"The Goodies" (1970) TV series 1970-1981

Creators:

Tim Brooke-Taylor
Graeme Garden
Bill Oddie
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | unknown

Release Date:

8 November 1970 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere.

Plot:

Long running British situation comedy with the vaguest of situations. The Goodies are a three man agency whose brief is to do 'anything...

Plot Keywords:

Slapstick | British | Surrealism | Bike | Trio

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Bill Oddie	...	Bill Oddie / ... (76 episodes, 1970-1982)
Tim Brooke-Taylor	...	Tim Brooke-Taylor / ... (76 episodes, 1970-1982)
Graeme Garden	...	Graeme Garden / ... (76 episodes, 1970-1982)

Series Directed by
Jim Franklin		(64 episodes, 1970-1980)
John Howard Davies		(20 episodes, 1970-1972)
Bob Spiers		(9 episodes, 1977-1982)

Series Writing credits
Tim Brooke-Taylor		(76 episodes, 1970-1982)
Graeme Garden		(76 episodes, 1970-1982)
Bill Oddie		(76 episodes, 1970-1982)

Series Produced by
Jim Franklin	....	producer / production (37 episodes, 1973-1980)
John Howard Davies	....	producer (21 episodes, 1970-1972)
Bob Spiers	....	producer / production (8 episodes, 1980-1982)
David Bell	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 1982)

Series Original Music by
Bill Oddie		(70 episodes, 1970-1982)
Michael Gibbs		(47 episodes, 1970-1977)
Dave MacRae		(15 episodes, 1975-1982)

Series Cinematography by
Alan Featherstone		(1 episode, 1973)

Series Film Editing by
Ron Pope		(30 episodes, 1971-1975)
John Jarvis		(11 episodes, 1976-1980)
Stephan Ray		(8 episodes, 1971-1972)
Alan Lygo		(7 episodes, 1970)
Glenn Hyde		(5 episodes, 1977-1980)
Graham Roberts		(3 episodes, 1982)
Ray Weedon		(3 episodes, 1982)
Martyn Day		(2 episodes, 1971-1972)

Series Casting by
Nikki Finch		(3 episodes, 1982)

Series Production Design by
John Stout		(23 episodes, 1973-1977)
Roger Murray-Leach		(13 episodes, 1970-1972)
Geoffrey Patterson		(6 episodes, 1973-1974)
Colin Green		(4 episodes, 1975)
Andrew Howe-Davies		(4 episodes, 1980)
Janet Budden		(3 episodes, 1970)
David Jones		(3 episodes, 1971-1972)
Kenneth Sharp		(3 episodes, 1971)
Peter Blacker		(3 episodes, 1976)
Pauline Harrison		(3 episodes, 1977)
James Dillon		(3 episodes, 1982)
Lesley Bremness		(2 episodes, 1975)
Bryan Ellis		(2 episodes, 1980)
Roger Hall		(2 episodes, 1982)

Series Costume Design by
Betty Aldiss		(20 episodes, 1970-1972)
Andrew Rose		(18 episodes, 1975-1980)
Rupert Jarvis		(11 episodes, 1973-1975)
Mary Woods		(10 episodes, 1973-1974)
Brenda Fox		(3 episodes, 1982)

Series Makeup Department
Rhian Davies	....	makeup artist (25 episodes, 1970-1973)
Jean Steward	....	makeup artist (23 episodes, 1975-1980)
Penny Norton	....	makeup artist (7 episodes, 1973-1974)
Rhian Meakin	....	makeup artist (7 episodes, 1975)
Sandy McFarlane	....	makeup artist (3 episodes, 1982)
Jean Stewart	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1975-1977)

Series Production Management
Brian Penny	....	production manager (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Art Department
John Stout	....	film designer / film design (8 episodes, 1973-1975)
Linda Sherwood-Page	....	graphics (4 episodes, 1980)
Austin Ruddy	....	film designer / film design (3 episodes, 1975)
Tony Oldfield	....	graphics (3 episodes, 1982)

Series Sound Department
Laurence Taylor	....	sound (15 episodes, 1970-1972)
John Holmes	....	sound (15 episodes, 1973-1980)
John Howell	....	sound (12 episodes, 1975)
Paul Roberts	....	sound re-recording mixer (12 episodes, 1980-1982)
Jeff Booth	....	sound (10 episodes, 1976-1977)
Michael McCarthy	....	sound (5 episodes, 1971-1972)
Bill Wild	....	sound recordist (5 episodes, 1973-1980)
Peter Edwards	....	film sound (4 episodes, 1977)
Glenn Hyde	....	dubbing editor (3 episodes, 1976)
Tony Anscombe	....	film sound (3 episodes, 1982)
Bill Cross	....	film sound (3 episodes, 1982)
Anne Parsons	....	film sound (3 episodes, 1982)
Rod Guest	....	dubbing mixer (2 episodes, 1977)
Dave Simpson	....	dubbing mixer (2 episodes, 1980)
Graham Hix	....	sound supervisor (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Special Effects by
Eric Dunning	....	flying effects (2 episodes, 1977)
Peter Hutchinson	....	special effects (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Visual Effects by
Ron Oates	....	visual effects (21 episodes, 1970-1972)
Peter Day	....	visual effects (18 episodes, 1975-1976)
Len Hutton	....	visual effects (13 episodes, 1975)
John Horton	....	visual effects (12 episodes, 1973-1974)
Tony Harding	....	visual effects (9 episodes, 1976-1980)
Dave Havard	....	visual effects (5 episodes, 1977)
Andy Lazell	....	visual effects (4 episodes, 1980)

