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Treasure Island According to Spike Milligan

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Treasure Island According to Spike Milligan, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025
Spike Milligan
Born
Terence Alan Milligan

(1918-04-16) 16 April 1918 (age 108)
Ahmednagar, British India
Died27 February 2002(2002-02-27) (aged 83)
Other namesSpike
Occupation(s)Comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, actor
Years active1930s–2000s
Known forThe Goon Show, Q5

Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was a multifaceted Irish entertainer known for his work as a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, and actor. Born in British India to an English mother and an Irish father, he relocated to England in 1931, where he spent the majority of his professional life. Unhappy with his given name, he chose the nickname "Spike" after hearing Spike Jones on Radio Luxembourg.

Milligan played a pivotal role in creating, scripting, and starring in the British radio comedy The Goon Show, portraying memorable characters such as Eccles and Minnie Bannister. He was both the earliest-born and last surviving member of the Goons ensemble. Building on this foundation, he developed the avant-garde television sketch series Q5, which had a profound impact on Monty Python's Flying Circus.

He authored and edited a substantial body of work, including the novel Puckoon (1963) and a seven-volume autobiographical collection recounting his experiences during World War II, starting with Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1971). Additionally, Milligan produced humorous poetry aimed at children, such as Silly Verse for Kids (1959).

Early life

Terence Alan Milligan entered the world on 16 April 1918 in Ahmednagar, India, during the era of the British Raj. He was the son of Leo Alphonso Milligan, MSM, RA (1890–1969), an Irish regimental sergeant-major in the British Indian Army, and Florence Mary Winifred (née Kettleband; 1893–1990), who was English. His upbringing took place in Poona and later in Rangoon, the capital of British Burma. Milligan attended the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Poona and St Paul's High School in Rangoon. His father continued his military career post-World War I with steady promotions that afforded the family a relatively comfortable standard of living.

After military reductions led to his father's job loss, Milligan made his first voyage by sea from India to England. The family settled in England under more constrained financial circumstances; Leo Milligan accepted a modestly paid position at the Associated Press photo library. Milligan remembered his mother as frequently anxious due to limited resources. From 1931 onward, when he was 12 years old, they resided in Brockley in southeast London, where he attended Brownhill Road School (later renamed Catford Boys School) and St Saviours School on Lewisham High Road.

Following his schooling, Milligan took up clerical work at the Woolwich Arsenal, played cornet, developed an interest in jazz music, and joined the Young Communist League to resist Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, who were gaining traction near his home in south London.

Second World War

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, Milligan was active as an amateur jazz singer, guitarist, and trumpeter before and throughout his service with the Royal Artillery against Nazi Germany. Even while enlisted, he composed and performed comedic sketches to entertain fellow soldiers. Prior to deployment, he collaborated with fellow musician Harry Edgington to invent surreal stories filled with wordplay to pass time while in barracks. Milligan was self-taught on drums, guitar, trumpet, and also received double bass lessons; he possessed perfect pitch.

Throughout Second World War, Milligan served as a signaller within D Battery (later designated 19 Battery), part of the 56th Heavy Regiment, Royal Artillery. Initially equipped with outdated BL 9.2-inch howitzer artillery pieces stationed at Bexhill on England’s southern coast, training was hampered by a shortage of shells—crews resorted to shouting "bang" during exercises.

The regiment later transitioned to using BL 7.2-inch howitzer guns and engaged in combat operations alongside the British First Army during campaigns across North Africa and Italy. Rising to lance bombardier rank, Milligan was poised for further promotion when he sustained injuries at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After being hospitalized for mortar wounds and shell shock, he was demoted by his commanding officer back to gunner.

Once recovered, Milligan undertook various support roles behind front lines in Italy before joining The Bill Hall Trio, a jazz-comedy ensemble entertaining troops full-time. After demobilization, he briefly remained in Italy prior to returning to Britain. While affiliated with the Central Pool of Artists, he began crafting parodies that formed the creative basis for The Goon Show, working alongside Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and Michael Bentine.

