When “The Goodies” took over Cor!! (drawn by Joe Colquhoun)

The Goodies: The Complete BBC CollectionNetwork has just released The Goodies: The Complete BBC Collection, as a general DVD release and a now sold out limited edition set – and there is a quick mention of the tie-in comic strip that appeared in weekly humour comic Cor!! in one of the “extras” – but here’s a bit more information…

Back in 1970, The Goodies unleashed their legendary blend of surreal storylines, strikingly topical satire, slapstick and general lunacy on an unsuspecting viewing public. Capturing the irreverent and rebellious flavour of the decade, this phenomenally popular, award-winning series spread its mischief over twelve years – making household names of creators, writers and performers Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor.

The Goodies: The Complete BBC Collection contains all the episodes that the terrific trio made for the BBC – from a giant white fluffy kitten called Twinkle to a slippery climb up a giant beanstalk, from the ancient Lancastrian art of Ecky Thump to fighting a ban on fun instigated by an all-too-real puppet government, this is television comedy at its undeniable best!

The DVD also includes “An Audience with The Goodies”, a brand-new special feature reunites Tim, Bill and Graeme on stage for a very special one-night-only event.

The Goodies make their debut in Cor!! in the issue cover dated 6th January 1973. The cover image was re-used and re-coloured for The Goodies Fun Book in 1977

The Goodies make their debut in Cor!! in the issue cover dated 6th January 1973. The cover image was re-used and re-coloured for The Goodies Fun Book in 1977

First published by IPC in 1970, Cor!! was a weekly collection of comic strip madness (more information here on downthetubes) featuring  characters such as characters as Gus the Gorilla, Ivor Lott and Tony Broke, Rat-Trap, Jelly Baby and Jasper the Grasper, among many others.

Bill Oddie can of course can be seen reading The Beano in early episodes of The Goodies, but it was IPC that grabbed the show for Cor!!, the strip debuting in January 1973 under license, the stories pre-approved by The Goodies team, and clearly went down well, as Tim still apparently has an original Cor!! strip in his study.

The Goodies were the only adapted characters featured in the comic during its run, with copyright credit being given to Bill, Tim and Graeme.

While there’s no known credits for the writers of the suitably zany strip, the art was mostly the work of Joe Colquhoun, best known for being the first artist on “Roy of the Rovers” for Tiger in the 1950s and for his later  work on “Charley’s War” for Battle, working with Pat Mills.

American Goodies fan Linda Kay has compiled a great guide to the strips over on the The Goodies Rule – OK! Fan Club web site, much to the bemusement of a comics dealer in London when she bought copies of Cor!! from him.

The Goodies - Cor!! - cover dated 6th January 1973

The Goodies - Cor!! - cover dated 6th January 1973

The Goodies first appearance in Cor!!, art by Joe Colquhoun

“The gentleman I spoke with on the phone asked, ‘How is it a woman in sunny California comes to be interested in an old British comic like Cor!!?’ In truth, I’ve always been fascinated by comics, so when I found out The Goodies had been immortalised as such, I became interested in finding out more about them and collecting the various issues. I thought fellow fans may enjoy summaries of the series as well as interesting notations, tidbits and things to look for in the various issues.”

Running for a year, the strip rounded off with Christmas good wishes from the boys – although they also appeared in the 1974 Cor!! annual, the strip also drawn by Joe.

•  The Cor!! “The Goodies” strips are listed in the appendix of Andrew Pixley’s Goodies DVD File book that’s included as part of the The Goodies: The Complete BBC Collection – A Binge of Goodies collector edition (which is sold out, but producer Martin Cater has told downthetubes Network may release items from it separately at a later date)

The glorious

The glorious “A Binge of Goodies” limited edition. Photo courtesy Martin Cater

The Goodies: The Complete BBC Collection
Released By: Network on 24th September 2018 | Details of A Binge of Goodies Limited Edition Set here (sold out) and general release here

Cast: Bill Oddie, Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Jon Pertwee, Beryl Reid, Harry H Corbett, Patrick Troughton, Philip Madoc, John le Mesurier Director: Bob Spiers Cert: 12 Duration: 2040 mins

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WEB LINKS

Linda Kay’s Guide to The Goodies strips in Cor!!

• The Goodies Rule OK – Official web site – www.goodiesruleok.com | Facebook

Radio Times: Anarchic comedy trio The Goodies recall the golden years of doing anything, anytime…

Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie once ruled the airwaves with their popular brand of stunt-packed comedy. As their entire BBC back catalogue is finally released on DVD, Mark Braxton catches up with the trio’s trusty “trandem”

The Goodies Live Q&A session from Post Office Tower. Image via The Goodies Facebook Page

The Goodies Live Q&A session from Post Office Tower. Image via The Goodies Facebook Page

The Goodies Live Q&A session from Post Office Tower – Monday 24th September 2018 – on Twitter

The Goodies interview on BBC Radio 3’s “Free Thinking” from 25th September 2018 (to promote the release of the new DVD) can be heard at (available for 30 days)

Mike Gent’s downthetubes feature “The Story of Cor!!”



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