Notes to the 4th series
With this series, the shows begin for the first time to take on familiar
dramatic format, although it is not until the second half of the series that the
majority of the shows have a straight-through half-hour plot (apart from the
musical items, of course).
As yet the shows were not given titles at the time of writing, with the result
that the situation has become rather confused. Spike Milligan has titled his own
copies of the scripts with abbreviated titles that are really more of a shorthand
indication of their content. Someone has written in pencil on the front of the BBC
Script Library copies titles which tend to be based on opening announcements;
however, as many of the shows have a short opening sketch with the main part of
the programme starting only after the first musical items, these titles tend to be
misleading.
The titles given in these listings are derived from both sources with a tendency to use
Milligan's titles where there is a choice between two reasonably acceptable alternatives.
Only one show in this series has been preserved in BBC Sound Archives (no. 23) - in this
case the BBC title has been retained in preference to Milligan's.
1. Not coherently announced.
2. Three-episode show, the middle section is 'The Dreaded Piano Clubber'.
3. This story occupies the second and third episodes of the show.
4. The first part of the show is 'The Adventures of Fearless Harry Secombe',
a 'serial' which appears at the start of several shows; the title given for the show is the subtitle of this first section.
The remainder of the show is about the ascent of Mount Everest.
5. Announced as title. This is the first show in this series to have single plot lasting through all three parts.
6. The title given applies to parts 2 and 3.
7. The first part of the show is 'The Further Adventures of Fearless Harry Secombe - A Race to the Death'. 'The Missing Bureacrat' is parts 2 and 3.
8. The first part of the show is again 'The Adventures of Fearless Harry Secombe'(the title given on the BBC Script Library copy);
however, the main part of the show is about flying saucers, and as Spike Milligan's copy of the script is missing and
therefore no title has been given for it, I (as in Roger!) have taken the liberty of inventing a title.
9. In the first part of the show 'Harry Proves he is Not a Dog'; parts 2 and 3 are the story of the Armada.
10. Announced as 'Crime Does Not Pay Income Tax'.
11. Part one of the script is 'The History of Communications'; originally part of the 7th of the 1st series and later re-worked into 'The GPO Show'. Parts 2 and 3 are 'The Siege of Khartoum', originally part of the 18th of the 3rd series.
12. The first part of the script was originally used in the 2nd part of the 2nd series; 'The Toothpaste Expedition' was originally used in the 5th of the 3rd series.
13. Announced as 'Hansard Unexpurgated'.
14. The nearest to an announcement is 'Take the case of Agent X2....'
15. Announced as 'Brain!' (inspired by the film, Shane).
16. Announced as 'Bulletto'.
Fourteen of these scripts were re-worked for the 'Vintage Goon' series recorded in 1957/8 for Transcription Services.
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