The Goon Show

In the late 1940s, Milligan returned to his jazz roots, earning a modest income performing with the Hall trio and other musical comedy ensembles while striving to establish himself in radio as both a performer and writer. His initial radio breakthrough came through scripting material for comedian Derek Roy. Eventually, Milligan collaborated with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and Michael Bentine to develop the comedy series The Goon Show. The BBC initially named it Crazy People to link it with the well-known theatre troupe The Crazy Gang. The debut episode was broadcast on 28 May 1951 on the BBC Home Service.

Milligan took on leading roles in nearly every episode, bringing to life characters such as Eccles, Minnie Bannister, Jim Spriggs, and Count Moriarty. As the chief scriptwriter, he worked closely with Larry Stephens initially and later with Eric Sykes. The early episodes were primarily co-written with Stephens, but after the third series, Milligan increasingly partnered with Sykes through their joint venture at Associated London Scripts. Although there was a brief reunion with Stephens during Series 6, his declining health led to the end of their collaboration when he passed away in January 1959. Milligan subsequently minimized Stephens' role in the writing process.

The Goon Show was recorded before a live audience, originally using direct-to-disc recording methods which necessitated strict adherence to scripted dialogue. By Series 4, the BBC transitioned to magnetic tape recording, enabling improvisation and sophisticated sound editing. Milligan advocated for more elaborate sound effects ("grams"), initially produced mechanically or from discs played on multiple turntables. The introduction of tape technology allowed pre-recorded effects and complex editing techniques. Later seasons featured effects created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, including "Major Bloodnok's Stomach," crafted by Dick Mills.

While The Goon Show secured Milligan's national fame, the workload significantly impacted his health. During Series 3, he suffered his first major mental breakdown, marking the beginning of his lifelong struggle with manic-depressive illness. In late 1952, amid rising tensions within the cast, Milligan attempted to enter Sellers's flat armed with a potato knife but accidentally walked through a glass door. This incident resulted in hospitalization and sedation for two weeks, followed by nearly two months of recovery. A stockpile of scripts ensured that production continued smoothly despite his absence. Milligan later attributed both this breakdown and the collapse of his first marriage to the pressures associated with writing and performing on The Goon Show.

Television

From the 1950s through to the early 2000s, Milligan appeared frequently on television as both writer and performer, featuring in interviews, variety programs, and sketch comedies. The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d (1956), starring Peter Sellers, was an early attempt to translate Goons-style humour to television, followed by A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred, both directed by Richard Lester. During a 1958 trip to Australia, Milligan produced "The Gladys Half-Hour" for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which showcased local talents such as Ray Barrett and John Bluthal. In 1961, he contributed as co-writer to episodes of the sitcom Sykes and a... and created the standalone piece "Spike Milligan Offers a Series of Unrelated Incidents at Current Market Value".

The puppet-based series The Telegoons (1963) adapted Goons characters for television audiences. Due to restrictions on using original audio by the BBC, Maurice Wiltshire adapted the scripts while Milligan, Sellers, and Secombe provided voice performances. Two series were broadcast in 1963 and 1964; both are preserved in BBC archives.

Milligan’s subsequent significant television work was the colour sketch show The World of Beachcomber (1968) aired on BBC Two, though all 19 episodes are believed lost. That same year featured a televised reunion of The Goon Show cast for Thames Television, with John Cleese substituting for the late announcer Wallace Greenslade.

In 1969, Milligan starred in Curry and Chips, a sitcom created by Johnny Speight that satirized racism in Britain; he portrayed Kevin O'Grady, a factory worker of mixed Pakistani-Irish heritage. He also appeared in The Melting Pot.

Director John Goldschmidt’s film The Other Spike, produced for Granada Television, dramatized Milligan’s nervous breakdown; Milligan himself wrote the screenplay and played his own role. Following this, the BBC commissioned him to write and star in Q5, which initiated the influential Q... franchise that paved the way for shows like Monty Python's Flying Circus. Subsequent installments included Q6 (1975), Q7 (1977), Q8 (1978), Q9 (1980), and There's a Lot of It About (1982).

