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The Goodies File
Photo book of The Goodies, a trio of British comedians (Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie) who created, wrote, and starred in a surreal British television comedy series called The Goodies during the 1970s and early 1980s combining sketches and situation comedy.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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About the author
Tim Brooke-Taylor
96 books7 followersTimothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE was an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footnights revue in 1964. Becoming wider known to the public for his work on BBC Radio with I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, he moved into television with At Last the 1948 Show working together with old Cambridge friends John Cleese and Graham Chapman. He is most well known as one member of The Goodies, starring in the TV series throughout the 1970s and picking up international recognition in Australia and New Zealand. He has also appeared as an actor in various sitcoms, and has been a panellist on I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue for nearly 40 years.
Brooke-Taylor studied at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. There he read Economics and Politics before changing to read Law, and mixed with other budding comedians, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie and Jonathan Lynn in the prestigious Cambridge University Footlights Club (of which Brooke-Taylor became President in 1963). The Footlights Club revue, A Clump of Plinths was so successful during its Edinburgh Festival Fringe run, that the show was renamed as Cambridge Circus and the revue transferred to the West End in London, and then later taken to both New Zealand and to Broadway in the United States in September 1964.
Brooke-Taylor moved swiftly into BBC Radio with the fast-paced comedy show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again in which he performed and co-wrote. Other members of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again were John Cleese, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, David Hatch and Jo Kendall. In 1967, Brooke-Taylor became a writer/performer on the television comedy series At Last the 1948 Show, with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman. The famous "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch was co-written by the four writers/performers of the series. In 1968–1969, Brooke-Taylor was also a cast member and writer on the television comedy series Marty starring Marty Feldman, with John Junkin and Roland MacLeod.
At around the same time, Brooke-Taylor made two series of Broaden Your Mind with Graeme Garden (and Bill Oddie joining the series for the second season). Describing itself as "An Encyclopedia of the Air", this series was a string of comedy sketches (often lifted from I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again), linked (loosely) by a weekly running theme. Its success led to the commissioning of The Goodies, also with Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden. First transmitted on BBC2 in November 1970, The Goodies was a huge television success, running for over a decade on both BBC TV and (in its final year) UK commercial channel London Weekend Television, spawning many spin-off books and successful records.
Brooke-Taylor was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.
Brooke-Taylor studied at Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. There he read Economics and Politics before changing to read Law, and mixed with other budding comedians, including John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie and Jonathan Lynn in the prestigious Cambridge University Footlights Club (of which Brooke-Taylor became President in 1963). The Footlights Club revue, A Clump of Plinths was so successful during its Edinburgh Festival Fringe run, that the show was renamed as Cambridge Circus and the revue transferred to the West End in London, and then later taken to both New Zealand and to Broadway in the United States in September 1964.
Brooke-Taylor moved swiftly into BBC Radio with the fast-paced comedy show I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again in which he performed and co-wrote. Other members of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again were John Cleese, Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, David Hatch and Jo Kendall. In 1967, Brooke-Taylor became a writer/performer on the television comedy series At Last the 1948 Show, with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman. The famous "Four Yorkshiremen" sketch was co-written by the four writers/performers of the series. In 1968–1969, Brooke-Taylor was also a cast member and writer on the television comedy series Marty starring Marty Feldman, with John Junkin and Roland MacLeod.
At around the same time, Brooke-Taylor made two series of Broaden Your Mind with Graeme Garden (and Bill Oddie joining the series for the second season). Describing itself as "An Encyclopedia of the Air", this series was a string of comedy sketches (often lifted from I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again), linked (loosely) by a weekly running theme. Its success led to the commissioning of The Goodies, also with Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden. First transmitted on BBC2 in November 1970, The Goodies was a huge television success, running for over a decade on both BBC TV and (in its final year) UK commercial channel London Weekend Television, spawning many spin-off books and successful records.
Brooke-Taylor was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 27, 2019
Having just had a somewhat insipid, not very funny TV tie-in annual published under their names, the Goodies decided they'd rather write their own books. Not common in those days, but then they were always going to be different from most comedy troupes. After all, Graeme and Bill wrote their own scripts [with added ideas from Tim's biro] and they had all been radio and TV writers/performers for years before forming The Goodies.
Creating their own branded look and sound, the team obviously had a good eye for visuals as well as a wickedly broad sense of humour. Hence the way they came at the task from a subversive, self-critical angle, using an underground publishing style of collaged 'documents'. The reader needs to do a bit of work to follow the spurious and circular 'legal case' thread (no doubt informed by Tim's law training) which continues into the second book. Or you can just enjoy the self-mockery, authority-baiting, general daftness, in-jokes and photos of the trio including stills from their programmes, specially staged story pieces and actual childhood snaps.
The result was thrillingly naughty - not sure all those doting aunts and uncles realised quite what sort of Christmas annual they were buying for their young nieces and nephews! No, it was never really a kids' programme, but the teens and youngsters loved it. The Goodies were a huge multimedia phenomenon in the 70s. And I still love watching them on DVD, reading the books and wallowing in Bill's magical music.
Creating their own branded look and sound, the team obviously had a good eye for visuals as well as a wickedly broad sense of humour. Hence the way they came at the task from a subversive, self-critical angle, using an underground publishing style of collaged 'documents'. The reader needs to do a bit of work to follow the spurious and circular 'legal case' thread (no doubt informed by Tim's law training) which continues into the second book. Or you can just enjoy the self-mockery, authority-baiting, general daftness, in-jokes and photos of the trio including stills from their programmes, specially staged story pieces and actual childhood snaps.
The result was thrillingly naughty - not sure all those doting aunts and uncles realised quite what sort of Christmas annual they were buying for their young nieces and nephews! No, it was never really a kids' programme, but the teens and youngsters loved it. The Goodies were a huge multimedia phenomenon in the 70s. And I still love watching them on DVD, reading the books and wallowing in Bill's magical music.
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June 10, 2013Brillaint!
March 12, 2014
I was lucky enough to buy an autographed copy on eBay. It is a funny book, but really only of interest to hard-core fans of the show.
April 27, 2015
Still fun...but quite politically incorrect by today's standards!
July 2, 2016
Similar to Monty Pythons mid seventies book tie ins and just as funny . Again wish I still had it .
December 7, 2019
I've never heard about Goodies before, but I liked their short adventure of being in charge of UK.
March 24, 2012
This is a bit weird. I don't really watch the show that much, but I hope it isn't like this.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews