Sign-In
Cart
The Making & Legacy of the Goon Show: The Goons Go to Africa
Hardcover
RadioGeneral DramaBritish History
Publisher Price: $44.95
PREORDER - Expected ship date January 7, 2027
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 1036194442
ISBN13: 9781036194444
Publisher: White Owl
Published: Jan 7 2027
Language: English
ISBN13: 9781036194444
Publisher: White Owl
Published: Jan 7 2027
Language: English
A pioneering 1951 radio comedy remains broadcast, inspiring humor and creative performance decades later.
Three quarters of a century has passed since the first Goon Show of 1951. Yet this BBC radio show is still being repeated in national broadcasts, continues to inspire artistic endeavour, is internationally celebrated, and has a legacy exceeding that of any other mid-twentieth century radio show.
Why is this? What broadcast magic is contained in its trailblazing formula? And can we learn anything about humour itself from the brilliance of its central comic actors?
Spike Milligan was thirty-three when that first Goon Show - then named The Junior Crazy Gang - hit the nation's airwaves. Times then were austere and gloomy. Now, decades after his passing, and in a much changed country, he remains lauded, loved, and highly influential. Alongside the charming, affable Harry Secombe, quick-witted polymath Michael Bentine, and Peter Sellers, the most versatile voice actor of his era, Milligan devised a formula for comic creativity which has rarely been matched. Yet where did that extraordinary eruption come from?
In this book, author Stephen Palmer evokes the trials, losses, victories and success of The Goon Show using its own techniques. He imagines the men of the show, including those, like Jimmy Grafton, Larry Stephens, John Snagge and the irrepressible, remarkable Wallace Greenslade, who both supported Milligan and acted as the framework in which his genius flourished.
This is no dry history of great times in radio broadcasting. This is the book of the show. Now, read on!
Three quarters of a century has passed since the first Goon Show of 1951. Yet this BBC radio show is still being repeated in national broadcasts, continues to inspire artistic endeavour, is internationally celebrated, and has a legacy exceeding that of any other mid-twentieth century radio show.
Why is this? What broadcast magic is contained in its trailblazing formula? And can we learn anything about humour itself from the brilliance of its central comic actors?
Spike Milligan was thirty-three when that first Goon Show - then named The Junior Crazy Gang - hit the nation's airwaves. Times then were austere and gloomy. Now, decades after his passing, and in a much changed country, he remains lauded, loved, and highly influential. Alongside the charming, affable Harry Secombe, quick-witted polymath Michael Bentine, and Peter Sellers, the most versatile voice actor of his era, Milligan devised a formula for comic creativity which has rarely been matched. Yet where did that extraordinary eruption come from?
In this book, author Stephen Palmer evokes the trials, losses, victories and success of The Goon Show using its own techniques. He imagines the men of the show, including those, like Jimmy Grafton, Larry Stephens, John Snagge and the irrepressible, remarkable Wallace Greenslade, who both supported Milligan and acted as the framework in which his genius flourished.
This is no dry history of great times in radio broadcasting. This is the book of the show. Now, read on!
Also from
Palmer, Stephen
The Tapestry of Scripture: A guide to chiasmus and other literary patterns in the Bible
Palmer, Stephen
Paperback
$27.49
Also in
British History
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
$17.05
The Rise of Thomas Cromwell: Power and Politics in the Reign of Henry VIII, 1485-1534
Everett, Michael
Paperback
$10.99
The Secret Way to War: The Downing Street Memo and the Iraq War's Buried History
Danner, Rk
Danner, Mark
Paperback
$5.99
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriarchy's Guide to Silencing Women
Venditozzi, Zoe
Mitchell, Claire
Paperback
$17.09
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
$34.20
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Paperback
From $12.99
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Paperback
$21.59
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
$37.80
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Hardcover
$27.00
Radical Duke: How One Aristocrat-And the American Revolution-Transformed Britain
Allen, Danielle
Hardcover
$33.75
Kennedy's Only Hero: How Jfk's Obsession with Winston Churchill Defined His Presidency
Nelson, Joel
Hardcover
$30.40
The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
Kara, Siddharth
Paperback
$17.10
Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735
Veerapen, Steven
Hardcover
$28.45
Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry: The History and Lore of Gems, Charms, and Talismans
Azzarito, Amy
Hardcover
$21.85
The Defector: The Untold Story of the KGB Agent Who Saved Mi5 and Changed the Cold War
Kerbaj, Richard
Hardcover
$28.45
Rebel of the Regency: The Scandalous Saga of Caroline of Brunswick, Britain's Queen Without a Crown
Foster, Ann
Hardcover
$29.69
With a Little Help from Their Friends: The Beatles and the People Who Made Them
Maconie, Stuart
Hardcover
$27.00
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777
Atkinson, Rick
Hardcover
From $12.99
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Hardcover
$30.39
The Secrets of Eaton Square: Sex, Scandal, and Infamy on the Road to Buckingham Palace
Larman, Alexander
Hardcover
$29.45
Things We Found in the Ground: Discovering the History Buried Beneath Our Feet
Bruce, Ellie
Gray, Lucie
Paperback
$17.99
The Crown's Silence: The Hidden History of the British Monarchy and Slavery in the Americas
Newman, Brooke N.
