The Official Goodies Rule - OK! Fan Club Website

THE GOODIES CLARION AND GLOBE

Issue No. 2 12th January 1996

Welcome to C&G #2. It’s been a busy past month or so with Christmas and New Year making it difficult to get anything done. However I am pleased to announce that our long awaited homepages are up and running, with huge big thanks to Nik Whitehead (the mad scientist in the shape of Bill). Don’t forget to check them out at http://www.mcs.dundee.ac.uk:8080/~nwhitehe/goodies/homepage.htm But before you do, here’s what’s happening in the club this month.....

2. WHAT SHALL WE NAME OURSELVES? - THE VOTE

3. HELP OUR HOMEPAGES

6. FRIENDLY REMINDER :)

1. NEW OFFICIALS

Many club members have responded to the last C&G, but several have shown a great deal of enthusiasm and have come up with some great ideas. They are Marf Shopmyer <aa108460@dasher.csd.sc.edu>, Matthew K Sharp <kirseval@werple.net.au> and Nik Whitehead <nwhitehe@mic.dundee.au.uk>. Marf is starting a letter writing campaign to PBS in the USA, Matthew has begun organising a video afternoon in Melbourne and has been making some suggestions about The Goodies re-screening campaign in Australia and Nik has come up with some great ideas for T-shirts and badges and has had some ideas about the re-screening campaign in the UK. I have therefore appointed them as Activities Co-ordinator - USA, Activities Co-ordinator - Australia and Activities Co-ordinator - UK respectively. If you have any further suggestions concerning these issues or want to get involved in the re-screening campaign you are invited to contact either Marf, Mathew, Nik or myself.

2. WHAT SHALL WE NAME OURSELVES? - THE VOTE

It’s time for the big vote. Below is the list of possible names for the club. Please chose *one* and mail your choice to <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au> by 31st January 1996.

* Goodies Rule - O.K.?

* The Plague of Rolf Harrises

* The Puppet Government

* The Potholing Goodies

3. HELP OUR HOMEPAGES

If you haven’t visited the homepages yet, then you won’t have noticed that they are done in tasteful yellow and purple (a kind of tribute to Bill’s purple flared suit with the yellow t-shirt, from series 3 and 4). They certainly are bright, but what would make them even more fun to visit would be some pictures. Anything would be welcome, such as a scanning of the logo or even a giant kitten or two. A facility would also be provided to download such pictures for your own personal use. If you can help I’d greatly appreciate it.

And don’t forget, if you have any other suggestions of additions that would improve the homepage, mail them to me, <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>.

Thanks to the many members who responded to last issues Boffo Ideas. Here’s what we’ve come up with:

BECOMING AN OFFICIAL CLUB

Nik Whitehead has suggested that a letter be sent to the BBC explaining who we are and finding out how to become an official club. Below is the proposed letter to the BBC. If you think it should be changed or anything else should be added please let me know by 31st January 1996.

e-mail: <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>

British Broadcasting Corporation

(Can someone in the UK tell me if this is the right address? I got it from Monty Python’s Big Red Book!)

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Alison Bean and I am writing to you in my capacity as President of the recently formed <insert new club name here>. We are a club on the Internet consisting of fans of “The Goodies”. We seek your assistance in becoming an official club. As the producer of this series we feel sure that the BBC will take an interest in our activities.

The club consists of <insert number here> members from Australia, the UK and the USA. We are in contact with each other through the club newsletter, The Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe (a title taken from the episode “Cunning Stunts”), our homepage located at http://www.mcs.dundee.ac.uk:8080/~nwhitehe/goodies/homepage.htm , via e-mail and through meetings on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). Our aims and the rules which govern our operations are set out in our Procedures Document and Mission Statement, copies of which are enclosed.

Currently on our agenda are plans to produce club t-shirts, this may involve using slogans from the series and we are unsure whether the BBC or the writers of the series need to grant permission if we wish to do so. I emphasise that we are a non-profit organisation and that t-shirts would be sold to members strictly at cost price. Any help you could provide in this area would be greatly appreciated.

