Goon Show scripts for Peter Sellers found by University of York
Previously lost Goon Show material for Peter Sellers has been uncovered in the personal archive of comedy writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, held at the University of York.
Scripts were found in a folder marked 'Peter Sellers Sketches' and include titles such as Sherlock Holmes, Cowboy Sketch and Caine Mutiny. On closer inspection, the material - "short, tightly written scripts likely no more than five minutes each" - was clearly linked to Goon Show, "written for Sellers to perform at his vocal best".
The university explains: "These sketches aired as part of Midday Music Hall, a variety programme on the BBC Home Service between 16th - 30th October 1954. Sellers was billed as 'resident top of the bill' for three weeks. The material includes themes and voices typical of Sellers, and one joke even appears three years later in a Goon Show episode. The Midday Music Hall sketches were broadcast in the middle of the Goon Show's fifth series, at a time when the series was at its creative peak.
"No episodes of Midday Music Hall are known to exist in the archive.
"The discovery opens up new avenues of research on collaborative writing practices at Associated London Scripts (ALS), the writers' agency founded by Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Frankie Howerd and Galton & Simpson. While it's well known that ALS writers collaborated freely, this is the first tangible evidence suggesting Galton & Simpson may have directly contributed to Goon Show material."
To celebrate the find, the University of York will restage one of the rediscovered sketches - The Case of the Missing Two Fingers, a Sherlock Holmes parody - at the York Festival of Ideas on 8 June. Actor Richard Usher will bring the material to life for the first time in over 70 years to a live audience, complete with period-accurate sound effects.
The performance forms part of a campaign to secure and preserve the Galton & Simpson archive. Donations are still being taken via the crowdfunding campaign
Gary Brannan, Keeper of Archives and Research Collections at the University of York, says: "As a fan of both Galton & Simpson and The Goons, I can't wait to share these unknown gems with the comedy community. Who knows what else we'll find? That's why it's really important to make sure we save the archive for future fans to enjoy and to secure the legacy of Ray and Alan."