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http://www.goodiesruleok.com
E-MAIL ADDRESSES
Newsletter enquiries: clarion@goodiesruleok.com
General enquiries: enquiries@goodiesruleok.com
POSTAL ADDRESS
'The Goodies Rule - OK!'
P.O. Box 413
Croydon VIC 3136, AUSTRALIA
THE LADS AND LASSES OF THE C&G
EDITOR
- Brett Allender <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>
ACE REPORTERS:
- Lisa Manekofsky
- Alison Bean
- David Piper-Balston
RIPPER REVIEWERS:
- Linda Kay (Goodies Cor!! Comics Synopsis)
- Andrew Pixley ('Broaden Your Mind' Synopsis)
C&G CONTRIBUTORS: Foxy, David Wood, Nik Whitehead, Duncan Lilly, Ben Tumney, Mike Wah, Leigh Ballaam, Amanda Stokes, Steve Gerlach, Jane Donnelly, Miranda Worthington
CONTENTS
1. QUIZ & QUOTE - Goodies brainteasers for you and you and you
2. BOFFO IDEAS – Club news and happenings
3. SPOTTED!!! - The latest Goodies sightings.
4. 2001 AND A BIT - Tim, Graeme and Bill sightings post-Goodies.
5. GOODIES COR!! COMICS SYNOPSIS #45
6. BROADEN YOUR MIND SYNOPSIS
- Episode 1/2
7. QUIZ & QUOTE ANSWERS
1. QUIZ & QUOTE
(by "Magnus Magnesium")
QUOTE: "Too many times you've taken too much from us. London Bridge ... the Queen Mary ... Julie Andrews and David Frost. And we're grateful!"
(a) Which Goodie says this quote?
(b) Who is he speaking to?
(c) Which episode is this quote from?
QUIZ: This month's questions are from the episode: "Rome Antics"
(d) Which year is this episode set in?
(e) Why is Bill so scornful about Stonehenge?
(f) Which famous guest star plays the Roman Emperor?
(g) What are Graeme's two new inventions for entertaining the public?
(h) What is used as a shot put in the Olympic Games?
The answers are listed at the end of this newsletter.
2. BOFFO IDEAS
You can make it happen here. Liven up the club with a boffo idea for bob-a-job week. E-mail <enquiries@goodiesruleok.com> with your comments, ideas or suggestions - meanwhile these are the boffo ideas which our club has been working on this month:
GOODIES CONVENTION SURVEY
(Lisa Manekofsky)
The club is interested in organizing a follow-up to the highly successful Kitten Kon convention; we're tentatively calling it "Kitten Kon 2 - 2001 and a Bit". To get things going, Miranda Worthington has kindly created a survey which can be found at http://www.geocities.com/kittenkon/survey.html - your responses will help us to gauge interest in the proposed event. Please respond to the survey by January 20, 2006.
We'd also welcome suggestions for fundraising; please feel free to either write them in the comments section of the survey or to email them to kittenkon@yahoo.com.au.
In addition to the survey, we've created a special forum on the club website for those interested in helping with the organization of the convention. To join the Kitten Kon 2 forum send a User Message to "lisa" or send an email
which includes your Goodies Rule-OK! website login name to president@goodiesruleok.com.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
The C&G team would like to wish all club members and their families a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2006. Thank you for your support of the fan club and newsletter throughout the year.
3. SPOTTED!!!
More exciting than getting your wig-spotters badge! If you've seen the Goodies recently, e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>with the details. Here's where we've Spotted!!! The Goodies this month:
THE GOODIES ARE COMING ... BACK TO THE BBC
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4459422.stm
In pictures: BBC Christmas line-up
Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie
Goodies' Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Bill Oddie 'break into' their old office to explore their fame in the 1970s. The two-hour show blends sitcom with archive footage.
(David Wood - 22nd November))
* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4456936.stm
The final TV recording of The Two Ronnies is among the highlights of the BBC's Christmas viewing schedule. The late Ronnie Barker was brought back together with Ronnie Corbett earlier in the year to present their favourite sketches from past festive shows.
Comedy trio the Goodies are reunited for a similar programme, and there are also special editions of Dr Who, Little Britain and Strictly Come Dancing.
There is a nice picture of The Goodies here: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41044000/jpg/_41044764_goodies.jpg
(David Piper-Balston - Goodies-l - 22nd November
* From DailyRecord.co.uk:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16398683&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=goodies-box-from-the-beeb--name_page.html
22 November 2005
GOODIES BOX FROM THE BEEB
Lashings of nostalgia
By Nicola Methven
BBC chiefs are serving up a huge helping of nostalgia this Christmas. Comedy classic The Goodies will be brought back for a two hour BBC2 special.
It will be screened alongside seasoned sitcom As Time Goes By, returning after a six-year gap.
Meanwhile, The Two Ronnies will be appear in a show recorded shortly before Ronnie Barker died last month.
Goodies stars Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden attempt to explain where they've been for the past 25 years. They break into their old office to present the show in which they relive their rise to fame in the 70s.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 22nd November)
* According to DigiGuide my moment of fame (assuming I don't get edited out - cut out Bill asks one of the audience questions from just behind me!)... oh and some old blokes who used to be in some show or the other is on...
COMEDY: Return of the Goodies
Channel: BBC 2
Date: Friday 30th December 2005
Time: 21:00 to 22:30 (starting in 30 days)
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
(Widescreen, Subtitles)
No other details yet, but it's an hour and a half, not the two hours previously reported. Still very excited though!
(Duncan Lilly - Goodies-l- 29th November)
* You win your wig spotters badge for being the first one to spot that. ;)
I found a smidgen more info at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/11_november/22/christmas_two.shtml :
"The Goodies Christmas Special
They're back, after 25 years. But did they ever really go away?
In this two-hour special, which blends documentary, archive, sitcom and audience participation, Bill Oddie, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden break into their old office to present a show which explores their giddy rise to fame in the Seventies, the influence they and their programmes had on the nation, and attempt to explain why The Goodies haven't been on TV for so long.