Milligan’s daughter Laura co-developed the animated show The Ratties (1987), which he narrated across its 26 episodes. Later, he lent his voice to characters in Wolves, Witches and Giants, broadcast on ITV between 1995 and 1998.

Poetry and other writings

Milligan also produced poetry within the realm of literary nonsense. One example includes the line: "It's due to pigeons that alight; on Nelson's hat that makes it white." His poetic work earned high praise from comedian Stephen Fry, who described it as "truly timeless — firmly rooted in the tradition of Lear." The poem "On the Ning Nang Nong" was voted the favourite comic poem in the UK in 1998, outperforming pieces by Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. This whimsical verse, often accompanied by music, gained recognition in Australia via the ABC children's show Playschool. Milligan featured it on his 1969 album No One's Gonna Change Our World, which supported the World Wildlife Fund. As of 2007, it remains one of the top ten poems most frequently taught in primary schools throughout the UK.

In times of depression, Milligan composed more serious poetry collected in Open Heart University. His literary output also includes the novel Puckoon and a series of war memoirs spanning 1939 to 1950: Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1971), "Rommel?" "Gunner Who?": A Confrontation in the Desert (1974), Monty: His Part in My Victory (1976), and Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall (1978). These memoirs chronicle his military experiences, mental health struggles, entertainment work in Italy, and eventual return to Britain.

Milligan also penned humorous songs such as "Purple Aeroplane," a spoof of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." He wrote lyrics for saxophonist and composer Duncan Lamont's "English Folk Song," which appears on jazz vocalist Tina May's 2021 release, 52nd Street (and Other Tales). Furthermore, Milligan provided narration for Lamont's Sherlock Holmes Suite, commissioned by the City of London to commemorate Sherlock Holmes’ initial appearance in The Strand magazine.

Treasure Island

Milligan’s debut serious acting role came when Bernard Miles cast him as Ben Gunn in the Mermaid Theatre production of Treasure Island. Miles characterized Milligan as:


During the winter season of 1961–62, Treasure Island was performed twice daily and evolved into an annual event at the Mermaid Theatre. In the 1968 production, Barry Humphries portrayed Long John Silver, William Rushton took on Squire Trelawney, while Milligan reprised Ben Gunn. Humphries remarked that Milligan "captivated audiences nightly with his spontaneous absurdity, effectively stealing every performance."

The Bedsitting Room

While breaks occurred during Treasure Island, Milligan and Miles discussed a concept Milligan was developing with John Antrobus: a drama set in a post-nuclear environment. This idea materialized as the one-act play The Bedsitting Room, co-authored by Milligan and Antrobus. It premiered at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre in February 1962. Later expanded into a full-length production, it opened at London’s Mermaid Theatre in January 1963 to both critical acclaim and commercial success. The play went on to tour provincially in 1967 before running at the West End’s Saville Theatre. The 1969 film adaptation was directed by Richard Lester.

Oblomov

In pursuit of more substantial roles, Milligan found a connection with the protagonist's inertia in Ivan Goncharov's novel Oblomov. Early in 1964, his production company secured the rights to an Italian adaptation by Riccardo Aragno. Milligan dedicated himself to rigorous rehearsals alongside director Frank Dunlop and co-stars such as Joan Greenwood, Bill Owen, and Valentine Dyall at the Lyric Hammersmith.

The initial preview on 6 October 1964 saw Milligan overcome his stage fright by improvising extensively. Although critics were largely unfavorable, producers granted him creative latitude to rescue the production. Milligan reimagined Oblomov as an improvised comedic piece, which then shattered box office records during its engagement. Retitled Son of Oblomov, the show transferred to the West End's Comedy Theatre in December 1964, enjoying a successful run of 559 performances with a continually evolving script that encouraged audiences to return.

On 22 April 1965, Queen Elizabeth II attended a performance celebrating her birthday. Milligan directly interacted with the audience, including notable guests like Peter Sellers, delivering spontaneous routines that extended the performance by 45 minutes. This occasion highlighted Milligan’s distinctive theatrical magnetism; it is reported that Prince Charles attended no fewer than five times.

