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Spike Milligan: Return of a Legend (2001)
Character: N/A
Filmed in Australia 1984, this rare previously unreleased live performance shows comic genius Spike Milligan at his best. Bizarre, surreal, inspired.
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The Very Best of Spike Milligan (2007)
Character: Self/Various
Extensive extracts from the finest comedy moments of the late, great and sadly missed Spike Milligan, including hilarious highlights from the unforgettable show that bought him to the world; The Goon Show. Featuring rare archive interviews with the man himself and archive footage from throughout his career, we get the benefit of the insights of a leading team of comedians and critics, including Alexei Sayle, Tom Binns, Ian Stone and Neil Innes.
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Comic Roots: Michael Palin (1983)
Character: N/A
Short biographical documentary about comedian Michael Palin and his early interest in acting and comedy. Includes his education at the Shrewsbury School and Oxford.
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Gaybo Laughs Back (2008)
Character: Self
Gaybo Laughs Back is an hour-long special, hosted by Gay Byrne who introduces some of the comedy highlights from his thirty-seven years at the helm of the long-running television series.
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Barney (1976)
Character: Hawker
A twelve year old boy and a common criminal are being transported in the same ship from England to Australia in the last century. When the ship wrecked they happen to be the only survivors of the catastrophe. Now they have to get along with each other and finally become friends.
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Moonshadow (1977)
Character: Narrator
The animation begins with a still frame of Teaser and his pet Firecat, pictured as they appear on the cover of the album bearing their names. The picture comes to life, and in the course of the animation, they find the fallen Moon, ride on it as it flies, and find a way to replace it in the sky. The beginning and ending story portions were written by Cat Stevens and narrated by Spike Milligan
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Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall (1973)
Character: Leo Milligan
London, 1940. Aspiring jazz musician and future comedy legend Terence "Spike" Milligan reluctantly obeys his call-up and joins the Royal Artillery regiment at Bexhill, where he begins training to take part in the War. But along the way Spike and his friends get involved in many amusing - and some not-so amusing - scrapes. A film adaptation of the first volume of Spike Milligan's war diaries.
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Penny Points to Paradise (1951)
Character: Spike Donnelly
When Harry and Spike visit Bristol to spend the winnings from Harry's latest Pools win, the boys are soon targeted by a gang of local counterfeiters.
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Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute (2002)
Character: Self (archive footage)
One of many tributes following the death of Spike Milligan. Comedians, actors and musicians join forces to present a live tribute featuring a selection of comic highlights from Spike's life. From recreations of his most famous sketches to readings of Milligan's own poems and extracts from his controversial wartime memoirs, these are all interspersed with archive film clips of the great man himself, showcasing his inimitable comic genius.
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Invasion Quartet (1961)
Character: N/A
This British men-on-a-mission spoof set during World War II finds intrepid officer Bill Travers leading three colorful compatriots into Nazi-occupied France to destroy an obnoxiously large, loud, and destructive enemy gun. See if this fearless foursome can stomp their Fascist foes and get back to their game of cricket! Spike Milligan, Gregoire Aslan, and Thorley Walters co-star.
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The Cherry Picker (1974)
Character: Mr. Lal
American V.I.P James Burn II finds his son James Burn III (Bob Sherman) leading a giant "sleep-in" that has taken over Windsor Castle. He hires Nancy (Lulu) to get him out of the castle and into work. With the help of her crazy eccentric father, (Wilfred Hyde-White) who believes in working day and night and producing nothing and uses a fantastic astro-telescope for casual bird watching, she does just that !
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What a Whopper (1961)
Character: Tramp
A writer attempts to raise some cash by writing a book about the Loch Ness Monster. No publisher will take it because they all think there isn't really a monster. The writer and some of his friends make a fake monster and take photographs and then travel to Scotland to see if they can convince the locals.
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An Evening with Spike Milligan (1996)
Character: Himself
Spike recalls his exploits in the army, setting up a jazz band and other sources of his comic inspiration. He patiently answers impertinent questions from Harry Secombe, Peter O'Toole, Lynsey de Paul, Roy Hudd and Denis Norden with often amusing answers.
