'Goodies Rule - OK?' by Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden

In 1961, Graeme, Tim and Bill play at the ‘Cavern Club’ as ‘The Bootles’, only to be booed off stage; however, their act inspires several men in the audience, who nick their songs and look, and go on to become stars. Graeme, Tim and Bill continue to fail at success, despite their best attempts as ‘The Confirmed Bachelors’, ‘The Extremes’, etc. , and by 1975, they are living on skid row Graeme all the other has been entertainers, who have also seen their acts ripped off by newcomers. Undaunted, Graeme hatches a plan to create the greatest supergroup ever by taking all the best bits of successful stars, and then hires Wembley Stadium for their concert. Fearing a riot, the police take over the audience, and promptly go loony at the Goodies’ performance of ‘Wild Thing’, mobbing the stage! Finally hitting the big time, Tim, Bill and Graeme soon take every spot in the Top Ten, and then get presented with O.B.E.s by the Queen at a very water-logged garden party. However, as the trio rake in the money, the nation goes into debt, forcing the Prime Minister to nationalise the Goodies, take all their cash and then order them to cheer up the country. Tim, Bill and Graeme release a new song, ‘The Bounce’, but that proves so infectious that no-one can stop dancing to it; soon the whole country is bouncing to disaster, the P.M. kills himself out of desperation, and election is called. The Goodies enter the running, but unfortunately the nation has had enough, and they vote a shop dummy into power instead, heralding ‘Britain’s Day of Gloom’: Parliament decrees it an offense for anyone to enjoy themselves, enforcing the order with horse-backed Mirth Inspectors who beat up anyone having any fun. Deciding to rebel, Tim, Graeme and Bill hide out in Sherwood Forest, acting as outlaws who bring entertainment to all; they then go on to form ‘The Unmentionables’, suited mobsters dispensing custard pies to anyone without a sense of humour. Rallying an army of old entertainers, Tim, Bill and Graeme go on to overthrow the government; Bill decides to bring in a puppet government, led by Sooty, Sweep and all their little friends – but the puppets have other ideas, and they take over the country…

Bill Oddie (Bill), Tim Brooke-Taylor (Tim), Graeme Garden (Graeme), Michael Barratt (Himself [‘Nationwide’ Presenter]), Tony Blackburn (Himself), Sue Lawley (Herself), Patrick Moore (Himself), Eddie Waring (Himself), Terry Wogan (Himself), Corbet Woodall (Newsreader), Roland MacLeod (Robert Mackenzie), Barry Cryer (Newsreel Narrator [Voice]), Sheila Steafel, Norman Mitchell and Ronald Russell

Produced and Directed by Jim Franklin
Music by Bill Oddie and Michael Gibbs

TX (BBC 2):
21st December 1974

Notes:
*Featuring Tim, Bill and Graeme

*This episode was shown as an double-length Christmas special