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Goodies! Goodie Goodie Yum Yum!
The Goodies was a BBC comedy that ran from 1970 to 1982, and run (and re-run and re-re-run, etc) in Australia when I was growing up. I remember watching them after high school had finished, along with other cool shows like Monkey and Astroboy and The Mysterious Cities of Gold... so I really grew up with these guys! It was't actually a show for children, though. The ABC censored their master copies and showed a version more suitable for kids.
But there was still a lot of adult humour (that children wouldn't understand), as well as a lot of slap stick and amusing story lines. It was also pretty satirical at times.
Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, and Bill Oddie starred in the show, and (funnily enough) the characters were called Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, and Bill Oddie!
The Goodies were Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie. They wrote it and starred in it and their characters were comic exaggerations of their own personalities. Tim was cowardly but an ardent royalist -- beneath his veneer of respectability he wore Union Jack underpants; Graeme (a doctor in real life) was a manic scientist; and Bill was solid, dependable and keen on the environment. He also composed the songs.
Basically, The Goodies were a three man team who went around and did ... things for people!
Tim: And we are... er... going... to... do good... to people.
Graeme & Bill: How wet!
We'll Do Anything, Anytime.
And, well, they really did do anything, anytime!
They have investigated who stole the Beefeater's beef in the Tower of London, set up a pirate radio station and post office, tried to trap the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot, become the whole British team for the Commonwealth Games and (later) the Winter Olympics, created Kitten Kong with Graeme's growth formula, made a sex education film, attempted to win Nice Person of the Year but sabotaged by evil robot doubles, looked after Camelot for Tim's uncle King Arthur, Bill showed his expertise at the ancient Lancastrian martial art of Ecky Thump, gone to war (as children) for Churchill, found out about apart-height in South Africa, and even performed a show of their songs, where they did the Funky Gibbon!
They travelled everywhere on their trademark three-seater bike - the Trandem - even attaching balloons to it to make it fly! At one point, their home/office was turned into a moving building by Graeme (being the mad, computer-loving scientist that he was, he could do that kind of thing)!
Some of Tim's speeches have been captured at The Land of Hope and Glory, so you can hear the Goodies for themselves. As you can hear, Tim's a satire of patriots and monarchists. ("She" is Queen Elizabeth, and the "you know whats" are OBEs. The other voice in most speeches you can hear is Bill. The voices in "Camelot" are an extra character and Graeme, who does the speech at the end.)
But it was not loved by everyone.
Mary Whitehouse [British censor] certainly didn't see them as children. She once described them as being 'too sexually orientated', taking particular issue with Tim Brooke-Taylor who had always seemed about as likely a sex symbol as Harry Worth. Mrs. W stated: 'Tim Brooke-Taylor was seen undressing, then dressing to mock John Travolta in an exceedingly tight pair of underpants with a distinctive carrot motif on the front.'
But they did heaps of fantastic music for their shows - Bill Oddie was the singer and song writer of the group. The theme songs to The Goodies were (of course) written by Bill, and they basically sum up what The Goodies was all about:
| Goodies! Goodie goodie yum yum!
Take a little good advice; It's whatever turns you on. Goodies!
A circus or a seaside pier, Fine for all the family. Goodies!
Goodies, goody goody yum yum! | G - you need a helping hand O - you know we'll understand O - we're with you right to the end Everyone needs a friend Goodie, Goodie, Goodie D - we'll show you definitely I - you should employ us three E - can take on any old line Anything anytime Hi, hi, hi
Goodies - goodie goodie yum yum |
A great site for information about certain episodes and photos is The Goodies Toothpick Companion - fantastic stuff there!
Also, check out The Goodies Rule - OK! for a great site about The Goodies. These people even arranged Kitten Con last year in Melbourne, Australia... and I got to meet (and speak for a few moments) with Tim!
KITTEN CON - THE GOODIES CONVENTION: We celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Goodies in fine style in Melbourne over the Easter 2000 long weekend. Tim Brooke-Taylor was our special guest with Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie joining us for a live video chat. Over 300 people attended and we raised $10,000 for the Royal Melbourne Children's Hospital. All in all not a bad weekend.
It was pretty cool - Tim wasn't meant to turn up till the next day, but he came to say 'hi' to fans. I always thought that he was tall, on the tv show... but he's only a little taller than me! Wow, imagine how short Bill must be... Too bad the others didn't make it. I could only attend that one evening (where we watched episodes of The Goodies on video in the video room)... Too bad I could only stick around for part of that evening, and was busy the next day of the con. Oh, well... at least I got to meet Tim! ^_^
I love The Goodies!!!
If only they'd put it back on the ABC, again...
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© Caroline Seawright 2001