BBC Radio Collection Series of Reissues

These are great times, folks! BBC has been reissuing Goon Shows since 1988, although the pace has slowed in recent years. As of November 2006, twenty-four double-cassette/double-CD sets have been issued, each containing four shows. And what is truly exciting is that they are completely reconstituted and remastered by free-lance sound engineer/genius Ted Kendall. Kendall has gone back to all available sources to create shows that contain all the possible lines cut by the various producers of the various versions previously broadcast--UK original, Transcription Service version, Transcription Service Reissue series version, and more. In many cases he brings us shows that are more complete than ever heard before.

The only problem is that Old Auntie has been wildly inconsistent in formats and naming conventions for the series. Consider this:

  • Titles: The first release was titled simply "Goon Show Classics." Then came Goon Show Classics 2 through 8. Then they switched to names instead of numbers. The next four, which would have been 9-12, were instead called "Goon Show Classics: '[installment title].'" After that the word "Classics" was dropped, and subsequent sets have been titled "The Goon Show: '[installment title].'" Goon Show Classics 1-10 were originally released as shows not restored by Kendall, just redubs (and not always particularly well done redubs) of existing tapes. Later, Kendall went back and restored this series.

  • Formats: The first ten were released in England in double-cassette format only. But in Australia they were released on double-CDs. The edits were the same, but the sound quality of the CDs was in general better, with the CD version ranging from slightly to substantially superior to cassette in most cases.

The Goon Show: Moriarty, where are you? (ZBBC 1864 / ZBBC 1864 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 1; ZBBC 1007, 1988]

  • 5/3--The Dreaded Batter-Pudding Hurler of Bexhill-on-Sea
  • 7/25--The Histories of Pliny the Elder
  • 6/19--The Jet-Propelled Guided NAAFI
  • 8/25--The Evils of Bushey Spon
The Goon Show: Enter, Bluebottle . . . (ZBBC 1865 / ZBBC 1865 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 2; ZBBC 1016, 1988]
  • 5/7--Lurgi Strikes Britain
  • 6/9--The International Christmas Pudding
  • 6/4--Napoleon's Piano
  • 7/12--The Flea
The Goon Show: I'm walking backwards for Christmas (ZBBC 1866 / ZBBC 1866 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 3; ZBBC 1047, 1989]
  • 6/24--The Treasure of Loch Lomond
  • 6/14--The Greenslade Story
  • 7/15--Wings Over Dagenham
  • 7/16--The Rent Collectors
The Goon Show: My knees have fallen off! (ZBBC 1867 / ZBBC 1867 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 4; ZBBC 1048, 1989]
  • 8/21--The Man Who Never Was
  • 6/5--The Missing CD Plates
  • 8/22--World War I
  • 7/1--The Nasty Affair at the Burami Oasis
The Goon Show: And there's more where that came from! (ZBBC 1868 / ZBBC 1868 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 5; ZBBC 1133, 1990]
  • 9/12--The Call of the West
  • 10/6--The Last Smoking Seagoon
  • 5/15--1985 [beware that liner notes say that this is the show first broadcast 2/8/55. WRONG. That show would be 5/20. This is 5/15, the first version (without John Snagge), which aired 1/4/55.]
  • 7/17--Shifting Sands
The Goon Show: Have a gorilla (ZBBC 1869 / ZBBC 1869 CD, 1996) [previously Goon Show Classics 6; ZBBC 1149, 1991]
  • 6/6--Rommel's Treasure
  • 7/23--Ill Met by Goonlight
  • 9/2--I Was Monty's Treble
  • 9/7--The Seagoon Memoirs
The Goon Show: Ying Tong iddle-i po! (ZBBC 1870 / ZBBC 1870 CD, 1997) [previously Goon Show Classics 7; ZBBC 1236, 1991]
  • 5/1--The Whistling Spy Enigma
  • 5/5--The Affair of the Lone Banana
  • 6/23--The Great Tuscan Salami Scandal
  • 6/26--Scradje
The Goon Show: You have deaded me again (ZBBC 1871 / ZBBC 1871 CD, 1997) [previously Goon Show Classics 8; ZBBC 1334, 1992]
  • 4/23--The Greatest Mountain in the World
  • 5/8--The Mystery of the Marie Celeste (solved)
  • 5/9--The Last Tram (from Clapham)
  • 5/11--The Spanish Suitcase
Goon Show Classics: What time is it, Eccles? (ZBBC 1887 / ZBBC 1887 CD, 1997 [previously Goon Show Classics 9; ZBBC 1406; 1992]
  • 5/18--Under Two Floorboards
  • 5/21--The Sinking of Westminster Pier
  • 5/24--Yehti
  • 7/19--The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker
The Goon Show: You can't get the wood, you know (ZBBC 1978 / ZBBC 1978 CD, 1997) [previously Goon Show Classics 10; ZBBC 1513, 1993]
  • 5/25--The White Box of Great Bardfield
  • 6/18--Tales of Montmartre
  • 7/7--The Great Bank Robbery
  • 7/9--The Mystery of the Fake Neddie Seagoons

Goon Show Classics [11]: He's fallen in the water* (ZBBC 1602, 1994, or ZBBC 1602 CD, 1995)

  • 8/16--The String Robberies
  • 8/19--The White Neddie Trade
  • 8/23--The Spon Plague
  • 9/5--The Mountain Eaters

