List of The Goon Show episodes

The Goon Show was a popular and influential British radio comedy series, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. This article discusses and lists the episodes that survive, as well as the history of their broadcast.

Availiablity of The Goon Show Episodes Today

Lost episodes

Many of the earliest radio episodes no longer exist. Only two episodes from the second series (1951-2) survive. No episodes from the first and third series survive. Only selected episodes from the fourth series were selected for preservation in the BBC Sound Archive, and some exist only as off-air copies made by fans at the time of the original broadcast.

When the first episodes were broadcast, recording technology was still expensive and primitive, by later standards. Audio tape was not in general use, and any recordings were made directly on to acetate discs. These could be played back, but tended to wear out quickly and did not survive, unless further processed to create a master disc, which was only done for recording intended for sale.

Surviving Episodes

Commencing with the start of the fifth series (in 1954), BBC Transcription Services began making copies for overseas sales, and even commissioned re-recordings of some key fourth series episodes for the "Vintage Goons" series, which was mainly intended for overseas markets.

Rather than making copies from the broadcast tapes, the BBC Transcription Services made their own recordings simultaneous with the broadcast recordings in order to obtain the best possible sound quality. These copies were then edited to match the producer's cut of the broadcast tapes.

The BBC Transcription Services versions were then cut to remove topical and parochial material and anything that might be potentially offensive (and The Goon Show did feature quite a lot of politically incorrect humour, much of it sneaked under the noses of BBC censors). Later BBC Transcription Services releases had further cuts for timing purposes. For many years these abridged versions were the only surviving copies of many episodes, but in recent years the BBC has done a huge amount of research to find and restore the missing sections, often figuratively from the cutting room floor.

To date, the BBC has released 24 CD sets of these re-mastered episodes (originally on audio cassette tapes), containing 96 shows, plus The Last Goon Show of All and Goon Again. Another twelve shows had been previously issued by EMI, but for contractual reasons these were all heavily cut to remove musical interludes and other music cues, and to this day they are the only commercially available versions of those particular episodes. The 25th CD set as well as a new Goon Show Compendium, which contains the first 13 episodes of series 5, is due for release on November 5, 2007.

Broadcasting

Episodes of The Goon Show are still occasionally repeated on BBC Radio 2 or Radio 4 in the United Kingdom. More recently the show has become a regular feature on the digital radio station BBC 7, which features both new material (much of it recognisably in a Goonish tradition) and archives from several decades of BBC comedy and drama.

The ABC Radio National network in Australia has regularly broadcast The Goon Show since the 1960s. For many years, the series was broadcast every Saturday afternoon, just after the midday news bulletin. More recently, it was broadcast twice a week, on Friday mornings and Sunday afternoons. The network attempted to retire the series in January 2004, feeling that it might have at last worn out its welcome; but a huge listener response proved them wrong, and broadcasts of the show resumed in the Friday timeslot in June of the same year. The ABC's broadcasts of the series have made The Goon Show one of the most repeated and longest-running of all radio programs.

The programme has also been broadcast in the United States. NBC broadcast and The Goon Show as early as the mid-1950s. Terry Gilliam of the Goon-influenced Monty Python comedy troupe recalled first hearing it broadcast on FM radio in New York City in the 1960s. When Vermont Public Radio signed on the air in 1977 (as a single station which has since evolved into a statewide network), the first program ever to air was an episode of The Goon Show. The show was described as a "madcap radio comedy classic".

List of All Official Goon Show Episodes Produced

The following list of episodes of The Goon Show includes any "specials" and all episodes made for the BBC Transcription Service unaired domestically at the time (and therefore listed at the date of their recording).

First Series (1951)

1. Untitled (28th of May 1951)
2. Untitled (4th of June 1951)
3. Untitled (11th of June 1951)
4. Untitled (18th of June 1951)
5. Untitled (25th of June 1951)
6. Untitled (2nd of July 1951)
7. Untitled (9th of July 1951)
8. Untitled (16th of July 1951)
9. Untitled (23th of July 1951)
10. Untitled (2nd of August 1951)
11. Untitled (9th of August 1951)
12. Untitled (16th of August 1951)
13. Untitled (23rd of August 1951)
14. Untitled (30th of August 1951)
15. Untitled (6th of September 1951)
16. Untitled (13th of September 1951)
17. Untitled (20th of September 1951)

Christmas Pantomime (1951)

1. Untitled (26th of December 1951)

Second Series (1952)