They present the stories behind their finest moments and unearth some things which will be as much a surprise for them as they are for viewers, such as the story behind the Mary Whitehouse saga, and they also try to find out what happened to their three-seater bicycle.
Contributors and fans appearing on the show include Rolf Harris, Huw Edwards, Martin Freeman, Ronni Ancona, Tony Blackburn, Jon Culshaw, Mark Gatiss, Emma Kennedy and Phill Jupitus."
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 29th November)
* "The Return of the Goodies" will be shown on 30 December on BBC 2 from 21:00 to 22:30. Here's a listing: "Using the classic Goodies format, and for one night only this special programme brings Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden back together to relive some of their finest moments and illustrates the history of their origins in the Cambridge Footlights, right through to the peak of their success. Including the hit single Funky Gibbon and all the classic episodes such as Kitten Kong and Kung Fu Kapers. With contributions from fans and colleagues including John Cleese, Martin Freeman, Stanley Baxter, Ronni Ancona, Hugh Edwards and Jon Culshaw."
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 16th December)
TRUST ROLF'S PAINTING ... SURE CAN'T!
(Brett Allender – 22nd December)
Not exactly a Goodies spotting, but something at least resembling a Goodies storyline linking two of their favourite targets from over the years. Our best Aussie export (because we don't want him back!), Rolf Harris, has been in the news in both Australia and England in recent days over the unveiling of his specially-commissioned portrait of a certain anonymous Queen for her 80th birthday.
For those of you happily living in a Rolf Free Zone, the following link is just one of many guaranteed to bring your bliss to a halt if you'd prefer to live dangerously instead: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/12/19/1134840800380.html
Everyone's a critic when it comes to art, and it appears as though there's any number of folks who would like to turn poor old Rolf's beard into a lavatory brush for daring to paint Her Majesty in an informal manner without jewellery and (gasp) with "picket fence teeth"!
Ultimately though it's one's decision as to whether one is impressed with one's own portrait, and losing his beard might be the least of Rolf's worries if one decides to reissue the "Royal Command" edict of "Off with his didgeridoo" in real life!
I'll leave the final word on this issue to a correspondent to today's letters page of the (Melbourne) Herald Sun: "I don't know what's the more controversial: Rolf Harris's portrait of the Queen or my young bloke asking if Rolf was the old man who started KFC." If the younger generation doesn't know who Rolf is, then at least there's hope for the world yet!
4. 2001 AND A BIT
If you've sighted Tim, Bill or Graeme in a post-Goodies role, e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com> so that we can tell everyone where to spot a Goodie nowadays. Those of you seeking radio & tv alerts between issues of the C&G should consider signing up for the Goodies-L mailing list (more details available on the club website),as our crack (cracked?!) team of reporters attempt to post alerts as the information becomes available.
BILL SPOTTINGS
* http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1643984,00.html
'Wild Bill' Oddie heads stateside
John Plunkett
Thursday November 17, 2005
Bill Oddie will travel to America for his next BBC wildlife series, revisiting some of the places he toured as a comic in the 60s with Graeme Garden, Willie Rushton and David Frost.
The former Goodie turned natural history presenter described the series as a "Michael Palin type of show." As well as examining the country's wildlife, it will highlight the culture of the places he visits and feature interviews with people he meets on his travels.
"I want to call it something like Wild Bill Goes West," said Oddie. "As well as looking at the wildlife I want to take in some of the culture and background of the place as well."
Oddie has become one of BBC2's most familiar faces and will present at least three new series next year. As well as an extended, three-week run of Springwatch - one of the channel's biggest hits of 2005 - he will also present a two-week run of Springwatch spin-off, Autumnwatch, and a second series of How to Watch Wildlife.
Oddie toured America in the 60s as a comedy performer with the likes of Rushton, Garden and Frost after appearing in the Cambridge Footlights. But his hectic schedule meant he never had the time to explore some of the places he visited. Oddie, who began his career writing scripts for That Was the Week That Was while he was still at university, hopes now to put that right.
Oddie's other TV credits include Bill Oddie Goes Wild and Birding with Bill Oddie. But this year's Springwatch was his biggest hit to date. The live TV event, in which 60 cameras helped follow the progress of a pair of nesting peregrine falcons in central London and a pair of sea eagles on the island of Mull, was watched by more than 4 million viewers.
The programme - co-hosted by Kate Humble - sent out more than 160,000 information packs to viewers and was praised by the BBC2 controller, Roly Keating, as the "unlikely reality hit of the season".
Oddie also starred in an episode of BBC2's genealogy hit, Who Do You Think You Are?.
(Foxy - Goodies-l - 17th November)
* From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4465560.stm
New Doctor Who actor David Tennant has come top of a TV industry magazine's ranking of the UK's best TV talent.
The 34-year-old fought off competition from the likes of TV chef Jamie Oliver and comedy star Catherine Tate in a poll of industry experts.
Tennant shot to fame in the BBC drama Casanova earlier this year.
TV veteran Bill Oddie took fourth place on Broadcast magazine's Hot 100 list on the back of the surprise success of his BBC Two nature series, Springwatch.
(Nik Whitehead - Goodies-l - 24th November)
* "Wild Owl Farm" hosted by Bill is being repeated on BBC 2 on Weds, 30 November from 21:50-22:00.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* "Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife" is being repeated by BBC 2 on Tuesdays at 19:00. I also see it listed in the early morning on Mondays on BBC 1. Please check your local listings.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* from New Statesman, Monday 28th November 2005
Notebook - Rosie Millard
Remembering your worst ever Christmas can unexpectedly rekindle the festive spirit
The TV clip show is the yin to the yang of the TV reality show, its equally ubiquitous cousin. If the reality show purports to show life unedited and unscripted, the clip show is utterly scripted and tailored. It bears as much likeness to reality as does a couture gown to a dressing gown. This week, I was invited to take part in one - no, I don't know why either. This wasn't Grumpy Old Women, or even I Love the 1980s, but a clip show around that key event, the Christmas present.
