Whatever Happened to The Goodies?
Image from IMDb
Who, if once they’ve seen them, can forget the images of Twinkle, the enormous white kitten that toppled London’s Post Office Tower, or of Bill Oddie’s bell bottoms and Graeme Garden’s bushy sideburns in the hilarious String Sketch?
The Goodies, a British comedy troupe and television series master-minded by the musical genius Bill Oddie, the comedic actor Tim Brook-Taylor, and the physical comedy expert Graeme Garden, was a staple family TV show broadcasting on Saturday nights from 1970 to 1982.
Shown on BBC1, The Goodies produced 76 episodes in all, spread over nine seasons, and at the peak of its popularity attracted 15 million viewers.
Similar in concept to other comedy shows of the time, including Morecambe and Wise, Mike Yarwood, and The Two Ronnies, each episode entertained with music-infused sketches of slapstick and situational humour, all within a connecting story line. The overall plot entailed a trio of cycling “odd-job” men who ran an agency and offered to do “anything, anytime.”
The first three seasons were noticeably more bawdy than later ones, as they were shown after the 9 o’clock watershed. Once they’d moved to the early evening slot, they were able to hone their humour to appeal to the whole family, thus earning the derogatory remark from John Cleese that it was—
“A kid’s programme”
But it wasn’t. The show earned its place in the hearts of children and adults alike. Among the most memorable episodes are:
- “Kitten Kong”, from Season Two: Twinkle, a fluffy white kitten, is fed a growth serum and escapes, causing mayhem around London while our intrepid heroes endeavour to catch her.
- “The Goodies and the Beanstalk”, from Season Four: The hapless three find themselves forced to sell their tandem to raise money. At first they’re disgruntled at receiving only a bean for it, but this grows into a beanstalk to Mount Everest. On reaching the giant’s castle at the summit, they spot a recipe book that reads: “First, peel two shepherds…”
- “Kung Fu Capers“, from series 5: Bill reveals that he is an expert in the imaginary martial art called “Ecky-Thump”.
- “Lighthouse-Keeping Loonies“, also from series 5: The Goodies find themselves trapped in a lighthouse and heading to outer space.
Parallels in Comedy
There are some direct parallels to the better-known Monty Python team, a fact easily attributable to the fact that all the members of the two programmes were friends and flatmates during their years at Cambridge University, and were also members of the Footlights, the successful student comedy club.
They all also wrote for That’s the Week That Was and Broaden Your Mind, two BBC sketch shows. Tim Brooke-Taylor said that the formation of the two troupes “was about who was available at the right moment. It could have gone a lot of different ways.”
However, while the Pythons were clever literary wits, the Goodies preferred to look at the silly side of current issues, not even shying away from harder topics like police violence, women’s liberation, pollution, and sexual politics. Bill Oddie has said, “We were intelligent, but accessible.”
Unfortunately, the outlandish sets of some of the sketches caused financial pressures on their production. After a twelve-year run, the series was finally cancelled. In 1982, the actors of The Goodies approached the London Weekend Television with a new series, only to learn that they were no longer popular enough to take on.
Despite their popularity during the show’s run, The Goodies are not often seen now. Unlike other comedies of the era, the BBC has never repeated an episode. One of the reasons could be that the manner in which social issues were covered is no longer relevant. Also, although permitted in the 70s, the racial stereotyping that occurs is unacceptable today.
Additional Work and Awards
During their twelve years in the public eye, The Goodies released at least twelve comedic singles, all written by Bill Oddie, and nine albums. A few well-known albums include A Man’s Best Friend is His Duck, The Goodies’ Greatest, and Nothing to Do With Us.
Their biggest hit song, “The Funky Gibbon”, earned them several appearances on the Top of The Pops TV show, and reached number four in the UK singles chart. They were the fifth-biggest-grossing pop act of 1975, or as Tim said, “The spice girls of the 1970s.”
The three comedians also won a Sun award for light entertainment and two separate second-place Silver Roses of Montreux, one of which they painted gold on their TV show. In an interview for the Guardian Newspaper’s Culture feature in 2017, Tim said, “We are very proud of it. And it’s so frustrating that it’s not seen.”
Among the devoted Goodie fans, a few stories stand out as evidence of the troupe’s comedic skill:
- The pregnant Seema Bakewell from Leicester laughed so hard during the episode Alternate Roots in 1977 that she went into labour early. She later introduced her son to Graeme Garden after a live performance.
- Alex Mitchel of Kings Lynn unfortunately died of heart failure after a half-hour fit of laughing during Kung Fu Kaper in 1975. His widow later wrote to the Goodies to thank them for making her husband’s last moments so happy!
The Goodies Today
A few modern comics hail The Goodies as major influences to their work: the League of Gentlemen and Mike Myers have quoted them in interviews; and David Walliams credits the sight of seeing them being chased by Dougal from The Magic Roundabout, a children’s programme, as being his first comedic memory.
These days, Graeme Garden, now 81, still appears on BBC4’s hilarious Sorry I Haven’t Got a Clue game show chaired by Jack Dee.
Tim Brook-Taylor also appeared in the show and has acted in various sitcoms. Sadly, he died at age 80, after contracting the Coronavirus during the early months of the epidemic in 2020.
The most publicly visible of the three, Bill Oddie, now 83, has gained recognition as a conservationist and naturalist, and has presented several wildlife TV programmes including Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Birding With Bill Oddie, and Wild in Your Garden.
Some Goodies episodes are now available to watch on ITVX and Youtube.
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Perri Dodgson
Perri Dodgson was born into an RAF family, which meant travelling extensively and receiving a disjointed education. Her first job was a layout designer for a publishing house, then for twenty years she worked in the care sector, looking after the elderly and mentally ill. Now retired and living in Wellingborough, England, and after joining a writing group, she discovered the joy of writing. She has had features published in magazines and online literary magazines and been ‘highly recommended’ in a national competition. She also explores interior design and embroidery. Currently she is researching for her book which will be a biography.
