The Silent Bugler (VG)

"The Silent Bugler"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: Vintage Goons Episode: 10
Written by	Spike Milligan
Based on	The Silent Bugler (aka The Case of Agent X2)
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	Charles Chilton
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: I Kiss Your Hand, Madame Ellington: I'm Beginning to See the Light
Recording Number	T5/AG/4597
First broadcast	29 December 1986 (1986-12-29)
Running time	30:31

The Silent Bugler is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the tenth show in the Vintage Goons series and was based on the series 4 episode 25 show: The Silent Bugler . There was a pre-recording rehearsal show at 2pm Sunday 23 February 1958, 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 4 on Monday 29 December 1986 at 12.27pm (TLN369/86LD0891).

Story

Secret Agent X2 (in other words Captain Neddie Seagoon) is called to MI5 and told that the Russians have perfected a time machine, which they can go forward into the future and, once there, build planes that travel faster than the speed of light. The Russian Intelligence has a deadly counter-spy — The Silent Bugler. This is the story of Seagoon's mission, ends successfully in the Dresden Opera House.

Music

• The BBC Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays I Kiss Your Hand, Madame (Ralph Irwin / Samuel M Lewis / Fritz Rotter)
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays I'm Beginning to See the Light (Don George / Johnny Hodges / Duke Ellington / Harry James)

Technical

Originally recorded on T1/AG/4597 (Agfa FR tape stock at 15 ips ¼" tape recorded at St. Hilda's, Maida Vale). This tape survived almost intact at TS but was cut about in the making of the simulated stereo PotG issue. A cover copy made as part of the same process emerged from a wall cavity in Kensington House in 1986, and this has been used to repair the original recording.