The Spectre of Tintagel
| "The Spectre of Tintagel" | |
|---|---|
| The Goon Show episode | |
| Episode: no. | Series: 7 Episode: 5 |
| Written by | |
| Announcer | Wallace Greenslade |
| Produced by | Pat Dixon |
| Music |
|
| Recording Number | TLO 15209 |
| First broadcast | 1 November 1956 |
| Running time | 29:57 |
| Guest appearance | |
| Valentine Dyall | |
The Spectre of Tintagel is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the fifth show in the seventh series. This show featured, as a guest, the Man in Black himself, Valentine Dyall.
A pre-recording session took place on Sunday 28 October 1956, 5pm/6.45pm, The Camden Theatre (DLO 15599/DLO 163721A (ghostly music)). The recording for transmission was created at 9pm on Sunday 28 October 1956, at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London.
The first Home Service broadcast was the following Thursday at 8.30pm on 1 November 1956, its ratings were 2.6 million.
The show was repeated:
- Monday 9.31pm, 5 November 1956, on the Light Programme to 3.4 million listeners.
- Monday 11pm, 23 November 1992 on Radio 4.
Transcription Service Synopsis
King Arthur Seagoon, anxious to prove his descent from Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, seeks the buried treasure of King Arthur in the spectre-haunted Tintagel Manor. The phantom of the Manor appears to Neddie with dreadful results. The treasure proves to be the stolen regimental plate of the 2nd Poona Horse, and Neddie is led away by an understanding policeman protesting that he is really King Arthur, and that the stolen regimental plate is indeed his treasure.
Music
- The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
- Max Geldray plays Doggin' Around (Herschel Evans)
- The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Alright, Okay, You Win (Mayme Watts / Sid Wyche)
Technical
Originally recorded on TLO 15209 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).
The TLO 15209 tape no longer exists, and the version of the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 5 was compiled from the TGS disc, the POTG master tape and a domestic tape recording of the original transmission.[1]
Note
Milligan wrote Valentine Dyall's part for him without telling the producers or the BBC that he was including a guest. This resulted in stress for Pat Dixon, the producer, when the script was handed in to him as he now had to arrange for the payment of a guest fee that hadn't been budgeted for. Given this was the second time Spike had done this to him (the first time being Drums Along the Mersey) Dixon wrote to his boss… ‘I have written to Milligan to tell him that he simply must seek permission for the inclusion of extras before he commits us to them in terms of a completed script.’ explained Dixon, to which Jim Davidson, the Assistant Head of Variety, noted, ‘jobs for the boys’.
References
- ^ Kendall, Ted (2011). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 5 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 13. ISBN 978-1408-427286.
