The Idiot Weekly

Infobox Radio Show
show_name = The Idiot Weekly

---

imagesize = 250px
caption = Ray Barrett, Michael Eisdell, John Bluthal, Bobby Limb, Reg Goldsworthy and Spike Milligan at a recording session of "The Idiot Weekly" in 1958.
format = Comedy
runtime = 30 minutes
first_aired = 1958
last_aired = 1962
starring = Spike Milligan
John Bluthal
Bobby Limb
Michael Eisdell
Ray Barrett
Peter Carver
John Ewart
country = flagicon|Australia Australia
home_station = Australian Broadcasting Commission
num_episodes = 38

"The Idiot Weekly" (1958-1962) was a radio programme made by the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

Background

Transcriptions of the Goon Show were broadcast on Australian radio from late 1955. When Spike Milligan visited his parents in Woy Woy in 1958, the Australian Broadcasting Commission signed him for a series of radio comedy broadcasts. They hoped for a local equivalent of the Goon Show with an Australian slant to it, but without Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe.

Format and characters

The format was very similar to the Goon Show, with Milligan recycling or adapting scripts and jokes for the new show. The show contained typical Goonish humour and some of Milligan's Goon Show character, notably Eccles, made regular appearances. However it was distinctly Australian with plots translated to Australian locations and frequent references to topical events and Australian political figures of the time. wikiquote

The closing credits were read "a radio reading of "The Idiot Weekly" with the actors credited as "Headlines by.." or "Cartoons by..." and the producer credited as a sub-editor.

Running gags

Many episodes include references to the perceived poor state of the ABC, usually by the announcer. For example, "This is the Australian Broadcasting Commission and it's going bald" or "This is the ABC, and the roof leaks".

Most episodes include references to Woy Woy.

Episode guide

1st Series 1. 1- 1 Jun 3 58 2. 1- 2 Jun 10 58 3. 1- 3 Jun 17 58 4. 1- 4 Jun 24 58 5. 1- 5 Jul 1 58 6. 1- 6 Jul 8 58 7. 1- 7 Jul 15 58 8. 1- 8 Jul 22 58 9. 1- 9 Jul 29 58 10. 1-10 Aug 5 58 11. 1-11 Aug 12 58 "The All Australian Leather Rocket" 12. 1-12 Aug 19 58

The cast was Spike Milligan, John Bluthal, Bobby Limb, Michael Eisdell and Ray Barrett with music by Jim Gussey and the ABC Dance Orchestra. The producer was Max Greaves.

2nd Series 13. 2- 1 Jun 30 59 "Son of Andrea" 14. 2- 2 Jul 7 59 15. 2- 3 Jul 14 59 16. 2- 4 Jul 21 59 17. 2- 5 Jul 28 59 18. 2- 6 Aug 4 59 19. 2- 7 Aug 11 59 20. 2- 8 Aug 18 59 21. 2- 9 Aug 25 59 22. 2-10 Sep 1 59 23. 2-11 Sep 8 59 "The French Connection" 24. 2-12 Sep 15 59 25. 2-13 Sep 22 59 "The Australian Flag"

Broadcast dates unknown: "The Prime Minister's Trousers", "The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy"

The cast was Spike Milligan, Bobby Limb, John Bluthal, Peter Carver, Michael Eisdell, announcer Graham Connolly with music by Johnny Bamford (vibraphone), Bruce Findlay (vocals), Jim Gussey and the ABC Dance Orchestra. The producer was John McCloud.

3rd Series 26. 2- 1 Aug 28 62 27. 2- 2 Sep 4 62 28. 2- 3 Sep 11 62 29. 2- 4 Sep 18 62 30. 2- 5 Sep 25 62 31. 2- 6 Oct 2 62 32. 2- 7 Oct 9 62 33. 2- 8 Oct 16 62 34. 2- 9 Oct 23 62 35. 2-10 Oct 30 62 36. 2-11 Nov 6 62 37. 2-12 Nov 13 62 38. 2-13 Nov 20 62

Broadcast dates unknown: "The Ashes", "The King's Bridge Saga", "The American Cup", "The World's Greatest Adventure", "The Spon Plague", "King's Cross - The East Berlin of Australia", "The Great Christmas Pudding", "The Flying Dustman of the Outback".

The cast was Spike Milligan, John Ewart, Ric Hutton, Paul Westerman, Al Thomas, Michael Eisdell, announcer Peter Young with music by Patricia Ridgeway (vocals), Dudley Stapleton (piano), Jim Gussey and the ABC Dance Orchestra. The producer was John McCloud.

Notes

* Some published sources list "The Australian Flag" and "The Prime Minister's Trousers" as being in Series 1. Both credit the Series 2 cast. "The Australian Flag" is announced as "the last of the present series".
* The surviving recording of "The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy" includes the audience warm up, which includes a short jazz number by the ABC Dance Band with Spike Milligan playing the trumpet.
* "The Spon Plague" combines elements of the Goon Shows "Lurgi Strikes Britain" and "The Nadger Plague". Some publications list this episode title as "The Spon Berry vs The Spon Plague" or just "Spon". The show is announced as "The Spon Plague". In this episode, Spike Milligan sings a version of the "Dustbin Dance" from the BBC television series "A Show Called Fred", the successor to "The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d".
* "The Great Christmas Pudding" is essentially a remake of the Goon Show "Operation Christmas Duff" with Australian references.
* Some publications list "The American Cup" as "Gretel vs America".
* Some publications list "The King's Bridge Saga" as "The King's Bridge Disaster" or "The Last Tram to King Street Bridge". The show is announced as "The King's Bridge Saga". It contains elements of the Goon Show "The Last Tram (from Clapham)". Part of the episode relates to the King Street Bridge in Melbourne which collapsed soon after opening in July 1962.
* Patricia Ridgeway had married Spike Milligan several months prior to series 3.

Recordings

Sadly the ABC did not keep all the episodes but a few recordings do survive. Some episodes were record off air onto acetate and are held in the archives of the Goon Show Preservation Society and in private collections.

Known surviving recordings are:
Season 1 - Program from 8 July 1958 (partial), "The All Australian Leather Rocket" (complete).
Season 2 - "Son of Andrea" (complete), "The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy" (with audience warm up), "The Prime Minister's Trousers" (complete with audience warm up), "The French Connection" (rehearsal), "The Australian Flag" (complete)
Season 3 - "The Ashes" (off air recording without music), "The King's Bridge Saga" (off air recording without music), "The American Cup" (complete), "The World's Greatest Adventure", "The Spon Plague", "King's Cross - The East Berlin of Australia" (without music), "The Great Christmas Pudding", "The Flying Dustman of the Outback" (off air recording without music).

Adaptations and audio releases

Two episodes from Series 3, "The Ashes" and "The Flying Dustman of the Outback", were released on Parlophone LP (PMEO 9376) in 1962.

Six episodes were remade by the BBC as "The Omar Khayyam Show".

ee also

* "The Goon Show"
* "The Omar Khayyam Show"

References

* [http://www.goon.org/usgoons/goonlist.pdf U.S. Archives of the Goon Show Preservation Soviety]
* [http://otterplus.com/radiodb/log.php?e=52284&PHPSESSID=0bc122641f98996aaccb3320dc67188d Old Time Radio Researchers Group]