What we ask of you is nothing but your support for our organisation.

President, <insert new club name here>.

Similar letters to this will be sent to TBT, GG and BO informing them our re-newed existence and asking them for permission to use Goodies slogans for our t-shirts, if they are copyright holders. Bill was the only one of the three to reply to a letter from Melinda Casino concerning the existence of the former Goodies Fan Club, but with issues such as using Goodies slogans on the agenda, I feel sure that Graeme and Tim will also reply. A draft will be sent to you when we get a reply from the BBC.

RE-SCREENING CAMPAIGN

The re-screening campaign is now in action in Australia, USA and UK, with Nik, Matthew, Marf and myself drafting official letters (copies will be sent to you, but only if you live in the appropriate country). The campaign will be directed at the ABC in Australia, the BBC in UK and PBS in USA. Please note we have chosen non-commercial stations, as the last thing we want is ads cutting into the episodes. We have also chosen the stations which originally broadcast the show, because we feel sure that these stations are more likely to show The Goodies again.

We encourage anyone else interested in this cause (including non-club members) to write to the appropriate television station, it is likely that the more letters they get, the more likely they are to consider it. Please remember that any letters you send are not official club documents and do not have to be cc.ed to other members, nor must you claim to represent the club in any way (refer Procedures Document, located at homepage).

Another way to gain attention is to start a petition. So if you have any friends who want to see The Goodies back on TV get them to sign it too.

But finally a few words of inspiration from Matthew K Sharp, <kirseval@werple.net.au>:

"I have a dream, where everyone, irrespective of their race, colour or creed, can watch unadulterated episodes of The Goodies in a reasonable timeslot, in order and without pre-emptions."

- Martin Luther Sharp.

POSTAL MEMBERSHIP

I received no objections to this so I propose we put it to the vote at a meeting.

T-SHIRTS AND BADGES

Nik Whitehead and I have been discussing some ideas for T-shirts and Badges. More information on this next issue.

REVISED PROCEDURES DOCUMENT AND CLUB MISSION STATEMENT

Both of these documents have gone under extensive revision, with consultation with our newly appointed officials. You can see how it compares to the documents at the homepages, which are the versions we are currently using.

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THE CLUB PROCEDURES DOCUMENT (version 2.0)

‘Fan Club’ refers to ‘The Goodies Fan Club on the Internet’.

‘Newsletter’ refers to ‘The Goodies Fan Club Clarion and Globe’.

‘Special Announcement’ refers to a ‘Prune Flash’.

‘President’ refers to Alison Bean, <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>.

‘Activities Co-ordinator - Australia’ refers to Matthew K Sharp, <kirseval@werple.net.au>.

‘Activities Co-ordinator - UK’ refers to Nik Whitehead, <nwhitehe@mic.dundee.ac.uk>.

‘Activities Co-ordinator - USA’ refers to Marf Shopmyer, <aa108460@dasher.csd.sc.edu>.

‘The Executive’ refers to The President and Activities Co-ordinators.

'Homepage' refers to The Goodies Fan Club Homepage located at http://www.mcs.dundee.ac.uk:8080/~nwhitehe/goodies/homepage.htm

I. MEMBERSHIP AND PRIVACY ISSUES

* Anyone with internet access can join by sending e-mail to the President <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au> containing the words "I'M A TEAPOT" or "I'M A GOODY".

* Those without internet access can still join either as friends of members, where they receive the Newsletter from their friends or as postal members where an annual cost price subscription is obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope and enough money to cover postage for 1 year to the Fan Club address.

* All new members shall receive an introductory letter, a copy of the latest issue of the Fan Club Newsletter and a Member Profile Form.

* All new members are encouraged to fill out the Member Profile Form; however, it is not mandatory.

* On the Member Profile Form, members may omit their e-mail address (or home address for postal members) and homepage URL for reasons of privacy if you so wish.

