I remember watching this on the night it was aired. I laughed so much I was crying, my parents thought I was having some sort of breakdown. If it hadn’t been for people like Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman, Eric Sykes, Barry’s Took & Cryer, there would be none of the comedy we see today, including Monty Python.
I'm sure we all know Spike suffered with manic depression. I've been going through a rough spell the last couple of months with depression and anxiety and Spike's clips can snap me out of it in an instant. It's like he knew what would help other people also suffering. Thank you for giving me a glimmer of hope in my worst times, Spike. Rest In Peace.
American and fellow recipient of anxiety and depression over here. I agree with your assessment of Spike and I would also include Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys in that as well. Struggled with manic depression and schizophrenia but if you listen to his music, it’s joyful and whimsical. I think a lot of artists write what they want to feel rather than how they really feel. Keep your head up, you’re stronger than you think you are. I’ll root for you if you root for me. 😄
I couldn't agree with you more. I've been a Goons fan since the early sixties. I just missed the original shows but I've made up for it since. There'll never be another Spike Milligan. I remember seeing this on TV in one of the Q series. I am still wiping tears of laughter from my eyes as I write this.
The man was a comic genius pure and simple. The Goon Show has never been bettered. It's such a shame that British comedy, after the 60s atrophied and we ended up with On the Buses and Terry and June.
This is one of those rare things that gets funnier the longer it lasts and the more you watch it. Spike did not always get it right in the Q Series but when he did he might just be the funniest person I've ever seen.
The Q series were brilliant *because* they were "hit and miss" - you never knew what would happen next, they were full of surprises, and even the sketches that didn't really work were wonderfully absurd. You could go from "What on earth was that ?" to pants wetting laughter in seconds.
Out of all the comedians on earth, Spike Milligan has to be the most hilarious comedian that has ever lived, he was undoubtably a comic genius, he made the world a far richer place with his sense of humour and was a huge influence on future generations of comedians, we all miss him so much.
Love a lot of Spike's stuff. When my kids were little, I taught them a Milligan poem: Said Baby Tern to Mother Tern "Can I have a baby brother?" Said Mother Tern to Baby Tern "Yes , one good Tern deserves another"
This, in my opinion, is the funniest poem in the English language. I have never managed to say it to the end without laughing: I am a mystery fellow, I'm Fred Fernackerpan. I wear one sock that's yellow, The other dipped in jam. I walk about the countryside, I walk about the town, Sometimes with my trousers up And sometimes with them down: And when they were up they were up, And when they were down they were down, And when they were only halfway up, He was arrested.
@@zh84 Brilliant! But this is my favourite Milligan - in pensive mood ; I must go down to the sea again - To the lonely sea and sky. I left my vest and socks there, I wonder if they're dry?
Love Spike’s poems. This one is a favourite of mine; Doctor O’Dell Fell down a well And broke his collar bone, But doctors should attend the sick And leave the well alone.😂
This is so wonderful. God bless you Spike for all the laughs. The world is a lesser place without his intelligent, crazy comedy, and 75 people can't see that.
Hrh Fish I agree with you. I was of School age that time. It was such good family entertainment. Now it’s not tv anymore it’s just Sky tv. World channels. A lot of crap and filth and no quality. Plenty of vulgarity. The old comedians were genuine compared to today’s ones who THINK they are. In actual fact the speak junk, swear and make sexual references. I call that TALENTLESS...!
Valid comment. With 3 channels, you could condense enough quality in those days. Now with umpteen channels, you have less quality and you can only spread something watered down so far...... It's because we slowly allowed cheaper rubbish to take over the programme slots, companies know they can churn out rubbish because the GB Public all want to be on television, making it cheap. Secondly, we constantly keep looking at a country across the Atlantic Ocean as a talisman and benchmark of "how it should be done". As long as we kept America happy, its all that's mattered. Fact is, our sense of humour and their sense of humor are poles apart.
Beyond brilliant. Everything here is superbly well judged and well timed. Spike at his best. The individual performances of the background actors are also superb. The small interplays and discreet humour in their reactions makes it a top class performance.
This skit gets everything right. The fake instruments, Spike batting his eyelashes like he is genuinely a beautiful woman, and the toupee pulled off at the end. This is what genius looks like.
The look on Spikes face (between raspberries) is hilarious. The look they give each other at about 1.23 is also great comedy! Thanks for posting gr00ved!
