Everything about Spike Milligan totally explained
Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE (
16 April 1918–
27 February 2002), known as
Spike Milligan, was an
Irish comedian,
writer,
musician,
poet and
playwright. He played the
piano,
trumpet,
guitar and
saxophone and was the creator, the principal writer and a performing member of
The Goon Show.
Biography
Early life
Milligan was born in
Ahmednagar,
India, on
16 April 1918, the son of an Irish-born father, Captain Leo Alphonso Milligan, MSM, RA, who was serving in the
British Indian Army. He spent most of his childhood in Rangoon (
Yangon), capital of
Burma (Myanmar). He was educated at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Poona, and St Paul's Christian Brothers, de la Salle, Rangoon.
He lived most of his life in
England and served in the
British Army.
Second World War
During most of the late 1930s and early 1940s Milligan performed as an amateur jazz vocalist and
trumpeter before, during and after being called up for military service, but even then he wrote and performed comedy sketches as part of concerts to entertain troops. After his call-up, but before being sent abroad, he and fellow musician
Harry Edgington (nicknamed Edge-ying-Tong which gave birth to one of Spike's most memorable musical creations, the
Ying Tong Song) would compose surreal stories, filled with puns and skewed logic, as a way of staving off the boredom of life in barracks.
During
World War II he served as a signaller in the 56th Heavy Regiment
Royal Artillery, D Battery, as Gunner Milligan, 954024 with the
First Army in
North Africa and then in
Italy. He rose to the rank of Lance-Bombardier and was about to be promoted to
Bombardier when he was wounded in action in Italy. Subsequently hospitalised for
shell shock, he was demoted by an unsympathetic commanding officer (identified in his war diaries as Major Evan 'Jumbo' Jenkins) back to Gunner. It was Milligan's opinion that Major Jenkins didn't like him due to the fact that Milligan constantly kept the morale of his fellow soldiers up, whereas Major Jenkins' approach was to take an attitude towards the troops similar to that of
Lord Kitchener. An incident also mentioned was when Major Jenkins had invited Gunners Milligan and Edgington to his bivouac to play some jazz with him, only to discover that the musicianship of the aforementioned gunners was far superior to his own ability to play the military tune 'Whistling Rufus' (albeit rather badly).
After his hospitalisation, Milligan drifted through a number of rear-echelon military jobs in Italy, eventually becoming a full-time entertainer. He played the
guitar with a jazz/comedy group called
The Bill Hall Trio in concert parties for the troops. After being demobilised, Milligan remained in Italy playing with the Trio but returned to England soon after. While he was with the
Central Pool of Artists (a group he described as composed "of bomb-happy
squaddies") he began to write
parodies of their mainstream plays, that displayed many of the key elements of what would become
The Goon Show with
Peter Sellers,
Harry Secombe and
Michael Bentine.
Radio
Milligan returned to jazz in the late 1940s and made a precarious living with the Hall trio and other musical comedy acts. He was also trying to break into the world of radio, as either a performer or as a
script writer. His first success in radio was as writer for
Derek Roy show. Milligan soon became involved with a relatively radical comedy project,
The Goon Show. Known during its first season as
Crazy People, or in full, "The Junior Crazy Gang featuring those Crazy People, the Goons!", the name was an attempt to make the programme palatable to BBC officials by connecting it with the popular group of comedians known as
The Crazy Gang.
Milligan was the primary author of
The Goon Show scripts (though many were written jointly with
Larry Stephens,
Eric Sykes and others) as well as a star performer.
Ad-libbing
Milligan also had a number of acting parts in theatre, film and television series; one of his last screen appearances was in the
BBC dramatisation of
Mervyn Peake's
Gormenghast, and he was (almost inevitably) noted as an
ad-libber. One of Milligan's most famous ad-lib incidents occurred during a visit to
Australia in the late 1960s. He was interviewed live on air and remained in the studio for the news broadcast that followed (read by Rod McNeil), during which Milligan constantly interjected, adding his own name to news items. As a result, he was banned from making any further live appearances on the
ABC. The ABC also changed its national policy so that talent had to leave the studio after interviews were complete. A tape of the bulletin survives and has been included in an ABC Radio audio compilation, also on the BBC tribute CD,
Vivat Milligna [
sic].
