The Goodies - Radio Goodies

Radio Goodies

First broadcast: 20th December 1970 on BBC-1

This was my favourite episode I've seen so far. The Goodies decide to take advantage of the recent introduction of commercial radio licences - at least that's how it appeared to me. My knowledge of the history of commercial radio is slim but nonetheless, 1970 seemed a tad early for the Goodies to be applying for a licence - and that's because it probably is.

The Sound Broadcasting Act 1972 helped turn the Independent Television Authority (ITA) into the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA), so independent radio gained a regulator. It seems likely that the regulator needed to exist before licences could be handed out. Yet it's unsurprising that the Goodies would be keen already by December 1970 because in June that year the Conservatives had won a General Election with a manifesto that proposed the introduction of commercial radio.

Until then, pirate radio was the only alternative to the BBC's airwaves monopoly, with stations basing themselves on vessels positioned several miles out to sea, and thus beyond the legal reach of UK law. When the Goodies are turned down for a licence, they opt to launch their own pirate station, which also then becomes the base for their independent postal service.

Bill and Tim's enthusiasm for the radio station is best exemplified by the fact they have spent considerable time perfecting a jingle before they even hear about their licence. When they do get their station, Bill has worked hard on his presenting skills to emulate an upbeat, fast-talking disc jockey. He's clearly hoping for superstardom and I'd be curious if his style is based on any contemporaries in particular. With both these important aspects in place, we then discover that they have neglected to acquire any records so are left playing one single on repeat.

Graeme is emerging as the technical bod of the three, which suits him as I think he looks like he should be presenting something from the Open University. He masterminds the design of their sea base and after proposing their postal service, later descends into increasing power-crazed megalomania, finally morphing into a villain who is Nazi-like in appearance. I hugely enjoyed watching this change in Graeme, who had seemed like the most sensible and ordinary of the three in the previous episodes I'd seen.

The design of the radio station is extraordinary. Graeme's drawing shows a small fishing boat that sits atop the water, with a cylinder heading down beneath to the full station, complete with living arrangements and sleeping quarters. Graeme presents his design to the others, placing it in our imagination, thus it doesn't matter that we never actually see most of this.

I adore the radio station set. It seems superb and unnecessarily huge for a single episode of a sitcom that also spends plenty of time on location. It looks wonderfully futuristic, immediately making me think of sci-fi series. I like the continuity that means it has a large silver 'G' on the door, similar to the one at the Goodies headquarters.

The structure of the Goodies' postal service is never explained and I couldn't work out how they were supposed to make any money from it, so it's best not to dwell upon that. Bill and Tim are left to do the bulk of the manual work, roaming around as rogue post boxes, trying to trap people into giving them their post. The sorting operation is even stranger, with Bill and Tim attaching balloons to the letters, which are directed out to sea for Graeme to shoot down and retrieve. I particularly liked the idea of the first class delivery that is delivered singularly by a Rolls Royce, then carried to the door on a silver tray by Tim, dressed up to the nines.

I mentioned my early enjoyment of The Goodies' musical choices and Radio Goodies excelled. I was particularly keen on the postal song that served as a background to Bill and Tim's rushed activities. It really contributes well to these lengthy, silent sequences of visual comedy.

The Goodies - Cecily

Cecily

First broadcast: 13th December 1970 on BBC-1

The Goodies are struggling to find work and one does wonder whether 'anything any time' is just too vague for the general public. McCall's newspaper advert in The Equalizer is similarly brief but at least he narrowed it down to helping people that had a problem with the odds against them. I think the Goodies may need some simple marketing support that conveys that they can do anything for YOU, any time that suits YOU.

However, I admire their persistence and the 'anything, any time' remit does feel like it's started to stretch - I certainly hadn't imagined them taking on babysitting duties. Of the threesome's new roles, I particularly enjoyed Tim's role as Nanny - it was the voice more than anything; it isn't just high-pitched, but he's got a crackly tone that ages it.

Part of me keeps expecting to have a fairly normal episode of a sitcom. The openings do give that impression to a degree when they set up the plot for each episode. We could easily just progress onto standard sitcom events, so I tend to experience a "What?!" moment midway through.

With so little set at their headquarters compared to the previous episodes I'd seen, I like how The Goodies feel part of the real world, despite the fantastical elements of it. While I disliked Tower of London's long, silent sequence, since then I've begun to love these sections of the episodes. I am still getting to know the limits of The Goodies' world so tigers in suburban gardens and plants moving of their own accord all take me by surprise. I enjoyed Graeme's battle with the garden as well as the separate mayhem in the kitchen, and I liked how it came together when the garden began trying to invade indoors. This was a nice way of linking the location and studio scenes, helping them feel one and the same.

While all this is going on, we are still waiting to meet Cecily and are unsure what to expect after her aunt and uncle have made us trepidatious. She has a decent-sized role in the episode, despite so much happening before we actually see her. I liked the double twist that we first feel sorry for this lovely little girl, only for it to be flipped back later on.

The Goodies - Gender Education

Gender Education

My next episode of The Goodies moves us swiftly further along to series 2, episode 11. At the Goodies' headquarters, a well-turned-out, mature woman with glasses sneaks up on Tim and Graeme. She's instantly recognisable as a faux-Mary Whitehouse and I must admit I was surprised that I saw this so quickly, yet she really did have a distinctive look. It's confirmed that she is a Mary Whitehouse figure when we learn Mrs Desiree Carthorse represents the Keep Filth Off Television Campaign - similar to Whitehouse's well-known Clean Up TV Campaign.