A week earlier, I had been e-mailed a list of questions. The idea was that everyone think up witty answers to the questions. Once edited together, it would look as though you and the other participants, who must naturally include a Premier League footballer and Bill Oddie, were having a hilarious chat around the same topic.
The Christmas-present questions were grouped under subsections such as species of bird: Extravagant, Worst, Strangest, Most Romantic, Children's, and so on. Within each subsection there were specifics: what is the most you have ever spent on a present? (£1,000); have you ever bought your pet a present? (not for 30 years); have you ever received a sex toy for a present? (er, no). Then there was a whole sub-list of others: best Christmas ever, worst, New Year resolution, embarrassing memory, and so on. Presents crept in here, too: best wrapped, worst received, best received. It was thorough, to say the least.
Naturally, I failed to inspect this list properly until I was on my way to the studio. Then I panicked. I realised that every single memory of Christmas had been erased from my memory bank - every present, whether welcome or otherwise, every embarrassing moment, every sex toy waiting for me under the tree.
Mercifully, a variety of Millard Christmas facts then started to reassemble themselves. The fact that my father always vacuums the house on Christmas morning. The fact that my mother always gave us an educational book in our stockings. The Christmas I was given a piano. The Christmas I was mugged.
The "studio" was a hotel room in west London. The Premier League footballer had been in. Bill Oddie had been in. "We've had ordinary people, too," said the producer. "Oh yes, ordinary people with great Christmas stories. We had a brother and sister just now. He had split up from his girlfriend, but his sister had given him a romantic balloon ride for two with 'Together For Ever' emblazoned on the balloon. So he had to go on the ride all on his own. He was so cross about it."
We started off on our list of 85 questions. Some of the answers could last only ten seconds, to run in the ad breaks (UK Living, in case you are setting the recorder). I confessed I loved satsumas. Apparently these humble items have been voted least favourite Christmas fruit. I know, what rot. Yet by the time we were discussing best relation around the table (my brother), best carol ("Hark the Herald Angels Sing") and best present (charity goat), a spell had been cast. Everyone wanted to chip in, to tell how much they loved their family at Christmas, how important the food was, how great the board games, how vital the decorations on the tree. By the end, the studio was so full of sparkly Christmas love for all man, even close relations, that I half expected Hugh Grant to walk in and tell us the whole scene was a set-up for a Richard Curtis film.
(Alison Bean - Goodies-l - 1st December)
* Bill Oddie, along with ISIHAC's Barry Cryer and many others, will appear in a repeat of "The Comedians' Comedian" on Saturday 10th December on S4C from 23:45 to 02:35. "Presented by Jimmy Carr, The Comedians' Comedian counts down the top 50 comedians of all time, as voted by over 300 comedians, comedy writers, producers and directors."
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 9th December)
* "Bill Oddie in Tiger Country" is being repeated by BBC 2 on Sunday, 18 December from 17:30 to 18:10.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 9th December)
* A "Birding With Bill Oddie" marathon crops up on Friday, 23 Dec. UKTV Documentary is scheduled to air the repeats from 9:00-18:00 while UKTV Documentary Plus 1 will show them an hour later (from 10:00-19:00). Please check you local listings to verify this info.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 9th December)
GRAEME SPOTTINGS
* BBC 7 is repeating the episode of "Jeremy Hardy Speaks to the Nation" presented by Graeme Garden. This episode (entitled "When Jeremy Hardy Spoke to the Nation") will air on Friday, 2 December at 22:30. It'll be repeated later in the day and will then be available via BBC7's Listen Again service for the next six days. The show can be heard online at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* "There'll Never Be Another", a radio show about celebrated British comedians hosted by Graeme, is being repeated on BBC 7 on Sundays from 11:00-12:00. Each episode is repeated later in the day and is then available for six days via BBC7's Listen Again service. The show can be heard worldwide via the internet at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 .
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* Graeme is in Bromwell High on the ABC, 9.30 tonight and every Wednesday for a while. (Ben Tumney - Goodies-l - 30th November)
* The ABC Shop's just released Bromwell High on DVD: http://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=734516
No idea if it's all 13 episodes or just a selection. We only got the first 6 in Britain for some reason.
(Alison Bean - Goodies-l - 30th November)
* Graeme's appearance in "Peak Practice" will be repeated on ITV3 on Monday, 19 December from 14:15 to 15:15.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 9th December)
* On the ABC at the moment there's an animation series called Bromwell High. The series centres on the adventures and misadventures of three girls in an inner city London high school which is populated by students from every country you could possibly think of. As I started watching it, I thought to myself I know the voice of the geography teacher. And I should because it was Graeme's. The series is on Wednesday nights at 9:35.
(Amanda Stokes)
TIM SPOTTINGS
* Tim's second appearance in "HeartBeat" is scheduled to air Sunday, 27 November on ITV1 at 20:00 to 21:00. This is supposed to be a larger part than his first appearance in the show.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* "Comedy Playhouse", presented by Tim Brooke-Taylor, is a two-part look back at the old BBC series. Part 2 aired on 22 Nov at 11:30. It can be heard via BBC Radio 4's Listen Again service through mid-day next Tuesday (London time) at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 .
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* Repeats of "Golf Clubs with Tim Brooke-Taylor" are being shown at various times on Discovery Real Time Extra. (consult your local listings).
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* Tim's appearance in the Reeves and Mortimer series "Shooting Stars" is being repeated on Weds, 14 December on UKTV Gold at 3:25 and on UKTV Gold Plus 1 at 4:25.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 29th November)
* Criterion have released a DVD of Orson Welles "F for Fake". The extras disc contains a two hour documentary which pulls together all of Welles' unfinished projects and short sketches he made just for fun. A couple of them, seemingly made in the 1960s and set in "Swinging London" include appearances by Tim.