Poetry
Milligan also wrote verse, considered to be within the genre of
literary nonsense, for children, the best of which is comparable with that of
Lewis Carroll and
Edward Lear, and the most famous probably being "
On the Ning Nang Nong". This
nonsense verse, set to music, became a favourite Australia-wide, performed week after week by the ABC children's programme
Playschool. Milligan included it on his album
No One's Gonna Change Our World in 1969 to aid the World Wildlife Fund. In December 2007 it was reported that, according to
OFSTED, it's amongst the ten most commonly taught poems in primary schools in the UK.
While
depressed, Milligan wrote serious poetry. He also wrote a novel
Puckoon, parodying the style of
Dylan Thomas, and a very successful series of war
memoirs, including (1971),
Rommel: Gunner Who? A Confrontation in the Desert (1974) and
Mussolini: His Part in my Downfall (1978). Milligan's seven volumes of memoirs cover the years from 1939 to 1950 (essentially his call-up, war service, first breakdown, time spent entertaining in Italy, and return to the UK).
He wrote comedy songs, including "Purple Aeroplane", which was a parody of
The Beatles' song "
Yellow Submarine". Glimpses of his bouts with depression which led to the nervous breakdowns, can be found in his serious poetry, which is compiled in
Open Heart University.
Plays
Spike Milligan also wrote the one-act play
The Bed-Sitting Room, which premiered at the
Marlowe Theatre,
Canterbury. It was adapted to a longer play, which made its debut at the Mermaid Theatre, London.
Cartoons
Milligan contributed occasional cartoons to the satirical magazine
Private Eye. Most were visualizations of one-line jokes. For example, a young boy sees the
Concorde and asks his father "What's that?". The reply is "That's a flying
groundnut scheme, son."
Personal life
Australia
After their retirement, Milligan's parents and his younger brother Desmond moved to Australia. His mother lived the rest of her life in the coastal village of
Woy Woy on the New South Wales Central Coast, just north of Sydney; as a result, Milligan became a regular visitor to Australia and made a number of radio and TV programmes there, including
The Idiot Weekly with
Bobby Limb. In July 2007, it was proposed that the suspension bridge on the cyclepath from Woy Woy to Gosford be named after him.
From the 1960s onwards Milligan was a regular correspondent with
Robert Graves. Milligan's letters to Graves usually addressed a question to do with
classical studies. The letters form part of Graves' bequest to
St. John's College, Oxford.
Health
He suffered from
bipolar disorder for most of his life, having at least ten major
mental breakdowns, several lasting over a year. He spoke candidly about his condition and its effect on his life:
I have got so low that I've asked to be hospitalised and for deep narcosis (sleep). I can't stand being awake. The pain is too much... Something has happened to me, this vital spark has stopped burning - I go to a dinner table now and I don't say a word, just sit there like a dodo. Normally I'm the centre of attention, keep the conversation going - so that's depressing in itself. It's like another person taking over, very strange. The most important thing I say is 'good evening' and then I go quiet.
Prince of Wales
The Prince of Wales was a noted fan, and Milligan caused a stir by calling him a "little grovelling bastard" on live television in 1994. He later faxed the prince, saying "I suppose a
knighthood is out of the question?" In reality he and the Prince were very close friends, The exhibit consisted of catfish, oysters and shrimp that were to be electrocuted as part of the exhibition. He was a strong opponent of cruelty against animals and, during an appearance on
Room 101, chose
fox hunting as a pet hate, and succeeded in banishing it to the eponymous room.
In 1996, he successfully campaigned for the restoration of
London's
Elfin Oak.
He was also a public opponent of
domestic violence, dedicating one of his books to
Erin Pizzey.
