The Goon Show

The Goon Show was a hugely popular and extremely influential British radio comedy programme, which was originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service.

Other members

• Andrew Timothy – the show's original announcer, who left the show after the first few episodes of season 4, claiming that he feared for his sanity. He did however return in 1972 for The Last Goon Show of All.
• Wallace Greenslade – announcer, he opened and closed each show (often parodying the traditional BBC announcing style), and occasionally played himself in an episode, as well as other small parts.
• Ray Ellington (not related to the Duke) and his Quartet – singer and drummer. The popular Ellington Quartet acted as rhythm section for the show's orchestra. Ellington, whose father was African-American, also occasionally played small roles, mostly as black characters.
• Max Geldray – jazz harmonica player (but no actor).
• Wally Stott and his Orchestra - the house band. Stott was a well-known British band leader and arranger whose other credits included numerous recordings for film and singing star Diana Dors. He also composed the music for Hancock's Half Hour.
• George Chisholm – one of the show's regular musicians, sometimes called upon to play Scottish characters.

It is a measure of Peter Sellers' vocal talents that he was able to speak all Milligan's characters so accurately that Spike's absences from the show were undetected until the final credits were read. When he himself was absent, as in "Who is Pink Oboe?", a round half-dozen other actors and comedians had to be recruited to fill in for him.

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