Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie met at The University of Cambridge, and were all members of that uniquely British comic institution, The Cambridge University Footlights Club. It was here that Brooke-Taylor, Garden and Oddie met John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle, who would later go on to form Monty Python. Following the success of Broaden Your Mind (a comedy sketch show which attracted a substantial audience), the trio were given a series by the BBC which ran for over ten years on BBC2.

Between November 1970 to February 1982 The Goodies produced 70 episodes and two Christmas specials, and were one of the first shows to use chroma key and stop-motion techniques in a live-action format. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that they received an award for Excellence in Visual Comedy from Aardman Animations and Bristol’s Slapstick Festival. Inventive, visually off-the-wall and peppered with satire, The Goodies were well-known for their daring and remarkable comedic stunts, most of which were performed by Brooke-Taylor.

After a ten year run with the BBC, the show was cancelled (which, it has been speculated, was due to economic reasons – many of The Goodies sketches were deceptively expensive to produce) and the trio moved to ITV. By 1982 the show was no more, and The Goodies were relegated to the annals of British comedy. The visual basis of many Goodies sketches combined with a strong slapstick element meant that the series also appealed to children, and this resulted in an incorrect perception in Britain that this was their core audience. In Australia however, The Goodies maintain continued popularity – so much so that many Australians are baffled by its absence from British screens.

This fascinating discussion, presented by Slapstick Festival, was conducted by Sir Christopher Frayling and is as illuminating as it is hilarious - providing intriguing insights into The Goodies, the rest of the Cambridge Mafia, and the British comedy scene of the 1970’s as a whole.

Related Links:
Slapstick Festival

Posted on Sun 7 Nov 2010.

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