Family
Milligan had three children with his first wife June Marlow: Laura, Seán and Síle. They were married in 1952 and divorced in 1960 during the Goon Show. He had one daughter with his second wife, Patricia Ridgeway: the actress
Jane Milligan (b. 1964). Milligan and Patricia were married in June of 1962 with
George Martin as best man. The marriage ended in 1978 with Patricia's death. In 1975 Milligan fathered a son, James, in an affair with Margaret Maughan. Another child, a daughter Romany, is suspected to have been born at the same time by a Canadian journalist named Roberta Watt. His last wife was Shelagh Sinclair, to whom he was married from 1983 to his death on 27 February 2002. Four of his children have recently collaborated with documentary makers on a new multi-platform programme called
I Told You I Was Ill: The Life and Legacy of Spike Milligan (2005) and accompanying website.
Death
Even late in life, Milligan's
black humour hadn't deserted him. After the death of friend
Harry Secombe from cancer, he said, "I'm glad he died before me, because I didn't want him to sing at my funeral." A recording of Secombe singing was played at Milligan's memorial service. He also wrote his own obituary, in which he stated repeatedly that he "wrote the Goon show and died".
Milligan died from
liver disease, at the age of 83, on
27 February 2002, at his home in
Rye, East Sussex. On the day of his funeral, 8 March 2002, his coffin was carried to St Thomas's Church in Winchelsea, Sussex, and was draped in the tricolour of the
Republic of Ireland. He had once quipped that he wanted his headstone to bear the words "I told you I was ill." He was buried at St Thomas's Church cemetery in Winchelsea, East Sussex, but the Chichester Diocese refused to allow this
epitaph. A compromise was reached with the
Irish translation, "Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite", and additionally in English, "Love, light, peace".
Legacy
The film of
Puckoon, starring his daughter, the actress Jane Milligan, was released after his death.
Milligan lived for several years in Holden Road,
Woodside Park and at The Crescent,
Barnet, and was a strong supporter of the Finchley Society. His old house in Woodside Park is now demolished, but there's a
blue plaque in his memory on the new house on the site. The Finchley Society is trying to get a statue of him erected in
Finchley. There is also a campaign to erect a statue in the
London Borough of Lewisham where he grew up (see
Honor Oak). After coming to the UK from India in the 1930s he lived at 50 Riseldine Road, Brockley and attended Brownhill Boys' school (later to become Catford Boys' School which was demolished in 1994).
Lynsey De Paul is a patron of the Spike Milligan Statue Memorial Fund.
There is also a plaque and bench located at the Wadestown Library,
Wellington New Zealand in an area called Spike Milligan corner.
In a BBC poll in August 1999, Spike Milligan was voted the "funniest person of the last 1000 years". Also, in a 2005 poll to find
The Comedians' Comedian, he was voted among the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Milligan has been portrayed twice in films. In the adaptation of his novel, he was played by
Jim Dale, while Milligan himself played his own father. He was also portrayed by
Edward Tudor-Pole in
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). A 2008 stage play, 'Surviving Spike', sees Milligan portrayed by the entertainer
Michael Barrymore.
On
9 June 2006 it was reported that Professor
Richard Wiseman had identified Milligan as the writer of the
world's funniest joke as decided by the Laughlab project. Professor Wiseman said the joke contained all three elements of what makes a good gag: anxiety, a feeling of superiority, and an element of surprise.
Members of
Monty Python greatly admired him, and gave Milligan a cameo role in their 1979 film,
Monty Python's Life of Brian when Milligan happened to be holidaying in Tunisia, near where the Pythons were filming.
Radio comedy shows
Other radio shows
Milligan contributed his recollections of his childhood in India for the acclaimed 1970s BBC audio history series
Plain Tales From The Raj. The series was published in book form in 1975 by
Andre Deutsch, edited by
Charles Allen.
TV comedy shows
The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d
A Show Called Fred
Son of Fred
The World of Beachcomber
The Q series: Q5, Q6, Q7, Kuwait (Q8), Q9, and There's a Lot of It About
Curry & Chips
Other notable TV involvement
Six-Five Special, first aired on 31 August 1957. Spike Milligan plays an inventor, Mr. Pym, and acts as a butcher in a sketch.
