The Goodies

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BBC Two (ended 1982)
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Show Summary

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Created, written and performed by comedians Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, The Goodies was a British comedy that ran for 9 seasons between November 1970 and February 1982 on the BBC. With the motto 'We do anything, anytime', The Goodies often found themselves dealing with all sorts of bizarre situations such as giant kittens, the Loch Ness monster, dodo birds, lighthouses, the destruction of the Earth, black puddings and beanstalks, just to name a few. The plot for most episodes was relatively simple: One member of the trio goes nuts and the other two desperately try to stop him. Using a unique blend of sketch comedy, slapstick and almost cartoon-like humour the show was often outrageously madcap, and only rarely failed to hit the mark. The Goodies have received something of a revival in recent years with selected episodes being released on DVD in the UK and Australia, and a number of live tours performed by the trio. In the U.S.A. the Goodies are often compared to the Three Stooges when fans are trying to describe the show to some one who has never seen it. You can see some of what made the Three Stooges so great in the things the Goodies do.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 9 :  Ep 7 Aired 2/13/82
S 9 :  Ep 6 Aired 2/6/82
S 9 :  Ep 5 Aired 1/30/82
S 9 :  Ep 4 Aired 1/23/82
S 9 :  Ep 3 Aired 1/16/82

Cast & Crew

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The Goodies News

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  • Interview with Jane Bussmann 0

    Interview with Jane Bussmann

    By Zennith Geisler, Oct 13, 2009

    As some of comedy's biggest names descend on Sydney for the World's Funniest Island festival this weekend, TV.com scored a few minutes with author and comedian Jane Bussman. read more

  • The Goodies at World's Funniest Island 0

    The Goodies at World's Funniest Island

    By Zennith Geisler, Oct 11, 2009

    Boasting around 200 local and international acts, this world-first comedy festival concept will feature The Goodies, Alexei Sayle, Jane Bussmann, Merrick and Rosso, Arj Barker and a host of other very funny people. read more

Fan Reviews (11)

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  • Briliant

    10
    "Perfect"
    By famguyrocks, Feb 05, 2009
    One of the best shows of the 70's. Starring graeme garden bill oddie and tim brook taylor as three people who claim to do anything anytime anywherebill the loonie rebel graeme the mad professer and tim the true brit. they get into all sorts of scrapes including fighting a giant cat called kitten kong becoming lighthouse keepers who accidentally launch the lighthouse off into space even one where bill learns the acient art of ecky thump where you whack some one on the back of the head with a black pudding and not to mention the beanstalk that one was good.moreless

  • Just about every Australian child in the 70's grew up on a diet of the Goodies and Doctor Who, which explains thier continued popularity here.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By thedarkknight67, Jul 09, 2008
    Bill, Tim and Grame, the Goodies really took thier "we do anything any time" motto to heart to create some classic comedy moments by getting themselves into all manner of outlandish predicaments. From fighting the ministry of poloution (who planed to jump start the economy by poluting it them putting it right, to ball room dancing, being matador to a bobcat with a mind of its own, finding lost tribe in suburban britain and waging their own war against apartide policies in south Africa with aparthieight, the Goodies where never short of a laugh. With slap stack hummor and some comedy that would be politically incorrect today they'll bring a smile to your dial.moreless

  • The Monkees to the Pythons' Beatles

    10
    "Perfect"
    By HCShannon, Aug 15, 2007
    Yeah, yeah, Monty Python always gets all the claim and praise, but everyone forgets about this show. If you ask anybody, well people my age where I live they think you're talking about the Stephen Spielberg movie about the kids looking for treasure. You'll be surprised if you see this and you're opinions about comedy television from any country will change dramatically. If you've gone tired of Python, try this show on for size, try to find it where you can, it is extremely scarce, but worth looking for and you have an opportunity to see it I suggest you do.moreless

  • The bizarre adventures of a trandem-riding trio, Tim, Graeme and Bill, who guarantee to take on 'anything, anytime'.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By chillial, Jul 22, 2007
    Put simply, The Goodies was a live-action version of a typical Warner Bros cartoon, replete with speeded-up footage, film trickery and violent slapstick. The characters bore the same names as the players and were caricature exaggerations of their real selves, hence Tim was the respectable establishment figure, an effete man who grew into a manic royalist; Graeme was the scatty, back-room boffin, the inventor of all manner of weird devices; and Bill was an aggressive, earthy, hairy individual who eventually tended towards environmentalism, socialism and feminism. Each week the three climbed aboard and promptly fell off their customised bicycle for three (the 'Trandem') before remounting to pedal off to their task.

    Initially there was a traditional sitcom element to the shows, the characters starting off each episode in their huge all-encompassing office suite, where they would be employed by someone to undertake a difficult task. Later, though, the format became diffused and in the show's classic period, 1973-76, it was a joyous, unrestrained, lightly satirical festival of visual humour, with models, special effects, explosions, giant props and camera tricks combining to produce a variety of fast-paced wild antics rarely seen since the heyday of the slapstick silent movies. The plots always veered towards the surreal and very often storylines lurched off-course to explore unrelated areas, just to get laughs. And most of the time it worked. Most episodes also included one or a few mock TV advertisements, which delightfully sent up the genre.

    In 1981 The Goodies switched from the BBC to ITV and presented a Christmas special, Snow White 2 (which crossed the Snow White story with Star Wars), and the following month they launched a show on the commercial channel. Although it had some good moments - especially a clever parody of the paranormal investigation series The Mysterious World Of Arthur C Clarke, in which the Goodies searched for the mythical Arthur C Clarke - this was a disappointing venture, lacking the undisciplined anarchy that had characterised their finest BBC episodes. After this, the trio decided to call it a day.

    To the bemusement and irritation of its many admirers, The Goodies did not enjoy the frequent repeats and tributes enjoyed by a number of its contemporary comedy successes. Fans muttered darkly about a conspiracy to keep the show from the screen, and eventually even the three Goodies themselves mused publicly why they seemed to be 'out of favour' with the BBC top brass. Finally, at Christmas 2005, they returned for a fine reunion special which linked classic clips with newly-scripted material and an excellent documentary material tracing the show's background.

    http://www.the-goodies.co.uk/moreless

  • Hilarious. Even after all these years.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Blugis, Jul 14, 2006
    I first saw this show ages ago as a kid and loved it.

    Just a few months ago I got the DVDs and still love the show. The classic is Kitten Kong. It's silly and fun and has some great word plays and visual silliness. Highly recommended for kids as well as adults.

    It's out on DVD in both the UK and Australia. There's also a DVD here in the US. If you want the complete series, you'll have to buy the two sets out in the UK or Australia, AND get the US one as well. Why? Because that one has one episode that's not on either of the other two sets. :) Clever ain't it?moreless
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