Clown Virus

"Clown Virus"
The Goodies episode
Episode no.	Series 5 Episode 38 (of 76)
Produced by
Starring	Tim Brooke-Taylor Graeme Garden Bill Oddie
Original air date	17 February 1975 (Monday — 9 p.m.)
Guest stars
John Bluthal as "Major Charles M. Cheeseburger" Peter Dyneley as "..." Corbet Woodall (as himself) (the "Newsreader") Ramsay Williams as "..."
Series 5 episodes
10 February – 21 December 1975 The Movies Clown Virus Chubbie Chumps Wacky Wales Frankenfido Scatty Safari Kung Fu Kapers Lighthouse Keeping Loonies Rome Antics Fleet Street Goodies South Africa Bunfight at the O.K. Tea Rooms The End The Goodies Rule – O.K.?
List of The Goodies episodes

"Clown Virus" is an episode of the British comedy television series The Goodies — a BAFTA-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.^[1][2][3]

As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.

Plot

When the United States Army asks the Goodies to get rid of a large container, with the words Tomato soup on its side, they take it out to sea in an attempt to ditch it — but without success. They then take the container to their office, where they open it and find a strange-looking mixture inside.

In an effort to make the mixture look more like Tomato soup, and more palatable, they pour red paint into the mixture in their soup bowls, and they then attempt to eat the mixture. The 'soup' tastes horrible and makes them feel ill. The Goodies sell the remainder of the mixture to British Rail (who intend to serve the mixture as soup), and to service stations (which intend to use the mixture as petrol).

Back at the Goodies' domain, something strange is taking effect — Tim's nose has turned red. Bill comments that he had never noticed that Tim had a small red nose before. Tim states that he does not have a 'small red nose', to which Graeme replies: "No, you don't have a small red nose - you have a BIG red nose!". Tim is turning into a clown — closely followed by Bill and Graeme also turning into clowns.

The Goodies discover that people, everywhere, are turning into clowns, and come to the conclusion that the 'soup' was not soup after all — but something far more sinister.

Quote

• Major Cheeseburger: "Well, I'll be horn-swoggled!".
• Graeme: "Your private life is no concern of ours."

References

1. ^ Light Entertainment Production nomination — official BAFTA website
2. ^ Best Light Entertainment Programme nomination — official BAFTA website
3. ^ Information is given, by the BBC, about the BAFTA-nomination on the back of the "The GOODIES ... At Last ... Back for More, Again!" DVD cover.

• "The Complete Goodies" — Robert Ross, B T Batsford, London, 2000
• "The Goodies Rule OK" — Robert Ross, Carlton Books Ltd, Sydney, 2006
• "From Fringe to Flying Circus — 'Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980'" — Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980
• "The Goodies Episode Summaries" — Brett Allender
• "The Goodies — Fact File" — Matthew K. Sharp

External links

• Clown Virus at the Internet Movie Database