Punky Business

Infobox The Goodies episode
name = Punky Business


number = 59
airdate = 29 November, 1977
(Tuesday — 9 p.m.)
director = Bob Spiers
producer = Jim Franklin
guests = Jane Asher as
""Caroline Kook"
Frank Thornton as the
""Master of Ceremonies"
Michael Barratt as himself
Patrick Moore as himself
Ronnie Brody as ""..."
Roland MacLeod as ""..."
Vicki Michelle as
"the Nurse"
Selina Ingram as ""..."
James Muir as ""..."
Norman Bacon as ""..."
Barney Carroll as ""..."
Eddie Davis as ""..."
Ernie Goodyear as
"a Policeman"

series = 7

Punky Business is an episode of the British comedy television series "The Goodies".

This episode is also known as ""Punkerella" and as ""Rock Goodies".

Plot

The Goodies have become a rock band called "The Little Laddies", and sing 'on the road', where they are ignored by the general public. However, they are picked up off the street by policemen, who put them to work. Soon tiring of performing for the police, the Goodies discover that punk is the latest fad. Bill and Graeme decide to go punk — but Tim prefers to keep his neat and tidy image and his shiny shoes.

Tim takes the beautiful Caroline Kook out to dinner, but he can't understand what has happened to the restaurant — at lunchtime, that day, it had been an ordinary restaurant — now, at dinnertime, it had changed into a punk restaurant called "Trattoria Punk". He is so disgusted at what is offered on the restaurant's menu that he can't even say the names out loud (except for ratatouille, which the restaurateur (Graeme) says is off because they've run out of rats). Tim finally chooses spaghetti, thinking that this would not be as bad as the rest. However Graeme makes the meal a messy and memorable one for Tim — memorable, that is, for all the wrong reasons.

Tim complains to Caroline Kook about the change to the restaurant, but she becomes angry with him. Caroline has been served with dignity by Graeme, instead of the rough-handed treatment with food which Graeme has metered out to Tim — so she lacks sympathy for what had happened to Tim. Caroline Kook mentions to Tim that there is to be a Trendsetters Ball. Graeme, who is listening to what she says, looks interested in what he is hearing.

People attending the ball try to outdo each other in punkiness, including Bill (who sings a punk song). Tim wants to go to the ball, but he is told that he looks too nice. Upset, Tim sweeps the Goodies office with a broom — until Graeme arrives and turns Tim into Punkerella by operating on him. When Tim awakens, following the operation, he can't see where the change has been made — until Graeme tells Tim that he has taken Tim's leg off — following which Tim immediately falls over. Graeme warns Tim that the clip on his leg is not secure and might come undone and that his leg might fall off. Graeme then puts a pumpkin, with rats and lizards hanging from it, over Tim's head, and Tim attends the ball.

In his disguise, Tim is an instant success. When he quickly leaves at midnight, during the ball, his amputated leg falls off and Tim leaves it behind on the stairs. And so the hunt is on to find the pumpkin-headed with one leg — with Caroline Kook vowing to marry him when he is found.

poofs and imitations

* Punk subculture
* Cinderella
* Caroline Coon — a British artist and journalist who became involved with the punk scene.
* Rock Follies — a TV show about a fictional female rock band called the "Little Ladies", which the Goodies parody by calling themselves the "Little Laddies"
* Bill Grundy — the television presenter who goaded the Sex Pistols into swearing on television at lunchtime, effectively ending his tenure with the show and, subsequently, ending the show itself.

Quotes

* Punk interviewer ('Bill Grumpy') — Mr Brooke-Taylor, let's face it, you are "nice".
* Tim — Yes
* PI — Would you be nice, here, now?
* Tim — Yes, I would.
* PI — You mean it honestly wouldn't bother you to be nice in front of millions of people?
* Tim — No.
* PI — Well, go ahead then.
* Tim — Well, it's very, very, very kind of you to have invited me on the programme.
* PI — Oh, very clever!
* Tim — And I'd like to come on again, please.
* PI — You sick little *bleep*! (attacks Tim)

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

External links

*: ("Punky Business" is listed under an alternative title at IMDb)