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GOODY QUESTIONS – EVEN BETTER ANSWERS

By Andrew Reid

(from C&G #87  March 2003)

(Editor's introduction)  Those of you who attended Kitten Kon may recall that Andrew purchased a genuine "black pudding" prop from the Kung Fu Kapers episode at the charity auction, therefore he truly deserves t' title of Big Pud, if not T'Grand Master even.  As GROK's only remaining postal member, Andrew resorted to the wonders of Goody Post and sent a letter to the Pirate Post Office, where Tim Brooke-Taylor kindly answered the following questions for Andrew - and the C&G as well:

(1) WHERE WAS THE OFFICE SET FILMED?

The office set was usually in the BBC TV Centre in White City, London.  We recorded in front of an audience and the office being not on film was always there.

(2) HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE THERE FOR THE FILMING?

I think there were about 200-250 in the audience, but I'm not certain.

(3) WHO IS GORDON BENNETT?

Gordon Bennett was apparently the proprietor of the New York Herald.  He organised balloon races at the beginning of the 20th century.  Like 'gorblimey', it's a euphemism to avoid saying 'God'.

(Editor's trivia: Another Gordon Bennett is currently the head of the sports department at Channel 7 in Melbourne.  His name also gets taken in vain when incessant ad breaks continually interrupt the football and other sporting telecasts on his station!)

(4) AFTER BEING COVERED IN BAKED BEANS FOR MANY YEARS (AS PART OF THE MOCK HEINZ ADS), DID YOU EAT THEM BACK THEN AND DO YOU STILL ENJOY THEM?

Good question about baked beans.  Yes I did go on eating them and I still do.  In fact I might have some later.

(5) DID HEINZ EVER SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOCK ADS?

Heinz never commented and more to the point never sent over any money.

(6) DO YOU THINK TODAY'S STANDARD OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS HAS KILLED SOME ASPECTS OF COMEDY?

Political correctness, hmm.  When I see and hear some of the gay characters I played in the sixties I'm deeply ashamed.  But then some of them were with Graeme Chapman who later 'came out'.  We had a lot of political correctness gone mad in the sixties, I mean we weren't even allowed to say 'dwarf' and Round The Horne did Snow White And The Seven Jockeys.  The use of 'nigger' in our Black & White Beauty show still makes me laugh.  The whole point was to shock.  In the mid sixties I did a character who was extreme right wing and I was appalled that people started to agree with him so I dropped it.

(7) DO YOU THINK THE GOODIES WOULD BE INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY TODAY BY ADULTS AND / OR CHILDREN?

Adults / children liking The Goodies?  Assuming there's no prejudice I think it'd be the same today.  The shows were written for adults originally (10:30 at night).  Some of the technology might put some off, I suppose.

(8) WHERE DID THE TRANDEM COME FROM?  WAS IT AS HARD TO STEER AS IT LOOKED?

I'm not quite sure about the origins of the trandem.  Let Bill steer anything!

(9) WHO WAS YOUR FAVOURITE GUEST STAR, AND WHY?

Difficult to say favourite guest.  Roy Kinnear always made us laugh.  The guests got fewer and fewer when we realised they, the villains usually, had the best parts.

(10) WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PROP / SET FROM THE GOODIES?

I always thought the mobile office was a pretty good prop, as was the giant Dougal.