Reflecting in a 1988 interview, Milligan emphasized theatre’s dual role as both his profession and creative sanctuary:


Ken Russell films

In 1959, Ken Russell created a short 35 mm film titled Portrait of a Goon, featuring and focusing on Milligan. The production process is documented in Paul Sutton’s 2012 authorized biography Becoming Ken Russell. Later, in 1971, Milligan portrayed a village priest in Russell’s film The Devils. Although this scene was ultimately cut and is now lost, photographic evidence and memories from the shoot are included in Sutton’s 2014 publication Six English Filmmakers.

Ad-libbing

Milligan was renowned for his improvisational skills across stage, radio, and television. Among his last screen appearances was in the BBC adaptation of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, where his ad-libbing stood out prominently.

During a late 1960s visit to Australia, Milligan was interviewed live but continued interrupting during the subsequent news broadcast. This behavior led the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to ban him from live appearances and revise its policy on guests. The incident is preserved in ABC Radio compilations and featured on the BBC tribute CD Vivat Milligna.

Film director Richard Lester recalls Milligan’s mastery of improvisation during the live television series A Show Called Fred. After the debut episode, Milligan spontaneously provided an impeccable commentary for a silent cartoon he had only seen once before, demonstrating his innate comedic genius.

Cartoons and art

Milligan regularly contributed cartoons to the satirical publication Private Eye, often illustrating brief jokes. Additionally, he was passionate about painting.

Advertising

In 1967, Milligan utilized satire by donning a "Bat-Goons" costume for a series of television advertisements for BP, tapping into the trend of Superman-themed characters popular in UK commercials. These ads were recognized as both "humorous and impactful." In 1973, he appeared alongside Peter Sellers in a widely acclaimed and award-winning commercial for Benson & Hedges, donating his payment to charity after his proposal to contribute to ASH: Action on Smoking and Health was declined. Between 1980 and 1982, Milligan served as a spokesperson for the English Tourist Board, playing a Scotsman touring various English locales.

Additionally, he featured in commercials promoting Kellogg's Corn Flakes, the Leyland Mini, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, and Planters nuts.

Other contributions

In 1975, Milligan added to Plain Tales from the Raj, an anthology edited by Charles Allen that recounts life during the British Raj. As the youngest participant, he shared vivid memories of imperial parades in India, emphasizing their cultural and military grandeur.

Music composition

During a 1988 visit to his mother in Woy Woy, near Brisbane Water, Milligan composed and orchestrated the Grand Waltz for Brisbane Water, which he gifted to the Gosford symphony orchestra. This composition has been performed intermittently by Symphony Central Coast, including a 2020 presentation adapted as a COVID-19 isolation initiative.

Family

Milligan wed June (Marchinie) Marlow in 1952, with Peter Sellers acting as best man. They had three children—Laura, Seán, and Síle—before divorcing in 1960.

His second marriage was to Patricia Ridgeway in June 1962, with George Martin as best man; they had one daughter, Jane Milligan (born 1966). Patricia passed away from breast cancer in 1978.

Milligan's third marriage was to Shelagh Sinclair in 1983; they remained together until his death in 2002. Shelagh, who was twenty-five years younger than Milligan, died in June 2011. Upon marrying her, Milligan amended his will to bequeath his entire estate to Shelagh. His children challenged this will but were unsuccessful; the High Court affirmed Shelagh’s full entitlement to the estate, leaving only any residual assets to the children.

Four of Milligan’s offspring collaborated on the multi-platform documentary I Told You I Was Ill: The Life and Legacy of Spike Milligan (2005).

In October 2008, Shelagh sold Milligan’s personal belongings—including books, memorabilia, and a grand piano once played daily by neighbor Paul McCartney—as part of downsizing efforts. This auction caused upset among his children.

Health

Milligan lived with bipolar disorder throughout much of his life and endured multiple severe mental breakdowns, some extending beyond a year. He was candid about the impact this condition had on him:

Nationality

Although born within the British Empire to an English mother, Milligan considered himself eligible for British citizenship, particularly after six years of service in the British Army. However, due to changes in British nationality laws affecting Commonwealth-born individuals, his 1960 application for a British passport was denied partly because he refused to take an Oath of Allegiance. Through his Irish father, he secured Irish citizenship in 1962, which afforded him rights closely comparable to British citizenship for the remainder of his life.

