The Gold Plate Robbery

"The Gold Plate Robbery"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 9 Episode: 16
Written by	Spike Milligan
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	John Browell
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: The Duke's Joke Ellington: What Else Can You Do with a Drum?
Recording Number	TLO 77725
First broadcast	16 February 1959 (1959-02-16)
Running time	30:36

The Gold Plate Robbery is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the sixteenth show in the ninth series. Announced, eventually, as ‘The Kleens of Blenchinghall, the story of an ordinary English comedy half-hour’.

First Home Service Broadcast: Monday 16 February 1959, 8.30pm. Ratings: 0.8 million. RI: 59.

Two pre-recording sessions took place:

• Wednesday 11 February 1959, 3pm/4.15pm. Aeolian Hall Studio 2 (TLO 77658, TLO 80246, C/DLO 77620)
• Sunday 15 February 1959, 4pm, The Camden Theatre (DLO 77725/A)

The recording for transmission was created at 8pm on Sunday 15 February 1959, at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London (TLO 72138).

The first Home Service broadcast was the next day at 8.30pm on Monday 16 February 1959, its ratings were 0.8 million.

The show was repeated:

• Wednesday 9.31pm, 18 February 1959, on the Light Programme to 2.6 million listeners.
• Thursday 7.30pm, 3 March 1960 on the Home Service (postponed from Thursday 25 February 1960), to 0.5 million listeners.
• Friday 9.30pm, 27 March 1964 on the Home Service (except Scotland), to 0.3 million listeners

Transcription Service Synopsis

The theft of all the valuable gold plate from one of England's Stately Homes gives listeners a unique opportunity to secure a glimpse into the private lives of the Blue-Blooded Aristocracy of 1887. The trail leads to a bizarre series of adventures, ultimately culminating in a desert battle. From life with the nobility to life in the French Foreign Legion is a long step, but Spike Milligan has telescopic legs! Hear how he bridges this gap in this edition of the Goon Show.

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays The Duke's Joke (Alan Clare)
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays What Else Can You Do with a Drum? (Duke Ellington / Billy Strayhorn)

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 72138 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).

The TLO 77725 master tape no longer exists, so thversion of the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 11 has been compiled from the TGS disc and a 'ring main' recording (one made from the BBC's internal programme distribution system) of the 1964 repeat transmission.