1. Untitled (22nd of January 1952)
2. Untitled (29th of January 1952)
3. Untitled (5th of February 1952)
4. Untitled (19th of February 1952)
5. Untitled (26th of February 1952)
6. Untitled (4th of March 1952)
7. Untitled (11th of March 1952)
8. Untitled (18th of March 1952)
9. Untitled (25th of March 1952)
10. Untitled (1st of April 1952)
11. Untitled (8th of April 1952)
12. Untitled (15th of April 1952)
13. Untitled (22nd of April 1952)
14. Untitled (29th of April 1952)
15. Untitled (6th of May 1952)
16. Untitled (13th of May 1952)
17. Untitled (20th of May 1952)
18. Untitled (27th of May 1952)
19. Untitled (3rd of June 1952)
20. Untitled (10th of June 1952)
21. Untitled (17th of June 1952)
22. Untitled (24th of June 1952)
23. Untitled (1st of July 1952)
24. Untitled (8th of July 1952)
25. Untitled (15th of July 1952)

Third Series (1952-3)

1. Fred of the Islands (11th of November 1952)
2. The Egg of the Great Auk (18th of November 1952)
3. I was a Male Fan Dancer (25th of November 1952)
4. The Saga of HMS Aldgate (2nd of December 1952)
5. The Expedition for Toothpaste (9th of December 1952)
6. The Archers (16th of December 1952)
7. Robin Hood (26th of December 1952)
8. Where Does Santa Claus Go in the Summer? (30th of December 1952)
9. The Navy, Army, and Air Force (6th of January 1953)
10. The British Way of Life (13th of January 1953)
11. A Survey of Britain (20th of January 1953)
12. Flint of the Flying Squad (27th of January 1953)
13. Seaside Resorts in Winter (3rd of February 1953)
14. The Tragedy of Oxley Towers (10th of February 1953)
15. The Story of Civilization (17th of February 1953)
16. The Search for the Bearded Vulture (24th of February 1953)
17. The Mystery of the Monkey's Paw (3rd of March 1953)
18. The Mystery of the Cow on the Hill (10th of March 1953)
19. Where Do Socks Come From? (17th of March 1953)
20. The Man Who Never Was (31st of March 1953)
21. The Building of the Suez Canal (7th of April 1953)
22. The De Goonlies (14th of April 1953)
23. The Conquest of Space (21st of April 1953)
24. The Ascent of Mount Everest (28th of April 1953)
25. The Story of Plymouth Hoe Armada (5th of May 1953)

Coronation Special (1953)

1. Untitled (3rd of June 1953)

Fourth Series (1953-4)

1. The Dreaded Piano Clubber (2nd of October 1953)
2. The Man Who Tried to Destroy London's Monuments (9th of October 1953)
3. The Ghastly Experiements of Doctor Hans Eidelburger (16th of October 1953)
4. The Building of Britain's First Atomic Cannon (23rd of October 1953)
5. The Gibraltar Story (30th of October 1953)
6. Through the Sound Barrier in an Airing Cupboard (6th of November 1953)
7. The First Albert Memorial to the Moon (13th of November 1953)
8. The Missing Bureaucrat (20th of November 1953)
9. Operation Bagpipes (27th of November 1953)
10. The Flying Saucer Mystery (4th of December 1953)
11. The Spanish Armada (11th of December 1953)
12. The British Way (18th of December 1953)
13. Untitled (sketch in Christmas Crackers) (25th of December 1953)
14. The Giant Bombardon (26th of December 1953)
15. Ten Thousand Fathoms Down in a Wardrobe (1st of January 1954)
16. The Missing Prime Minister (8th of January 1954)
17. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Crun (15th of January 1954)
18. The Mummified Priest (22nd of January 1954)
19. The History of Communications (29th of January 1954)
20. The Kippered Herring Gang (5th of February 1954)
21. The Toothpaste Expedition (12th of February 1954)
22. The Case of the Vanishing Room (15th of February 1954)
23. The Great Ink Drought of 1902 (22nd of February 1954)
24. The Greatest Mountain in the World (1st of March 1954)
25. The Collapse of the British Railway Sandwich System (8th of March 1954)
26. The Silent Bugler (15th of March 1954)
27. Western Story (22nd of March 1954)
28. The Saga of the Internal Mountain (29th of March 1954)
29. The Invisible Acrobat (5th of April 1954)
30. The Great Bank of England Robbery (12th of April 1954)
31. The Siege of Fort Knight (19th of April 1954)

Specials (1954)

1. Archie in Goon Land (11th of June 1954)
2. The Starlings (1st of August 1954)

Fifth Series (1954-5)