It's an extreme caricature, with her horrified at anything not perfectly prim and proper, particularly anything to do with sex - to the point that she won't even spell it out and just mimes writing the 'x' in the air. That the Goodies all take this up as well is great.

Mrs pretend-Whitehouse has sought out the Goodies because she wants them to make a 'clean' sex education film. We get to see the results of this and there are some marvellous touches. A naked man and woman are covered with white sheets, and after reference to "the birds and the bees", we cut to shots of tiny white cloths covering hovering pairs of birds and bees.

I was fond of Bill as a television mogul, who heads off to make things with lots of violence because he knows it's what the people want. I loved how power-mad he had gone. The comedy is maximised by using Bill as the shortest chap with an absurdly massive cigar, like all good moguls should have.

We again get plenty of time on location when Tim and Graeme take Mrs Carthorse to Bill's latest shoot. It feels like real evidence of their enthusiasm for filming out of a studio because this is exactly the sort of thing they could have more easily done in a studio! Yet it means we are perfectly placed for the manic fun that follows. Unlike Tower of London's lengthiest location sequence, I adored the extravaganza on Bill's set here. It has another lengthy run-around but there was more variety watching both the Goodies pelting around the set as well as some of the supporting cast.

I had been impressed by The Goodies' music previously but enjoyed it even more on this episode and by the time I had finished Gender Education, I was in love with the style.

The Goodies - Tower of London

I first watched The Goodies without realising. In my early forays to YouTube, I was searching for Doctor Who content when I came across something featuring Patrick Troughton up against three other blokes. Split into two videos, there were no titles and when it finished I still I had no idea what it was but I enjoyed its style.

A short while later, I recognised the three chaps elsewhere. I was certain for years that I had watched several episodes of The Goodies over Christmas 2005. Now I can check these things, I've learned it's likely that I actually saw clips from Return of the Goodies and these may have been supplemented afterwards by a Comedy Connections episode on The Goodies - that documentary series was helping me discover various programmes around that time.

Over the years I saw more clips but despite years of keeping an eye out, The Goodies hasn't really turned up as repeats and soon faded into vagueness in my memory. However, when someone sent me their spare The Goodies...At Last DVDs, I knew I would eventually get around to them.

Tower of London/The Crown Jewels

As the first episode, this proved an excellent introduction to The Goodies as it opens with the three leads - Tim, Graeme and Bill - arriving at their new headquarters. It's a clean-looking, modern main room for 1970, although we are placed firmly in period when we see the patterned decor of the other rooms. I got a shock when the doors were opened to a CSO view of a couple of other rooms, then it gave me a nice laugh when, as they were repeatedly opened, the view changed to show more rooms, so that this otherwise tiny floor has kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and more. Even better was the CSO used with the blinds to change the view out the window. It seems such an innovative way of experimenting with technology when I'm used to CSO simply being a necessity for science-fiction in this decade.

Having got this spanking-new headquarters, it appears the gang hadn't been entirely certain what they were going to do with it, but Bill's adverts in various publications inform people they are willing to "anything anytime". Their first request comes from the Tower of London.

The Beefeaters at the Tower cannot get enough beef as it is all disappearing and they have begun to waste away. Two small Beefeaters appear at one point, disgusted to be told the only thing on offer is corned beef. Later, we are presented with two piles of clothes as they have disappeared completely. Despite everything around it, I was just tickled from the off by the idea that Beefeaters cannot survive without beef and enjoyed the reinforcement.

I also liked the visual gags at the Tower as a torture chamber has been converted into a kitchen, with a guillotine being used as a bread slicer. As the corned beef is about to be cut, I was expecting something similar to drop down from the ceiling, so it caught me out alongside the trio when a pendulum swung across instead.

The Goodies have to deduce a word puzzle from their computer at one point - that in itself feels a new-fangled thing as it actually has a screen, rather just providing a print out on ticker-tape. Four images displayed to our detectives. I'd kept up with them that the first two equalled 'crown', the third was a profile view of an old lady, while the fourth was a bell with a cross through a 'b', so we had 'crown something ells'. I ended up ahead of them in guessing 'crown jewels' but gasped and cringed as I realised.

Even though this is a BBC programme, The Goodies has 'Part One' and 'Part Two' sections. Initially forgetting this, I didn't think to question it and it only makes sense when you realise they have created their own adverts. I liked this idea as it's a way for them to get sketches in within a sitcom.

The amount of location filming in the series is wonderful and a refreshing change when many other shows from this era are still predominantly studio-bound. The Goodies appears almost the reverse - a location-based series that enters the studio when it has to. It provides plenty of opportunity for visual gags, such as the use of their 'trandem' bicycle. There is one extended sequence of the gang chasing Prince Charles across London and this is the only part that didn't entirely work for me as it feels lengthy without quite enough comedy to fill it.

The programme avoids having to try to record sound on location by overlaying it with music. This isn't just any old library music or a rehash of the title theme either - they are unique pieces recorded for the series by Bill Oddie with William Gibb. The more I heard, the more I liked this.