Tiswas 1981 edition
Narrator of The Ratties (1987), a children's cartoon series written by Mike Wallis and Laura Milligan, Spike's daughter.
The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town ran as a serial in The Two Ronnies in the 1970s.
Special guest star of the 18 January 1979 edition of The Muppet Show
Guest star in the 3rd episode of the award-winning BBC Scotland drama series Takin' Over The Asylum (1994)
Theatre
Treasure Island (1961, 1973–1975)
The Bed-Sitting Room (1963, 1967) written by Milligan and John Antrobus
Oblomov Opened at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in 1964. It was based on the Russian classic by Ivan Goncharov, and gave Milligan the opportunity to play most of the title role in bed. Unsure of his material, on the opening night he improvised a great deal, treating the audience as part of the plot almost, and he continued in this manner for the rest of the run, and on tour as 'Son Of Oblomov'.
Films
The Bed-Sitting Room (1969), post-apocalyptic comedy with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and also Arthur Lowe; written by John Antrobus based on the Milligan/Antrobus play. Milligan had a small role as a postman named "Mate", which was also the name of a Goon Show character.
The Great McGonagall, untalented Scottish poet (based on William Topaz McGonagall) angles to become laureate, with Peter Sellers as Queen Victoria.
Down Among the Z Men (1952), played Eccles in a detective/military black and white film with all The Goons including early member Michael Bentine and original announcer Andrew Timothy.
The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn, a Goon-like 2-reel comedy ("Mukkinese" = " knees").
The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film, a silent comedy, Richard Lester's debut film.
, a film adaption of the first volume of his autobiography. Spike played the part of his father. The role of the young Spike Milligan was played by Jim Dale.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) as Gryphon.
The decrepit manager of a seedy London hotel in Bruce Beresford's The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972).
Monsieur Bonacieux, husband of Madame Bonacieux (Raquel Welch) in Richard Lester's The Three Musketeers (1973).
The prophet abandoned by his flock in Life of Brian.
The traffic warden who eats the ticket in The Magic Christian.
The decrepit Geste family retainer Crumpet in The Last Remake of Beau Geste, with Marty Feldman.
Monsieur Rimbaud in History of the World, Part I.
Country postman Harold Petts in Postman's Knock (1962).
A royal herald who accidentally blows a spy's cover in Yellowbeard.
A policeman who briefly talks to Dr. Watson and Stapleton when they first arrive on the moors in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World 1973 children's comedy
Books
Silly Verse for Kids (1959); the 1968 paperback edition omits one poem and adds some from the next two books
A Dustbin of Milligan (1961)
Goblins
The Little Pot Boiler (1963)
Puckoon (1963)
A Book of Bits, or A Bit of a Book (1965)
A Book of Milliganimals (1968)
Badjelly the Witch (1973)
(1987)
The Bedside Milligan
"The War (and Peace) Memoirs"
Small Dreams of a Scorpion
Open Heart University
Startling Verse for All the Family
Sir Nobonk and the Terrible Dreadful Awful Naughty Nasty Dragon
A Mad Medley of Milligan
Transports of Delight
More Transports of Delight
Depression and How to Survive It (with Professor Anthony Clare), medical biography.
It Ends with Magic
The Murphy
Milligan's Ark
The "According to" Books
Quotations
"When I look back, the fondest memory I've isn't really of the Goons. It is of a girl called Julia with enormous breasts."
Of his honorary CBE — "I can't see the sense in it really. It makes me a Commander of the British Empire. They might as well make me a Commander of Milton Keynes — at least that exists."
On his bouts of clinical depression — "It's the nature of who you are. You will see sunsets in a special way, you'll see life in a special way. The Milligans are like Arab racehorses. We'll kick the stable to pieces, but we'll always win the race."
Of heaven — "I'd like to go there. But if Jeffrey Archer is there, I want to go to Lewisham."Further Information
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