The Fireball of Milton Street

From The Goon Show Depository

"The Fireball of Milton Street"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.Series: 5
Episode: 22
Written by
AnnouncerWallace Greenslade
Produced byPeter Eton
Music
Recording
Number
TLO 72538
First broadcast22 February 1955 (1955-02-22)
Running time30:55
Episode Order
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"The Sinking of Westminster Pier"
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"The Six Ingots of Leadenhall Street"
The Goon Show series 5
List of episodes

The Fireball of Milton Street is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the twenty-second show in the fifth series. The show was recorded at 9.15pm on Sunday 20 February 1955. The recording took place at the Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London.

The first British public broadcast was on the Home Service on Tuesday 22 February 1955 at 8.30pm. It reached a peak listenership of 3.4m.

The show's first repeat was the following Friday at 12.25pm / 12.30pm (depending on area), 25 February 1955, on the Home Service. It was listened to by 1.1 million. Then the show was repeated again on the Light Programme on Friday 24 June 1955 at 7.30pm where 3.8 million listened in.

Synopsis

The Long Man of Wilmington

In the little Sussex hamlet of Milton Street 'twixt Alfriston and Polegate, word spread among the villagers that the end of the world was at hand. Henry Crun, the gouty old village alchemist, had seen a strange phenomenon through his telescope. Then, on the night of Tuesday 11 January 1801, the Long Man of Wilmington disappeared. It was a night that never ended — darkness completely enveloped East Milton for more than 50 hours. The villagers said the sky had fallen but Mistress Bannister, an old trot from Pevensey Marshes, knew better. She had foreseen it all in her readings of the pitchblende.

Music

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 72538 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House). This tape no longer exists. The source for the show included on The Goon Show Compendium Vol 2 was a compilation of a domestic recording and TGS 94 disc.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ In the CD notes of Compendium Vol 2 this song name is given as 'Ko Ko Ko' rather than the correct 'Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)'[1]

References

  1. ^ Incorrect music name.
  2. ^ Kendall, Ted (2009). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 2 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4056-8774-4.