Show 29

"Harry Secombe: Secret Agent"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 2 Episode: 12
Written by	Spike Milligan Larry Stephens
Produced by	Dennis Main Wilson
Music	Stanley Black and The BBC Dance Orchestra Max Geldray: Bubble, Bubble, Bubble (Pink Champagne) Ellington Quartet: My Mother’s Eyes and Hurry On Down The Goons A Parody Song Incidental music: Arthur Wilkinson
Editing by	Jimmy Grafton
Recording Number	SLO 6306
First broadcast	15 April 1952 (1952-04-15)

The series 2 shows didn't have 'official' episode names per se, but for ease of reference using the show number and Handsome Harry sketch name is to differentiate them.

The show had now changed its name from Crazy People to "The Goon Show, featuring those crazy people…"

Show 29 (aka Harry Secombe: Secret Agent) is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the twelfth show in the second series.

The show recording session was on Sunday, 13 April 1952 at 9pm and was recorded at Aeolian I, 135–137 New Bond Street, London.

The first British public broadcast was on the Home Service on Tuesday, 15 April 1952 at 9.30pm (except Midlands and Northern Ireland). It reached a peak listenership of 2.2m.

The show's repeat was broadcast the following Thursday at 7.30pm, 17 April 1952 on the Light Programme to an audience of 4.7 million listeners.

Sketches

• Harry Secombe: Secret Agent: Has Harry telling Andrew Timothy how he was asked to take atomic secrets to Nosdrovia.
• Bloodnok fights the Mad Mullah (rehash) In which Andrew Timothy promises the final encounter between Bloodnok and his North West Frontier enemy;
• Goon focus on other programmes: Covers shows such as G-Men, We Beg to Suffer and cricket commentary.
• Pureheart builds a Satellite town: Finds Captain Osric Pureheart approach the House of Commons with a speedier method of building houses.

Music

• Max Geldray performed Bubble, Bubble, Bubble (Pink Champagne) (Robert Wright/George Forrest).
• The Ray Ellington Quartet (pays tribute to Nellie Lutcher with) My Mother’s Eyes (Abel Baer/Wolfe Gilbert) and Hurry On Down (Nellie Lutcher).
• The Goons sing the ‘Parody Number’.

Show Trivia

In this show the pre-recording of Harry’s number was abandoned, as was his solo spot. Max’s number was moved up to follow Harry’s opening escapade (which now tended to drop the Handsome Harry Secombe announcement although it retained the theme) and instead the ‘gimmick’ spot tended to conclude with a parody song assembled by Jimmy Grafton. Bloodnok faced the Mad Mullah again and Splutmuscle returned as one of Pureheart’s assistants.

Technical

Originally recorded on SLO 6306. (33⅓ rpm, coarse-groove 16" disk recorded at Broadcasting House).