Series Stunts
Stuart Fell	....	stunt advisor / stunts (5 episodes, 1977-1982)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Stewart A. Farnell	....	film camera / film cameraman / ... (24 episodes, 1971-1974)
Alan Horne	....	lighting (22 episodes, 1973-1976)
John Tiley	....	film camera / film cameraman / ... (18 episodes, 1970-1975)
Reg Pope	....	film camera / film cameraman (14 episodes, 1976-1980)
John Green	....	lighting (12 episodes, 1971-1980)
Derek Slee	....	lighting (10 episodes, 1970-1971)
John Dixon	....	lighting (9 episodes, 1971-1973)
Brian Easton	....	film camera (5 episodes, 1976)
Richard Gauld	....	film camera / film cameraman (5 episodes, 1977)
Eric Wallis	....	lighting (5 episodes, 1977)
Ian Howes	....	film camera (3 episodes, 1982)
Tim Piper	....	film camera (3 episodes, 1982)
Len Newson	....	camera operator / film cameraman (2 episodes, 1971-1972)
Phil Meheux	....	film camera (2 episodes, 1971)
Martin Bond	....	camera operator (2 episodes, 1982)
Richard Cooper	....	vision controller (2 episodes, 1982)
Brian Pearce	....	lighting director (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Andrew Rose	....	costume (5 episodes, 1975-1980)
Rupert Jarvis	....	costume (2 episodes, 1975)

Series Editorial Department
Angela Beveridge	....	vision mixer (4 episodes, 1980)
Bill Morton	....	vision mixer (2 episodes, 1970-1972)
Kay Harrington	....	vision mixer (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Music Department
Fred Tomlinson	....	additional music / composer: additional music / ... (2 episodes, 1973-1975)

Series Other crew
Peter Lovell	....	production assistant (18 episodes, 1975-1976)
Tony Ravenscraig	....	production assistant (5 episodes, 1977)
Jill Heaver	....	production team (4 episodes, 1980)
Jennifer Hunter	....	production team (4 episodes, 1980)
John Kilby	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1980)
Mark Williams	....	production team (3 episodes, 1980)
Tony Crutchley	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 1982)
Glynis Jones	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1982)
Marion Poole	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1982)
Flick Colby	....	choreographer (2 episodes, 1977-1980)
Harry Bradley	....	technical manager (2 episodes, 1980)
Simon Holder	....	floor manager (2 episodes, 1982)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• London Weekend Television (LWT)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1970) (UK) (TV)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1981-1982) (UK) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

30 min (76 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The Goodies' postal address was given as "The Goodies, No Fixed Abode, Cricklewood".

Quotes:

[the Goodies have been told there's half an hour to go before the end of the world]
Tim:At least there's time to do the ironing.
[Brings in the ironing board and a basket of laundry]
Tim:Just think, this is the end of Derby County... and the Muppets!
Graeme:The Muppets?
Tim:Yes, when we go, they'll go too, you know... oh, I do hope they don't suffer.
Graeme:They're not real, you know!
Tim:Well, of course they're real!
Graeme:Don't be silly... the Muppets are just dollies!
Tim:If they're "dollies", how come they can sing and dance and make sophisticated funny remarks?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Screenwipe: Episode #3.3" (2007)

Classic English comedy from the 1970s!

'The Goodies' were one of the things that made growing up in the Seventies so much fun! This show may be dated fashion- and special effects-wise, but the humour is still as original and hilarious as ever.

Oddie, Garden and Brooke-Taylor shared a similar background and history to most of the Monty Python team. They also began as comedians while studying at University and various combination of Goodies and Pythons performed and wrote together for many television and radio comedies throughout the Sixties. Not long after Monty Python debuted on TV in 1969 The Goodies followed with their own series, which ended up lasting much longer. The Pythons aimed at adults, The Goodies at children, but for all their surface differences they shared a similar surreal Goons inspired wit, with an emphasis on wonderfully inventive sight gags.

Unlike Python, the show wasn't a sketch comedy. The basic premise was that out heroes would do anything, anywhere, anytime, which meant that they got into increasingly bizarre situations, which were often just an excuse for silly goings on and funny stuff. And the show WAS funny! Even today the best episodes stand up, and 'Kitten Kong', the unforgettable episode about a giant kitten terrorizing a city, must surely rank as one of THE highlights of television comedy, any decade!