Religion

Milligan described himself as agnostic, confessing that he occasionally prayed out of desperation but felt as though he was "speaking into emptiness." Although brought up Catholic, he believed that "once raised Catholic, always Catholic," consistently identifying as Catholic throughout his life.

Legal issues

In 1974, Milligan faced arrest after shooting a trespasser with an air rifle. Representing himself in court, he was ultimately granted a conditional discharge.

Humour with the Prince of Wales

Prince Charles held Milligan in high regard. When Milligan was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Comedy Awards in 1994, the prince sent a congratulatory note. Milligan humorously interrupted by calling him a "little grovelling bastard" and later jested about the possibility of receiving a knighthood.

Despite the playful banter, they shared a close friendship. Milligan was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1992—honorary due to his Irish nationality—and later received an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 2001.

On 23 July 1981, the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer were presented with a poem about their forthcoming royal wedding, authored under the pseudonym MacGoonical. Commissioned by Legal and General Assurance Society, this whimsical poem arrived at Buckingham Palace on a 3-foot-9-inch parchment scroll:


Campaigning

Milligan was an outspoken advocate for environmental causes, particularly criticizing unwarranted noise such as "muzak."

In 1971, he sparked controversy by using a hammer to attack an art display at the Hayward Gallery, which featured live catfish, oysters, and shrimp intended for electrocution. He was also a dedicated campaigner against domestic violence, dedicating one of his publications to activist Erin Pizzey.

Death

Milligan maintained his signature black humour well into his later years. At Peter Sellers' funeral in 1980, he joked to Harry Secombe, "I hope you die before me, because I don't want you to sing at my funeral." (Secombe’s singing was played during Milligan’s own memorial.) In 1990, he penned his own obituary, repeatedly stating that he "wrote the Goon Show and died."

On 27 February 2002, at age 83, Milligan passed away from kidney failure at his residence near Rye, Sussex. His coffin, draped with the flag of Ireland, was carried to St Thomas Church in Winchelsea, East Sussex. He had once humorously wished his gravestone to read: "I told you I was ill." Although initially rejected by the Chichester diocese, a compromise inscription included the Gaelic phrase ("I told you I was ill") alongside "Love, light, peace," and ("Great love for you Shelagh").

A letter published in 2011 in the Rye and Battle Observer noted that Milligan’s headstone had been relocated beside his wife’s grave but was later returned to its original spot at St Thomas'.

Legacy

Beginning in the 1960s, Milligan regularly exchanged letters with Robert Graves concerning classical studies; these correspondences are preserved among Graves's bequests to St John's College, Oxford.

The film adaptation of Puckoon, featuring Sean Hughes and Milligan’s daughter Jane Milligan, was released after his death.

Throughout his life, Milligan resided in various places including Holden Road in Woodside Park and The Crescent in Barnet. He played a foundational role in supporting the Finchley Society. Although his Woodside Park residence has been demolished, it is commemorated with a blue plaque. Finchley also features a memorial bench adorned with a bronze likeness of him. Following ten years of fundraising led by Barbara Warren, a statue crafted by John Somerville was unveiled at Avenue House in 2014, attended by prominent personalities such as Roy Hudd, Michael Parkinson, and Terry Gilliam.

There is an active campaign advocating for a statue within the London Borough of Lewisham, where Milligan spent part of his childhood after relocating from India during the 1930s. He lived at 50 Riseldine Road in Brockley and attended Brownhill Boys' School. Additionally, "Spike Milligan Corner" near Wadestown Library in Wellington, New Zealand honors him with both a plaque and bench.

In a 2005 comedians’ poll, Milligan ranked among the top 50 comedy performers. Moreover, a BBC poll conducted in 1999 named him the "funniest person of the last 1,000 years."

Milligan has been portrayed twice on screen: by Jim Dale in Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall, where he portrayed his own father; and by Edward Tudor-Pole in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). In the stage production Surviving Spike (2008), Michael Barrymore took on his role.