II. USE OF THE CLUB'S NAME

* In order to preserve the integrity of the Fan Club, all club-related correspondence must first be cleared with the President.

* It is forbidden to falsely represent the Fan Club or one of the club’s officials.

* Members are, of course, at liberty to state that they are members of the Fan Club in any correspondence, whether Fan Club related or not.

III. MEETINGS AND VOTING

* Fan Club meetings will be held on IRC as deemed necessary by the President, Officials and members of the Fan Club.

* Proposed meeting times and dates must be published in the Fan Club Newsletter.

* Confirmation of those times and dates will then be issued either in the next issue of the Fan Club Newsletter or via Special Announcement along with a proposed agenda.

* Fan Club Meetings cannot be held informally or as a result of "word-of-mouth." However, Members are free to meet and chat on IRC if they so wish.

* Attendance at meetings is not compulsory, neither is voting at a meeting.

* If you can't attend a meeting but have opinions on what is to be discussed, you can e-mail the President <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au> who will make sure that these views are discussed at the Meeting.

* Meetings will be electronically saved by the President. An electronic copy will be mailed to individual Members upon request.

* Decisions made at meetings are final; they can, however, be reversed by a majority vote at a later date.

IV. PRESIDENCY AND OTHER CLUB OFFICIALS

* The Fan Club is headed by the President, who makes decisions about the direction of the Fan Club having consulted Officials and members or in most cases, counts the votes that decide the direction of the club.

* The Executive may meet on IRC or conduct negotiations via e-mail to formulate proposals before they are put to the vote at a meeting.

The President also edits the Newsletter.

* The President may hand the title over to someone when they wish to step down. That person would ideally already be an experienced Club Member.

The current President is Alison Bean, <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>.

* The President has the right to appoint a number of represents to help with the running of the club. They are:

Activities Co-ordinator - Australia is Mathew K Sharp, <kirseval@werple.net.au>.

Activities Co-ordinator - UK is Nik Whitehead, <nwhitehe@mic.dundee.ac.uk>.

Activities Co-ordinator - USA refers to Marf Shopmyer, <aa108460@dasher.csd.sc.edu>.

* Fan Club members are invited to drop a line to the President or Officials if they have questions, comments or suggestions about the club.

* The leadership structure of the Fan Club may change in the future. If so, the Fan Club members will be notified.

* Those chosen for the above positions by the President are done so for their enthusiasm, significant contributions (either to the Club or to the Internet in general), and skills.

V. NEWSLETTER AND SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

* The Fan Club Newsletter and Special Announcements are mailed to Fan Club Members only.

* The production schedule of the Newsletter/Special Announcements and editorial decisions are the responsibilities of the President.

* Anyone can write articles, contribute news, and/or information to the Fan Club Newsletter by sending e-mail to <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>.

* Fan Club Members may request to stop receiving the Newsletter/Special Announcements without fear of incurring the wrath of the Editor. :)

VI. PERSONA NON GRATA

* In extreme cases, members may be dubbed "persona non grata" and be removed from Fan Club membership. Examples of what would warrant this action includes SPAM postings, flaming, abusive language aimed at a member or members, and general harassment of a member or members. Such behaviour would violate the Club Mission Statement, erode the goodwill of the Club and destroy other's enjoyment of the Club.

THE CLUB MISSION STATEMENT (version 2.0)

The Fan Club endeavours to:

* Share our enjoyment and knowledge of "The Goodies" amongst members and net surfers alike.

* Provide an open forum to discuss "The Goodies."

* Promote creativity, understanding, and optimism on the internet and in life.

* Generally do good unto people. To quote "The Tower of London" episode:

Tim Brooke-Taylor: "We are - er - going - to - do good - to people."

Bill Oddie: "How wet!"

* We will endeavour to make the above principles manifest on our Homepage and in our Newsletter.

* The Fan Club does not discriminate against people because of their race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, or colour.

* We do not use language in any Fan Club document that is offensive to diverse social groups (eg. sexist or non gender-inclusive language; racist or derogatory terms).