(Mike Wah - 3rd December)
* The DVD of "At Last the 1948 Show" DVD, featuring Tim along with Graham Chapman, John Cleese and Marty Feldman, has now been released in Australia. Tim also appears in one episode of the "Do Not Adjust Your Set" DVD, which was released on December 1st. The Australian releases should be the same as the UK & US ones, other than minor changes to the cover artwork.
(Lisa Manekofsky)
I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T A CLUE (ISIHAC) and
I'M SORRY I'LL READ THAT AGAIN (ISIRTA)
* BBC 7 airs old episodes of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" (with Tim and Graeme) and "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" (with all three Goodies) on Mondays; they are available via Listen Again for six days after broadcast. The shows can be heard worldwide via the internet from www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 25th November)
* BBC Radio 4 will air a special called "In Search Of Mornington Crescent" on Christmas Eve (Saturday, 24 December) from 11.00-11.30am. Here's a publicity blurb I found about the show:
"Andrew Marr endeavours to uncover the history and rules of Mornington Crescent, that most popular and mysterious of British games, with the helpful (and sometimes not so helpful) input of the I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue team.
The programme is researched and written by Graeme Garden, and features contributions from Dame Judi Dench, Anthony Worrall Thompson, Barry Davies,Adam Hart-Davis and Simon Greenall. It promises to be an unmissable half hour for Mornington Crescent novices as well as more seasoned players of the game.
Presenter/Andrew Marr, Producer/Jon Naismith"
Here's a humorous related story for the Mornington Crescent fans. While I was hunting for info about the "In Search Of Mornington Crescent" show I came across this page,
http://www.bitwisemag.com/copy/programming/smalltalk/dolphintutorial.html , which has information about learning the computer programming language Smalltalk. The page includes the following quote: "If you are new to Smalltalk, we suggest that you follow our two part beginner's guide. This explains how to program a simple maze-type game in which you navigate around some stations of the London Underground in search of Mornington Crescent."
Oh dear, that might not be the simplest example after all, not if they want to play a *true* version of Mornington Crescent. ;)
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 30th November)
* BBC Radio 4 has been airing a new series of "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" on Mondays. Next Monday's episode will actually be a repeat of the show recorded at the Edinburgh Festival earlier this year, since the final two episodes of the new series haven't been recorded yet (due to Tim & Graeme having been in Australia for a month). The final recording session is on December 18th; the final two episodes of the new series should air on Dec 19th and 26th.
All of the BBC Radio 4 episodes air Mondays at 18:30; each episode is then repeated the following Sunday. They are also available on Radio 4's Listen Again service for a week after the initial Monday broadcast. The shows can be heard worldwide via the internet at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 9th December)
* Radio National in Australia plays a comedy section featuring "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" at 5.30 AM EST anyway on Tuesdays. It can be listened to via the following web page:
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/comedy/
(Leigh Ballaam - 10th December)
* Over the next two weekends BBC 7 will air "Sue Perkin's Christmas Comedy Stocking", two 3-hour blocks of Christmas themed comedy shows. Part 1 airs this Saturday, 17 December; it will include "Tony Hawks' Twelve Days of Christmas" (in which Bill Oddie appears) as well as "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Christmas Carol" with Tim & Graeme (not to mention the rest of the ISIHAC cast and frequent guests).
Part 2 of "Sue Perkin's Christmas Comedy Stocking" will be broadcast on 24 December. Its Goodies-related contents will be "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" (their 1968 panto "Dick Whittington and his Wonderful At", with all three Goodies) as well as "Hamish and Dougal's Hogmanay Special" (in which both Graeme and Tim appear).
Each episode will air several times throughout the day. The show can be heard online at www.bbc.co.uk/bbc7 . They will be available for six days after broadcast from BBC 7's Listen Again service.
(Lisa Manekofsky - Goodies-l - 16th December)
I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue Why We're Down Under!
Roll up, Roll up, one and all... take a moment to try some of this very nice sherbet... yes, that's it... see into the future, my dear Goody. See what 2006 could bring...
Dateline 2006: Melbourne, Sydney, possibly Australia wide. The Goodies on tour again or Kitten Kon 2, but this time it's something altogether different. This time, they're bringing their friends...
No, no, not a plague of Rolf Harrises, no, this time, they're bringing ISIHAC team with them.
Not sure what ISIHAC is? And you call yourself a Goody! Well, for those who have missed it, ISIHAC stands for I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, the BBC radio program that Graeme and Tim have been involved with for over 30 years. Even Bill was involved to begin with along with a host of others (such as John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Sandi Toksvig to name a few...) It's an improvisational panel game that is a huge hit in the UK, and following the success of the Goodies Almost Live tour in Australia, we're lobbying hard to have the BBC host some ISIHAC events in Australia in 2006. (You may not know this, but some of the current Goodies tour comes from ISIHAC...)
Anyway, for those who DO know of ISIHAC, suck some more sherbet, lie back and picture this... 2006... Humphrey Lyttleton introduces the program to Sydney or Melbourne, jokes about the cities landmarks - Sydney Harbour Bridge (the giant coat hanger), Melbourne's Federation Square (which isn't all that square...), a lightning fast game of Mornington Crescent through the streets of Perth and Adelaide, the words of Neighbours to the tune of I Go to Rio, or Waltzing Matilda to the tune of Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. There won't be a dry eye in the house!
And capped off with the arrivals at the Bachelors and Spinsters Ball! Will you welcome please...
Mr & Mrs Sing Matilda and their son Walt, Mr & Mrs Be Right Mate and their daughter Sheila and Mr & Mrs Back Spider on The Toilet Seat and their son Red! Oh, and please raise your glasses and toast Mrs Vegi and her little mites.
