Lurgi Strikes Britain
| "Lurgi Strikes Britain" | |
|---|---|
| The Goon Show episode | |
| Episode: no. | Series: 5 Episode: 7 |
| Written by | |
| Announcer | Wallace Greenslade |
| Produced by | Peter Eton |
| Music |
|
| Recording Number | TLO 65972 |
| First broadcast | 9 November 1954 |
| Running time | 30:56 |
Lurgi Strikes Britain is an episode from The Goon Show. It was the seventh show in series five. It was recorded on Sunday 7 November 1954 at 9pm. It was recorded at The Paris Cinema, 12 Lower Regent Street in central London.
The first Home Service broadcast was on Tuesday 9 November 1954 at 8.30pm. It attracted a peak listenership of 1.9m listeners.
| Day | Date | Time | Ratings | Station | Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 12 November 1954 | 12.25pm / 12.30pm | 1.5m | Home Service | |
| Friday | 8 August 1969 | 7.00pm | 0.6m | Radio 4 | |
| Sunday | 16 September 1977 | 12.00am | 0.4m | Radio 4 | in Smash of the Day |
Story
Poor Arnold Fringe is suddenly stricken with the dreaded Lurgi in a Lancashire bus. No doctor can find an antidote. Even Dr Neddie Seagoon, twice struck off the rolls, is baffled. Every known cure is sought, but without success. Within a few days Lurgi has clained 9,000 victims. Isolation bays are setup in Blackpool and Lancashire is hastily evacuated. Then, one black night that none of the Albert Hall audience will ever forget, the Lurgi reached London.
Music
- The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
- Max Geldray plays Pink Champagne (George Forrest / Robert Wright)
- The Ray Ellington Quartet plays My Very Good Friend the Milkman (Harold Spina / Johnny Burke) / It's a Sin to Tell a Lie (Billy Mayhew)
Technical
Originally recorded on TLO 65972 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House). This tape survived intact and was used for the version included on Compendium Vol 1.[1]
References
- ^ Kendall, Ted (2007). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 1 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-4056-7800-1.
