Event    From 1951  To 1960

The Goon Show

Categories: Humour, TV & Radio

Radio comedy show, originally broadcast as 'Crazy People' The first scripts were co-written by Spike Milligan and Jimmy Grafton. The pressure of writing eventually contributed to Milligan's mental breakdown. Michael Bentine was a co-founder but left in 1953. The inventiveness of the programme has been cited as a major influence for many subsequent comedians. A puppet series for television, 'The Telegoons' was made in the early 1960s. Milligan, Secombe and Sellers reunited for a final show in 1972 as part of the BBC's 50th anniversary celebrations. Our picture shows, left to right: Sellers, Secombe, Milligan, Bentine.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
The Goon Show

Commemorated ati

Last Goon Show

The Camden Palace was home to the Goon Show through the 1950s.

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Spike's statue - Goons

This little group shows Secombe, Milligan and Sellers, holding "Goons" script...

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The Goon Show

{Caricatures of the four comedians, followed by:} The Goon Show, 1951-1960, f...

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Other Subjects

Kenny Everett

Kenny Everett

Comedy broadcaster.  Born Maurice James Christopher Cole in Liverpool.  Inspired by the Goons.  Got a job on the pirate Radio London by sending in an audition tape.  Worked for Radio Luxemburg, the...

Person, Humour, Music / songs, TV & Radio

3 memorials
Irene Handl

Irene Handl

Comedy actor.  Born 13 Leith Mansions, Paddington and grew up in St John's Wood.  Began acting in her mid thirties and was almost never out of work, giving cameo performances in many British films ...

Person, Cinema, Humour, Theatre, TV & Radio

2 memorials
Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers

Goon and comic actor. Born Portsmouth to a couple of variety entertainers. The family moved to the N6 house when Sellers was 10. He was staying at the Dorchester Hotel when he suffered a heart atta...

Person, Cinema, Humour, Seriously Famous, TV & Radio

5 memorials
Joseph Grimaldi

Joseph Grimaldi

Pantomime clown appearing at Sadler's Wells, Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres. The traditional clowns' make-up, being called Joey and many of the gags and tricks date back to Grimaldi. Born i...

Person, Humour, Seriously Famous, Theatre

7 memorials
Bernie Winters

Bernie Winters

Comedian and Water Rat.  Born Bernie Weinstein.  His brother was the handsome half of the act Mike and Bernie Winters.

Person, Humour, TV & Radio

2 memorials

Previously viewed

Peter Pan

Peter Pan

The character first appeared in print in Barrie's 1902 novel 'The Little White Bird'. Barrie had huge success with the 'Peter Pan' play, first presented on stage in 1904 at the Duke of York's Theat...

Fiction, Children, Fictional, Seriously Famous, Theatre

4 memorials
William James Stillman

William James Stillman

William James Stillman was born on 1 June 1828 in Schenectady, Schenectady County, New York, USA, the youngest of the eleven children of William Stillman III (1779-1861) and Elizabeth Ward Stillman...

Person, Art, Benefactor, Journalism / Publishing, Photography, Balkans, Greece, Italy, USA

1 memorial
Francis Fowke

Francis Fowke

Engineer and architect, and a Captain in the Corps of Royal Engineers.  Born Belfast. In  1862 he was made superintendent of construction of the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Alber...

Person, Architecture, Engineering, Ireland

1 memorial