The Goon Show Compendium Volume 13

Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers star in 7 early episodes of The Goon Show, plus a plethora of bonus features. Immensely popular and hugely influential, the groundbreaking series The Goon Show changed the face of British comedy. This 13th collection turns the clock back to the 1950s and the series' earliest surviving recordings. The episodes included are Harry Secombe Tracks Lo-Hing Ding, Handsome Harry Hunts for The Lost Drummer, The Failures of Handsome Harry Secombe, The Mystery of the Monkey's Paw, The Man Who Tried to Destroy London's Monuments, The Ghastly Experiments of Dr Hans Eidelburger, and The Missing Prime Minister. Also featured are surviving extracts from The Search for the Bearded Vulture and The Giant Bombardon. A host of bonus features are included in the set, including the 1991 programme At Last The Go On Show, Goon Again and Just Before Goonrise from 2001, Laughter in the Air from 1979, Spike at 80 from 1998, various extracts from Desert Island Discs, and much more. Two physical booklets and a PDF booklet combine to tell the story of the show's development with reference to original archive paperwork, plus the history of the recordings. Remastered using newly sourced material and the latest technology to give the best possible sound quality, these recordings are sure to appeal to all collectors of The Goon Show. Duration: 10 hours approx

Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies. With his lightning-quick wit, unbridled creativity and his ear for the absurd, Milligan revolutionised British comedy, leaving a legacy of influence that stretches from Monty Python's Flying Circus to the work of self-confessed acolytes such as Eddie Izzard and Stephen Fry today. Throughout his life, Milligan wrote prolifically - scripts, poetry, fiction, as well as several volumes of memoir, in which he took an entirely idiosyncratic approach to the truth. In this ground-breaking work, Norma Farnes, his long-time manager, companion, counsellor and confidante, gathers together the loose threads, reads between the lines and draws on the full breadth of his writing to present his life in his own words: an autobiography - of sorts. From his childhood in India, through his early career as a jazz musician and sketch-show entertainer, his spells in North Africa and Italy with the Royal Artillery, to that fateful first broadcast of The Goon Show and beyond into the annals of comedy history, this is the autobiography Milligan never wrote.

Spike Milligan's letters contain some of the best material he ever wrote . . . Collected here for the first time are the funniest, rudest and most revealing of them - most of which have never been seen before - from one of the greatest comics of the twentieth century to some of its most famous politicians, actors, celebrities and rock stars (as well as a host of unlikely individuals on some surprising subjects): - rounded teabags ('what did you do with the corners?') - backless hospital gowns ('beyond my comprehension') - heartfelt apologies ('pardon me for being alive') and the imbalance of male and female ducks in London's parks. Here, then, is the real Spike Miligan: obsessive, rude, generous and relentlessly witty. 'Milligan's zaniness shines through' Telegraph 'The godfather of alternative comedy' Eddie Izzard Spike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.

Online: gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/

NOW A HIT ANIMATED SERIES ON PRIME VIDEO! Collects the INVINCIBLE: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, VOL. 1-2 into one massive slipcased tome. That's over 700 pages of pure INVINCIBLE goodness! This is a can't-miss for any INVINCIBLE fan, and a perfect addition to any sturdy, reinforced bookshelf. Mark Grayson is just like most everyone else his age. Except his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet—Omni-Man. When Mark develops powers of his own, it’s a dream come true. But living up to his father’s legacy is only the beginning of Mark’s problems… Collects INVINCIBLE #0-24 and IMAGE COMICS SUMMER SPECIAL #1 excerpt

An official guide to Buffy the Vampire Slayer describes the mythology and influences behind the monsters, ghouls, and characters through interviews with the creators and details of the episodes.