BBC Television Series, 1968-1970
Cover of the re-issued audio cassette
The World of Beachcomber
based on J. B. Morton's Daily Express Beachcomber Column and the BBC TV series.
Produced by Duncan Wood and John Howard-Davies.
starring SPIKE MILLIGAN AND GEORGE BENSON, CLIVE DUNN, PATRICIA HAYES, HATTIE JACQUES, JULIAN ORCHARD, NADIA REGIN, SHEILA STAEFEL, LEON THAU, FRANK THORNTON
with The Mike Sammes Singers.
Record produced by John Hill Productions. Editing Engineer - Malcolm Eade.
J.B. Morton's material adapted by Barry Took and Neil Shand
with additional material by Ken Hoare and Spike Milligan.©1997 Music Collection International GAGSDMC074
based on J. B. Morton's Daily Express Beachcomber Column and the BBC TV series.
Produced by Duncan Wood and John Howard-Davies.
starring SPIKE MILLIGAN AND GEORGE BENSON, CLIVE DUNN, PATRICIA HAYES, HATTIE JACQUES, JULIAN ORCHARD, NADIA REGIN, SHEILA STAEFEL, LEON THAU, FRANK THORNTON
with The Mike Sammes Singers.
Record produced by John Hill Productions. Editing Engineer - Malcolm Eade.
J.B. Morton's material adapted by Barry Took and Neil Shand
with additional material by Ken Hoare and Spike Milligan.©1997 Music Collection International GAGSDMC074
I first met the work of J B Morton when the BBC screened a series called The World of Beachcomber in 1969. There's a short reference on the h2g2 website. To my knowledge it hasn't been repeated since then, but some of the material is available today on the audio cassette described above. The cassette is a re-issue of the 1968 LP. It is of variable technical quality, and contains 'additional material'. Hmm. Anyway, my favourite TV characters were:
Spike Milligan as Beachcomber himself, resplendent in a velvet smoking jacket and embroidered fez
Patricia Hayes as Mrs Florence McGurgle, proprietress of Marine House (a High Class boarding house) who was frequently interviewed by...
Frank Thornton as reporter Mervyn Glue, and as Mr Tinklebury Snapdriver, counsel for the prosecution in Mr Justice Cocklecarrot's court
Julian Orchard as fey poet Roland Milk
Michael Redgrave who read names from the Anthology of Huntingdonshire Cabmen.
Sketches were interspersed with advertisements for "Threadgold's Thoroughgrip Garterettes" and "Snibbo", a product that, among other virtues, killed greenfly and stopped cliff erosion.
NEW! (February 2014) 10 episodes of the original television series! With thanks to Audio Only.
>> Here on YouTube << Close your eyes and think of England, or possibly Utrecht - it's audio only!
>> Radio Times Listings << Courtesy of the BBC Genome Project
>> 'The World of Beachcomber' Wikipedia page <<
Spike Milligan as Beachcomber himself, resplendent in a velvet smoking jacket and embroidered fez
Patricia Hayes as Mrs Florence McGurgle, proprietress of Marine House (a High Class boarding house) who was frequently interviewed by...
Frank Thornton as reporter Mervyn Glue, and as Mr Tinklebury Snapdriver, counsel for the prosecution in Mr Justice Cocklecarrot's court
Julian Orchard as fey poet Roland Milk
Michael Redgrave who read names from the Anthology of Huntingdonshire Cabmen.
Sketches were interspersed with advertisements for "Threadgold's Thoroughgrip Garterettes" and "Snibbo", a product that, among other virtues, killed greenfly and stopped cliff erosion.
NEW! (February 2014) 10 episodes of the original television series! With thanks to Audio Only.
>> Here on YouTube << Close your eyes and think of England, or possibly Utrecht - it's audio only!
>> Radio Times Listings << Courtesy of the BBC Genome Project
>> 'The World of Beachcomber' Wikipedia page <<
If you remember any more about this series, please get in touch:
dhedwards (at) gmail (dot) com
dhedwards (at) gmail (dot) com
LP cover, front
Featuring, from the top, clockwise:
- Mr Justice Cocklecarrot
- Captain de Courcey Foulenough
- Dr Strabismus (Whom God Preserve) of Utrecht
- Lady Cabstanleigh
- Dr Smart-Allick, Headmaster of Narkover School
- Great White Carstairs
- Mr Beachcomber
LP cover, rear
most of it, anyway.