History Radio / TheGoonShow

'''Throat:''' [[AC:Buy Grubbo dog food.]] \\

* DontTryThisAtHome:

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Many {{Running Gag}}s were the [[OrphanedPunchline punchlines to dirty jokes]], apparently meaningless out of context.
** If one hasn't read up on it going in, they might not realize many jokes about Bloodnok are fart gags, accomplished through odd sound effects (i.e. explosions) and suggestive phrases, e.g. "No more curried eggs for me!".
** One episode featured a character named Dr. Londongle.
** A minor character rejoices in the name of Justin Eidelberger ("just an idle bugger").
** Then there was the referenced-but-never-seen character called Hugh Jampton (ie Huge Hampton, 'Hampton Wick' being rhyming slang for "prick").
** There are occasional cracks about elderly people and their sex lives (or lack thereof) involving Min and Henry Crun. Some of them are pretty coarse if you're paying attention.
--->'''Henry Crun:''' It's the war-whoops of the Nakatacka Indians!\\
'''Minnie:''' Are they the ones that commit atrocities?\\
'''Henry Crun:''' Yes, Min.\\
'''Minnie:''' I'll go upstairs and get ready!
** "Bend over for the golden rivet!" The punchline to a very old Royal Navy joke which isn't about rum or the lash.
** "It's your turn in the barrel!" Another old sodomy gag.
** The broadcasts of the show had to be edited for the BBC World Service broadcasts to India. In the dialogues between the two funny-Asian characters, Sellers and Milligan (both having lived in India) were fond of slipping in Hindi obscenities that would pass right by most British ears. But when re-broadcast to India and Pakistan...
*** When the shows were packaged for overseas broadcast by the BBC Transcription Service, their literature was careful to identify which shows "our old friends Lalkaka and Banerjee" appeared in.
** Seagoon is often referred to, and sometimes calls himself, a Charlie, meaning a patsy or fool. This is from rhyming slang: Charlie Hunt... (indirectly making this CountryMatters as well).
** ItMakesSenseInContext, believe it or not. Well, the first line does...
--->'''Bloodnok:''' I admire your choice, sir, you can't beat a concrete lamp-post you know.\\
'''Seagoon:''' Rubbish, I beat mine every morning! I show it who is the master.
** Milligan once responded to complaints about the dirty joke leftovers by saying, "if they know why it's dirty, they've got no business complaining about it."
** Bluebottle has a couple...
--->'''Bluebottle:''' Pulls up trousers, tucks in shirt. Hee hee. [[ADateWithRosiePalms My hands were cold]].
** And...
--->'''Bluebottle:''' I don't like eatin' oranges in the dark.\\
'''Seagoon:''' Then what ''do'' you like doing in the dark?\\
'''Bluebottle:''' ''(Embarrassed giggle)''\\
'''Seagoon:''' Yes, but there's no time for that now!
** "Who Is Pink Oboe?" has this in the title, "pink oboe" being Forces slang for the penis.

** ''[[ArcWords It's great to be alive in 1985!]]''
** The show often lampshaded how chronically hard-up for cash the BBC was, starting one episode with: "This is the BBC." ''(sound of coin clanking in collection bucket)'' "Thank-you!"

The scripts were mostly written by Spike Milligan, with various persons [[note]]such as Bentine, in the beginning, and later Creator/EricSykes (Milligan and Sykes were co-credited on several episodes, though like [[Music/TheBeatles Lennon and McCartney]] they actually alternated). Other co-writers included Larry Stephens, Maurice Wiltshire, and John Antrobus with whom Milligan later wrote the play The Bed-Sitting Room[[/note]] helping him. A few episodes were written by these helpers while [[SanitySlippage Milligan]] was [[CreatorBreakdown unavailable]]. Considerable ad-libbing occurred, though much that seemed like ad-libbing was carefully scripted, and [[LampshadeHanging lampshades were regularly hung]].

** ThoseTwoBadGuys: Grytpype and Moriarty

* TemptingFate: Twice in "The Dreaded Piano Clubber":
-->'''Greenslade:''' Make sure you are never on the streets alone. It is known that he never makes his attacks inside a building, so if like myself you work indoors, you are-- ''[[PianoDrop [CRASH] ]]''
-->'''Prime Minister:''' Wait a minute. I think it's all a load of rubbish the whole thing. How in heaven's name can a man hide a piano on himself? How can he? Look, anybody who's struck down by the dreadful piano clubber must be blind. I tell you, a full sized piano! I ask you! Is it not possible to see a man coming towards you with a-- ''[[PianoDrop [CRASH] ]]''

-->'''Prime Minister:''' Wait a minute. I think it's all a load of rubbish the whole thing. How in heaven's name can a man hide a piano on himself? How can he? Look, any man struck down by the dreadful piano clubber must be blind. I tell you, a full sized piano! I ask you! Is it not possible to see a man coming towards you with a-- ''[[PianoDrop [CRASH] ]]''

* TemptingFate: In "The Dreaded Piano Clubber":

-->'''Seacombe:''' "The Collapse of the British Rail Sandwich System", or...\\

'''Seacombe:''' "The Collapse of General Woolfe's Saxophone System on the Manitoba Sandwich Railway", or...\\

* ThoseTwoGuys: Happens quite a bit - which is unsurprising considering that this was a three-man show and Seacoombe mostly stayed in one character.

'''Grythpype, narrating:''' Author of Sea Sagas will pay anyone 5,000 pounds for conclusive proof as to the fate of the crew of the Mary Celeste.\\

'''Grythpype, narrating:''' But you don't know my address!\\