The Kippered Herring Gang (VG)

"The Kippered Herring Gang"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: Vintage Goons Episode: 5
Written by	Spike Milligan
Based on	The Kippered Herring Gang
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Roy Speer
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: C-Jam Blues Ellington: Blues in G
Recording Number	T5/AG/4341
First broadcast	9 April 1994 (1994-04-09)
Running time	29:40

The Kippered Herring Gang (aka The Kippered Herring) is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the fifth show in the Vintage Goons series and was based on the series 4 episode 22 show: 'The Kippered Herring Gang'. There was a pre-recording rehearsal show at 2pm Sunday 1 December 1957, but the show was actually recorded later at 5.15pm. Both the pre-recording and recording was done at The Camden Theatre, London.

The first British public broadcast was on Radio 2 on Saturday 9 Apri 1994 at 2.03pm, in The Golden Days of Radio under the title The Kippered Herring Show (TLN407/94LD8721).

Story

This is the tale of a criminal gang that has baffled police for more than 400 years — The Kippered Herring Gang. Neddie Seagoon, the world's highest paid idiot, is asked by Scotland Yard to look into their activities, but despite investigations and investigootions, The Kippered Herring Gang struck again and again, three times. But the police have a dossier proving that their leader, Fred the Mad Houdini, has a record (and a gramophone). Police cats are hot on the kipper scent, and track the gang to Billingsgate. However, another group of cats lead the police to Covent Garden, where Seagoon questions a mouth organ player, and forces him to admit that he plays the mouth organ. But will this be the breakthrough that Ned is looking for? WHen a gunman tries to shoot him over the telephone, Seagoon decides to take drastic measures, and cuts off the gang's supply of kippered herring…

Music

• The BBC Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays C-Jam Blues (Duke Ellington)
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Blues in G (Ray Ellington)

Technical

Originally recorded on T5/AG/4341 (Agfa FR tape stock at 15 ips ¼" tape recorded at St. Hilda's, Maida Vale). This tape survived intact at TS and was used to create the version included on Compendium Vol 9.