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Reviews
The Goodies: Special: Goodies Rule OK? (1975)
Come on everybody, let's bounce for Britain!
Now usually, I would say that my favourite episodes of The Goodies are not the usual suspects like "Kitten Kong" or "Kung Fu Kapers". Much as I admire the zany slapstick of Tim, Graeme and Bill, the best episodes for me were the ones set in a single room, usually at the end of the series when the budget was used up. No guest stars, no exterior filming, just three men in a room for half an hour. Hence why I love "Lighthouse Keeping Loonies", "The End" and my personal favourite "Earthanasia".
But I take particular exception to this 1975 Christmas Special, which rounded off series 5, when The Goodies were at the peak of their career and their creative talents. As another writer said, they simply go for broke here with one crazy idea after another. So we have pastiches of many many musical icons: mentions of Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Pete Murray, The Bay City Rollers, and then The Goodies make their appearance as The Beatles, The Bachelors and The Supremes. Then briefly we see pastiches of the Gumbies from Monty Python, Andre Segovia, Yehudi Mehudin, Ravi Shankar, Donny Osmond, The Bay City Rollers, Elton John, Kojak, Gary Glitter, Alvin Stardust, Roy Wood, The Rubettes, The Wombles and Lynsey De Paul. These are all fleeting, but memorable. Then we swiftly move to a royal tea party which becomes flooded (which Tim of course enjoys regardless), resulting in the trio being awarded O.B.Es and having to create what turns out to be a new irritating dance craze called "The Bounce". Following that, there is a general election after a Nationwide report (Michael Barratt, once again showing his brilliance) shows the chaos which the dance caused, including a scene where Harold Wilson jumps off of the Labour Party conference roof. Terry Wogan and Robert McKenzie cover events (with competing parties featuring waltzers and Max Walls, plus a cameo from Kenny Everett), until finally, the Dummies win.
Again, one idea follows another as we launch into a spoof of Robin Hood outlaws attempting to cheer the nation up (after the Dummies ban fun) and gathering in 1930s-style speakeasies (or "jokeasies"), where they plan to overthrow the government with the Entertainers. Pity they can't remember their acts. They attempt to re-teach Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd, Rolf Harris, Tony Blackburn (who they don't really want), Jimmy Savile, Kojak (again), Patrick Moore, Sue Lawley, Morecambe and Wise, and of course, the infamous Eddie Waring, who Graeme Garden is famous for impersonating himself. Not to worry, says Bill, as they simply bring in a puppet government. Literally, a government full of puppets, including Sooty and Sweep, the Clangers, Hector, Punch and Judy, Pinky and Perky, Andy Pandy, Teddy, Looby-Loo, Bill and Ben, Weed, The Wombles (again), and most memorably a gigantic Dougal and Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout. Finally, a coalition government is formed of Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and Jeremy Thorpe...who are puppets operated by The Goodies...who are puppets operated by director Jim Franklin.
It is very fast-paced, and admittedly some of the visual humour is lost slightly when viewed over 30 years later. What it does lack is a proper storyline or linear plot running all the way through, simply lurching from one strange occurrence to another. OK, so many episodes never really had a proper storyline, but the previous special, "The Goodies and the Beanstalk" did, and Tim Brooke-Taylor (and his Biro) also contributed to the writing. Perhaps that is the most important thing missing from this, maybe something Christmassy. Also, while it's good that all of it is done on film, it's a shame that we don't have the studio set of the office, just to add a bit of witty dialogue to the setup. Still, it's a great treat and brimming with so many off-the-wall ideas that you can't help but love it, because The Goodies do still rule - OK?