Goon Pod

Scradje is the penultimate show of Series 6 and a classic example of Grytpype-Thynne and Moriarty conspiring to fleece Neddie Seagoon, much as they did in Lurgi Strikes Britain. This time, the nation is suffering from a mysterious shortage of 'scradje', the substance that apparently prevents people's boots from exploding.There's the welcome return of John Snagge, who pops up as the Home Secretary, advising the British public to walk backwards holding gas stoves above their heads.Seagoon leads an expedition party to the North Pole in search of scradje and we get a number of references to Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, plus a rather surprising amount of heat and pyramid activity for the Arctic. Eventually, Seagoon discovers that the whole business is a gigantic hoax, confronts the dastardly duo in Monte Carlo and secures their confession – before Bluebottle makes one final, rather unfortunate mistake.Meanwhile returning guest Brian Phillips brings his immense knowledge of fifties popular culture to discuss Alma Cogan, David Whitfield, Elvis Presley, Lee Lawrence and much besides. He and Tyler also revisit Footo, the Wonder Boot Exploder.Is Scradje a bona fide Goon Show classic or does it suffer from general cast weariness, not to mention Spike returning to the well? You be the judge!

Cars, hotels, cigarettes, breakfast cereal, airlines, petrol stations, banks, department stores, milk, newspapers, even nuts - there was seemingly nothing that the former members of the Goon Show wouldn't promote should an advertising executive show a bit of leg and wave a fat cheque under their nose.Spike Milligan in particular was always game for a telly commercial, endorsing products with his own particular brand of humour and the faintest hint of 'I'm getting PAID to do this?' - everything from Kelloggs cornflakes to a Norwegian soft drink (in which he appeared with Marty Feldman).Peter Sellers notably advertised TWA and Barclays Bank in the seventies and early eighties, right up to his death, and of course he and Milligan had collaborated on the popular commercial for Benson & Hedges, the back story of which has to be heard to be believed. Harry Secombe likewise would pop up between programmes pushing some product or service, from Woolworths to Goodyear tyres, but didn't seem to do quite as many as his erstwhile colleagues.This week Tyler and guest Chris Oakley look into the murky world of commercials and consider the Goons' relationship with television admen.

Coming soon! A new monthly podcast where we examine the ninth episode of classic – and not-so-classic – British sitcoms to see what it represents and tells us about the series as a whole. https://open.spotify.com/show/6XUWFZTUFZTrxGZZ9buOp3By the ninth episode most sitcoms have got into their stride and the audience at home have got to know the different characters; the sit is well-enough established and the com is strong enough that viewers are engaged and entertained. Well, that’s the theory anyway.Episode one is out next week where Tyler Adams & Chris Diamond examine Open All Hours!

The Queen in America, Eurovision, Elvis, knitting a Spon, a Russian Love Song, Harry Rocking the Town! - it's all here this week! Plus: how much do we love Moriarty, a glaring goof and Watch That Tiger!Ted Webb joins Tyler to discuss this beloved series 8 show.

Jet Storm, also known as Jet Stream or Killing Urge, is a British thriller directed and co-written by Cy Endfield and starring Richard Attenborough, Stanley Baker, Patrick Allen and Virginia Maskell. It is an early example of what would become the aviation disaster-film genre, preceding films such as Airport by more than a decade. Released in October 1959, it centres almost entirely on a transatlantic flight from London to New York and the psychological and moral crisis that develops among its passengers when one of them threatens to destroy the aircraft.And why are we covering it on Goon Pod? Because one of the passengers is Ned of Wales himself, playing a washed-up comic called Binky Meadows. Binky sits next to Dame Sybil Thorndike and despite the chaos going on around them during the flight the pair manage to amuse each other with some gentle ribbing and leg-pulling and Secombe, naturally, helps leaven the drama. The film was the fourth collaboration between Cy Endfield and Stanley Baker. Endfield had previously been blacklisted in America after being named as a Communist before the HUAC hearings and subsequently moved to Britain. His earlier American work had been marked by cynicism and social criticism, making the relatively hopeful view of human nature in Jet Storm particularly interesting. The film was made five tears before the pair's later and much more famous collaboration, Zulu.Joining Tyler to chat through it all is Martin Holmes, host of Vision On Sound in which he and his guests talk about old telly, but he’s got a real soft spot for British films of this ilk, particularly those featuring Baker. The pair talk about the obvious plot holes and some rather fruity performances but overall they were impressed. One to watch out for on TalkingPictures TV!