Spike Milligan: I Told You I Was Ill... - A Live Tribute

This special was aired some six months after poor old Spike, the last surviving Goon, snuffed it, and the BBC came up with this rather interesting little program as a little eulogy to him, if a bit of a funny one.

It begins with a classic Q sketch of the BBC HQ in London breaking down and Spike trying to get it started again. It then goes onto Harry Enfield taking the role of Wallace Greenslade of the Goon Shows (and why not?) and John Sargent hosting the event in the usual deadpan but passionate vein. Interesting too are the range of classic comedians who pay their respects with sketches and poetry of Spike's, some funny and some touching, (particularly Stephen Tomlinson's poignant reading of a section of his war memoirs) and all in the spirit of Spike. Mixed in is the obligatory archive footage. It's a shame that the BBC only make these kind of shows when celebrities have died rather than showing them respect during their lifetime; only Spike could get away with calling Prince Charles a grovelling little b****rd.