The Idiot Weekly
| Company type | Radio program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting, Comedy |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Founder | Spike Milligan |
| Defunct | 1962 |
| Fate | Ended |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Spike Milligan, Max Greaves, John McCloud, John Bluthal, Bobby Limb, Michael Eisdell, Ray Barrett, Peter Carver, Graham Connolly, Johnny Bamford, Bruce Findlay, Jim Gussey, Patricia Ridgeway, Dudley Stapleton, Peter Young |
| Products | Radio comedy series |
| Parent | Australian Broadcasting Commission |
The Idiot Weekly (1958–1962) was a comedic radio program developed by the Australian Broadcasting Commission. After The Goon Show began airing on Australian radio in 1955, the ABC invited Spike Milligan during his 1958 visit to Australia to produce a similar local version. The intent was to craft an Australian comedy series reflecting Milligan's unique style, but without the participation of co-performers Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe.
Format and characters
The program closely followed the structure of The Goon Show, reusing and modifying scripts and humor characteristic of Milligan. It included recurring personas such as Eccles, but adapted storylines to Australian contexts, weaving in contemporary events and political satire. The show aimed to highlight an Australian cultural identity while preserving the whimsical comedy style associated with the Goons.
Credits were presented as "a radio reading of The Idiot Weekly", with performers acknowledged as "Headlines by..." or "Cartoons by...", and the producer listed under the title sub-editor.
Episodes often contained self-mocking critiques of the ABC’s standards, mirroring The Goon Show’s playful criticisms of the BBC. References to Woy Woy, Milligan’s hometown, were a frequent feature.
Broadcast and production
The initial series debuted in 1958, consisting of twelve weekly episodes spread over three years. Max Greaves produced this installment, starring Milligan along with John Bluthal, Bobby Limb, Michael Eisdell, and Ray Barrett. Musical accompaniment was provided by Tim Gussey and the ABC Dance Orchestra.
Series 1
| Episode | Broadcast date |
| 1–1 | 3 June 1958 |
| 1–2 | 10 June 1958 |
| 1–3 | 17 June 1958 |
| 1–4 | 24 June 1958 |
| 1–5 | 1 July 1958 |
| 1–6 | 8 July 1958 |
| 1–7 | 15 July 1958 |
| 1–8 | 22 July 1958 |
| 1–9 | 29 July 1958 |
| 1–10 | 5 August 1958 |
| 1–11 | 12 August 1958 The All Australian Leather Rocket |
| 1–12 | 19 August 1958 |
Series 2
| Episode | Broadcast date | Title |
| 2–1 | 30 June 1959 | Son of Andrea |
| 7 July 1959 | ||
| 2–3 | 14 July 1959 | |
| 2–4 | 21 July 1959 | |
| 2–5 | 28 July 1959 | |
| 2–6 | 4 August 1959 | |
| 2–7 | 11 August 1959 | |
| 2–8 | 18 August 1959 | |
| 2–9 | 25 August 1959 | |
| 2–10 | 1 September 1959 | |
| 2–11 | 8 September 1959 | The French Connection |
| 2–12 | 15 September 1959 | |
| 2–13 | 22 September 1959 | The Australian Flag |
Broadcast dates for The Prime Minister's Trousers and The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy remain unconfirmed.
This series was produced by John McCloud and featured performers including Spike Milligan, Bobby Limb, John Bluthal, Peter Carver, Michael Eisdell, with announcer Graham Connolly. Musical contributions came from Johnny Bamford (vibraphone), Bruce Findlay (vocals), Jim Gussey, alongside the ABC Dance Orchestra.
Series 3
| Episode | Broadcast date | |||
| 3–1 | 28 August 1962 | |||
| 3–2 | 4 September 1962 | |||
| 3–3 | 11 September 1962 | |||
| 3–4 | 18 September 1962 | |||
| 3–5 | 25 September 1962 | |||
| 3–6 | 2 October 1962 | |||
| 3–7 | 9 October 1962 | 3–8 | 16 October 1962 | |
| 3–9 | 23 October 1962 | |||
| 3–10 | 30 October 1962 | |||
| 3–11 | 6 November 1962 | |||
Broadcast dates for episodes titled The Ashes, The King's Bridge Saga, The American Cup, The World's Greatest Adventure, The Spon Plague, King's Cross - The East Berlin of Australia, The Great Christmas Pudding, and The Flying Dustman of the Outback are not documented.
Also overseen by producer John McCloud, this final series starred Spike Milligan, John Ewart, Ric Hutton, Paul Westerman, Al Thoma, Michael Eisdell, with announcer Peter Young. Musical performances were delivered by Patricia Ridgeway (vocals), Dudley Stapleton (piano), Jim Gussey, and the ABC Dance Orchestra.
Notes
- Certain references attribute The Australian Flag and The Prime Minister's Trousers to Series 1, although both feature the cast from Series 2. Notably, The Australian Flag was promoted as "the final installment of the current series."
- The extant recording of The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy captures the audience warm-up, including a jazz performance by the ABC Dance Band with Spike Milligan on trumpet.
- The Spon Plague combines aspects from The Goon Show episodes Lurgi Strikes Britain and The Nadger Plague. It is also referred to as The Spon Berry vs The Spon Plague or simply Spon. In this installment, Spike Milligan delivers a rendition of the Dustbin Dance originally from the BBC's A Show Called Fred, which succeeded The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d.
- The Great Christmas Pudding serves as a reimagining of The Goon Show's Operation Christmas Duff, incorporating Australian themes.
- Some sources identify The American Cup under the title Gretel vs America.
- Alternate titles for The King's Bridge Saga include The King's Bridge Disaster and The Last Tram to King Street Bridge. This episode references the Melbourne King Street Bridge collapse in July 1962 and draws inspiration from The Goon Show's The Last Tram (from Clapham).
- Vocalist Patricia Ridgeway became married to Spike Milligan several months prior to Series 3.
Recordings
Although the ABC did not preserve all episodes, a number of recordings remain. Several were captured off-air onto acetate discs and are now in the possession of The Goon Show Preservation Society as well as private collectors.
Existing known recordings include:
Season 1 - Partial recording from the 8 July 1958 broadcast, complete version of The All Australian Leather Rocket.
Season 2 - Complete episodes of Son of Andrea, The Prime Minister's Trousers, and The Australian Flag, along with surviving recordings of The First Australian into Outer Woy Woy, rehearsal footage of The French Connection.
Season 3 - Off-air recordings without music for The Ashes, The King's Bridge Saga, and The Flying Dustman of the Outback, complete episode of The American Cup, and recordings (some without music) of The World's Greatest Adventure, The Spon Plague, King's Cross - The East Berlin of Australia, and The Great Christmas Pudding.
Adaptations and audio releases
In 1962, Parlophone issued two Series 3 episodes, namely The Ashes and The Flying Dustman of the Outback, on LP (PMEO 9376).
Additionally, six episodes were reworked by the BBC into the series titled The Omar Khayyam Show.