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Omnibus - Cuckoo: A Celebration of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy (1974)
Character: Self
Narrated by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise, this documentary is about "Laurel and Hardy", one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema. It features interviews with Jerry Lewis, Dick Van Dyke, Babe London, Marcel Marceau, Lucille Hardy (Ollie's wife), Bob Monkhouse, Hal Roach, Marvin T Hatley, Jack McCabe and many more.
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Hitler: The Comedy Years (2007)
Character: Adolf Hitler / Pakistani Dalek (archive footage) (uncredited)
A documentary about the portrayal of Adolf Hitler in popular culture.
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Will the Real Mr Sellers.....? (1969)
Character: Self - Narrator (voice)
Banned by the BBC in 1971, director Tony Palmer's profile of the late Peter Sellers was, in the words of the film's subject himself, "the only portrait which really understood me." Sellers was an icon of comedy and a true innovator, but a look inside reveals a tragic figure. How could one of the world's most beloved comic talents have such a morbidly distorted opinion of himself? In this documentary, interviews with such friends, fans, and colleagues as Raquel Welch, Yul Brenner, Spike Milligan, Laurence Harvey, and others reveal the true personality behind the man who was loved by everyone, but still viewed himself as entirely alone.
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Group Madness (1983)
Character: Self
A behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of 1983's Yellowbeard
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Portrait of a Goon (1959)
Character: Himself
Portrait of Spike Milligan, then part of The Goon Show examining his views on comedy,
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The Paranormal Peter Sellers (2001)
Character: Self (Archive footage)
This documentary revealed Peter Sellers obsession with the occult. Sellers was a highly superstitious man who consulted fortune tellers, clairvoyants and mediums to help him make key decisions in his life and work. Many of Sellers important decisions were influenced by Maurice Woodruff - a clairvoyant and astrologer based in London. Advice from the other side was taken on his marriage to Britt Ekland, accepting film roles such as Inspector Clouseau and dealing with his near fatal heart attack.
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Labour's Old Romantic: A Film Portrait of Michael Foot (1997)
Character: Self
A profile of Michael Foot, the former leader of the Labour Party, which included footage of him on the night of Tony Blair’s historic 1997 victory, and interviews with his wife, the filmmaker Jill Cragie, and some of his old colleagues and friends, including Barbara Castle, Spike Milligan and Salman Rushdie.
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Yoko Ono: This Is Not Here (1972)
Character: Self
On John's 31st birthday, Yoko held an art exhibit, "This Is Not Here", at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, N.Y.. The show was taped and aired on U.S. TV on May 11, 1972 as "John and Yoko in Syracuse, New York.
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The Banana (1997)
Character: Self
The Velvet Underground's John Cale tells the story behind Andy Warhol's famous LP cover, Auberon Waugh and John Walters recall their first encounters with the fruit after the war, and footballer Brendan Batson considers how they became a symbol of racism hurled from the terraces
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The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn (1956)
Character: Assorted
Supposedly filmed in 'Schizophrenoscope', it concerns Inspector Quilt of Scotland Yard's attempts to retrieve a 'Mukkinese Battlehorn' stolen from a London museum. Along the way he meets characters not dissimilar to Eccles, Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister from The Goon Show. This attempt to adapt Goon humour to the big screen was written by Harry Booth, Jon Penington and regular Goon show co-writer Larry Stephens. It was then heavily rewritten on the filmset by Sellers and Milligan.
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Calling All Cars (1954)
Character: Freddie The Taxi (voice)
Comedy documentary centring on the Dover Harbour car terminal.
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The Big Freeze (1993)
Character: Der Schauspieler
A silent comedy. Two accident-prone plumbers go to fix the plumbing at a home for retired gentle-folk on the coldest day of the year in Finland. Everything that can go wrong for these plumbers goes wrong.
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Spike (1996)
Character: Self
Spike personally tells the story of his life from India, World War II to The Goons and his Q series
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Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive (2022)
Character: N/A
Delve into a treasure trove of recently unearthed archives to tell a brand new story of Spike Milligan as film, scripts, letters, objects, photographs, recordings, and art all come together to paint a portrait of a comic genius.
