The Goodies Rule – O.K.?

Infobox The Goodies episode
name = The Goodies Rule – O.K.?


number = 48
airdate = 21 December, 1975
(Sunday — 7.25 p.m.)
director = Jim Franklin
producer =
guests = Michael Barratt (as himself)

"the "Interviewer"
Tony Blackburn (as himself)
Sue Lawley (as herself)
Patrick Moore (as himself)
Eddie Waring (as himself)
Terry Wogan (as himself)
Corbet Woodall (as himself)

"the "Newsreader"
Norman Mitchell as
"the "Town Crier"
Ronald Russell — as ""..."
Roland MacLeod as
""Robert McKenzie"
Barry Cryer (voice) only
Sheila Steafel as the (voice) of
"the Queen"
Jim Styles the
"Punch & Judy Show"

series = 5

The Goodies Rule - OK.? is an episode of the British comedy television series "The Goodies".

The costume designer for this episode was famous BBC costume designer Dee Robson.

Plot

It is the early 60s and The Goodies are trying and make it big as pop stars. However, at every turn, their ideas are ripped off by acts who then go on to be much more successful than the Cricklewood trio — The Beatles, The Supremes and The Bachelors. Despondent and on Skid Row, they decide to get their own back by stealing the most famous characteristics of some of the most successful artists around - Elton John's glasses, The Bay City Rollers' trousers, Donny Osmond's teeth, etc.

They are so successful, the Top 10 is packed wall to wall with Goodies singles. The trio play Wembley Stadium, although to avoid crowd trouble, the audience is comprised entirely of police. Having saved the pop business single-handedly, the Goodies are awarded OBEs at a spectacularly waterlogged royal garden party. To distract the nation from the appalling state of the economy, The Goodies are employed to cheer up the nation and they oblige with an irritating song and dance craze called "The Bounce".

With the nation in , a General Election is called, but is won by a party advocating no enjoyment whatsoever, populated by shop window dummies. With entertainment now illegal, The Goodies become Robin Hood-style outlaws, travelling the nation giving impromptu variety shows and hanging out in "jokeeasies" where they plot to overthrow the government. However, it's not that easy — the entertainers have been banned for so long they can't remember their old routines. Finally, The Goodies manage to oust the dummies and the Entertainers take power — but with their memories gone, Graeme suggests another option – a puppet government.

Taking this literally, popular puppets Sooty and Sweep are now the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Houses Of Parliament are now full of screeching hand puppets. With their government at risk from these stuffed pretenders, The Goodies sneak into the Prime Minister's residence, Chequers, to remonstrate with the puppets. However they are immediately attacked and pursued by various giant versions of famous puppets from television in the 50s, 60s and 70s. They are threatened by a six-foot tall Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo; Graeme and Tim are challenged to a sword fight by Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men; and Bill is roughly beaten up by The Wombles (a sly nod to the chart rivalry between The Goodies and Mike Batt's Wombles singles).

Having vanquished their foes, The Goodies relax... but charging up behind them is a 20-foot long Dougal, the dog from The Magic Roundabout. As Graeme tries to ride the mighty "beast" and Tim is run over by the thing, Bill grapples with an enormous Zebedee, from the same programme. The trio guide Dougal and Zebedee back to the country house where they comprehensively destroy the building and the puppet government.

Having hidden down a handy manhole, The Goodies return following this coup to their woodland retreat and look on as the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties agree to form a coalition government. All seems well until the camera pulls back and reveals that Margaret Thatcher, Harold Wilson and Jeremy Thorpe are actually puppets being worked by... The Goodies. They smirk knowingly.

However... the last laugh is on the trio - and we see Bill, Graeme and Tim being worked by strings held by... director Jim Franklin.

poofs and imitations

* Sooty
* The Magic Roundabout — ("Dougal" and "Zebedee")
* Flower Pot Men — ("Bill and Ben" and "Weed")
* Punch and Judy
* Pinky and Perky (two puppet pigs from the 1960s, who sound the alarm)
* Andy Pandy, Teddy and Looby Loo (from the 1950s / 1960s TV series Andy Pandy)
* A Clanger is seen speaking in the Houses of Parliament
* The first puppet to attack The Goodies is "naughty old" Hector from 1960s puppet series, Hector's House
* The Wombles
* The Beatles
* The Supremes
* The Bachelors
* Elton John
* The Bay City Rollers
* Donny Osmond
* Conservative Party
* Labour Party
* Liberal Party
* Margaret Thatcher
* Harold Wilson
* Jeremy Thorpe
* Prime Minister
* Chancellor of the Exchequer
* Town crier

References

* "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
* "TV Heaven" — Jim Sangster & Paul Condon, HarperCollins"Publishers", London, 2005

External links

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