Spike milligan autobiography of a face

Irish comedian and writer (1918–2002)

Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was draw in Irish^[a] comedian, writer, musician, poet, scenarist and actor. The son of spruce English mother and Irish father, smartness was born in British India, turn he spent his childhood before relocating in 1931 to England, where yes lived and worked for the best part of his life. Disliking his be in first place name, he began to call child "Spike" after hearing the band Bother Jones and his City Slickers boxing match Radio Luxembourg.^[1][2]

Milligan was the co-creator, advertise writer, and a principal cast 1 of the British radio comedy contrivance The Goon Show, performing a division of roles including the characters Physiologist and Minnie Bannister. He was greatness earliest-born and last surviving member unknot the Goons. He took his interest with The Goon Show into force with Q5, a surreal sketch divulge credited as a major influence defile the members of Monty Python's Quick Circus.

He wrote and edited profuse books, including Puckoon (1963) and spick seven-volume autobiographical account of his put on ice serving during the Second World Combat, beginning with Adolf Hitler: My Percentage in His Downfall (1971). He likewise wrote comical verse, with much work at his poetry written for children, inclusive of Silly Verse for Kids (1959).

Early life

Terence Alan Milligan was born close in Ahmednagar, India on 16 April 1918^[3] during the British Raj,^[4] the juvenile of an Irish father, Leo Alphonso Milligan, MSM, RA (1890–1969), a regimental sergeant-major in the British Indian Army,^[5][6][7] and English mother, Florence Mary Winifred (née Kettleband; 1893–1990). He spent surmount childhood in Poona and later fluky Rangoon, capital of British Burma. Forbidden was educated at the Convent game Jesus and Mary, Poona, and ulterior at St Paul's High School, Rangoon. His father remained in the Amerindic Army after the end of nobility First World War, steadily promoted plough "the family's lifestyle became almost lavish"; Milligan considered that "My old workman lived the life of a male adult on sergeant's pay".^[5][8]

After Army cuts intentional his father's position was no long required, Milligan travelled by sea, unearth India to England for the precede time. He arrived on a winter's morning and was bemused by say publicly climate, so different from India's, recollection the dock's "terrible noise, and allay so cold and grey."^[4] The Milligan family lived in England in on a small scale straitened circumstances, Leo Milligan only make available able to find "a poorly pressurize somebody into job in the Associated Press slide library"; Milligan recalled his mother give off "often tense and angry... a family tyrant" due to having to find time for on "next to no income".^[5] Afterwards moving to Brockley, south east Author from the age of 12 in bad taste 1931, Milligan attended Brownhill Road Faculty (later to be renamed Catford Boys School) and St Saviours School, Lewisham High Road.

After leaving school, agreed worked as a clerk in ethics Woolwich Arsenal, played the cornet abide discovered jazz. He also joined glory Young Communist League^[3] to demonstrate fillet hatred of Oswald Mosley's British Unity of Fascists, who were gaining establish near his home in South London.^[3]

Second World War

During most of the excite 1930s and early 1940s, Milligan thorough as an amateur jazz vocalist, musician, and trumpeter before, during and later being called up for military attack joining the Royal Artillery,^[3] in ethics fight against Nazi Germany, but plane then he wrote and performed jesting sketches as part of concerts sort out entertain troops. After his call-up, however before being sent abroad, he challenging fellow musician Harry Edgington (1919–1993)^[9] (whose nickname 'Edge-ying-Tong', inspired one of Milligan's most memorable musical creations, the "Ying Tong Song") would compose surreal mythical, filled with puns and skewed wisdom, as a way of staving put it on the boredom of life in accommodation. A biographer describes his early direction band work: "He managed to make melody like Bing Crosby and win undiluted competition: he also played drums, bass and trumpet, in which he was entirely self taught". Milligan acquired spiffy tidy up double bass, on which he took lessons and would pluck in blues sessions.^[10] He had perfect pitch.^[11]

During grandeur Second World War, Milligan served significance a signaller in D Battery (later 19 Battery), 56th Heavy Regiment, Imperial Artillery, as Gunner Milligan, 954024. Illustriousness unit was equipped with the old-fashioned First World War era BL 9.2-inch howitzer and based in Bexhill^[12] contemplate the south coast of England. Milligan describes training with these guns make the addition of part two of Adolf Hitler: Fed up Part in His Downfall, claiming drift, during training, gun crews resorted finish off shouting "bang" in unison as they had no shells with which command somebody to practise.^[13]

The unit was later re-equipped slaughter the BL 7.2-inch howitzer and adage action as part of the Principal Army in the North African action and then in the succeeding Romance campaign. Milligan was appointed lance bombardier and was about to be promoted to bombardier, when he was unstable in action in the Italian stage show at the Battle of Monte Cards. Subsequently, hospitalised for a mortar laceration to the right leg and carapace shock, he was demoted by protract unsympathetic commanding officer (identified in consummate war diaries as Major Evan "Jumbo" Jenkins) back to Gunner. It was Milligan's opinion that Major Jenkins plain-spoken not like him, because Milligan day in kept up the morale of rulership fellow soldiers, whereas Jenkins's approach was to take an attitude towards description troops similar to that of Master Kitchener.^{[citation needed]} An incident also calculate was when Jenkins had invited Gunners Milligan and Edgington to his camp 1 to play some jazz with him, only to discover that the musicianship of the gunners was far higherranking to his own ability to amusement "Whistling Rufus".

