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THE SCOTSMAN – 6th April
(Lisa Manekofsky – Goodies-l – 6th Apr)
A Goodies time was had by all
GARY FLOCKHART
THEY wrote it and starred in it and their characters were comic exaggerations of their own personalities as they became household names during the Seventies and early Eighties.
And now, after years in the comedy wilderness as a trio, The Goodies (Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor) are back in fashion.
"I think the humour is pretty basic and universal, and to that extent timeless," offers Garden, one third of the cult comedy triumvirate.
Pausing for thought a moment, the Aberdeen-born comedian adds: "The sets, costumes and facial hair are now quaint period pieces, and funny in their own right."
After last year's Fringe show reunited Garden and Brooke-Taylor for the Goodies' first UK gigs in more than 25 years, they return to relive their heyday on TV by showing some classic clips from the archives and performing a series of brand- new sketches in a 90-minute show at the Festival Theatre on Sunday.
As was the case in the Capital last August, third Goodie Oddie (better known these days for his TV programmes on birding and wildlife) will appear in pre-recorded segments projected onto a giant screen.
"We're much better off without Bill anyway," laughs Garden. "I can't speak for Tim, but personally I'd rather he was off doing his bird-watching stuff than on the tour with us. He drives me up the wall that man."
As anyone who grew up in the 70s will remember fondly, The Goodies was a massive TV comedy hit, which achieved a cult following and was successful all over the world.
It was an unrestrained, satirical festival of visual humour, with special effects, explosions, gigantic props and camera tricks combining to produce a variety of antics rarely seen since the silent movie heyday. There was also a musical element to the shows, Oddie providing songs or instrumental routines to fit in with the capers.
This led to a long-lasting spin-off success for the team, with successful album releases and high-ranking chart entries for songs such as Funky Gibbon. Several such songs had first been performed by Oddie in the BBC radio sketch comedy show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, in which all three Goodies had appeared, along with members of the Monty Python team.
Twenty years on, the trio reunited and went on their first ever live sell-out Goodies show in Australia and last year the show hit the UK, with the aforementioned run at the Edinburgh Fringe gaining rave reviews.
With the show having hit the road again in the eagerly awaited first UK tour, Garden laughs as he says, "The Goodies are more popular than ever - especially with ladies of a certain age.
"We seem to get more attention now than in the old days," smiles the 64-year-old Scot, a trained doctor who made his name pretending to be a madcap inventor.
"When we appeared on Top of the Pops we didn't have screaming groupies, and after the shows we had to make do with going out for a meal with Pan's People."
Laughing, he adds: "Now we get some nice ladies who come round for autographs at the stage door, but their minds are pure and chaste, as are ours."
He may be happy to reminisce about The Goodies' days as pop pin-ups, but Garden's son John is a proper pop star - the keyboard player for the US pop sensations Scissor Sisters.
"Yeah it's terrific," Garden beams with pride. "I loved watching them at the Brits. He's over in the States at the moment. I'm not too sure where he is - but he's having a great time and, of course, that's wonderful."
Back to Sunday's show, though, and Garden says the Edinburgh audience can expect the familiar Goodies' blend of slapstick, satire and surrealism.
He and Brooke-Taylor have kept their comedy edge sharply honed by appearing in classic, long-running Radio 4 comedy series I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue, with Barry Cryer and Humphrey Lyttelton.
"The show is going to be very similar to the one we performed during the Fringe last year," he explains. "There will be a few special recordings we've done with Bill, though, as well as one or two new sketches that we've written.
"It will be fun to be back in Edinburgh where we always get a great reception. The shows last year went down really well with the crowds. We're looking forward to having a good time, and I hope the audience makes us laugh a lot."
After many years out of the public eye, Garden admits that he was pleasantly surprised how well The Goodies' were received after making their comeback Down Under a few years ago.
"We were slightly nervous about Australia, but thought, if the show's an utter failure, it's a long way away," he smiles.
"But it went well. We didn't expect to have the same reaction over here as Australia; there were 30-year-olds who were brought up with it in Australia, but people that age hadn't seen it in this country."
He needn't have worried. The Goodies went down a storm in this country too, proving that good comedy never goes out of fashion.
So now they are back in business, who do they poke fun at? Garden sniggers: "Bill's nature programmes."
The Goodies Still Rule OK!, Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, Sunday, 7.30pm, £20.50, 0131-529 6000
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