The Space Age
| "The Space Age" | |
|---|---|
| The Goon Show episode | |
| Episode: no. | Series: 8 Episode: 6 |
| Written by | |
| Announcer | Wallace Greenslade |
| Produced by | Roy Speer |
| Music |
|
| Recording Number | TLO 41101 |
| First broadcast | 4 November 1957 |
| Running time | 30:17 |
The Space Age is an episode from The Goon Show. It is the sixth show in the eighth series.
The recording session for transmission (TLO 41101) took place Sunday 3 November 1957, 9.15pm. at The Camden Theatre, Camden Town, London.
The first Home Service broadcast was the next day, Monday, at 8.30pm 4 November 1957, its ratings were 1.9 million. The show was repeated the following Thursday 9pm, 7 November 1957, on the Light Programme to 3.0 million listeners.
Transcription Service Synopsis
Stand by for firing. Five – four – three – two – one – zero. These words herald the scan of a new era, for Neddie Seagoon is launched into space as the first human satellite. His reasons for leaving earth are not, however, to further the cause of science, but merely to avoid the military police who have been searching for him ever since he deserted in World War I.
Music
- The BBC Radio Orchestra was conducted by Wally Stott
- Max Geldray plays Limehouse Blues (Douglas Furber (lyrics) / Philip Braham (music))
- The Ray Ellington Quartet plays 'Satin Doll (Duke Ellington / Peter Strayhorn / Johnny Mercer)
Technical
Originally recorded on TLO 41101 (15 ips ¼" tape recorded at Broadcasting House).
The TLO 41101 master tape no longer exists, and the C/TLO from BBC Wood Norton was used for the version of the show appearing on Compendium 7. Material which appears only on the TGS issue was retrieved from disc. This indicates that TS were by now certainly making their own recording of the performance, rather than the prior practice of taking a copy of the domestic tape on transmission. This would in any case have happened for the TS-originated "Vintage Goons" episodes (qv) which were recorded in parallel with this series, and given that the St Hilda's (TS) recording channel would have been manned for these, it was convenient to take the domestic show in the same way.[1]
Show Notes
- The Space Age was inspired by the news of Sputnik. This instalment went down well with the Home Service when broadcast on 4 November, and Jim Davidson (Assistant Head of BBC Light Entertainment) wrote to Roy Speer, ‘I am very happy to pass on favourable comments … Would you be good enough to extend congratulations to all concerned, and to yourself a special 'thank you'.’
References
- ^ Kendall, Ted (2012). The Goon Show Compendium Vol 7 (Booklet 2). BBC Worldwide. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-4458-9133-0.