On 9 June 2006, psychologist Richard Wiseman identified Milligan as authoring what Laughlab deemed the world's funniest joke—highlighting its combination of anxiety, superiority, and surprise.

Eddie Izzard dubbed Milligan "The Godfather of Alternative Comedy," crediting him with inspiring subsequent generations of comedians. Members of Monty Python also held him in high esteem; John Cleese called him "the Great God to all of us." Milligan appeared in their 1979 film Monty Python's Life of Brian during filming in Tunisia and had a part in Yellowbeard.

After retiring, Milligan’s family relocated to Australia. His mother settled in Woy Woy on New South Wales’ Central Coast. He frequently visited Australia where he produced radio and television shows such as The Idiot Weekly alongside Bobby Limb and authored books including Puckoon. He once humorously described Woy Woy as "the largest above-ground cemetery in the world."

In 1985, partly due to complications regarding Milligan’s British citizenship status, his mother became an Australian citizen; it is reported that he also contemplated acquiring Australian citizenship. In honor of him, the cyclepath bridge connecting Woy Woy to Gosford was renamed the Spike Milligan Bridge. Additionally, a meeting room within Woy Woy Public Library bears his name.

Radio comedy programs

Additional radio contributions

Milligan provided reminiscences from his youth for the BBC’s 1970s audio history series Plain Tales From The Raj, which was subsequently published as a book by André Deutsch.

Television comedy series

Other significant television work

Stage productions

Film credits

1971 rowspan=3 |1972 rowspan=4 |1973 rowspan=2 |1974 1975 1976 rowspan=3 |1977 1978 1979 1981 1983 rowspan="3"|1985 1986 1987 rowspan=2 |1988 1989 rowspan=2"|1993 1995–1998 1999 rowspan=2 |2000
Year Title Role Notes
1951 Penny Points to Paradise Spike Donnelly
Let's Go Crazy Eccles / Waiter Short film, uncredited
1952 Down Among the Z Men Eccles
1953 The Super Secret Service Co-writer, short film
1954 Calling All Cars Narrator Short film with Cardew Robinson
1955 A Kid for Two Farthings Indian with Grey Beard Uncredited role
1956 The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn Sgt. Brown / Eccles / Catchpole Burkington / Minnie Bannister (voices) Short film
1960 Watch Your Stern Ranjid
Suspect Arthur
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film Himself Short film
1961 Invasion Quartet Godfrey Pringle
What a Whopper Tramp
1962 Postman's Knock Harold Petts
1966 'Fish and Milligan' Fisherman
1969 'The Bed Sitting Room' 'Mate'
'The Magic Christian' 'Traffic Warden 27'
'The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins' 'Tramp' (segment "Sloth")
'Rentadick' 'Customs Officer'
'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie' 'Landlord'
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' 'Gryphon'
'Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall' 'Leo Milligan'
'Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World' 'Dr. Harz'
'The Three Musketeers' 'M. Bonacieux'
'Ghost in the Noonday Sun' 'Bill Bombay'
'The Cherry Picker' 'Mr. Lal'
'Man About the House' 'Himself'
'The Great McGonagall' 'William McGonagall'
'Barney' 'Hawker' (Also known as Lost in the Wild)
'Fantastic Animation Festival' 'Narrator: "Moonshadow"'
'The Last Remake of Beau Geste' 'Crumble'
'Dot and the Kangaroo' 'Mr. Platypus (voice)'
'The Hound of the Baskervilles' 'Policeman'
'Monty Python's Life of Brian' 'Spike'
'History of the World, Part I' 'Monsieur Rimbaud' (French Revolution segment)
'Yellowbeard' 'Flunkie'
'No 73' Episode: "Non Returnable"
'Super Gran' 'Zoo Keeper' (Episode: "Supergran and the Missing Hissing")
"Kenny Everett's Christmas Carol" "Ghost of Marley" (Television film)
"The Sooty Show" Episode: "Sootograms"
"In Sickness and in Health" "Fancy Fred" (One episode)
"Mr. H Is Late" "Roadsweeper" (Television short)
"The Ratties" "Narrator (voice)"
"The Mini Is 30" "Himself" (Documentary)
"The Big Freeze" "Der Schauspieler" (Television film)
"The Great Bong" "Voice role"
"Wolves, Witches and Giants" "Narrator, Molly, The Giant, The Giant's Wife" (10 episodes)
"The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything" "Lord Nelson" (Television film)
"Gormenghast" "De'Ath" (TV mini-series)
"Badjelly the Witch" "Self, various characters" (Television film)


