The Battle of Spion Kop

"The Battle of Spion Kop"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.	Series: 9 Episode: 9
Written by	Spike Milligan
Based on	Battle of Spion Kop
Announcer	Wallace Greenslade
Produced by	John Browell
Music	Orchestra: Wally Stott Geldray: This Can't Be Love Ellington: Mr. Success
Recording Number	TLO 73413
First broadcast	29 December 1959 (1959-12-29)
Running time	31:07

The Battle of Spion Kop is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the ninth show in the ninth series.

Three pre-recording sessions took place at three locations:

• Wednesday 10 December 1958, 4.15pm. Aeolian Hall Studio 2 (DLO 71859)
• Saturday 13 December 1958, 4.15pm, The Paris (DW 71274)
• Sunday 14 December 1958, 4pm, The Camden Theatre (DLO 72138/A)

The recording for transmission was created at 8pm on Sunday 14 December 1958, at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London (TLO 72138).

The first Home Service broadcast was the next day at 8.30pm on Monday 15 December 1958, its ratings were 1.1 million.

The show was repeated:

• Wednesday 9.31pm, 17 December 1958, on the Light Programme to 2.3 million listeners.
• Friday 9.30pm, 6 March 1964 on the Home Service in Vintage Goons, to 0.5 million listeners.
• Friday 9.30pm, 20 August 1965 on the Home Service in Let's Laugh Again, to 0.2 million listeners (the broadcast was affected by a fault on the reproduction equipment).

Transcription Service Synopsis

Can England be saved by the British Army's rendition of ‘Good Bye Dolly I Must Leave You?’. Will what saved Lord Nelson at Waterloo, likewise save Willium 'Mate' Cobblers from a fate worse than bananas?… And is French Neddie's accent convincing? These and answers to other vital questions will not be revealed in the following pages. However, the full technicolour spectacle of British military dinners under fire. Bloodnok's secret woman recipe, and Moriarty's socks are here to be observed in microscopic detail, along with the full story of how the peaceful hamlet of Poknoips became the turbulent battleground of Spion Kop!

Music

• The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
• Max Geldray plays This Can't Be Love (Richard Rodgers (music) / Lorenz Hart (lyrics))
• The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Mr. Success (Edwin Grienes (music) / Hank Sanicola (lyrics) / Frank Sinatra (lyrics))

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 73413 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).

The TLO 73413 master tape survived in TS, and was used for the version of the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 10. However, the tape suffers from peak distortion, which has been corrected as far as possible.