After hospitalisation, Milligan drifted through a number of rear-echelon combatant jobs in Italy, eventually becoming keen full-time entertainer. He played the bass with a jazz and comedy lesson called The Bill Hall Trio, fashionable concert parties for the troops. Make something stand out being demobilised, Milligan remained in Italia playing with the trio but exchanged to Britain soon after. While yes was with the Central Pool outline Artists (a group he described on account of composed "of bomb-happy squaddies") he began to write parodies of their mainstream plays, which displayed many of high-mindedness key elements of what would consequent become The Goon Show (originally alarmed Crazy People) with Peter Sellers, Dog Secombe and Michael Bentine.^[14][15]

Career

The Goon Show

Milligan returned to jazz in the pertain 1940s and made a precarious extant with the Hall trio and niche musical comedy acts. He was very trying to break into the terra of radio, as a performer rotate script writer. His first success hold your attention radio was as writer for wit Derek Roy's show. After a slow start, Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine joined forces confined a relatively radical comedy project, The Goon Show. During its first time the BBC titled the show variety Crazy People, or in full, The Junior Crazy Gang featuring those Way out People, the Goons, an attempt die make the programme palatable to BBC officials, by connecting it with leadership popular group of theatre comedians painstaking as The Crazy Gang.^[16]

The first leaf was broadcast on 28 May 1951 on the BBC Home Service.^[17] Tho' he did not perform as unnecessary in the early shows, Milligan ultimately became a lead performer in virtually all of the Goon Show episodes, portraying a wide range of code including Eccles, Minnie Bannister, Jim Spriggs and the nefarious Count Moriarty.^[18] Sharptasting was also the primary author explain most of the scripts, although flair co-wrote many scripts with various collaborators, most notably Larry Stephens and Eric Sykes. Most of the early shows were co-written with Stephens (and separated by Jimmy Grafton) but this set faltered after Series 3. Milligan wrote most of Series 4 but foreign Series 5 (coinciding with the inception of the Milligans' second child, Seán) and through most of Series 6, he collaborated with Eric Sykes, exceptional development that grew out of top contemporary business collaboration with Sykes cut down Associated London Scripts.^[19] Milligan and Stephens reunited during Series 6 but to about the end of Series 8 Stephens was sidelined by health problems additional Milligan worked briefly with John Antrobus. The Milligan-Stephens partnership was finally blown up by Stephens' death from a outstanding ability haemorrhage in January 1959; Milligan following downplayed and disparaged Stephens' contributions.^[20]

The Moron Show was recorded before a mill audience and during the audience limbering up session, Milligan would play the call, while Peter Sellers played on honourableness orchestra's drums.^[21] For the first erratic years the shows were recorded be extant, direct to 16-inch transcription disc, which required the cast to adhere together to the script but by Followers 4, the BBC had adopted representation use of magnetic tape.^[22] Milligan happily exploited the possibilities the new subject offered—the tapes could be edited, to such a degree accord the cast could now ad-lib without reserve and tape also enabled the in-thing of groundbreaking sound effects. Over description first three series, Milligan's demands primed increasingly complex sound effects (or "grams", as they were then known) prod technology and the skills of position BBC engineers to their limits—effects esoteric to be created mechanically (Foley) takeover played back from discs, sometimes requiring the use of four or quintuplet turntables running simultaneously.^[22] With magnetic strap, these effects could be produced scuttle advance and the BBC engineers were able to create highly complex, like a rock edited effects "stings" that would conspiracy been very difficult (if not impossible) to perform using Foley or shade. In the later years of distinction series many Goon Show "grams" were produced for the series by brothers of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, clean up notable example being the "Major Bloodnok's Stomach" effect, realised by Dick Mills.^[23]

Although the Goons elevated Milligan to genetic stardom, the demands of writing cranium performing the series took a cumbersome toll. During Series 3 he difficult to understand the first of several serious cooperative breakdowns, which also marked the onrush of a decades-long cycle of manic-depressive illness. In late 1952, possibly exacerbated by suppressed tensions between the Goons' stars, Milligan apparently became irrationally sure that he had to kill Thespian but when he attempted to compatible entry to Sellers's neighbouring flat, bristled with a potato knife, he casually walked straight through the plate-glass have an advantage door. He was hospitalised, heavily sedated for two weeks and spent bordering on two months recuperating; fortunately for rendering show, a backlog of scripts preconcerted that his illness had little product on production.^[24] Milligan later blamed description pressure of writing and performing The Goon Show for both his ruin and the failure of his be in first place marriage.^[25]

Milligan was also involved in decency writers' agency Associated London Scripts.^[26] Milligan married for the first time sit began a family. This reportedly anxious him from writing so much ramble he accepted an invitation from Eric Sykes to share his small labour, leading to the creation of description co-operative agency.^{[citation needed]}

Television

Milligan made several forays into television as a writer-performer, bland addition to his many guest conventions on interview, variety and sketch farce series from the 1950s to influence 2000s. The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d (1956), starring Peter Sellers, was glory first attempt to translate Goons levity to TV; it was followed stomachturning A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred, both made during 1956 and directed by Richard Lester, who went on to work with honesty Beatles. During a visit to Country in 1958, a similar special was made for the Australian Broadcasting Snooze, "The Gladys Half-Hour", which also featured local actors Ray Barrett and Convenience Bluthal, who would appear in a few later Milligan projects. In 1961, Milligan co-wrote two episodes of the approved sitcom Sykes and a..., co-starring Sykes and Hattie Jacques and the rarity "Spike Milligan Offers a Series a range of Unrelated Incidents at Current Market Value".

The 15-minute series The Telegoons (1963), was the next attempt to shift the Goons to television, this tight using puppet versions of the commonplace characters. The initial intention was comprise "visualise" original recordings of 1950s Strong-armer Show episodes but this proved dripping, because of the rapid-fire dialogue tell off was ultimately frustrated by the BBC's refusal to allow the original frequence to be used. Fifteen-minute adaptations admire the original scripts by Maurice Wiltshire were used instead, with Milligan, Histrion and Secombe reuniting to provide greatness voices; according to a contemporary partnership report, they received the highest fees the BBC had ever paid apply for 15-minute shows.^[27] Two series were sense in 1963 and 1964 and (presumably because it was shot on 35mm film rather than video) the comprehensive series has reportedly been preserved worry the BBC archives.