When i was a kid in the early 50's--The radio Goon Show could only be heard with the sound right down, because my old man and most of his generation didn't understand the Goon humour, and insisted the sound be turned low---mostly due to Harry Secombes yelling. Even the BBC executives thought that 'GOON' was actually 'GO--ON', and thought the title ludicrous. You either 'got it' or you didn't. and that is still the case. It's not a crime to say so. Fan forever !! ps US humour is simply different,
Written and Raspberried by Spike Milligan, sung by John Bluthal - Aug 1929 - Nov 2018. RIP. ~ The Fresh Fruit Song ~ : "In a little town where I belong There's a most accomplished fellow He's the leader of the village choir And his voice is warm and mellow He drives a fruit cart around the street And everybody knows it He doesn't sing or rave about His fruit; he simply blows it (Raspberry) He's doing it all day long (Raspberry) It's better than any song Though it isn't very pretty You've got to admit it's cute So, all together, let it go (Raspberry) Eat more fruit (Raspberry) It's certainly come to stay (Raspberry) It's a treat to hear him say Hey, fruit's in season, plenty berries Apples, plums and the old raspberries (Raspberry) Everything is fresh today Every Friday night when work is done He never wastes a minute To the village hall he hurries 'round Where he sings just like a linnet To hear him blow a melody It's great, you can't deny it And if you've nothing else to do I'd like you all to try it (Raspberry) Get ready and do it now (Raspberry) It's easy when you know how. Though it isn't very pretty You've got to admit it's cute So, all together, let it go (Raspberry) Eat more fruit. (Raspberry) It's certainly come to stay (Raspberry) It's a treat to hear him say Hey! Doe, tea, la, so, far, me, ray, doe (Raspberry, Raspberry, Raspberry, Raspberry) Everything is fresh today (Raspberry) It's certainly come to stay (Raspberry) It's a treat to hear him say Hey, fruit's in season, plenty berries Apples, plums and the old raspberries (Raspberry) Everything is fresh today (Raspberry)
Absolutely love this! Desmond Carrington just played it on his Radio 2 programme which reminded me I'd saved Spike's version. Wonderful. Lifelong Spike fan from listening to The Goon Show first time around as a young teenager.
For years my Dad has spontaneously come up to me saying "Eat more fruit", blown a raspberry and then hummed a tune. Now I know where it comes from. O_O
Won't happen. The BBC has declared itself 'politically incorrect' and is now busy banning all its historical content. Buy this stuff if you can, while you can, the BBC disown it now.
The woke BBC lost it's sense of humour once it decided what it's politics was going to be!! I feel sorry for people who aren't allowed to laugh, for fear of 'offending' the overly-sensitive!
My God! Yes! the Ratties! How could I possibly have forgotten them? Thanks so much for the reminder MrH. As for the song above, I never tire of watching Milligan gazing with affection at Frank....and now I can't get the wretched tune out of my tiny brain... but Oh what superb genius.
Me and my dad watched this when I was a kid. We used to be crying at his antics. I forgot Jim from Vicar of Dibley was originally in the Q series. Great comedy actor.
He was not loony at all, rather he CHOOSE to act like a lunatic in order to save his own sanity in a period of great suffering. he was the exact ontrary.. Highly intelligent and very sensitive towards others
Also, my first taste of Milligan insanity was as a kid watching the cartoon show "The Ratties". This is a forgotten Milligan gem, purely because of Spike's narration which, as you'd expect, took off on bizarre, hilarious flights of fancy which often had absolutely nothing to do with what was happening on screen! But it's never been repeated and isn't available on dvd (the odd over-priced second hand video pops up on amazon from time to time). Does anyone else remember this programme?
Totally agree. Just seeing Spike standing there in that outfit, with the demure expression on his face and those wistful glances cracks me up every time.
Brilliant, and funnier because Spike is more restrained here, too often his tangent on comedy was too far off target, he knew this, and tried to contain himself, but then gave in to more mischief all round. A very funny man, unique, and so sadly missed.
God forbid that all the other recordings of Spikes work had gone, but this one on it's own shows his very best work! It is pure perfection, which Spike tried for, but often failed to reach, as he could go off in so many directions at once!
Nice to see the full-length version. I first saw this in a 1993 compilation, and they had cut it down somewhat. Like others have said, it does cheer you up!
The Goons recorded a version of this song in 1978, with Rhymes on the B-side. Sadly, the last thing they ever did together before Peter Sellers' untimely demise.
It's very difficult to 'explain' Milligan's humor to someone who doesn't appreciate laughing at oneself as well as at others. Milligan took the p*** out of nearly everything and everyone. Who else could have said, in one of his last interviews, that he wished "to be buried inside a washing machine ... in order to confuse future anthropologists".
