Spike Milligan was a force of nature in British comedy in the second half of the twentieth century – a comedian, writer, poet, musician and actor whose influence is still felt today. As one of the writers and stars of BBC Radio’s legendary The Goon Show in the 1950’s he was instrumental in creating a new kind of nonsensical comedy embracing both surrealism and silliness. His work with fellow Goons Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, along with his later solo television shows, are cited as key influences by the Monty Python team. Milligan was a mercurial character who gloried in outlandish, unpredictable humour loved by his army of devoted fans – which famously included King Charles III.

Garry Shandling was a comedian, writer and comic actor whose work dazzled both audiences and the American comedy community in the Eighties, Nineties and into the new century. After a stunning television debut with a stand up performance on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson in 1981 his finest work came a decade later as the creator and star of The Larry Sanders Show, a no-holds-barred takedown of the production process on a nightly talk show. Shandling was a complex man who never seemed truly at ease in the limelight, but the sheer quality of his work broke new ground for what would be possible in comedy for uninhibited cable networks and streamers in the years ahead.

John Marley and Mark Wells discuss their professional encounter with Spike Milligan and assess his contribution to British comedy and look back at the career and fine work of Garry Shandling.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.