The Goodies (TV Series) Sex and Violence (1971) User Reviews

Lurid, vile, unspeakable, depraved filth.

[BA_Harrison · 13 November 2011]

From the mid-60s through to the early 2000s (when she finally popped her clogs), puritanical Christian TV campaigner Mary Whitehouse made life a misery for those who didn't share her ultra-conservative views about sex and violence in the media. When she wrote to The Goodies congratulating them on their 'wholesome' family show, they responded by writing this episode, which mercilessly parodies Mary and her meddling ways. Even if the show hadn't been all that funny, I would have loved it for its sheer subversiveness, but as it happens, it's bloody hilarious.

Beryl Reid, as Mrs Desiree Carthorse, a thinly-veiled parody of Whitehouse, is absolutely brilliant, mercilessly mocking every aspect of the irate old woman; all three Goodies masquerading as mustachioed right-wing politician Sir Reginald Wheelbarrow is delightfully absurd; and Bill Oddie going berserk as a result of too much exposure to sex and violence is just plain silly. Even better than all of that is The Goodies' frightfully reserved sex education film 'How To Make Babies By Doing Dirty Things' which they make in accordance to Mrs Carthorse's strange belief's on what is decent, the naughtiest moment being when a man and woman in love, covered from head to foot in sheets, hold hands with each other (the result being the miracle of birth!)—hilarious!!!

"This is a man...and this isn't!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 3 December 2007]

Mrs.Desiree Carthorse, the puritanical head of the 'Clean Up T.V. Campaign', hires The Goodies to make a sex education film entitled 'How To Make Babies By Doing Dirty Things'. But she takes offence to the word 'gender' in the opening credits, and suddenly our heroes are in trouble, with the public and media ranged against them.

To clear their names, they go on television disguised as outspoken M.P. Sir Reginald Wheelbarrow, but the interviewer is not fooled. Bill becomes a B.B.C. producer and soon the airwaves are full of violent and sexually explicit programmes.

Filming the death scene for the sexy pantomime 'Sinderella', Bill flips completely and wipes out the cast with a machine gun built into one of the cameras...

Bill Oddie has often spoken of the umbrage he and his fellow Goodies took when, not long after transmission of the first episode, they received a fan letter from, of all people, Mrs.Mary Whitehouse.

The Bespectacled Blue-rinsed One called their show 'clean family fun'. Luckily she missed 'Caught In The Act' ( featuring naked female backsides ), 'Love The Police' ( featuring Bill's naked backside ), 'The Greenies' ( featuring a stripper at work ) and even 'Tower Of London' offers a quick shot of a topless woman.

Determined to get into her bad books, the Goodies went all out to ridicule her and everything she stood for. Its easy to forget now just how despised she was. Here she is parodied by the brilliant Beryl Reid. Instead of saying 'sex', she says the first two letters, and uses her finger to make a cross in the air. Without even watching their film, she calls for it to be banned. Having eradicated television, she fears bored couples will have sex instead, and the episode ends with her standing in the street shouting 'Stop it!'.

'Sir Reginald Wheelbarrow' is a take-off of the late Sir Gerald Nabarro, the 'Boris Johnson' of his day, a rent-a-quote Tory M.P. famed for his handlebar moustache and outspoken views.

Richard Wattis, sporting a dreadful wig, plays the television interviewer.

In a bizarre ( even by Goodies' standards ) climax, leather-clad, whip-wielding dominatrixes die Peckinpah-style, Oddie laughs maniacally, and the B.B.C. T.V. Centre goes up in an impressive display of pyrotechnics. Note the cheer from the audience!

Funniest moment - the Goodies' sex education film. Its so coy as to beggar belief, and about as educational as showbiz gossip. No nudity is visible because both man and woman are covered from head to foot in sheets! I wonder if Harry Enfield got the idea for his 'Mr.Cholmondely Warner/Mr.Grayson' public information film spoofs from this?