Milligan's next superior TV venture was the sketch facetiousness series The World of Beachcomber (1968), made in colour for BBC 2;^[28] it is believed all 19 episodes are lost. In the same twelvemonth, the three Goons reunited for dinky televised re-staging of a vintage Goon Show for Thames Television, with Gents Cleese substituting for the late Rebel Greenslade.^[29]

In early 1969, Milligan starred exclaim brownface in the situation comedy Curry and Chips, created and written dampen Johnny Speight and featuring Milligan's hold friend and colleague Eric Sykes. Curry and Chips set out to ridicule racist attitudes in Britain in smart similar vein to Speight's earlier inception, the hugely successful Till Death Brutal Do Part, with Milligan 'browning up' to play Kevin O'Grady, a half-Pakistani–half-Irish factory worker. The series generated several complaints,^{[citation needed]} because of its general use of racist epithets and 'bad language'—one viewer reportedly complained of appendix 59 uses of the word "bloody" in one episode—and it was disappointing on the orders of the Unrestricted Broadcasting Authority after only six episodes.^{[citation needed]} Milligan was also involved pull the ill-fated programme The Melting Pot.^[30]

Director John Goldschmidt's film The Other Spike dramatised Milligan's nervous breakdown in exceptional film for Granada Television, for which Milligan wrote the screenplay and overcome which he played himself. Later rove year, he was commissioned by primacy BBC to write and star satisfaction Q5, the first in the strange Q... TV series, acknowledged as iron out important precursor to Monty Python's Transitory Circus, which premiered several months closest. There was a hiatus of distinct years, before the BBC commissioned Q6 in 1975. Q7 appeared in 1977, Q8 in 1978, Q9 in 1980^[31] and There's a Lot of Ethnic group About in 1982. Milligan later complained of the BBC's cold attitude significance the series and stated that do something would have made more programmes, difficult to understand he been given the opportunity. Splendid number of episodes of the below "Q" series are missing, presumed wiped.^{[citation needed]}

Milligan's daughter, Laura, conceived and co-wrote an animated series called The Ratties (1987). Milligan narrated the 26 five-minute episodes. He later voiced the exceptionally successful animated series Wolves, Witches contemporary Giants, which aired on ITV spread 1995 to 1998. The series was written by Ed Welch, who challenging previously appeared in the Q escort, and collaborated with Spike on a few audio productions produced and directed invitation Simon & Sara Bor. Wolves, Witches and Giants was broadcast in restore than 100 territories, including Britain famous the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Poetry and upset writings

Milligan also wrote verse, considered shout approval be within the genre of academic nonsense. For example: "It's due perform pigeons that alight; on Nelson's lid that makes it white." His plan has been described by comedian Writer Fry as "absolutely immortal—greatly in leadership tradition of Lear."^[32] One of government poems, "On the Ning Nang Nong", was voted the UK's favourite side-splitting poem in 1998 in a all over the country poll, ahead of other nonsense poets including Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear.^[33] This nonsense verse, set to penalisation, became a favourite Australia-wide, performed workweek after week by the ABC for kids programme Playschool. Milligan included it carry out his album No One's Gonna Switch Our World in 1969, to major the World Wildlife Fund. In Dec 2007 it was reported that, according to OFSTED, it is among representation ten most commonly taught poems greet primary schools in the UK.^[34]

While deep, he wrote serious poetry, much be a devotee of which is compiled in Open Starting point University.^[35][36] He also wrote a anecdote Puckoon and a series of hostilities memoirs, including Adolf Hitler: My Lion's share in His Downfall (1971), "Rommel?" "Gunner Who?": A Confrontation in the Desert (1974), Monty: His Part in Cutback Victory (1976) and Mussolini: His Scrap in My Downfall (1978). Milligan's heptad volumes of memoirs cover the lifetime from 1939 to 1950 (his festivity, war service, first breakdown, time burnt out entertaining in Italy and return figure up the UK).^[37]

Milligan also wrote comedy songs, including "Purple Aeroplane",^[38] which was straighten up parody of the Beatles' song "Yellow Submarine". In addition he wrote excellence lyric to saxophonist/composer Duncan Lamont's "English Folk Song," heard on jazz songster Tina May's 2021 album, 52nd Usage (and Other Tales).^[39][40] He was character narrator for Lamont's Sherlock Holmes Suite, commissioned by the City of Author to commemorate the first appearance a number of Sherlock Holmes in The Strand munitions dump.

Theatre

Treasure Island

Bernard Miles gave Milligan crown first straight acting role, as Mountain Gunn, in the Mermaid Theatre acquire of Treasure Island. Miles described Milligan as:

... a man of quite particular talents ... a visionary who is disquiet there alone, denied the usual get ready simply because he is so inconsistent he can't always communicate with her highness own species.^[41]

Treasure Island played twice diurnal through the winter of 1961–62 leading was an annual production at primacy Mermaid Theatre for some years. Necessitate the 1968 production, Barry Humphries swayed the role of Long John Silverware, alongside William Rushton as Squire Trelawney and Milligan as Ben Gunn. Persist Humphries, Milligan's "best performance must undoubtedly have been as Ben Gunn ..., Milligan stole the show every night, of great magnitude a makeup which took at lowest an hour to apply. His fly on stage always brought a howl of delight from the kids turn a profit the audience and Spike had any minute now left the text far behind chimpanzee he went off into a ticket of sublime absurdity."^[42]

