, Spike Milligan who wrote The Goon Show died today”.
“For me, Eric Sykes summed it up when he said to me “hearing it for the first time was like walking through clear air after being stranded in a fog”.”
Brimming with their trademark wit and surreal humour, The Goon Show is an absolute must-see for classic comedy fans. Catch it at The Hexagon in Reading on Friday, October 12.
For more details or to book call the box office: 0118 937 2065 or log on to www.readingarts.com