Hardcover
$29.25
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Paperback
$20.89
Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare's Greatest Rival
Greenblatt, Stephen
Paperback
$17.99
The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Johnson, Steven
Paperback
From $10.99
The Confessions of Samuel Pepys: Private Revelations from Britain's Most Famed Diarist
de la Bédoyère, Guy
Hardcover
$31.50
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Paperback
$37.19
Scottish History and Mythology: An Enthralling Journey Through Scotland's Past and Legendary Myths
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
$26.59
The Quest for El Dorado: Sir Walter Ralegh and the Search for the City of Gold
Gibbins, David
Hardcover
$28.45
The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare
Swift, Daniel
Hardcover
$28.50
How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
From $9.99
Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World
Buchanan, Patrick J.
Paperback
$20.90
The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew J.
Paperback
$56.00
Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America
Shorto, Russell
Hardcover
$28.49
The Painter's Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution
Anishanslin, Zara
Hardcover
$31.30
The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect: The Last Indie Music Scene 2000-2010
Warren, Janine
Hardcover
$32.30
The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
Flanders, Judith
Paperback
$22.80
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
From $11.99
Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
Delaney, Anthony
Hardcover
$28.50
A Guide to Regency Dress: From Corsets and Breeches to Bonnets and Muslins
Davidson, Hilary
Hardcover
$23.75
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line
Cormac, Rory
Hardcover
$50.74
Still in a Dream: Shoegaze, Slackers, and the Reinvention of Rock, 1984-1994
Reynolds, Simon
Paperback
$20.89
Searching for the Norman Conquest: The Domesday Book and a 1,000-Mile Journey Across Britain
Adams, Max
Hardcover
$30.40
Cromwell's Spy: From the American Colonies to the English Civil War: The Life of George Downing
Sewell, Dennis
Hardcover
$30.40
Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic
Richardson-Read, Scott
Hardcover
$56.39
They Fought Alone: The True Story of the Starr Brothers, British Secret Agents in Nazi-Occupied France
Glass, Charles
Paperback
$24.00
Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat - A New Scientist Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Shute, Joe
Paperback
$17.10
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Millard, Candice
Paperback
$18.05
Tommy's Honor: The Story of Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris, Golf's Founding Father and Son
Cook, Kevin
Paperback
$27.00
Whispers from Celtic Seas: The True Meanings of Ancient Stories from Northwest Europe
Nunn, Patrick
Hardcover
$26.13
Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America's Early Independence
Burnard, Trevor
O'Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson
Hardcover
$33.25
A Vintage Victorian Christmas Sticker, Color & Activity Book: Over 200 Unique Stickers
Editors of Chartwell Books
Paperback
$12.34
The Big Hop: The First Non-Stop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean and Into the Future
Rooney, David
Paperback
$18.99
The Dukes: Edward VIII, Andrew, and Harry--The Men Who Undermined the Modern Monarchy
Sykes, Tom
Hardcover
$30.40
Amazing Grace: The Life of John Newton and the Surprising Story Behind His Song
Hindmarsh, Bruce
Borlase, Craig
Paperback
$18.99
The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
Sides, Hampton
Hardcover
From $12.99
Converts: From Oscar Wilde to Muriel Spark, Why So Many Became Catholic in the 20th Century
McDonagh, Melanie
Hardcover
$45.60
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft & Mary Shelley
Gordon, Charlotte
Paperback
$19.00
The Intellectual Origins of American Slavery: English Ideas in the Early Modern Atlantic World
Harpham, John Samuel
Hardcover
$28.45
Scotland: A Journey through Scottish History, Battles, Clans, Highlanders, Myths, Legends & More
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
$18.99
The Bible Before King James: The Translations, Conflicts, and Forgotten History Before 1611
Lamb, Joseph D., Sr.
Paperback
$23.99
The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
Worsley, Lucy
Paperback
$32.34
Our Island Story: A History of the Kings, Queens and Battles of England, Scotland and Britain for Boys and Girls
Marshall, H. E.
Paperback
$18.73
Scotland's Forgotten Past: A History of the Mislaid, Misplaced and Misunderstood
Moffat, Alistair
McLaren, Joe
Paperback
$16.10
Forgotten Churches: Exploring England's Hidden Treasures: The Sunday Times Bestseller
Sherlock, Luke
Hardcover
$20.89
Allies at War: How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World
Bouverie, Tim
Paperback
$23.75
Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History
Tatarnic, Martha
Hardcover
$28.45
A Spy Amongst Us: Daniel Defoe's Secret Service and the Plot to End Scottish Independence
Mierowsky, Marc
Hardcover
$42.00
The Official Bridgerton Guide to Entertaining: How to Cook, Host, and Toast Like a Member of the Ton: A Cookbook
Timberlake, Emily
Hardcover
$23.75
The Story of Tudor Art: A History of Tudor England Through Its Art and Objects
Faraday, Christina J.
Hardcover
$52.25