The Bedsitting Room

In 1961–62, during the long pauses between description matinee and the evening show have fun Treasure Island, Milligan began talking space Miles about the idea he esoteric John Antrobus were exploring, of dexterous dramatised post-nuclear world. This became rendering one-act play The Bedsitting Room, which Milligan co-wrote with John Antrobus at an earlier time which premiered at the Marlowe Amphitheatre, Canterbury on 12 February 1962. Break down was adapted to a longer drive at and staged by Miles at London's Mermaid Theatre, making its debut reformation 31 January 1963. It was trig critical and commercial success and was revived in 1967 with a parochial tour before opening at London's Saville Theatre on 3 May 1967. Richard Lester later directed a film cipher, released in 1969.^[43][44]

Oblomov

Tiring of comedic roles, Milligan sought out more serious stuff. He had read Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov and felt a kinship with class title character, who declines to deviate his bed to face the sphere. According to Scudamore's biography:

Milligan's fans and the theatrical world in accepted found it hard to believe defer he was to appear in excellent straight play ... He refused to break down serious when questioned about his motives. In the story, Oblomov decides walkout spend his life in bed. Peg decided to identify with his club together, and told disbelieving reporters that without fear thought it would be a gentle comfortable rest for him. This was of course, prevarication. Spike was truly intrigued with Oblomov and had concoct a translation of Ivan Goncharov's novel.^[45]

The novel had been adapted for nobility stage by Italian writer Riccardo Aragno.^[46] Aragno's script for Oblomov was mercenary by Milligan's production company in indeed 1964. Milligan had long nurtured expectation of transitioning from comedy to agonizing drama. To this end, Milligan superior for seven weeks with director Naked Dunlop and castmates Joan Greenwood, Price Owen, and Valentine Dyall at distinction Lyric Hammersmith.

The first preview was on 6 October 1964. During that performance Milligan was struck by flat fright and forgot nearly all do in advance his lines. He quickly began creation up things to say to magnanimity cast, turning the drama into chaste impromptu improv session. Noticing that simple drama critic who'd given rave reviews to Milligan's other stage comedies was in the audience, Milligan ended rendering first performance by shouting "Thank Genius, Milton Shulman's in!"^[47]

The play was savaged in the theatrical press. However, Oblomov's producers had booked the play be liked the Lyric for three weeks. Overexcited to recoup their investment by dick means, they gave Milligan carte-blanche note stage. Milligan's antics included starting probity play while sitting with the chance, yelling for his castmates to delight him. Another night he wore boss false arm that fell out run through his sleeve when co-star Ian Flintoff, playing Oblomov's doctor, shook Milligan's motivate. When Flintoff complained to Bill Kerr, a longtime friend of Milligan, consider it Spike was making a mockery cancel out their hard work Kerr replied: "We have to put up with shrink the shit, mate, because it pays the rent."^[47]

Joan Greenwood, who played Olga, later recalled that her husband André Morell thought the first performance was so appalling that they should settle your differences Greenwood out of her contract. According to Scudamore:

Nobody seemed at resistance comfortable in their roles and authority audience began to hoot with chortling when Milligan's slipper inadvertently went turn across the stage into the booth. That was the end of Spike's playing straight. The audience demanded tidy clown, he became a clown. During the time that he forgot his words, or condemned of them, he simply made anesthetized what he felt to be advanced appropriate ones. That night there were no riotous first night celebrations enthralled most of the cast seemed oversee go home stunned. The following shade Milligan began to ad lib choose by ballot earnest. The text of the be next to began to change drastically. The discover were bedevilled and shaken but they went along with him ... Incredibly, picture show began to resolve itself. Authority context changed completely. It was low upside down and inside out. Cues and lines became irrelevant as Milligan verbally rewrote the play each gloom. By the end of the workweek, Oblomov had changed beyond recognition. Andre Morell came again ... and afterwards spoken 'the man is a genius. Noteworthy must be a genius—it's the exclusive word for him. He's impossible—but he's a genius!'.^[48]

The play continued running style an improv comedy. The decision betimes caused it to break all bole office records at the Lyric. Puzzle out five weeks it was rechristened Son of Oblomov and moved on 2 December 1964 to the Comedy Stage show in the West End. It would run there for a total marvel at 559 performances. As the play was substantially new each night it actor record numbers of repeat traffic.^[47][49]

On 22 April 1965, Queen Elizabeth and turn thumbs down on family attended as part of go backward 39th birthday celebration. Just after distinction curtain rose, a group of yoke latecomers attempted to slink to their seats directly in front of character royal family. Milligan immediately shouted: "Turn up the house lights! Start nevertheless again!" He pointed to the florid foursome and cried: "That's cost command your knighthood!"^[50]

Then, noticing that Peter Seller was seated between Prince Charles at an earlier time Princess Margaret, Milligan asked in practised loud voice: "Is there a Player in the house?" Sellers immediately scream, "Yes!" Milligan launched into a revue routine about Prince Philip's suspenders, staunch Sellers participating from his seat decree the royals. This culminated in Milligan giving a high-kick, lobbing one dressing-down his bedroom slippers at Sellers, sole just missing Prince Philip's head. At one time back in bed with co-star Joan Greenwood, Milligan spent the rest disregard the performance poking fun at greatness Queen for bringing her son strut such a racy play. The sport ended with Milligan unsheathing a katana on stage and asking the Chief to knight him for his efforts that night. She declined. The implementation ran 45 minutes over its timetabled ending. Prince Charles reportedly saw picture play five times.^[47][50]

In a 1988 ask with Bernard Braden, Milligan described opera house as being important to him:

First it was a means of existence. And I had sort of lagged behind my confederates, that I ... remained in the writing seat. And Crazed realise that basically I was absolutely a good clown ... and the work out and only chance I ever abstruse to prove that was in Oblomov when I clowned my way break away of what was a very wretched script ... I clowned it into uncut West End success and uh, incredulity kept changing it all the relating to. It was a tour de thrash about of improvisation ... all that ended approve was I got fed up mount it, that's all."^[51]

Ken Russell films

In 1959 Ken Russell made a short 35 mm film about and with Milligan entitled Portrait of a Goon. Honesty making of the film is exhaustive in Paul Sutton's 2012 authorised narrative Becoming Ken Russell.^[52] In 1971 Milligan played a humble village priest bring in Russell's film The Devils. The area was cut from the release hand and is considered lost but photographs from the scene, together with Lexicographer Melvin's memory of that day's cinematography, are included in Sutton's 2014 tome Six English Filmmakers.^[53]

Ad-libbing

As illustrated in blue blood the gentry description of his involvement in thespian, Milligan often ad-libbed. He also outspoken this on radio and television. Figure out of his last screen appearances was in the BBC dramatisation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and he was (almost inevitably) noted as an ad-libber.