It would be a night of hilarity, to be sure, and the ABC/BBC can broadcast these ISIHAC Down Under episodes as part of the 2006 ISIHAC season, or keep them as specials. When else will we have the chance to see Graeme, Tim and (hopefully) Bill with Humph, Colin and Barry... and that still leaves a spot or two for some Aussie comedians (or even visiting British stars.)
Sounds great, right? Sounds like a plan?
Well, we need your help. Here's how you can help us make this dream a reality.
If you support this great idea, please help us out by doing the following:
- Ring or email the BBC and help suggest the idea at www.bbc.co.uk/feedback
- Email the ISIHAC mailing list at isihac@btinternet.com
Australian fans need to also:
- Go to ABC shops and request the ISIHAC cds (They won't have any in stock, but you can ask and get the staff wondering where/what ISIHAC is about!) or email http://shop.abc.net.au/help/contact.shtm
- Petition the merchandising company currently doing the Goodies merchandise to import ISIHAC merchandise at admin@playbill.com.au
- Email Big Laugh Festival and push this as a great idea for next year’s Big Laugh at jpinder@bigpond.net.au
- Get Radio National to support the idea through www.abc.net.au/rn/contact.htm#email
Together we can make ISIHAC Down Under 2006 a reality (and get the Goodies back for a third time as well! You know they love us, and we love them! This time they're just bringing some of their friends! :)
Send all correspondence to the C&G, or contact us directly:
Cscamp (cuddlyscamp@optusnet.com.au)
…and so, as the BBQ flames leap up and singe the eyebrows of John Howard, and the thongs of mass destruction trip up the Kylie Minogue loving beach goer, it's goodbye from the team. – Steve Gerlach & Jane Donnelly
5. COR!! COMICS SYNOPSIS #43
(by Linda Kay)
Issue 180
10th November, 1973 No. 68
It would be hard to compete with the Goodies' episode in which they have to battle a giant Dougal, but the comic strip we'll be reviewing this month pairs them up with what would normally be a very large dog.
Header: THE GOODIES "MUTT-N'T" FAIL TO GUARD A DOG THIS WEEK!
The Goodies are in their office when a man and a very big dog come barging into their office, knocking the door off its hinges. The dog practically knocks over their desk as the man explains his request.
DOG OWNER: Goodies - I want you to guard the Champion of Chomp! A rival owner is trying to stop him winning the big prize at the dog show!
GRAEME: Rely on us, sir!
The Goodies rummage through their trunk of disguises until they find three dog costumes which they begin to put on.
GRAEME: These costumes will help us fool any dognappers!
AND SO ...
They mount the trandem and head to the dog show with the dog taking up the third seat behind Graeme and in front of Bill, who clings onto the back. They pass an estate with a high brick wall where a man with a bone tied to a stick is waiting for them.
BILL: The rival owner won't know which is the real champ!
RIVAL OWNER: This bone will foil The Goodies' plans!
As they ride beneath the dangling bone the dog leaps up and clamps onto it with a loud GLOP! and is lifted up and over the wall.
RIVAL OWNER: Got him!
BILL: Oh, no! Let go, you mutt!
GRAEME (thought balloon): ?
The Goodies stop and try to climb the wall but it is too high. Bill hurries away from them excitedly.
GRAEME: How are we going to get in and rescue the champ?
TIM: This wall's too high to climb over!
BILL: Leave it to me, lads, I've got an idea!
Bill runs to an open gate in the wall and hurries inside, giving his companions a thumbs up.
BILL: I'll go in through the gate and haul you up over the wall from inside!
GRAEME: Good thinking, Bill!
Bill climbs onto the wall from inside the yard and helps pull Tim and Graeme over.
TIM: Fancy the villain thinking he could keep geniuses like *us* out!
INSIDE THE GROUNDS ...
The Goodies spy a dog house which is chained, boarded and locked and can hear the dog barking from within. Graeme puts the head of his dog suit back on and looks confident.
TIM: The dognapper's locked the pooch in that hut! Now what?
GRAEME: Leave this to me!
Graeme acts like a dog and begins to dig his way into the locked doghouse.
TIM: Hey, Graeme's burrowing his way in! I dig this!
GRAEME: Woof, woof!
The rival owner watches as the champion dog emerges from the hole, jumping on Bill to lick him happily. The villainous-looking man winds a toy rabbit.
BILL: Gottim ... now let's get to the hall before anything else happens!
RIVAL OWNER: *Ho, ho!* Wait till the dog sees my clockwork rabbit!
The rival owner releases the clockwork rabbit and the champion dog takes off after it, pulling Tim behind on its lead.
TIM: ARRGH! STOP!
DOG: WOOF! WOOF!
Tim grabs onto a tree with one arm and hangs on to the dog's leash as tightly as possible as the dog leaps into some nearby bushes, the leash pulled taut.
TIM: Come out of there!
BILL: We'll give you a hand!
Suddenly a signpost which says "Fooled You" flies out of the bushes, tied to the other end of the leash, and hits Tim in the face. In the background the rival owner has left the grounds with the dog and is locking the gate behind him.
TIM: *Ouch!* The villain's attached the lead to a post!
GRAEME: There he goes ... and he's locked us in!
Tim, now sporting a black eye, holds up the sign.
TIM: Come on - we'll use this post as a vaulting pole.
The Goodies run toward the wall holding the long pole as they prepare to vault.
THE GOODIES: UP THE GOODIES ... !
They vault over the wall and end up landing on top of the rival owner with a CRUMP!
TIM: ... and we've DOWNED the baddie!
LATER ...
At the dog show we see the Champion of Chomp has won the blue ribbon. The owner pays the Goodies from the prize money.
DOG OWNER: We won first prize! Take half for your trouble!
GRAEME: *Wow!* But the banks are shut and we've no safe!
BILL: Yeah! It wouldn't be *safe* leaving that loot lying about!
Back in The Goodies office Tim stands outside the door with the dog, who is now stationed at a sentry post with a military hat on, saluting with its paw.
TIM: We've guarded *him* all day, now we can guard *us* all night!
