Focus on The Goodies
The Goodies were at the time perhaps the most successful and iconic comedy team of the 1970s.
With a long-running BBC comedy series to their name - running from 1970 to 1980, before moving to ITV for one further series and special - as well as a string of hit records and best-selling books, they were comedy superstars from the same stable as the Pythons.
However, with almost no repeats of their hit shows in the decades since their original broadcast, and only a smattering of selected "best" episodes from their majority BBC output previously released on DVD, established fans and curious new generations alike have been bereft of Goodie satisfaction - until recently.
In 2018, Network Distributing released - for the first time, anywhere in the world - a full, restored collection of all of The Goodies' BBC output, in one single 12-disc box set.
Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie all had a multiplicity of credits to their names before The Goodies came to fruition in 1970, but it was this series about three loveable young men that truly made their names. They starred as alternate versions of themselves - the slightly stiff, resolutely British one (Tim); the nerdy, science-and-engineering one (Graeme); and the creative, dreamy, hippy one (Bill) - in the comic adventures of a trio offering their services for hire, promising to do anything, any time, anywhere.
Mixing family-friendly slapstick with TV and film spoofs; inventive video trickery, stunts, props and special effects; occasionally rather brutal satire about British society and world politics; and a downright joyous sense of the silly and stupid, the show was an almost instant hit, and would go on to run for eight equally popular series on the BBC over the following decade.
Alongside a good helping of the just plain silly, topics that different episodes tackle range from the social revolutions of the era to environmentalism, and police corruption to South African apartheid. Then there's the brilliant nonsense like a giant kitten destroying the Post Office Tower.
The box set - running to well over 2,000 minutes of brilliant comedy - offers an invaluable opportunity for long-suffering Goodies fans, comedy nerds and other, younger generations who've never previously had a real chance to enjoy the trio's genius, to watch the 70-ish BBC episodes and delight in comic splendour.
This must be one of the most worthy DVD releases of the decade - and certainly the most long-awaited and overdue.
Goodie, goodie yum-yum!
The Goodies - The Complete BBC Collection
In 1970, The Goodies unleashed their legendary blend of surreal storylines, strikingly topical satire, slapstick and general lunacy on an unsuspecting viewing public. Capturing the irreverent and rebellious flavour of the decade, this phenomenally popular, award-winning series spread its mischief over twelve years, making household names of creators, writers and performers Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
For the first time ever, Network is incredibly proud to present the complete run of episodes and specials made for the BBC (apart from that pesky original version of Kitten Kong, which is still missing) in this 12-disc set.
First released: Monday 24th September 2018
DVD- Distributor: Network
- Region: 2
- Discs: 12
- Minutes: 2,040
- Subtitles: English
- Catalogue: 7954924
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