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Sellers' Best (1992)
Character: Self
One of the all-time greatest comedians, Peter Sellers’ mimicry, timing, instinct and ability to decimate an audience with laughter made him absolutely unforgettable. Combining comedy and acting like no one before, or since, Sellers starred in legendary cult films such as Dr Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb and The Return of the Pink Panther. Sellers’ Best explores not only his comedic talent but goes beneath to examine the man himself and features interviews with those who knew him best, such as Spike Milligan, Beryl Reid and John Sessions
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Cucumber Castle (1970)
Character: The Court Jester
On his death bed, The King orders his kingdom divided into two halves, the Kingdom of Jelly and the Kingdom of Cucumbers. Before the king even dies, Prince Frederick declares himself "King of Cucumbers" and Prince Marmaduke becomes the “King of Jelly”.
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Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town (1970)
Character: E.W. Mackney
An evening at Wilton's Music-Hall, Grace's Alley, Wellclose Square, London, 1860 starring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Keith Michell, Pat Kirkwood, Warren Mitchell, Ronnie Barker, Bill Fraser, Gina Astralita, Eric Robinson. Introduced by Billy Russell. Tonight, 90 years after it closed, this famous Music-Hall opens again to bring you a picture of the stars, the singers, the dancers, and the people who once went there.
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The Pythons: Somewhere in Tunisia, Circa A.D. 1979 (1979)
Character: Self
Ten years ago exactly, more or less, give or take a day or two, six young men sat down, or maybe stood, or perhaps some of them just lounged, and wrote the first episode of a new series called Owl Stretching Time. They were called Graham Chapman , John Cleese, Terry Gilliam , Eric Idle,Terry Jones and Michael Palin and later both they and the series became known as Monty Python 's Flying Circus . Today they are the best known British comedy group in the world, famous from Cathay to Kathmandu, from Sydney to Sidcup (except in Japan where the programme is called The Gay Boys' Dragon Show ... say no more).
To commemorate their tenth anniversary a BBC team tracked them down in the deserts of Tunisia where they were filming their Life of Brian and almost persuaded them to examine the genesis, the genius and the gender of Monty Python.
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Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace (2014)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A very personal portrait of the truly unique comedy genius of Spike Milligan, as told in his own words and featuring exclusive home movie footage. With contributions from those who worked with him, lived with him and were inspired by him.
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Mr. H Is Late (1988)
Character: N/A
A team of inept undertakers attempt to get a coffin to a funeral on time. An undertaker is in charge of moving a coffin from a home to the church. The home is on the 26th floor of a skyscraper; the stairs are narrow; the lift is small and prone to stop working. Chaos ensues.
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Postman's Knock (1962)
Character: Harold Petts
Likeable country postman Harold Petts gets transferred from his village to London, where on his arrival he unwittingly foils a mail train robbery. Innocent in the ways of the big city, he is thought to be a member of another gang by both the train robbers and the police, who all suspect him of trying to rob the post office where he works.
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Just Like That! (1989)
Character: Self
Just Like That! is a celebration of the comic genius of Tommy Cooper - just like that! But nobody could do it just like that apart from the unique Mr Cooper himself, and despite his claim never to have used those words. Was Tommy really Henry Coper's brother? Can Tommy's performance as Hamlet, clown prince, compare with the greats? Was Tommy a ventriloquist at heart? Rare and classic routines and contributions from famous fans help solve the mystery. The friends and fans who take part (many of them confirming that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery) include Adrian Edmondson, Lenny Henry, Henry Cooper, former Goons Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan, writer Dick Hills, Tommy's brother David Cooper (who has himself sadly since died), alternative comedian Steve Murray, The Wow Show and magician Paul Scott. A title montage sequence features further impersonations of the great man from Alexei Sayle, Bob Todd, Patricia Hayes, and Jess Conrad.
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Let's Go Crazy (1951)
Character: Multiple Roles
Let's Go Crazy is a 1951 comedy film marking an early appearance of Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers playing multiple roles.
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The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018)
Character: Himself (Archive)
A documentary about Peter Medak's unreleased film 'Ghost in the Noonday Sun', starring Peter Sellers and filmed in Cyprus in 1973.