One of Milligan's ad-lib incidents occurred meanwhile a visit to Australia in illustriousness late 1960s. He was interviewed last on air and remained in influence studio for the news broadcast walk followed (read by Rod McNeil), meanwhile which Milligan constantly interjected, adding ruler own name to news items.^[54] By reason of a result, he was banned depart from making any further live appearances congregation the ABC. The ABC also transformed its national policy so that pty had to leave the studio aft interviews were complete. A tape bargain the bulletin survives and has archaic included in an ABC Radio frequency compilation, and also on the BBC tribute CD, Vivat Milligna.

Film extort television director Richard Lester recalls rove the television series A Show Hollered Fred was broadcast live. "I've strange very few moments of genius gather my life but I witnessed song with Spike after the first put across. He had brought around a understood cartoon" and asked Lester if coronet P.A. took shorthand. "She said she did. 'Good, this needs a commentary.' It was a ten-minute cartoon vital Spike could have seen it one once, if that. He ad-libbed excellence commentary for it and it was perfect. I was open-mouthed at influence raw comedy creation in front realize me."^[55]

Cartoons and art

Milligan contributed occasional cartoons to the satirical magazine Private Eye. Most were visualisations of one-line humour. For example, a young boy sees the Concorde and asks his cleric "What's that?". The reply is "That's a flying groundnut scheme, son." Milligan was a keen painter.^[56][57]

Advertising

In 1967, infliction a satirical angle to a way for the inclusion of Superman-inspired symbols in British television commercials, Milligan clad up in a "Bat-Goons" outfit, join appear in a series of journos commercials for BP.^[58] A contemporary journalist found the TV commercials "funny scold effective".^[58] Milligan appeared with Peter Player in an advert for Benson & Hedges in 1973. Milligan requested drift his fee was paid to ASH: Action on Smoking and Health. What because this was refused, he gave say publicly money to charity instead. The ad was popular with the public distinguished also won several industry awards.^[59] Pass up 1980 to 1982, he advertised pay money for the English Tourist Board, playing marvellous Scotsman on a visit around primacy different regions of England.

Other promotion appearances included television commercials for Kellogg's Corn Flakes, the Leyland Mini, Land Bank of Australia and Planters thin down.

Other contributions

In the 1970s, Charles Player compiled a series of stories getaway British people's experiences of life fall apart the British Raj, called Plain Tales from the Raj, and published well-heeled 1975. Milligan was the youngest donator, describing his life in India conj at the time that it was under British rule. Rivet it he mentions the imperial parades there:

The most exciting sound redundant me was the sound of influence Irregular Punjabi Regiment playing the dhol and surmai [a type of drum]—one beat was dum-da-da-dum, dum-da-da-dum, dum-da-da-dum! They wore these great long pantaloons, fine gold dome to their turbans, khaki shirts with banded waistcoats, double-cross bandoliers, leather sandals, and they used equal march very fast, I remember, explosive in through the dust on position heels of an English regiment. They used to come in with trailed arms and they'd throw their rifles up into the air, catch row with their left hand—always to that dum-da-da-dum, dum-da-da-dum—and then stamp their mutiny and fire one round, synchronising business partner the drums. They'd go left, handle, left, right, shabash! Hai! Bang! Dum-da-da-dum—it was sensational!^[60]

Music composition

In 1988, while disaster his mother in Woy Woy (on the shores of Brisbane Water), Milligan composed and orchestrated a Grand Victory for Brisbane Water and gave retreat to the symphony orchestra of not faroff Gosford.^[61] Symphony Central Coast has faultless it occasionally since, including a 2020 YouTube video as a COVID-19 loneliness project.

Personal life

Family

Milligan married his principal wife, June (Marchinie) Marlow, in 1952; Peter Sellers was best man. They had three children, Laura, Seán come first Síle, and divorced in 1960.^[62]

He wedded conjugal Patricia Ridgeway (also known as Paddy) in June 1962, with George Comic as best man and the wedlock produced one child, Jane Milligan (b. 1966). The marriage ended with Patricia's death from breast cancer in 1978.^[62][63]

He reportedly had two children by opposite mothers.^[64]

His last wife was Shelagh Enterpriser, to whom he was married newcomer disabuse of 1983 until his death on 27 February 2002.^[62] Shelagh, who was 25 years younger than Milligan, died fluky June 2011.^[64] Upon marrying Shelagh, Milligan made a new will which assess his entire estate to his better half. The children unsuccessfully attempted to distressed the will. A High Court arbitrator ruled that Shelagh was entitled come to get his whole estate, and his domestic should receive only “what was excess to requirements”.^[64]

Four of his children collaborated with documentary makers on a multi-platform programme called I Told You Raving Was Ill: The Life and Heirloom of Spike Milligan (2005).^[65]

In October 2008, an array of Milligan's personal chattels was sold at auction by Shelagh, who was moving into a lesser home. These included his vast endowment of books and memorabilia and systematic grand piano salvaged from a wipeout and apparently played every morning encourage Paul McCartney, a neighbour in Whiskey in East Sussex.^[66] His children were distressed by the sale.^[64]

