THE GOODIES…AT LAST

Scifind.co.uk rating - 4.5 - out of 5.

Reviewed By: Paul Mount

Starring: Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie,

Search for more on: THE GOODIES…AT LAST

Take a little good advice…

THE GOODIES? Excuse me…? Well, there's a giant kitten, there's a beanstalk, there's thirty minutes till the end of the world. It may not be science-fiction but it's a damn sight weirder than MY FAMILY. Hmmm…but then again…

Anyway, THE GOODIES – we do anything, anytime – haven't been seen on terrestrial TV for what seems like generations and even satellite banished them to the wastelands years ago. The team have been rather bitter about this – and understandably so. Unfairly labelled by critics as a 'kid's show', THE GOODIES is in reality a sort of mutant offspring of MONTY PYTHON. The humour is generally visual – some of the FX are impressive even now – and the slapstick broad and unsubtle. But there's a sense of anarchy and inventiveness here which just isn't around any more. THE GOODIES is quite dated – most of the targets of their satire are long-forgotten by now – but it's good to see it again, especially as the restoration here is about the best yet seen on DVD. It's a curious selection of eight episodes – classics like 'Kitten Kong' and the award-winning 'Goodies and the Beanstalk' rub shoulders with limp fare like 'Ecky Thump' (thirty minutes of people hitting each other with black puddings….hello??) and the uncontrolled insanity of 'Earthanasia' from later in the series long run. 'Saturday Night Grease' runs out of steam about ten minutes in but generally there's something to amuse in each of these daft episodes and I'd not object to seeing another selection on the shelves before too long.

THE DISCS: These restorations really are exceptional – as a brief featurette demonstrates. Other extras include a few outtakes, poorly-recorded commentaries on a couple of episodes and a few other bits and pieces of interest to completists. Still, for a show of this vintage it's amazing anything of interest is available at all. A nice curio.

"