* The Goodies Fan Club does not endorse "flaming" or "SPAM" postings on the Internet (via either Usenet, IRC, or e-mail). "Flaming" is defined here as using abusive and/or belittling language aimed at a person or persons; "SPAM" postings are defined here as posting your message to many newsgroups, especially newsgroups inappropriate for your message (e.g., "MAKE MONEY FAST" posted to alt.comedy.british).

The Fan Club is a non-profit organisation.

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If you have any ideas for additions etc. please let me know so we can discuss them at a meeting.

I’ve sent an ad about the club to BritComedy Digest which should appear in the next issue. I also posted alt.comedy.british . Now that the homepages are up I will sending requests for ads to 'Feral Funsters' and 'Laugh'. On the net I will post alt.comedy.british again announcing the homepage and I’ll send e-mail to all the search engines I can find and to the Ultimate TV Comedy List (there’s a link to this from the homepage). Finally once uni goes back I’ll put an ad in my uni’s newspaper and get my friends to put ads in their uni newspapers.

If you can advertise the club anywhere, please let me know where and what you intend to say.

PROPOSED MEETING

It would certainly be difficult to get everyone together for a meeting because we have members from all over the world. However my proposal for a meeting time is 11pm in Adelaide, Australia, on Sunday the 28th of January, on IRC #goodies. I have found success with the server <irc.colorado.edu> but it shouldn’t matter what server you use, as long as you’re not on the undernet. (If you want to know what the time will be at 11pm Adelaide time where you live check out the CGI/1.0 URL Timezone Converter at http://hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/cgi-bin/tzconvert ). The time could be changed if it’s not convenient for you but it’s hard to suit everyone.

I received several replies regarding last month’s Spotted.

This is the name of the sitcom featuring Tim Brooke-Taylor, that was set in an advertising agency. David McAnally <dsm@maths.uq.oz.au>, Angus Kidman, <gus@acp.com.au> and Matthew K Sharp <kirseval@werple.net.au> all sent me information on this show, which I summarise here:

* It also starred Richard O'Sullivan (ex Man About The House), Joanne Ridley and Joan Sanderson.

* It was made between 1984 and 1988.

* About 27 episodes were made.

* Tim was a minor character in this - the major characters were the 'father and daughter' pair, played by Richard O'Sullivan and Joanne Ridley.

* It aired in Australia on the Seven Network in 1985/86.

* According to Angus: "It’s not the world's most stunning comedy, and I remember being a bit depressed at the time that TBT had had to move on to this post-Goodies."

* According to David: "We were disappointed in Tim being overshadowed in the way he was in this particular series, and being made to play the weak character he played in this. We feel he deserved better."

Matthew K Sharp also sent me further details on "The Toilet Book"

'The Toilet Book' by Bill Oddie & Laura Beaumont,

Methuen, 1984, PB ISBN 0-413-14020-2.

98 pages, including one "for emergency use only." It is split into two sections - Self Improvement (things you can do in your own toilet), and Other People's Toilets (how to cope with the many and varied pitfalls therein).

Someone also told me that Laura Beaumont is Oddie’s wife (apologies to whoever it was, I’ve forgotten who you were :) ). If so, he must have divorced actress, Jean Hart, who, according to 'From Fringe To Flying Circus' by Roger Wilmut, is Oddie’s wife. (My guess is Bill’s bird watching got too much for her, Bill did mention in his 'Little Black Bird Book' that bird watching wrecks marriages.)

YOU MUST BE THE HUSBAND

Thanks again to Matthew and David who sent me info on another sitcom starring Tim Brooke-Taylor. It was called "You Must Be The Husband", where Tim played the husband of a successful female romance novelist (Diane Keen). David says it "was a fun program and definitely superior in its treatment of Tim." It aired around 1990 (in Australia) and had about 14 episodes. Perhaps this was the sitcom that Graeme and Bill where lampooning in the ISIRTA 25th Anniversary Special, in 1989, when they went to visit Tim in the new town of Milton Sitcom.