DOG: GRRR!
Sign-Off Line: Our TV Chuckle Champs Return For More Fun Next Week!
COR-RESPONDENCE
This letter from a reader was published in this issue:
Christopher Oxlade, of Ipswich
Recently, I organised a COR!! popularity poll amongst my school friends. We each wrote down our favourite COR!! feature on a piece of paper, and the votes were then added up.
Top of the poll with nine votes was IVOR LOTT AND TONY BROKE - closely followed by THE GOODIES with seven votes. Third, with three votes, came JASPER THE GRASPER.
RATING (using the BLACK PUDDING RATING SYSTEM):
II - Fair-y punkmother.
Sad to say this comic just doesn't have a lot going for it. The artwork is very good and the action is rendered well but unfortunately the dialogue and story isn't as solid. What little dialogue and jokes do exist are overly emphasized ... practically every sentence ends in an exclamation mark.
There are a few background jokes worth noting. In the first panel the Goodies' office door is knocked off its hinges and several muddy paw prints make it clear who the culprit was. There are past due bills laying on the Goodies desk, which help explain why they would accept what amounts to a dog-sitting job. When they dig through their trunk of disguises we know it is such because a sign on the trunk reads "Disguises - Goodies for the use of." There is a tag which reads "Acme Cleaners" on one of the dog suits and several moths fly away from the furry costumes.
Oddly enough the panel where they are riding the trandem past the brick wall seems a bit strange because the dialogue balloon seems to be pointing right at the dog, the only one who wouldn't be saying the line! The joke of Bill running through the open gate to help the others over the wall is a pretty old bit but still works well here. The locked up doghouse is not only tightly chained and locked but also bears a big sign which reads "Not to be opened until after the show. Goodies keep out!"
When Graeme starts to dig underneath the dog house he kicks up all the dirt into Bill's face. When the signpost flies out from the bush and hits Tim on the face it knocks him back into the tree he's been holding onto, knocking a squirrel out of the branches above. Tim's elbow also flies back and hits Bill in the face with a DUNCH! The signpost pole somehow becomes quite a bit longer in the following panel when they use it to pole vault. And when the owner gives them half of the prize money he goes one better and gives them half of the trophy as well!
While this isn't the best of the Cor!! Goodies' strips by a longshot, it's still a fun entry which likely appealed very well to kids, their target audience.
To view these strips online, you can visit this page: http://members.aol.com/corcomics
We'll post the currently reviewed issue plus the two previous issues for latecomers.
6. 'BROADEN YOUR MIND' SYNOPSIS
"BROADEN YOUR MIND" - SERIES 1 PROGRAMME 2
(c) Andrew Pixley 2005
INTRODUCTION: Before the Goodies set up their office in 1970, the working title for the series was originally "Narrow Your Mind" since the new programme was proposed as a spin-off from "Broaden Your Mind", a BBC2 sketch show starring Tim and Graeme with songs from Bill which had run in 1968 and 1969. Last month we looked at the debut episode of this lost show, researched from soundtracks, scripts and production paperwork. Now, let's take a glimpse at the second episode broadcast as we Broaden Your Mind ...
"Captain Cook, Chrisotopher Columbus, and Sir Francis Drake. Can you spot the odd man out?" "Oh Go on ..." asks a rather camp Sir Francis Drake (Tim).
"Where is Saudi Arabia?" Two Arabs stop a policeman on a village green and ask for directions.
"Does the ancient art of water diving really work?" A man using a twig to determine the location of water finds that the twig suddenly comes to life and drags him into a lake.
"Well here's your change to learn as you Broaden Your Mind".
Tim and Graeme welcome viewers to the adult education programme. While Tim falls off the modern collapsible chair, Graeme analyses reactions to the first show by means of some filmed interviews with members of the public.
A vicar (Tim) says that the show has broadened his horizons, just before he goes into a strip club. A man (Graeme) says his business has been doubled as a result of the series - he works for ITV. Queen Victoria (Tim) says "We are not amused!" on behalf of a group of ladies.
Tim is cross that this is not a representative sample of the audience and rushes off, demanding to know who chose these people to show them up. Graeme carries on, saying that people can learn a lot from television.
At a bus stop, a strange man (Graeme) comes up to a businessman (Tim); he stands on one leg and mimes dropping something while going "Th-dum! Th-dum!" He is enthusing about some desert birds which he saw in a TV programme the previous night. "Fantastic!" These birds drill holes in the desert by dropping sharp pointed stones from a great height, scientifically proven to be more accurate than wartime bombers. Furthermore, when these birds are attacked they puff themselves up to more than 3000 times their own size. "Fantastic!" the businessman agrees. "I tell a lie, it's three times," he admits, which the listener finds less fantastic. The man says the birds defend themselves by dropping sharp pointed stones on their enemies heads - their enemies being marauding desert wallabies. It's also how the bird open tins of fruit. When the businessman wants to know how the birds get tins of fruit in the desert, the stranger replies "Well how should I bloody know? I'm not a bloody expert on these bloody birds. I only watched the bloody programme. Who bloody cares how they get these tins of fruit? Who bloody cares?" He also claims that these birds invented penicillin, which the businessman knows is untrue as it was invented by Alexander Fleming. The odd man agrees, saying that Fleming's main fault was that he couldn't drop sharp pointed stones to save his life.
Tim has now found a more "representative" piece of film to show the public's rections to "Broaden Your Mind".
A lady on a doorstep is very clearly Tim in drag; in a very stagey manner, he/she agrees "Oh, Broaden Your Mind. That is a wonderful programme ... I always watch it and so do all my friends ..." until his wig comes askew.
Graeme points out the flaw in this item and Tim angrily asks who chose this piece of film. Graeme gets on with the programme proper, beginning with modern languages.
MODERN LANGUAGES: An expert (Jo Kendall) explains how there are hundreds of languages in the world, mainly spoken by foreigners. French is useful for speaking to a Frenchman, and Latin is useful for speaking to a Frenchman in Latin.
