The Lost Emperor

From The Goon Show Depository

"The Lost Emperor"
The Goon Show episode
Episode: no.Series: 6
Episode: 3
Written bySpike Milligan
AnnouncerWallace Greenslade
Produced byPeter Eton
Music
Recording
Number
TLO 87493
First broadcast4 October 1955 (1955-10-04)
Running time29:36
Episode Order
← Previous
"The Secret Escritoire"
Next →
"Napoleon's Piano"
The Goon Show series 6
List of episodes

The Lost Emperor is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the third show in the sixth series. The show was recorded at 9pm on Sunday 2 October 1955. The recording took place at Aeolian I, 135–137 New Bond Street, London.

The first British public broadcast was on the Home Service on Tuesday 4 October 1955 at 8.30pm. It reached a peak listenership of 3.4m.

Repeats
Day Date Time Ratings Station Show
Saturday 8 October 1955 7.30pm 1.5m Light Programme
Friday 17 January 1975 6.15pm 0.9m Radio 4 in Encore the Goons
(not Scotland or Wales)
Saturday 18 April 1992 1.02pm Radio 2 in Comedy Hour: The Radio 2 comedy season

Synopsis

Somewhere among the lichen-backed mountains of Mongolia, entombed in a sacred dustbin, lies the fabulous treasure of Fred Jenghiz Khan. For twenty long years Neddie Seagoon has examined every clue that might help him to trace the treasure of the lost emperor. Then one day, while working as a heavily disguised part-time dustman at Bethnal Green Castle, he finds a portion of the dreaded international Christmas pudding bearing a secret inscription, indicating the whereabouts of the treasure. Seagoon sets off hot foot for Tibet but is waylaid by two famous international criminal archaeologists who strike him down with a mummified Egyptian piano. He recovers and traces his way to the sacred dustbin only to find that once more he has been thwarted for all that remains is an international Italian bootlace.

Music

Technical

Originally recorded on TLO 87493 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).

Ted Kendall's restoration

The original tape was dull in the treble, and dubbed with equalisation by TS. It was then cut for the POTG issue, and the cuts discarded. Fortunately, a 'cover' copy made at the same time was later discovered, and the version included on Compendium Vol 3 was compiled from this tape and a domestic tape recording of the original transmission.[1]

References

  1. ^ Kendall, Ted (2009). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 3 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4084-1044-8.