1. The Whistling Spy Enigma (28th of September 1954)
2. The Lost Gold Mine (of Charlotte) (5th of October 1954)
3. The Dreaded Batter-Pudding Hurler (of Bexhill-on-Sea) (12th of October 1955)
4. The Phantom Head Shaver (of Brighton) (19th of October 1954)
5. The Affair of the Lone Banana (26th of October 1954)
6. The Canal (2nd of November 1954)
7. Lurgi Strikes Britain (9th of November 1954)
8. The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (Solved) (16th of November 1954)
9. The Last Tram from Clapham (23rd of November 1954)
10. The Booted Gorilla (30th of November 1954)
11. The Spanish Suitcase (17th of December 1954)
12. Dishonoured, (or The Fall of Neddie Seagoon) (14th of December 1954)
13. Forog (21st of December 1954)
14. Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest (28th of December 1954)
15. 1985 (4th of January 1955)
16. The Case of the Missing Heir (11th of January 1955)
17. China Story (18th of January 1955)
18. Under Two Floorboards: (a Story of the Legion) (25th of January 1955)
19. The Missing Scroll (1st of February 1955)
20. 1985 (8th of February 1955)
21. The Sinking of Westminster Pier (15th of February 1955)
22. The Fireball of Milton Street (22nd of February 1955)
23. The Six Ingots of Leadenhall Street (1st of March 1955)
24. The Yehti (8th of March 1955)
25. The White Box of Great Bardfield (15th of March 1955)
26. The End (a.k.a. Confessions of a Secret Senna-pod Drinker) (22nd of March 1955)

Sixth Series (1955-6)

1. The Man Who Won the War (a.k.a. Seagoon MCC) (20th of September 1955)
2. The Secret Escritoire (27th of September 1955)
3. The Lost Emperor (4th of October 1955)
4. Napoleon's Piano (11th of October 1955)
5. The Case of the Missing CD Plates (18th of October 1955)
6. Rommel's Treasure (25th of October 1955)
7. Foiled by President Fred (1st of November 1955)
8. Shangri-La Again (8th of November 1955)
9. The International Christmas Pudding (15th of November 1955)
10. The Sale of Manhattan (a.k.a. The Lost Colony) (29th of November 1955)
11. The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fumanchu (6th of December 1955)
12. The Missing Christmas Parcel: Post Early (8th of December 1955)
13. The Lost Year (13th of December 1955)
14. The Greenslade Story (20th of December 1955)
15. The Hastings Flyer - Robbed (27th of December 1955)
16. The Mighty Wurlitzer (3rd of January 1956)
17. The Raid of the International Christmas Pudding (10th of January 1956)
18. Tales of Montmartre (17th of January 1956)
19. The Jet-Propelled Guided NAAFI (24th of January 1956)
20. The House of Teeth (31st of January 1956)
21. Tales of Old Dartmoor (7th of February 1956)
22. The Choking Horror (14th of February 1956)
23. The Great Tuscan Salami Scandal (21st of February 1956)
24. The Treasure in the Lake (28th of February 1956)
25. The Goons Hit Wales (6 min.) (1st of March 1956)
26. The Fear of Wages (6th of March 1956)
27. Scradje (13th of March 1956)
28. The Man Who Never Was (20th of March 1956)
29. The Pevensey Bay Disaster (3rd of April 1956; postponed from 22nd of November 1955)

Special (1956)

1. China Story (29th of August 1956)

Seventh Series (1956-7)

1. The Nasty Affair at the Burami Oasis (4th of October 1956)
2. Drums Along the Mersey (11th of October 1956)
3. The Nadger Plague (18th of October 1956)
4. The MacReekie Rising of '74 (25th of October 1956)
5. The Spectre of Tintagel (1st of November 1956)
6. The Great Bank Robbery (15th of November 1956)
7. Personal Narrative (22nd of November 1956)
8. The Mystery of the Fake Neddie Seagoons (29th of November 1956)
9. Robin Hood (unaired)
10. What's My Line? (5th of December 1956)
11. The Telephone (13th of December 1956)
12. The Flea (20th of December 1956)
13. Operation Christmas Duff (BBC General Overseas Service: 24th of December 1956)
14. Six Charlies in Search of an Author (26th of December 1956)
15. Emperor of the Universe (3rd of January 1957)
16. Wings over Dagenham (10th of January 1957)
17. The Rent Collectors (17th of January 1957)
18. Shifting Sands (24th of January 1957)
19. The Moon Show (31st of January 1957)
20. The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker (7th of February 1957)
21. The Sleeping Prince (14th of February 1957; postponed from 8th of November 1956)
22. Round the World in Eighty Days (21st of February 1957)
23. Insurance, the White Man's Burden (28th of February 1957)
24. The Africa Ship Canal (7th of March 1957)
25. Ill Met by Goonlight (14th of March 1957)
26. The Missing Boa Constrictor (21st of March 1957)
27. The Histories of Pliny the Elder (28th of March 1957)