And more from David McAnally: 'Tim also appeared in "Assaulted Nuts", a comedy sketch programme, made with English and American comedians (there were certain sketches shown by Graham Kennedy on his "World of Comedy" programme on Channel 7 [Australia] a few years ago). A memorable sketch was the 'Casablanca' sketch, where Tim played the Humphrey Bogart part!'

THE GOODIES APPEAR IN A VODKA ADVERT

If you haven’t joined GOODIES-L, then here is an interesting piece of information posted by Neil Harding <nharding@CIX.COMPULINK.CO.UK> about an ad featuring the Goodies. It is apparently up around London at the moment.

'The advert is for a brand of Vodka, it features the three Goodies from Rome Antics (the Goodies as cavemen) on a pain background with a bottle of Vodka in the middle, and the slogan Good Clean Fun. I've also seen adverts with others 70's icons for the same drink, one features John Noakes and Shep (from Blue Peter), and the other has a chopper (a brand of bike).'

ISIHAC WINS BRITISH COMEDY AWARD

And while I’m stealing bits from here, there and everywhere; if you don’t get that great net-zine, BritComedy Digest, then you won’t know that I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rushton, Humphrey Lyttelton, Graeme Garden and Barry Cryer with Colin Sell at the piano and your scorer Samantha, won Best Radio Comedy at the recent British Comedy Awards.

ISIRTA IS BACK ON RADIO NATIONAL

Here is the final steal from GOODIES-L. Listen out for ISIRTA on Radio National (Australia) at 9.30pm on Friday nights. Thanks to Daniel Frankham <danielf@SENET.COM.AU> who posted that article.

This animated cartoon of 5 minute episodes, with voices provided by TBT, GG and BO is screening on the ABC, in Australia, at 5.25pm on weeknights. Look for it, it’s quite entertaining and make sure you listen out for Tim playing an old lady, using his Lady Constance de Coverlet voice from ISIRTA.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY

Enviously going through a Galaxy Pay-TV (Australia) programme guide I noticed that 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' is currently showing on the Drama and Comedy channel (forgotten what it’s called) twice a day. This is an improvisation game show (I assume a TV version of ISIHAC) which has been known to feature Graeme Garden occasionally. This show has never been shown on free-to-air TV in Australia but it was shown on the QANTAS in-flight channel last year. (Now there’s a piece of information you just had to know!).

If you live in the USA and are lucky enough to have cable TV then you can catch this show on Comedy Central. For details of times check out their homepage at (?)

If you’re a fan of this excellent series, then you might know that Graeme Garden guest starred in series 2, episode 3, "The Death List". In this episode he played Commander Forest, an officer of The Special Branch, who comes to brief Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) when it is discovered that he is on a death list. Repeats of Yes Minister are on the ABC (in Australia) at 6.30pm on Tuesday nights. If they are playing the episodes in order then "The Death List" should be screened on the 6th February 1996.

If you’ve SPOTTED!!! a Goody or have a piece of Goodies trivia, send it to <carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>.

6. FRIENDLY REMINDER :)

With the homepages now up, we need your member profiles. It is not compulsory to send me one, but it is a great way to make friends within the club (believe me!). Here is the profile form again:

E-MAIL: (may be omitted for privacy reasons)

HOMEPAGE: (may be omitted for privacy reasons)

FAVE GOODIES EPISODE(S):

EPISODES NEVER SEEN:

FAVE GOODIES QUOTE(S):

OTHER INTERESTS: (if any)

P.S. While you’re at it, don’t forget to vote for our new club name.

Well, that’s all for this month. Next month: look out for a *new* column and meet the mysterious Marf Shopmyer!

<carrot@olis.mtx.net.au>

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This is an archive newsletter of The Goodies Rule - OK! International Fan Club (copyright The Goodies Rule - OK! 1996). Some of the information in this newsletter may now be incorrect. Current information can be obtained from http://www.goodiesruleok.com

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