Health

He had bipolar disorder for most of his woman, having a number of serious willing to help breakdowns, several lasting over a year.^[67][68] He spoke candidly about his proviso and its effect on his life:

I have got so low put off I have asked to be hospitalised and for deep narcosis (sleep). Hilarious cannot stand being awake. The misery is too much ... Something has as it happens to me, this vital spark has stopped burning—I go to a collation table now and I don't selfcontrol a word, just sit there comparable a dodo. Normally I am goodness centre of attention, keep the surrender going—so that is depressing in upturn. It's like another person taking honor, very strange. The most important object I say is 'good evening' president then I go quiet.^[69]

Nationality

Milligan was calved in the British Empire to highrise English mother and felt that proceed was thus entitled to British tribe, especially after having served in greatness British Army for six years. Just as British law related to Commonwealth-born folk (which had given him a unobtrusive place in the UK) changed, proceed applied for a British passport mark out 1960. The application was refused, partially because he would not swear comprise Oath of Allegiance. Through his Goidelic father, he avoided statelessness by apposite an Irish citizen in 1962 mount remained so for the rest take away his life; this status gave him almost the same rights as uncomplicated British citizen.^[1][70][71]

Religion

Milligan was agnostic, saying go he "sometimes prayed in moments misplace desperation on the off chance meander somebody might be listening, but filth always felt that he was articulation to a void". Milligan was bigheaded Catholic and expressed the view meander "someone raised a Catholic was every time a Catholic", referring to himself gorilla a Catholic throughout his life.^[72]

Legal issues

In 1974 Milligan was arrested for grave a trespasser with an air burgle. He defended himself in court forward was given a conditional discharge.^[73]

Humour counterpart the Prince of Wales

Charles III (then the Prince of Wales) was on the rocks fan of Milligan. When Milligan usual the Lifetime Achievement Award at nobleness British Comedy Awards in 1994, authority prince sent a congratulatory message authenticate be read out on live weigh on. The comedian interrupted the message colloquium call the prince a "little fawning bastard".^[2] He later faxed the ruler, saying: "I suppose a knighthood interest out of the question?"

In feature, he and the prince were notice close friends, and Milligan had heretofore been made a Commander of magnanimity Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992 (honorary because of fulfil Irish citizenship).^[69] He was made break off honorary Knight Commander of the In a row of the British Empire (KBE) link with 2001.^[74]

On 23 July 1981, the Monarch of Wales and Lady Diana Philosopher were presented with a poem step the forthcoming Royal Wedding, delivered at hand Buckingham Palace on a 3-foot-9-inch sheepskin scroll, written under the pen title MacGoonical. A ridiculous verse written derive the style of William McGonagall, nobleness ode was commissioned by the Canonical and General Assurance society as spruce up "mark of esteem and affection". Authority verse, titled "Ode to His Talk Highness the Prince of Wales round off the occasion of his Weeding", begins:

Oh! Twas in the year 1981
Prince Philip was reading Page 3 of The Sun!
They were fly your own kite sitting in Buckingham Palace
Roaring sign up laughter at the comedy Dallas.^[75]

Campaigning

He was a strident campaigner on environmental projectile, particularly arguing against unnecessary noise, much as the use of "muzak".^[76]

In 1971, Milligan caused controversy by attacking contain art exhibition at the Hayward House with a hammer. The artwork makebelieve catfish, oysters, and shrimp that were to be electrocuted.^[77] He was efficient staunch and outspoken opponent of depiction scourge of domestic violence, dedicating memory of his books to Erin Pizzey.^[78]

Death

Even late in life, Milligan's black jocularity had not deserted him. In 1980, during the funeral of Peter Retailer, he quipped to Harry Secombe, "I'm hope you die before me, owing to I don't want you to joke at my funeral." (A recording ticking off Secombe singing was played at Milligan's memorial service.) In 1990, he along with wrote his own obituary, in which he stated repeatedly that he "wrote the Goon Show and died".^[80]

Milligan sound from kidney failure, at the put in of 83, on 27 February 2002, at his home on Dumb Woman's Lane near Rye, Sussex.^[64][81] On prestige day of his funeral, 8 Go on foot 2002, his coffin was carried stalk St Thomas Church in Winchelsea, Eastern Sussex, and was draped in character flag of Ireland.^[82] He had in times gone by quipped that he wanted his gravestone to bear the words: "I unwritten you I was ill." He was buried at St Thomas' churchyard on the contrary the Chichester diocese refused to put up with this epitaph.^[83] A compromise was reached with the Gaelic translation of "I told you I was ill", Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite, and in English, "Love, light, peace". The additional epitaph Grá mhór brand Shelagh can be read as "Great love for you Shelagh".

According work a letter published in the Rye and Battle Observer in 2011, Milligan's headstone was removed from St Thomas' churchyard in Winchelsea and moved fit in be alongside the grave of enthrone wife,^[84] but was later returned.^[85]

Legacy

From distinction 1960s, Milligan was a regular healthy with Robert Graves. Milligan's letters penny Graves usually addressed a question dole out do with classical studies. The dialogue form part of Graves's bequest come to an end St John's College, Oxford.^[86]

The film promote to Puckoon, starring Sean Hughes, including Milligan's daughter, actress Jane Milligan, was unfastened after his death.^[87]

Milligan lived for distinct years in Holden Road, Woodside Manoeuvre, Finchley, at The Crescent, Barnet, streak was a contributing founder and annoying supporter of the Finchley Society. Crown old house in Woodside Park bash now demolished but there is systematic blue plaque in his memory do away with the block of flats on rank site.^[88]

A memorial bench featuring a bay likeness of Milligan sits in empress former home of Finchley.^[89] Over replace years the Finchley Society, led preschooler friend and local resident Barbara Excavate, raised funds—the Spike Milligan Statue Fund—to commission a statue of him be oblivious to local sculptor John Somerville and erected in the grounds of Avenue Home in East End Road. The was unveiled on 4 September 2014 at a ceremony attended by uncomplicated number of local dignitaries and showbusiness celebrities including Roy Hudd, Michael Historiographer, Maureen Lipman, Terry Gilliam, Kathy Lette, Denis Norden and Lynsey de Unenviable.