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Ghost in the Noonday Sun (1973)
Character: Bill Bombay
A pirate crewman kills his captain after learning where he has hidden his buried treasure. However, as he begins to lose his memory, he relies more and more on the ghost of the man he just murdered to help him find the loot.
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Right to Work March (1972)
Character: N/A
They're young, unemployed and on the march - from Glasgow, Liverpool and Swansea to London.
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A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)
Character: Indian with Grey Beard (uncredited)
Joe is a young boy who lives with his mother, Joanna, in working-class London. The two reside above the tailor shop of Mr. Kandinsky, who likes to tell Joe stories. When Kandinsky informs Joe that a unicorn can grant wishes, the hopeful lad ends up buying a baby goat with one tiny horn, believing it to be a real unicorn. Undaunted by his rough surroundings, Joe sets about to prove that wishes can come true.
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The Magic Christian (1969)
Character: Traffic Warden
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless man, Youngman. Together, they set out to prove that anyone--and anything--can be bought.
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Eric Sykes: One of the Great Troupers (1981)
Character: Self (archive material)
With film clips and photos, Eric Sykes gives a tongue-in-cheek account of his follies and fortunes as an actor, gag writer, and comedian in a long and successful career in the theatre, on radio and television. He pays tribute to his friends in showbusiness and in particular to Hattie Jacques, Richard Wattis and the team of his long-running Sykes series.
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The Great McGonagall (1975)
Character: William Topaz McGonagall
In this high-camp farce, Goons legend Spike Milligan stars as William Topaz McGonagall, an unemployed Scottish weaver and aspiring poet laureate who falls in love with Queen Victoria - a brilliant cameo by Peter Sellers - and thereafter devotes his banal poetry to her. Though McGonagall's solicitations are rejected by the Queen, it doesn't stop the turgid prose, and pathos, from overflowing as McGonagall hilariously attempts to become the greatest poet in the land. The image of the bad poet, trapped by his romanticism and inspired by a muse with a tin ear, appealed mightily to Spike Milligan, and this cult British spoof features the Goons show maestro at his ridiculous, genre-defying best.
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Down Among the Z Men (1952)
Character: Pvt. Eccles
The Goon Show hits the big screen. Professor Pure Heart absent-mindedly loses the top secret formula in Harry Jones' Grocery Shop. "Bats of the Yard", as Harry calls himself, finds it and attempts to return it to the Professor.
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History of the World: Part I (1981)
Character: Monsieur Rimbaud - The French Revolution
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
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The Bed Sitting Room (1969)
Character: Mate
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
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The Best of Spike Milligan (2004)
Character: Self
Widely regarded as the greatest post-war British comedian, Spike Milligan transitioned from the groundbreaking radio comedy The Goons to television without losing any of his anarchic, surreal humor. His series Q (1968–1980) and There’s A Lot Of It About (1982) shattered comedy conventions with sketch after sketch of absurd brilliance. This compilation features classic moments like The Eurovision Joke Contest, Spike as a singing Viking maiden, and insects auditioning for a David Attenborough documentary. Interwoven with these are unique interstitials featuring Bruce Hammal at Milligan’s home—but in true Spike fashion, the interviews become sketches themselves, complete with his long-suffering comedy butler, Piles. This release is a slightly re-edited, repackaged version of the 1995 BBC VHS Spike Milligan: One Man and His Ideas.
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Fantastic Animation Festival (1977)
Character: Narrator: "Moonshadow"
A collection of fourteen award winning animated short films including "Moonshadow," "The Last Cartoon Man," "Closed Mondays," and "Cosmic Cartoon".
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Life of Brian (1979)
Character: Spike
Brian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous events, he gains a reputation as the Messiah. When he's not dodging his followers or being scolded by his shrill mother, the hapless Brian has to contend with the pompous Pontius Pilate and acronym-obsessed members of a separatist movement. Rife with Monty Python's signature absurdity, the tale finds Brian's life paralleling Biblical lore, albeit with many more laughs.
