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ESSEX CHRONICLE – 14th March 2007
(Lisa Manekofsky – 15th Mar)
Thanks to Jess at the Saucy Gibbon site for spotting an interview with Tim & Graeme in the Essex Chronicle. I found the article online at:
THREE OF A KIND
08:00 - 14 March 2007
Tim Brooke-Taylor throws his head back and laughs long and loud: "The only Goodies we've seen recently are the ones on Celebrity Big Brother!" All that, however, is about to change. Following on from a hugely successful run at the Edinburgh Festival last summer, an extremely popular comeback last year on BBC2 with The Return of the Goodies and two sold-out tours of Australia, the much-loved comedians will be appearing at a the Mercury Theatre, Colchester this Saturday. As the title of their new show puts it, The Goodies Still Rule OK!
As they prepare to take their show on the road this spring, Tim and his long-term comedy partner Graeme Garden are sitting in capacious armchairs in the bar of a central London hotel drinking cappuccinos. As funny off stage as they are on it, the pair make for highly entertaining company.
The Goodies Still Rule OK! is a celebration of one of the nation's favourite TV comedy shows of the 1970s. The television series, immensely popular with all ages, started in 1970 and ran for 74 episodes until the team called it a day in 1981.
The show centred on a trio of trouble-shooters - the loveable Bill Oddie was the third member. They rode around on an iconic three-seater bicycle (or trandem) and attempted to solve problems "anytime, anywhere".
Featuring a highly catchy theme tune and songs by Bill, the series developed into a satirical, surreal festival of verbal and visual humour, replete with special effects, explosions, outsized props, camera tricks and slapstick worthy of the silent movie greats. Oh yes, and a giant kitten.
The Goodies, who also had a number of hit singles, including The Funky Gibbon and The Inbetweenies, twice won the Montreux Silver Rose. In addition, they made guest-star appearances on every major British TV show, including the now-legendary first Amnesty benefit, A Poke in the Eye with a Sharp Stick.
In the Goodies' live show, Tim and Graeme share with us their favourite sketches and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Melding reminiscences with ridiculousness, they recall the "naughty bits" banned by Australian TV (which screened the show religiously at 6pm every evening for decades); the sketches from the student revue that took the troupe to Broadway; and Tim's famed Union Jack waistcoat. The show also features the odd explosion (insurance pending).
Due to filming commitments, Bill (who has established himself as BBC2's resident wildlife expert with programmes such as Bill Oddie Goes Wild and Springwatch) will beam his performance in to the venues via the wonders of digital technology.
The crowd has certainly gone wild wherever the team have performed The Goodies Still Rule OK! "When we toured Australia," recollects Graeme, who is dressed in a brown corduroy jacket and purple shirt, "the audiences were everything that old men like us could wish for - young, bright and grateful!
"Because the TV show went out every night at 6pm, several generations grew up with us."
Tim, who since 1971 has starred alongside Graeme in the impossibly popular R4 "antidote to panel games", I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue, chimes in that, "pompously, you could say that like The Simpsons, The Goodies works on two levels. It appeals simultaneously to both adults and children.
"What particularly delighted us was how affectionate people were. We had these tough Outback guys coming up and saying, 'thank you for providing the sole bright spots in an otherwise terrible childhood'. Those moments brought a lump to the throat.
"But the nicest thing was the number of gorgeous women of 30 appearing at the stage door afterwards and asking, 'can I have I hug?' We had to say, 'careful with these old bones!' They were so enthusiastic, it gave us the push we needed to perform the show here."
When they did, the response was equally positive. "The reaction in Edinburgh was better than we dared hope," remembers Tim, 66, who wrote for The Two Ronnies and Marty Feldman. "What was so encouraging was that the audience covered all ages."
The Goodies are appealingly modest when asked about why they continue to be so popular. "People must have long memories," ventures Graeme, 64.
"Or very bad memories," adds Tim, quick as a flash. He goes on in a more serious vein. "Our humour has endured because it's universal. When we were writing, we were always thinking, 'what would make us laugh?' That was always our yardstick."
Graeme, a qualified doctor, who has written for Doctor in the House, Bremner, Bird and Fortune and Smith and Jones, chips in that, "we also aimed to make the comedy accessible. We tried to put in a joke every couple of lines."
Tim, who is done up in a smart blue shirt and corduroy trousers, continues that the three Goodies, who met at the Cambridge Footlights in the early 1960s, each stood for different, contradictory traits.
"Because I've got a double-barrelled name, I was the toff. Because he was a qualified doctor, Graeme was the eccentric boffin. And because he was a bloody revolutionary, Bill was the bloody revolutionary. Nothing's changed, except Graeme and myself!"
The pair, who remain very close to Bill ("we're seeing him for lunch in an hour," Graeme reveals), enjoy a great chemistry. That also contributes to the show's appeal. "We know each other almost too well, so in any conversation we have a ready-made shorthand," smiles Tim, who studied law at Cambridge and used to share notes with his great friend John Cleese.
Graeme, who has written a new R4 comedy entitled About a Dog and starring Alan Davies, pitches in that, "the great thing is that we still make each other laugh. I'm very happy to watch Tim on stage. Except when the audience are laughing at him and not me, then, of course, I curse him!"
There is clearly a genuine buzz between the pair when they perform together. They relish the live experience. "I love audiences," beams Tim.
"It's like we're all having a great time together." And that is exactly the sensation experienced by audiences at The Goodies Still Rule OK!
As they head off to meet Bill for lunch, I ask Tim and Graeme whether the tour will be seriously rock'n'roll. Will they have a budget for painting the town red every night? "No," Tim deadpans, "we'll spend any money we have on a caring nurse and a nice cup of Horlicks!"
The Goodies are playing at the Mercury Theatre for one night only on Saturday March 17; For booking information on the tour, go to www.goodiesruleok.com
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