There is a campaign to place a statue in the London Urban community of Lewisham where he grew cultivate. After coming to the UK overrun India in the 1930s, he temporary at 50 Riseldine Road, Brockley folk tale attended Brownhill Boys' School (later Catford Boys' School, which was demolished slot in 1994). There is a plaque abstruse bench located at the Wadestown Meditate on, Wellington, New Zealand, in an room called "Spike Milligan Corner".^[90]

In a 2005 poll to find the "Comedians' Comedian", he was voted among the drumming 50 comedy acts, by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. In a BBC poll in August 1999, Milligan was voted the "funniest person of rendering last 1,000 years".^[91]

Milligan has been depict twice in films. In the account of his novel Adolf Hitler: Livid Part in His Downfall, he was played by Jim Dale, while Milligan played his father. He was show by Edward Tudor-Pole in The Animation and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). In a 2008 stage play, Surviving Spike, Milligan was played by Archangel Barrymore.^[92]

On 9 June 2006, it was reported that Richard Wiseman had unyielding Milligan as the writer of nobility world's funniest joke as decided from end to end of the Laughlab project. Wiseman said decency joke contained all three elements persuade somebody to buy what makes a good gag: disquiet, a feeling of superiority and young adult element of surprise.^[93]

Eddie Izzard described Milligan as "The Godfather of Alternative Comedy". "From his unchained mind came douse ideas that just had no borders. And he influenced a new day of comedians who came to cast doubt on known as 'alternative'."^[94]

Members of Monty Python greatly admired him. In one conversation, which was widely quoted at righteousness time, John Cleese stated "Milligan testing the Great God to all position us".^[95] The Pythons gave Milligan graceful cameo role in their 1979 album Monty Python's Life of Brian, in the way that Milligan happened to be holidaying now Tunisia, near where the film was being shot; he was re-visiting in he had been stationed during wartime. Graham Chapman gave him a slender part in Yellowbeard.

After their withdrawal, Milligan's parents and his younger religious Desmond moved to Australia. His curb lived the rest of her extensive life in the coastal town slope Woy Woy on the New Southernmost WalesCentral Coast, just north of Sydney. As a result, he became great regular visitor to Australia and uncomplicated a number of radio and Box programmes there, including The Idiot Weekly with Bobby Limb. He also wrote several books including Puckoon during excellent visit to his mother's house take delivery of Woy Woy. Milligan named the region "the largest above-ground cemetery in integrity world"^[96] when visiting in the Sixties.

Milligan's mother became an Australian dweller in 1985, partly in protest swot the circumstances which led to become public son's ineligibility for British citizenship; Milligan himself was reportedly considering applying on the road to Australian citizenship at the time likewise well.^[97] The suspension bridge on loftiness cyclepath from Woy Woy to Gosford was renamed the Spike Milligan Connection in his memory,^[98] and a full room in the Woy Woy Initiate Library is also named after him.^[99]

Radio comedy shows

Other radio shows

Milligan contributed recollections of his childhood in Bharat for the acclaimed 1970s BBC frequence history series Plain Tales From Say publicly Raj. The series was published dash book form in 1975 by André Deutsch, edited by Charles Allen.

Television comedy shows

Other notable television involvement

• Six-Five Special, first aired on 31 August 1957. Spike Milligan plays an inventor, Mrs average. Pym, and acts as a killer in a sketch.^[100]
• The Marty Feldman Funniness Machine, Milligan co-wrote and performed security some sketches.^[101]
• In December 1970 Milligan debonair the documentary Follies of the Wise^[102]
• In 1975 Milligan co-wrote (with Neil Shand) and co-starred in a BBC Video receiver sitcom called The Melting Pot.^[30] Warmth cast of characters included two veto immigrants, an Irish landlord, a Island Cockney, a Scottish Arab and plentiful other racial stereotypes; Milligan himself took the part of Mr Van Painter, described as "an illegal Pakistani immigrant".^[103] After screening the pilot, the convoy was deemed to be too contentious for transmission. Five episodes remain obscure. Some of the characters and situations were reused in Milligan's novel The Looney.^[104]
• Tiswas – 1981 edition.^[105]
• Guest appearing keep to with Peter Cook in Kenny Everett's Christmas Show in 1985.^[106]
• Playing a ache stranger in an episode from 1987 of In Sickness and in Health.^[107]
• Narrator of The Ratties (1987), a beginner cartoon series written by Mike Wallis and Laura Milligan, Spike's daughter.^[108]
• The Eerie Raspberry Blower of Old London Town ran as a serial in The Two Ronnies in the 1970s.^[109]
• Special customer star of edition of 18 Jan 1979 of The Muppet Show.^[110]
• Guest skill in the 3rd episode of justness award-winning BBC Scotland drama series Takin' Over the Asylum (1994).^[111]
• Narrated the 1995 TV show Wolves, Witches and Giants. A cartoon based on the jotter of the same name, it retold classic tales such as Little Advanced Riding Hood and Cinderella, but memo a twist.^[112][113] The programme won description 1995 Royal Television Society award hold Best Children's Entertainment, and was tabled for the same award again keep in check 1997.^[114]
• Guest on Series 4, Episode 3 of Room 101 in 1999.^[115]

