Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie were the writers/stars of the hit B.B.C.-2 sketch show 'Broaden Your Mind' which ran for two seasons at the end of the '60's. 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' then got started, and, not wanting to have to compete with it, they turned their show into a sitcom. Using money left him by his late Aunt, Tim sets up an employment agency comprised of himself, his friends Graeme and Bill, whose motto is 'we do anything, anytime'. They are summoned to the Tower Of London, where a dreadful crisis has occurred. In the words of the Chief Beefeater: "someone is stealing the Beefeaters' beef.". The Beefeaters are forced to eat corned beef, and are wasting away. The Goodies investigate, and discover the culprit has blue blood...
'The Goodies' owed a debt to 1961's 'Carry On Regardless' as well as the U.S. series 'The Monkees'. The story goes that when Head of Comedy Michael Mills was told the premise for the new show, he replied that he got similar ideas on his desk at least once a week, but such was his faith in the trio he commissioned it. The first episode is a patchy affair; the beginning is the best, where Graeme shows the others round the office. "In there is a year's supply of food.", he says, opening a door to reveal a life-size photograph of a supermarket aisle. In the same way 'The Avengers' presented an exaggerated version of '60's Britain, 'The Goodies' depicted an over-the-top '70's, in which girls wore short skirts and the men kipper ties and flowery shirts. Unfortunately, some young people now think the show an accurate commentary on that era. A couple of recurring gags were the Window Screen ( which doubled sometimes as a television ), the Instant Quick Change Cabinet ( which involved the Goodies' going in one end and emerging from the other in bizarre costumes ) and Bill's Lemon Sherbert trips ( an idea dropped after the first season ).
The main plot about the Crown Jewels is a little dull, but enlivened by an amusing sequence in a torture chamber which has been converted into a kitchen. To cut the corned beef sandwiches, the Chief Beefeater uses a pendulous blade straight out of Edgar Allan Poe. Tim's line "Its beef! Its beef!" is a reference to a then-current television commercial for Knorr beef cubes starring Bob Todd. George Baker is best known for his role as 'Inspector Wexford', but he has done comedy too. He played the title role in 'Bowler', a spin-off from I.T.V.'s 'The Fenn Street Gang'.
Funniest moment - the mock advertisement for 'Fairy Puff' washing powder!
Second funniest moment - the Goodies climbing onto their 'trandem' only to fall off it!
A comedy classic was born.
'The Goodies' owed a debt to 1961's 'Carry On Regardless' as well as the U.S. series 'The Monkees'. The story goes that when Head of Comedy Michael Mills was told the premise for the new show, he replied that he got similar ideas on his desk at least once a week, but such was his faith in the trio he commissioned it. The first episode is a patchy affair; the beginning is the best, where Graeme shows the others round the office. "In there is a year's supply of food.", he says, opening a door to reveal a life-size photograph of a supermarket aisle. In the same way 'The Avengers' presented an exaggerated version of '60's Britain, 'The Goodies' depicted an over-the-top '70's, in which girls wore short skirts and the men kipper ties and flowery shirts. Unfortunately, some young people now think the show an accurate commentary on that era. A couple of recurring gags were the Window Screen ( which doubled sometimes as a television ), the Instant Quick Change Cabinet ( which involved the Goodies' going in one end and emerging from the other in bizarre costumes ) and Bill's Lemon Sherbert trips ( an idea dropped after the first season ).
The main plot about the Crown Jewels is a little dull, but enlivened by an amusing sequence in a torture chamber which has been converted into a kitchen. To cut the corned beef sandwiches, the Chief Beefeater uses a pendulous blade straight out of Edgar Allan Poe. Tim's line "Its beef! Its beef!" is a reference to a then-current television commercial for Knorr beef cubes starring Bob Todd. George Baker is best known for his role as 'Inspector Wexford', but he has done comedy too. He played the title role in 'Bowler', a spin-off from I.T.V.'s 'The Fenn Street Gang'.
Funniest moment - the mock advertisement for 'Fairy Puff' washing powder!
Second funniest moment - the Goodies climbing onto their 'trandem' only to fall off it!
A comedy classic was born.