Goon Show Classics [12]: Shut Up, Eccles! (ZBBC 1725 / ZBBC 1725 CD, 1995)

  • 5/4--The Phantom Head Shaver of Brighton
  • 6/3--The Lost Emperor
  • 7/2--Drums Along the Mersey
  • V/1--The Mummified Priest
The Goon Show [13]: It's all in the mind, you know! (ZBBC 1892 / ZBBC 1892 CD, 1996)
  • 8/17--The Moriarty Murder Mystery
  • 8/10--King Solomon's Mines
  • 9/3--The £1,000,000 Penny
  • V/6--The Vanishing Room
The Goon Show [14]: Needle Nardle Noo (ZBBC 2115 / ZBBC 2115 CD, 1998)
  • 9/6--The Childe Harolde Reward
  • 9/8--Queen Anne's Rain
  • 9/9--The Battle of Spion Kop
  • 9/16--The Gold Plate Robbery
The Goon Show [15]: The Goons at Christmas (ZBBC 2194 / ZBBC 2194 CD, 1998)
  • 5/14--Ye Bandit of Sherwood Forest
  • 6/16--The Mighty Wurlitzer
  • 7/SP--Operation Christmas Duff
  • 10/1--A Christmas Carol
The Goon Show, vol. 16: Goons and Guests (ISBN 0563 558237 [cass] / 0563-558849 [CD], 1999)
  • 8/1--Spon
  • 8/18--The Curse of Frankenstein
  • 9/11--The Spy, or Who Is Pink Oboe?
  • 9/17--The £50 Cure
The Goon Show, vol. 17: The Silent Bugler (ISBN 0563 552875 [cass] / 0563 552921 [CD], 1999)
  • V/10--The Silent Bugler
  • 7/SP--The Reason Why
  • 8/5--The Treasure in the Tower
  • 8/13--The Plasticine Man
The Goon Show, vol. 18: And More Guests (ISBN 0563 553375 [cass] / 563 55342 [CD], 2000)
  • 8/14--African Incident
  • 8/24--Tiddleywinks
  • V/4--The Giant Bombardon
  • 9/15--The Tay Bridge
The Goon Show, vol. 19: Ned's Atomic Dustbin (ISBN 0563 535466 [cass] / 0563-53547-4 [CD], 2001)
  • 6/10--The Pevensey Bay Disaster
  • 7/5--The Spectre of Tintagel
  • 6/8--Shangri-La Again
  • 9/10--Ned's Atomic Dustbin
The Goon Show, vol. 20: The Fear of Wages (ISBN 0-563- 53628-4 [cass] / 0-563-53629-2 [CD], 2002)
  • 6/25--The Fear of Wages
  • 7/3--The Nadger Plague
  • 8/12--The Great British Revolution
  • 9/1--The Sahara Desert Statue
The Goon Show, vol. 21: The Missing Battleship (ISBN 0563 494786 [cass] / 0563494794 [CD], 2003)
  • 8/2--The Junk Affair
  • 8/3--The Burning Embassy
  • 8/8--The Missing Battleship
  • 8/20--Ten Snowballs That Shook the World
The Goon Show, vol. 22: The Booted Gorilla (ISBN 0-563-52466-9 [CD], 2004)
  • 5/10--The Booted Gorilla
  • 6/11--The Sale of Manhattan
  • 6/22--The Choking Horror
  • V/7--The Ink Shortage
The Goon Show, vol. 23: The Collapse of the British Railway Sandwich System (ISBN 0-563-52797-8 [CD], 2005)
  • 4/24--The Collapse of the British Railway Sandwich System
  • 5/2--The Lost Gold Mine (of Charlotte)
  • 5/6--The Canal
  • 6/20--The House of Teeth
The Goon Show, vol. 24: The Case of the Missing Heir (ISBN 1-8460-7194-1) [CD], 2006)
  • 5/16--The Case of the Missing Heir
  • 6/2--The Secret Escritoire
  • V/12--The Dreaded Piano Clubber
  • 9/4--The Pam's Paper Insurance Policy
The Goon Show, vol. 25: The Internal Mountain (ISBN 978 1 1405 677721) [CD], 2008
  • 5/22--Fireball of Milton Street
  • 5/26--The End (Confessions of a Secret Senna-Pods Drinker)
  • 6/12--The Terrible Revenge of Fred Fu-Manchu
  • V/9--The Internal Mountain

Where to buy them? In Great Britain, at any record store. In the United States, look for an HMV record store or contact the Continental Shop in California, which has the BBC and EMI Goon tapes and CDs, also the early Goon films (Zed Men; Mukkinese Battle Horn; Running, Jumping...). They do mail order via credit card, and if you tell them you saw it here, they'll send you a free copy of their comedy catalog (normally $3).

The Continental Shop
1619 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90403
tel. 310-453-8655
email info@TheContinentalShop.com

For those of you outside Great Britain but within the European Union, there is the BBC World Service Shop at Bush House in London. It takes orders by fax or phone and accepts major international credit cards.

Other stores in England that have web pages and can do mail order via credit card to all corners of the world are HMV and Amazon.co.uk.

Beware of the various EMI cassettes and CD reissues of Goon Shows. With few exceptions, they are still recycling the shows they released on LP long ago. These recordings have had the Ellington and Geldray spots and the playout music excised; and even many of the orchestral links have been removed. At first, I thought this had been done to fit the recording on an LP; later, I learned that it was done to avoid paying royalties to composers and musicians!


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