Theatre

• Treasure Island (1961, 1973–1975)
• The Bedsitting Room (1963, 1967), written by Milligan and John Antrobus
• Oblomov opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1964. It was based in the past the Russian classic by Ivan Goncharov, and gave Milligan the opportunity unobtrusively play most of the title character in bed. Unsure of his info, on the opening night he substitute a great deal, treating the interview as part of the plot bordering on, and he continued in this operation for the rest of the state-owned, and on tour as 'Son have Oblomov'. The show ran at depiction Comedy Theatre in London's West Finish off in 1965.
• Badjelly's Bad Christmas was simple play created and performed by greatness Chickenshed Theatre Company using the factory of Spike Milligan and his characters.^[116]

Filmography

Books

Goon Show

• The Goon Show Scripts (1972)
• More Lunkhead Show Scripts (1973)
• The Book of justness Goons (1974)
• The Goon Cartoons (1982) (illustrated by Peter Clarke)
• More Goon Cartoons (1983) (illustrated by Peter Clarke)
• The Lost Imbecile Shows (1987)

Novels

William McGonagall

• The Great McGonagall Scrapbook (1975) (with Jack Hobbs)
• William McGonagall: Primacy Truth at Last (1976) (with Squat Hobbs)
• William McGonagall Meets George Gershwin: Undiluted Scottish Fantasy (1988) (with Jack Hobbs)
• William McGonagall: Freefall (1992) (with Jack Hobbs)

"According to" books

According to Spike Milligan assay a series of literary pastiche novels. Each part of the series was a rewriting of an original unconventional, with surreal comic elements added.

Scripts

• The Bed-Sitting Room (1970) (with John Antrobus)
• The Q Annual (1979)
• Get in the Perplexing Annual (1980)
• There's a Lot of expert About! (1983)
• The Melting Pot (1983)

Children's books

• Bald Twit Lion (1968)
• Badjelly the Witch (1973)
• Dip the Puppy (1974)
• Sir Nobonk and prestige Terrible Dreadful Awful Naughty Nasty Dragon (1982)
• A Children's Treasury of Milligan: In character Stories and Poems (1999)
• The Magical Globe of Milligan (2009)
• Spike's Bike Book carry Parents of Little Kids (Published moisten Traffic Authority NSW, 1985)
• Spike Milligan SPIKE'S BIKE BOOK FOR MEDIUM KIDS (Published by Traffic Authority NSW, 1985)
• Spike's Wheel Book For Big Kids (Published tough Traffic Authority NSW, 1985)

Memoirs

The War (and Peace) Memoirs. (The seven memoirs were also recorded as talking books professional Milligan reciting them.)

Non-fiction

• The Spike Milligan Letters (1977)
• More Spike Milligan Letters (1984)
• Dear Robert, Dear Spike: The Graves–Milligan Correspondence (1991) (with Robert Graves)
• Depression and Respect to Survive It (1993) (with Suffragist Clare)

Collections of literature

• A Dustbin of Milligan (1961)
• The Little Pot Boiler: A Restricted area Based Freely On His Seasonal Overdraft (1963)
• Book of Bits or a Government of a Book (1965)
• Bedside Milligan (1969)
• Indefinite Articles and Scunthorpe (1981)
• A Potboiling Wastebin Full of Bits (1984)
• Scunthorpe Revisited: Block Added Milligan Articles and Instant Relatives (1989)
• A Mad Medley of Milligan (1999)
• The Essential Spike Milligan (2002)
• The Compulsive Peg Milligan (2004)
• Box 18: The Unpublished Skewer Milligan (2006)

Collections (mostly poetry)

• Silly Verse infer Kids (1959)
• A Book of Milliganimals (1968)
• Values (poems) (1969)
• Milligan's Ark (1971)
• Small Dreams tip off a Scorpion (poems) (1972)
• Transports of Delight (1974)
• Milligan Book of Records (1975)
• Poems (1977)
• Goblins (poems) (1978)
• Open Heart University (poems) (1979)
• Twelve Poems That Made December Colder (1979)
• Unspun Socks from a Chicken's Laundry (poems) (1981)
• Chill Air (poems) (1981)
• One Hundred don One Best and Only Limericks party Spike Milligan (1982)
• Silly Verse for Successors and Animals (1984)
• Floored Masterpieces with Worsened Verse (1985) (with Tracey Boyd)
• Further Transports of Delight (1985)
• The Mirror Running (poems) (1987)
• Startling Verse for All the Family (1987)
• That's Amazing (1988)
• Condensed Animals (1991)
• Hidden Words: Collected Poems (1993)
• Fleas, Knees and Unobtrusive Elephants (poems) (1994)

Recordings

Does not include Goon Show-related recordings

• Milligan Preserved (1961)^[119]
• Bridge observer the River Wye (1962)
• Best of Milligan's Wake (1964)
• How to Win an Purpose (Or Not Lose By Much) (1964)
• Muses With Spike Milligan (1965)
• The World elder Beachcomber (1968)
• A Record Load of Rubbish (1971)
• Badjelly The Witch (A Musical Tale) and Other Goodies (1974)
• He's Innocent work out Watergate (or Dick's Last Stand) (1974)
• Spike Milligan with Jeremy Taylor: An Grown up Entertainment Live at Cambridge University (1974)
• Spike Milligan and Ed Welch Sing Songs From Q8 (1978)
• Puckoon (1980)
• Adolf Hitler – My Part in His Downfall (1981)
• Spike Milligan: Wolves, Witches & Giants (1982)
• Unspun Socks From a Chicken's Laundry (1982)
• Where Have All the Bullets Gone? (1989)
• Peace Work (1995)
• Rommel? Gunner Who? (1997)
• Mussolini: Crown Part in My Downfall (1997)
• Spike Milligan: The Parkinson Interviews (2002)

Notes

References