Special (1957)

1. The Reason Why (22nd of August 1957)

Eighth Series (1957-8)

1. Spon (30th of September 1957)
2. The Junk Affair (7th of October 1957)
3. The Burning Embassy (14th of October 1957)
4. The Great Regent's Park Swim (21st of October 1957)
5. The Treasure in the Tower (28th of October 1957)
6. The Space Age (4th of November 1957)
7. The Red Fort (11th of November 1957)
8. The Missing Battleship (18th of November 1957)
9. The Policy (25th of November 1957)
10. King Solomon's Mines (2nd of December 1957)
11. The Stolen Postman (9th of December 1957)
12. The Great British Revolution (16th of December 1957)
13. The Plasticine Man (23rd of December 1957)
14. African Incident (30th of December 1957)
15. The Thing on the Mountain (6th of January 1958)
16. The String Robberies (13th of January 1958)
17. The Moriarty Murder Mystery (20th of January 1958)
18. The Curse of Frankenstein (27th of January 1958)
19. The White Neddie Trade (3rd of February 1958)
20. Ten Snowballs That Shook the World (10th of February 1958)
21. The Man Who Never Was (17th of February 1958)
22. World War One (a.k.a. _____!) (24th of February 1958)
23. The Spon Plague (3rd of March 1958)
24. Tiddleywinks (10th of March 1958)
25. The Evils of Bushley Spon (17th of March 1958)
26. The Great Statue Debate (24th of March 1958)

Vintage Goons Series (1957-8)

(The following episodes were especially recorded for overseas stations only and were re-recordings of earlier episodes. Most of these episodes were not broadcast in the United Kingdom until the 1980s. Therefore, the dates listed in this series are recording dates.)

1. The Mummified Priest (6th of October 1957)
2. The Greatest Mountain in the World (20 October 1957)
3. The Missing Number 10 Downing Street (3rd of November 1957)
4. The Giant Bombardon (17th of November 1957)
5. The Kippered Herring Gang (1st of December 1957)
6. The Vanishing Room (15th of December 1957)
7. The Ink Shortage (29th of December 1957)
8. The Mustard and Cress Shortage or the Collapse of the British Railway Sandwich System (12th of January 1958)
9. The Internal Mountain (16th of February 1958)
10. The Silent Bugler (23rd of February 1958)
11. The Great Bank of England Robbery (2nd of March 1958)
12. The Dreaded Piano Clubber (9th of March 1958)
13. The Siege of Fort Night (16th of March 1958)
14. The Albert Memorial (23rd of March 1958)

Ninth Series (1958-9)

1. The Sahara Desert Statue (3rd of November 1958)
2. I was Monty's Treble (10th of November 1958)
3. The £1,000,000 Penny (17th of November 1958)
4. The Pam's Paper Insurance Policy (24th of November 1958)
5. The Mountain Eaters (1st of December 1958)
6. The Childe Harolde Rewarde (8th of December 1958)
7. The Seagoon Memoirs (15th of December 1958)
8. Queen Anne's Rain (22nd of December 1958)
9. The Battle of Spion Kop (29th of December 1958)
10. Ned's Atomic Dustbin (5th of January 1959)
11. The Spy, or Who is Pink Oboe? (12th of January 1959)
12. The Call of the West (20th of January 1959)
13. Dishonoured - Again (26th of January 1959)
14. The Scarlet Capsule (2nd of February 1959)
15. The Tay Bridge (9th of February 1959)
16. The Gold Plate Robbery (16th of February 1959)
17. The £50 Cure (23rd of February 1959)

Tenth Series (1959-60)

1. A Christmas Carol (24th of December 1959)
2. The Tale of Men's Shirts (31st of December 1959)
3. The Chinese Legs (7th of January 1960)
4. Robin's Post (14th of January 1960)
5. The Silver Dubloons (21st of January 1960)
6. The Last Smoking Seagoon (28th of January 1960)

Special (1968)

1. Tales of Men’s Shirts (8th of August 1968)

Special (1972)

1. The Last Goon Show of All (5th of October 1972)

Special (2001)

1. Goon Again: the 50th Anniversary Cardboard Replica Goon Show (29th of May 2001)

Trivia

• Note that until the second series, The Goon Show was called Crazy People.
• The Last Goon Show of All was released on CD with a documentary entitled At Last the Go On Show.

Bibliography

• Farnes, Norma (1997). The Goons: The Story. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-679-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |day= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Wilmut, Roger (1976). "A Goonography". The Goon Show Companion - A History and Goonography. London: Robson Books. pp. Appendixes. ISBN 0-903895-64-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)