A businessman (Nick McArdle) has the oriental Mr Ling (Graeme) shown in with his interpreter (Tim) who keeps banging a small gong whenever he wants to speak. Mr Ling speaks no English and the manager welcomes Mr Ling who is to sign a major contract. The interpreter translates, but - according to his interpreter - Mr Ling seems to be more interested in what interpreters are paid in England. Looking at the contract, the manager notices that Clause 14 is there to pay interpreter Gin Slang a wage of £60 a week. "No mistake sugar," says Mr Ling in broken English, "How you think I get landed with lousy interpreter in first place?"
MUSIC: The image of a sheet of music fades to the study of the elderly academics Freddy (Tim) and Teddy (Graeme) who announce that tonight is Music Night and that they will be looking at Jazz. Freddy introduces Teddy as Sir Edward "Hotlips" Windward which confuses Teddy; he also feels that "Jellyroll" is not quite him, although considers "Snake Hips". They are going to sing a "blue song", or "blues song" as Teddy corrects Freddy, which they have written. Freddy will attempt to play the piano as Teddy starts: "Good heavens, I've got the blues/From the top of my head to my pigskin shoes (you see)/My baby's left me and I feel so bad/Since she went away I've been feeling miserable". Teddy admits he's not happy about the rhyme, and that was the good bit. The second verse is "Goodness me, I've got the blues" - and Freddy adds in "Whoa yes man" for authenticity, but this throws Teddy. Freddy is really getting into this and starts playing his own chain-gang melody on the piano until Teddy stops him. The last verse: "By gum, this is the end of my song and I'm feeling so bad/Since my lady friend left me, I've been feeling absolutely awful/Whoa yes man!" They decide this is all for next week - next week they will be doing ballet, dancing in Swan Lake. "I'd better bring my wellies then," says Freddy.
NATURAL HISTORY: A Walt Disney-style real life nature adventure begins; it is a motion picture three years in the making entitled "Man Valley" or "A Man Called Fluffy". The narrator (Graeme) describes the action as if anthropomorphising the animals; the music is a perfect pastiche of rather echoey post-war woodwind associated with these semi-educational items. "Here in Man Valley, the little creatures emerge from their winter habitats to sniff the air of this new exciting world. Yes, it is spring in Man Valley". A group of people live in the woods like animals, but with plants which all come with Design Centre labels. One family lives up in the branches of a tree. Three men jump around in the ferns like kangaroos. It is a time for play and work, for the old to teach the young. But there is tragedy as well in Man Valley, when a vulture-man swoops down and kills one of the kangaroo men, leaving an "Out of Order" sign on him. "This looks a happy family. Let's say 'hello'," says the narrator. One "little fellow" gets separated from the herd and is watched by the crew from a hide, with the canvas tent very obviously moving along behind the selected man. He is tempted by decoys, and the narrator gives him the name Fluffy. "Hi there Fluffy!" But soon he will get "the strange restless call of spring" which leads him to chase a woman through the woods, their clothes soon flying in the air from behind a bush. However, Fluffy has a rival, Husky, who will fight him for his girl. He knocks Fluffy out. "And, so tragedy again strikes in Man Valley". The commentator says farewell as the creatures head home to roost, and three men are silhouetted baying at the moon.
TECHNOLOGY: Playing with a toy train in the living room, the enthusiastic young Timothy (Tim) asks his Uncle Hugh (Graeme) who invented the steam engine, and is told about James Watt who was very, very clever. "Like you Uncle Hugh?" asks Tim. "Ho ho ho ho ho," laughs Uncle Hugh in a kindly, modest way before adding, "Yes". As he tells the tale of Watt watching the kettle on a hob, Timothy finds the word "hob" fascinating and wants to know all about it; Uncle Hugh explains that this is a bit like a stove but more Scottish. Timothy wants to know more about this "beezer notion" but as Uncle Hugh is explaining about the kettle whistling, he suddenly asks "Where do babies come from Uncle Hugh?" Uncle Hugh tries to ignore this, but his nephew is insistent, saying some of the chaps at school says that babies just arrive on a doorstep. An embarrassed Uncle Hugh says that they are delivered with the milk and tries to continue talking about James Watt. "Did James Watt have any babies Uncle Hugh?" "No, no, I don't think he did Timothy." "Whyever not Uncle Hugh?" "He probably didn't like milk." Timothy now cautiously asks, "Uncle Hugh, where do steam engines come from?" "Oh, that's an easy Timothy," says his Uncle, "There's a mummy steam engine and a daddy steam engine, they get together, get steam up and about nine months later, you'll never believe this ..."
SCIENCE: In this week's science spot, an expert (Nick) looks at the mysteries of television and asks how it works ... but the picture flickers and breaks down. An announcer (Graeme) apologises for the loss of the programme and the "Normal Service" caption appears. Then the gramophone music also breaks down and he has to apologise again, so they continue with the gramophone in vision only ... until it explodes. In the meantime, he tries to croon "Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing" until somebody shoots him. Another announcer (Tim) then comes on and apologises for everything, saying that until they can be put right they will return to the programme where the expert is finishing his description of how television works. Everything is completely automatic, and indeed fully automatic robot television personalities are already on the screen with their own shows.
