History YMMV / TheGoonShow

* HoYay: Creator/SpikeMilligan admitted that he had written Hercules Grytpipe-Thynne as an closeted gay man, leading to several such exchanges. The crowner of them has to be ''Rommel's Treasure'', where he and Neddie flirt with each other ''constantly''.

* AcceptablePoliticalTargets: While politicians in general are treated, well, about as well as anything in the show, there's this exchange from "The Last Goon Show Of All":
-->'''Grytpype''': (to Moriarty) You can't tell the difference between a lump on the head and margarine! The leadership of the Conservative Party is yours for the asking!
* AcceptableTargets: Creator/SpikeMilligan had a special loathing for authority, bureaucracy and anything impersonal (such as advertising) which derived from such things, and especially in early shows he took swing at those targets.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semitic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew[[note]]loosely based on real-life impresario Lew Grade[[/note]] (ironically, Creator/PeterSellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles).

** The slow but steady decline of Moriarty. both socially and mentally, becomes somewhat harder to enjoy once it's noticed how it parallels Milligans own decline.

* AcceptableTargets: Milligan had a special loathing for authority, bureaucracy and anything impersonal (such as advertising) which derived from such things, and especially in early shows he took swing at those targets.

*** This was, of course, an intentional parody of the original James Moriarty's name, but to be fair, nobody had ever seriously called him Jim until {{Series/Sherlock}}.
* HoYay: Spike admitted that he had written Hercules Grytpipe-Thynne as an closeted gay man, leading to several such exchanges. The crowner of them has to be ''Rommel's Treasure'', where he and Neddie flirt with each other ''constantly''.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semitic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew[[note]]loosely based on real-life impresario Lew Grade[[/note]] (ironically, Sellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles).

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semitic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew[note]loosely based on real-life impresario Lew Grade[/note] (ironically, Sellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles).

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semitic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew (ironically, Sellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles).

* {{Anvilicious}}: Some shows, especially early ones, contain extended TakeThats against things Milligan disliked, such as advertising. As it became more surreal, it became more of its own universe in which such things either didn't exist or couldn't possibly be taken seriously.

*** This was, of course, an intentional parody of the original James Moriarty's name, but to be fair, nobody had ever seriously called him Jim until ''Sherlock''.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semitic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew [ironically, Sellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles].

--->'''Bloodnok:''' Ah, the [[GreedyJew Jewish]] piano.

** "How on earth shall we defeat him?" "I've found a chink in his armour!" "Those Chinese get everywhere."

** "How on earth shall we defeat him?" "I've found a chink in his armour!" "Those Chinese get everywhere."
* ReverseFunnyAneurysm: Jokes about how "that is why this show will never be televised" after a scene in which it's implied someone's naked, etc... the show ''was'' eventually televised, albeit with puppets.

* OnceAcceptableTargets: There are jokes about singer and occasional guest cast member Ray Ellington being black that, while obviously made with his consent, tend to raise modern eyebrows - e.g. another character is blackened in a [[NonFatalExplosions Harmless Explosion]] and is promptly mistaken for Ellington. Even at the time, the show was criticized for being anti-Semetic with regards to minor Jewish characters/bystanders such as show business agent Lew [ironically, Sellers, who was half-Jewish, usually played those roles].