The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker
| "The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker" | |
|---|---|
| The Goon Show episode | |
| Episode: no. | Series: 7 Episode: 19 |
| Written by | |
| Announcer | Wallace Greenslade |
| Produced by | Pat Dixon |
| Music |
|
| Recording Number | TLO 23090 |
| First broadcast | 7 February 1957 |
| Running time | 30:00 |
The Mysterious Punch-up-the-Conker is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the ninteenth show in the seventh series. The show contains the skit that is arguably the best known of the Eccles and Bluebottle conversations, ‘What time is it, Eccles?’.
A pre-recording session took place Sunday 3 February 1957, 5pm. at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London (DLO 23090/B). The recording for transmission was created later that same Sunday, also at The Camden, at 9pm (TLO 23090).
The first Home Service broadcast was the following Thursday at 8.30pm 7 January 1957, its ratings were 2.3 million.
The show was repeated:
- Monday 8pm, 11 February 1957, on the Light Programme to 4.1 million listeners.
- Sunday 12.00 noon, 6 March 1964 on Radio 4 in Smash of the Day.
Transcription Service Synopsis
Who is the dreaded Punch-up-the-Conker! The whole of England is in a grip of terror as the unknown assailant strikes again and again. The police seem powerless and yet something must be done. Exactly how it is done is unfolded in this thrilling tale of mystery and suspense.
Music
- The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
- Max Geldray plays Can't We Be Friends? (Paul James (lyrics) / Kay Swift (music))
- The Ray Ellington Quartet plays The Banana Boat Song (Traditional, Arrangement by Erik Darling / Bob Carey / Alan Arkin)
Technical
Originally recorded on TLO 23090 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).
This tape survived in TS, but cuts made for the POTG issue were not kept, and these have been restored from the TGS disc (which, remarkably, contains material not transmitted domestically) and a domestic recording of the original transmission.[1]
An unedited fragment of the notorious ‘What time is it, Eccles?’ scene is included in the bonus material on Compendium 6, indicating that Milligan was not above upbraiding his audience ...
References
- ^ Kendall, Ted (2012). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 6 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 13. ISBN 978-1408-468548.