"THE MARVIN PATRIDGE SHOW": "On the Marvin Partridge Show tonight, Marvin's guests are Jason Rock, Marcia Lindstrom and Teddy Gross. And here's your host, Marvin Partridge." Marvin (Tim) moves jerkily and delivers jokes in a mechanical manner which totally kills them. Jason Rock (Graeme), who plays the popular TV character the Invisible Doctor, comes on first. Marvin prompts "an-amusing-story- about-the-time-you-played-golf-with-Bob-Hope" but offers a drink of water and cigar before Jason can even start and keeps on interrupting the anecdote. "I'm-afraid-we-have-to-take-a-break-here-we'll-be-back-in-a-trice-And now-My-next-guest-ladies-and-gentlemen-from-Manchester-Marcia-Lindstrom". Marcia (Jo) is told she looks lovely, "Marcia-Lindstrom-who-has-had-it-so-often-*CLICK*-had-it-so-often-*CLICK*-had-it-so-often-said-of-her-that-she-and-her-husband-are-the-nicest-pair-in-show-business.--Well,-what's-it-like-having-the-nicest-pair-in-show-business?" She is then asked what it was like golfing with Bob Hope and being married to Elizabeth Taylor. Marcia sits there confused and there is a long silence until Marvin says "That's-very-interesting". Teddy (Nick) is introduced as Marvin goes out of control, his voice echoing, becoming very fast and confused, and then slowing, until finally he expires, while pouring the water he keeps offering his guests over Marcia.
Graeme says it's the part of the programme where the viewer can sharpen their wits. Tim says they must identify several objects. Graeme holds up an ornate candle snuffer and asks "Is this an Etruscan mouse-warmer? A set or ornamental Victorian bussel snuffers? Or a pair of Californian alimony tweezers?" Tim holds up a candlestick, asking "Is this a B52 bomber? The Cutty Sark? Or an unexploded model of the Albert Hall? Careful - that's a trick question." Graeme then displays a strange engine, asking "Finally, is this a transistorised atomic pile? A steam driven television set? Or is it a cigarette lighter?" Using the object to light a cigar, Tim says "If you did recognise any of them would you claim them immediately from the Lost Property Office, British Rail." They wish the audience "Good Night" and the show ends.
Helping you to Broaden Your Mind were
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Graeme Garden
Jo Kendall
Nick McArdle
Graham Chapman
Terry Jones
Michael Palin
Devised and written by Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor
Additional material by Graham Chapman and John Cleese, Bill Oddie
Musical Director: Dave Lee
Film Cameraman: Jimmy Court
Film Editor: Alan Bell
Lighting: Howard T King
Designer: Paul Joel
Producer: Sydney Lotterby
BACKGROUND NOTES: The second edition of "Broaden Your Mind" to be broadcast was in fact the third to be recorded; this was because it was decided to hold the second episode back and screen it later in the run. The bulk of the script was written by Graeme and Tim, including "Chinese Interpreter" and also another appearance by the elderly academics Teddy and Freddy. This item, with the duo singing the blues, had originally been written for "I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again" (Series 3 Programme 11; 12 December 1966) in which Tim had played Sir Timothy Trim-Candle of Oxford University and David Hatch had been his colleague Professor Edward ("Teddy") Ferret-Smith of Cambridge. The Marvin Patridge sketch about a robotic TV host which closed the programme reworked one of the sketches from the Footlights show "Cambridge Circus", "Patients, for the Use of" in which Tim had played a robotic hospital visitor activated to cheer up a lonely patient played by Bill (which had also appeared on "At Last the 1948 Show" in Series 1 Programme 3 on 1 March 1967).
Material was also submitted by Tim's old "Cambridge Circus" colleagues Graham Chapman and John Cleese in the form of the sketch "Stonedropping"; this was very similar to the sketch "The Wonderful World of the Ant" from "At Last the 1948 Show" (Series 1 Programme 5; 15 March 1967) in which Cleese and Marty Feldman had performed an innocent victim plagued by a mad man who obsessed about the behaviour of ants. Bill Oddie wrote the filmed sketch "Man Valley" as a pastiche of Walt Disney's true life adventure films.
Filming for "Programme 3" was performed on 2 August, 6 August, 7 August and 12 August. The items on film were the pre-credit amazing facts, the vox pops interviews with members of the public (with Tim using his famous Edith Evans/Lady Constance voice for Queen Victoria) and Tim's unconvincing housewife, and the major item "Man Valley". "Man Valley" was largely filmed on 6 August with a few pick-up shots on 12 August. Joining Tim, Graeme and Nick McArdle for "Man Valley" on 6 August were Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and Terry Jones, with Graham also performing some filming on 12 August. Also appearing in these filmed items in an uncredited capacity were Stephen Mallet, Donald Grove, Ann Gabriel, Sue Bishop, M Neil and Maggie Pilleau.
Studio recording took place at Television Centre on 31 August 1968. the scenes with Tim and Graeme as the hosts part way into the show was pre-recorded between 2.30pm and 3pm in the afternoon, and the rest of the show was taped before a studio audience between 8.30pm and 9.45pm with John Junkin acting as the warm-up man. This recording included a new performance by Tim and Graeme of the Uncle Hugh/Timothy sketch "Steam Engine" which had originally been taped a fortnight earlier with the first episode, but edited out of the finished programme. In addition to the music from Dave Lee, also heard in the episode was "Mixed Up Masurka" by Jack Wolfe and his musicians from a Mozart Edition LP.
The episode went out on BBC2 in the new regular slot of 8.50pm on Monday 4 November 1968; it was seen by 1.6 million viewers and received a reaction index score of 57.
7. QUIZ & QUOTE ANSWERS
(a) Tim Brooke-Taylor
(b) A group of rich Americans
(c) Antiques (aka Culture For The Masses)
(d) 55 AD
(e) Because it "still doesn't fly" after 2000 years!
(f) Roy Kinnear
(g) Candy floss and bingo
(h) A melon
YOUR SCORE:
8 Goodies fan supreme
7 Mastermind of the year
5-6 Clever clogs
3-4 Reasonably Goodie
1-2 Thick as old boots
0 Rolf Harris!
NEXT C&G EDITION:
- #122: 12th January 2006.
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The Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe is copyright The Goodies Rule - OK! 2005. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce this work or any section of it, in any form must first be obtained from the copyright holders.
For further information regarding this publication please e-mail <clarion@goodiesruleok.com>.
For other general enquiries about the 'Goodies Rule - OK' fan club or 'The Goodies' itself, please e-mail <enquiries@goodiesruleok.com>
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