But Lurgi Strikes Britain, which was first broadcast in November 1954, is more like it. Not only does it have new resonance after the Covid pandemic, the phrase "the dreaded lurgy" has entered the language.
I also notice that the Goons hit upon the idea of dragging their BBC announcer into the programme long before Round the Horne did.
The Goon Show is significantly under-rated as a product of the Modernist Movement. The surrealism, use of sound effects and references to contemporary art and music was both innovative and highly effective. Unfortunately, the format was still constrained by the conventions of music hall - breaking for a musical interlude every ten minutes was a throwback to the ninteenth century, and I think that's why it has never had the critical attention it deserves.
ReplyDeleteI think it was because the BBC classified it as a variety programme, and variety programmes had to have music. Even then, the music on The Goon Show was better than on Round the Horne more than 10 years later. Sellers and Milligan were both jazz musicians, which may have something to do with the style of comedy. I was going to say The Goon Show must have sounded like something from another planet in the Fifties, but ITMA had been fast-moving with a loose structure and catchphrases - rather like The Fast Show.
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