The Silent Bugler

<p><em>The Silent Bugler</em> is a good example of Spike Milligan revisiting earlier material, with the later <em>Vintage Goons</em> remake refining rather than reinventing the original. </p><p><br></p><p>The original story from Series 4 opens with a Cold War setting and digs at Senator McCarthy, Winston Churchill and the world of secret agents before introducing Seagoon as MI5&#39;s Agent X2. The Vintage Goons remake necessarily tweaks some of the more topical material. </p><p><br></p><p>Much of the enjoyment comes from the performances rather than the plot which is a bit confusing and follows X2&#39;s mission to thwart a Russian time machine, leading to an adventure involving spies, concerts, mistaken identities, explosions and improbable escapes in typical fashion. </p><p><br></p><p>Peter Sellers&#39; later portrayal of Willium the ticket inspector is noticeably richer and more developed, while the original Series 4 recording has Sellers corpsing repeatedly. The episode also contains the first use of Bluebottle&#39;s immortal line, &quot;Pauses for audience applause... not a sausage&quot; though early Bluebottle is less pleasing to the ear.</p><p><br></p><p>As with most Goon Shows the storyline is largely incidental, serving as a framework for Spike&#39;s imagination and the interplay between the cast. While the <em>Vintage Goons</em> version benefits from more polished performances, some listeners may prefer the original Series 4 recording for its freshness and spontaneity and the fact it was a glimpse of the Goons reaching the peak of their powers in 1954. </p><p><br></p><p>Tyler and guest Chas Early examine the two shows and look at what was happening in the Goons&#39; world the week the original show aired, including a fascinating tale of Ray Ellington coming to the aid of one of JFK&#39;s closest friends. </p>