The Lost Emperor
| "The Lost Emperor" | |
|---|---|
| The Goon Show episode | |
| Episode: no. | Series: 6 Episode: 3 |
| Written by | Spike Milligan |
| Announcer | Wallace Greenslade |
| Produced by | Peter Eton |
| Music |
|
| Recording Number | TLO 87493 |
| First broadcast | 4 October 1955 |
| Running time | 29:36 |
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.
| 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
- The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
- Max Geldray plays The Peanut Vendor (arr: Moisés Simons)
- The Ray Ellington Quartet plays Lover Come Back to Me (Sigmund Romberg / Oscar Hammerstein II)
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
- ^ Kendall, Ted (2009). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 3 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-4084-1044-8.