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The Three Musketeers (1973)
Character: M. Bonancieux
In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends three legendary musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—and together, they become embroiled in the political intrigue surrounding King Louis XIII and his adversaries, particularly the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
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Suspect (1960)
Character: Arthur, lab orderly
A government team researching cures for plague find their results put on the Official Secrets list. One of their number is so incensed by this that he lets the maimed and jealous companion of a female colleague draw him into what, technically, could be a treasonable act.
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Rentadick (1972)
Character: a Customs officer
Armitage runs a chemical company that is on the verge of producing a gas that causes temporary disability. Clearly the military want it but it is also sought by a group of Japanese. Both Armitage and Madam Greenfly hire different people in the same detective agency to guard the gas and steal it respectively... confusion, double crosses and hilarity ensue...
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Yellowbeard (1983)
Character: Flunkie
For years Yellowbeard had looted the Spanish Main, making men eat their lips and swallow their hearts. Caught and convicted for tax evasion, he's sentenced to 20 years in St. Victim's Prison for the Extremely Naughty. In a scheme to confiscate his fabulous treasure, the Royal Navy allows him to escape and follows him, where saucy tarts, lisping demigods and some awful puns and punishments await.
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Watch Your Stern (1960)
Character: Ranjid - Civilian electrician #1
When the details of a secret torpedo are destroyed by an incompetent seaman, the crew of the ship rally round, when the Admiral needs the plans to show to a visiting scientist.
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Dot and the Kangaroo (1977)
Character: Mr. Platypus (voice)
An Australian girl gets lost in the Outback, but she's befriended by a kangaroo who gives her a ride in her pouch as they search for the girl's home. Aiding the pair are musically gifted koalas, platypuses, and kookaburras in this film based on Ethel Pedley's 1899 children's book, with animated humans and animals superimposed upon a live-action background.
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Badjelly the Witch (2000)
Character: Himself
This imaginative tale was written by Spike Milligan for his own children in 1973. It is a classic fairytale full of weird and wonderful surprises about good triumphing over evil and defeating BadJelly the Witch - ‘the baddest witch in the world’. The exciting new style of animated characters directly interact with Spike as he draws and tells their story. Tim and Rose live with their Mummy and Daddy and Lucy their cow, who provides them with milk for breakfast. When Lucy disappears one day, the children decide to look for her and so begins their adventure.. On their journey they meet all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures, such as Binklebonk the Goblin, Dinglemouse, Dulboot the Giant and BadJelly the Witch herself who captures the children and imprisons them in her castle. Like all fairy stories, BadJelly the Witch does eventually have a happy ending and the children and Lucy are returned home safe and sound.
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Badjelly the Witch (2000)
Character: Narrator
This imaginative tale was written by Spike Milligan for his own children in 1973. It is a classic fairytale full of weird and wonderful surprises about good triumphing over evil and defeating BadJelly the Witch - ‘the baddest witch in the world’. The exciting new style of animated characters directly interact with Spike as he draws and tells their story. Tim and Rose live with their Mummy and Daddy and Lucy their cow, who provides them with milk for breakfast. When Lucy disappears one day, the children decide to look for her and so begins their adventure.. On their journey they meet all sorts of weird and wonderful creatures, such as Binklebonk the Goblin, Dinglemouse, Dulboot the Giant and BadJelly the Witch herself who captures the children and imprisons them in her castle. Like all fairy stories, BadJelly the Witch does eventually have a happy ending and the children and Lucy are returned home safe and sound.
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Man About the House (1974)
Character: Himself
An unscrupulous property developer wants to flatten the street to make way for new buildings. Householder George Roper is happy to take the offered money and run but his wife Mildred and their lodgers join with other residents to take a stand and keep things as they are.
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)
Character: Gryphon
An all-star cast highlights this vibrant musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll's immortal tale. One day, plucky young Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and discovers a world of bizarre characters.
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The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
Character: Policeman
When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.
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The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
Character: Landlord
Barry McKenzie sets off for England with his aunt, Edna Everage, to advance his cultural education. Bazza is an innocent abroad, fond of beer, Bondi and beautiful sheilas, but he soon settles into the Australian ghetto in Earls Court, where his old mate Curly has a flat.
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