View source for Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike)''}}
{{Infobox Radio Show
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| other_names        = The Milligna Show
| format             = [[w:Comedy|Comedy]]
| runtime            = 30 minutes
| country            = {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[w:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]
| language           = [[w:English language|English]]
| home_station       = [[w:BBC Radio 4|BBC Radio 4]]
| syndicates         = 
| television         = 
| starring           = [[Spike Milligan]]<br />[[John Bluthal]]<br />[[w:Vilma Hollingbery|Vilma Hollingbery]]<br/>[[Ray Ellington]]<br/>The [[Alan Clare]] Quartet
| creator            = [[Spike Milligan]]
| writer             = [[Spike Milligan]]
| director           = 
| producer           = [[John Browell]]
| executive_producer = 
| narrated           = 
| record_location    = 
| first_aired        = 1972
| last_aired         = 
| num_series         = 1
| num_episodes       = 7
| audio_format       = 
| opentheme          = 
| endtheme           = 
| website            = 
| podcast            = 
}}
'''''Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike)''''', also known as "The Milligna Show", was a radio comedy sketch show, written by [[Spike Milligan]], performed by [[John Bluthal]], [[w:Vilma Hollingbery|Vilma Hollingbery]], and Milligan himself.  Musical interludes were provided by [[Ray Ellington]] and the [[Alan Clare]] Quartet.  Alan Clare also took speaking parts.

The show was broadcast on [[w:BBC Radio 4|Radio 4]] in 1972.  Its name was based on Milligan's introduction in ''[[The Last Goon Show of All]]'' as "Spike Milligna, the well-known typing error".

==Format==
The show progressed through a loosely linked collection of sketches, one-liners, puns and ethnic jokes.  Bluthal provided multiple voices, including impressions of an African chieftain, [[w:Alan Whicker|Alan Whicker]], and a Jewish Londoner.  Vilma Hollingbery came on when the script required a female voice but otherwise remained in the background.  Alan Clare tended to portray stupid teenagers and adults, using a weak Cockney voice which may have been his natural one.<ref name=episode1972>{{cite episode | title = Comedy [[w:Repechage|Repechage]] Winners Show | series = Milligna (or Your Favourite Spike) | airdate = 1972 | season = 1 | number = 6}}</ref>

Running ideas provided some continuity.  For instance in one edition, Milligan repeatedly announced that he would do an impression of [[w:Charles Aznavour|Charles Aznavour]] singing "Yesterday, When I Was Young", only to be interrupted by Bluthal each time.

<blockquote>Example:
:Milligan: Yesterday...when I was young....
:Bluthal : Stop! Stop! Stop in Israeli!
:Milligan: Are you Jewish?
:Bluthal : No, a tree fell on me! <ref name=episode1972/>
</blockquote>

Milligan tended to repeat his favourite jokes.  He would announce "Good evening to you all, except Mrs. Ada Shagnasty of Leeds".<ref name=episode1972/>  In ''[[w:The World of Beachcomber|The World of Beachcomber]]'' he often used a similar line ending "except Maurice Ponk."

The show included spoof news items including, "Long-missing [[w:Van Gogh|Van Gogh]] ear found in a [[w:British Rail sandwich|British Rail sandwich]]".<ref name=episode1972/>

A longer sketch toward the end of the show might, as in one edition, have Milligan and Bluthal acting as door-to-door salesmen trying to persuade Vilma Hollingbery to upgrade her "dustbin image" by buying the "Midnight Thrill Dustbinette", along with sterilised and perfumed rubbish to put in it.  The same edition included Milligan reciting a version of his story ''"The Singing Foot"'', originally published in the collection ''"The Bedside Milligan"''.<ref name=episode1972/>

The producer was [[John Browell]] who, as tradition, then demanded, was subject to a certain amount of abuse.  Milligan would read the closing credits, in the voice of a petty official, and pretend to be unable to read Browell's name.<ref name=episode1972/>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:BBC Radio comedy programmes]]
[[Category:British radio sketch shows]]
[[Category:1972 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1972 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:Works by Spike Milligan]]