The Goon Show

  • The Goon Show Scripts (1972)
  • More Goon Show Scripts (1973)
  • The Book of the Goons (1974)
  • The Goon Cartoons (1982) (artwork by Peter Clarke)
  • More Goon Cartoons (1983) (artwork by Peter Clarke)
  • The Lost Goon Shows (1987)

Novels

William McGonagall

  • The Great McGonagall Scrapbook (1975) (co-authored with Jack Hobbs)
  • William McGonagall: The Truth at Last (1976) (co-authored with Jack Hobbs)
  • William McGonagall Meets George Gershwin: A Scottish Fantasy (1988) (co-authored with Jack Hobbs)
  • William McGonagall: Freefall (1992) (co-authored with Jack Hobbs)

"According to" Series

The According to Spike Milligan collection consists of parody novels that reinterpret classic works with surreal humor.

Scripts

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

Children's Literature

  • Bald Twit Lion (1968)
  • Badjelly the Witch (1973)
  • Dip the Puppy (1974)
  • Sir Nobonk and the Terrible Dreadful Awful Naughty Nasty Dragon (1982)
  • A Children's Treasury of Milligan: Classic Stories and Poems (1999)
  • The Magical World of Milligan (2009)
  • The three volumes: Spike's Bike Book for Parents of Little Kids, Spike's Bike Book for Medium Kids, and Spike's Bike Book For Big Kids, published by Traffic Authority NSW in 1985

Memoirs

Milligan’s War Memoirs, also available as audio recordings narrated by him, include:

  1. Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1971)
  2. Rommel? Gunner Who? (1974)
  3. Monty: His Part in My Victory (1976), the initial installment of the trilogy
  4. Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall (1978), concluding the trilogy’s fourth volume
  5. Where Have All the Bullets Gone? (1985)
  6. Goodbye Soldier (1986)
  7. Peace Work (1991)

Additional autobiographical works include:

  • Milligan's War (1988), a compilation covering the first six memoirs
  • It Ends with Magic: A Milligan Family History (1990)
  • Spike Milligan: The Family Album: An Illustrated Autobiography (1999)
  • Milligan's Meaning of Life: An Autobiography of Sorts (2011)

Non-fiction

  • The Spike Milligan Letters (1977)
  • More Spike Milligan Letters (1984)
  • Dear Robert, Dear Spike: The Graves–Milligan Correspondence (1991) (co-authored with Robert Graves)
  • Depression and How to Survive It (1993) (in collaboration with Anthony Clare)

Literary Collections

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

Poetry and Related Collections

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

Recordings

This list excludes recordings related to the Goon Show:

  • Milligan Preserved (1961)
  • Bridge on the River Wye (1962)
  • Best of Milligan's Wake (1964)
  • How to Win an Election (Or Not Lose By Much) (1964)
  • Muses With Spike Milligan (1965)
  • The World of Beachcomber (1968)
  • A Record Load of Rubbish (1971)
  • Badjelly The Witch (A Musical Tale) and Other Goodies (1974)
  • He's Innocent of Watergate (or Dick's Last Stand) (1974)
  • Live recording with Jeremy Taylor at Cambridge University, 1974
  • Songs from Q8 featuring Ed Welch, 1978
  • Puckoon (1980)
  • Autobiographical audio works including:
    • Adolf Hitler – My Part in His Downfall (1981),
    • Where Have All the Bullets Gone? (1989),
    • as well as others throughout the 1990s.
  • Interview compilation titled: Spike Milligan: The Parkinson Interviews released in 2002.

Articles

Books

External links

Related profiles

PPrince AbdiDDawn FrenchLLionel FraserPPaul Abbott
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