The Goodies Special: Goodies Rule OK? (1970–1982) watch online HD

Failing spectacularly in various bids for pop stardom, the Goodies become the super-group of all time by stealing ideas from the likes of 'Wizzard', 'The Osmonds' and 'The Rubettes'. So successful are they that the Queen gives them O.B.E.'s during a rainstorm at Buckingham Palace. A new dance called 'The Bounce' is all the rage, and the Goodies run for Parliament as 'The Bounce Party', but are soundly beaten by a party which outlaws enjoyment...

'Goodiemania' swept Britain in 1975. After four successful series, and a regular spot on 'Englebert & The Young Generation', 'The Goodies' suddenly crossed over from cult status to mainstream. With a new, post-watershed slot ( 9 p.m. ), its ratings went into the stratosphere. 'The Goodies' were voted ahead of 'The Two Ronnies' and 'Morecambe & Wise' in a newspaper poll to find the nation's funniest comedy team, while their books and records sold by the truckload.

How did it happen? Its been suggested that the cancellation of 'Monty Python' the previous year helped. All the Pythoniacs who'd previously dismissed 'The Goodies' as a kids' show tuned in, and saw it wasn't really that much different. I think this explanation tells only half the story. The fact is the fifth season was simply brilliant. 'The Movies', 'Kung Fu Kapers', 'Bunfight At The O.K. Tearooms', 'The End' and 'Scatty Safari' are outstanding examples of the show.

'Goodies Rule-O.K.?' was a fitting climax to a wonderful year for the team. It wasn't the first Christmas special they'd made; 'The Goodies' Travelling Five-Minute Christmas' holds that honour, but was the first not to be Christmas-themed. It has no unifying plot, it simply moves from one bizarre happening to another, any one of which would have made for a typical episode - the overall effect is akin to watching one of those compilations made from the 'Carry On' films. As a result, 'O.K.' never enjoyed the popularity as say, 'The Goodies & The Beanstalk'. In fact I remember it being repeated only the once.

A number of gags about Harold Wilson ( the then Prime Minister ) resulted in 'O.K.' looking dated only a short time after its original broadcast ( he resigned in 1976 ). Even so, there's a lot of fun to be had here and it provides a tantalizing glimpse of what a 'Goodies' feature film might have looked like.

Funniest moment - it has to be the Goodies' battle with Dougal from 'The Magic Roundabout'! Amazing, even after all these years!

In this 1975 Christmas special, the Goodies decide to become rock stars (art imitating life, since the team had recently cracked the pop charts with some fun novelty singles including the glam rock-tinged 'The Inbetweenies' and the silly but danceable 'Funky Gibbon') by copying the trademarks of several existing stars, taking Elton John's glasses, the Rubettes' caps and so on. Although my memories of this episode are rather hazy (it was a long time ago!), I certainly can't forget the sight of the Goodies being chased around a maze by a giant Dougal (of Magic Roundabout fame) and newsreader Michael Barratt interviewing the mute children's puppets Sooty and Sweep. Also, the show felt a bit too long. The Goodies always worked best as a half-hour miracle, leaving you wanting more, and however good the gags and stunts were, stretching the running time invariably stretched this viewer's attention span. Nonetheless, this is largely classic stuff and a DVD release wouldn't go amiss.

Now usually, I would say that my favourite episodes of The Goodies are not the usual suspects like "Kitten Kong" or "Kung Fu Kapers". Much as I admire the zany slapstick of Tim, Graeme and Bill, the best episodes for me were the ones set in a single room, usually at the end of the series when the budget was used up. No guest stars, no exterior filming, just three men in a room for half an hour. Hence why I love "Lighthouse Keeping Loonies", "The End" and my personal favourite "Earthanasia".

But I take particular exception to this 1975 Christmas Special, which rounded off series 5, when The Goodies were at the peak of their career and their creative talents. As another writer said, they simply go for broke here with one crazy idea after another. So we have pastiches of many many musical icons: mentions of Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Pete Murray, The Bay City Rollers, and then The Goodies make their appearance as The Beatles, The Bachelors and The Supremes. Then briefly we see pastiches of the Gumbies from Monty Python, Andre Segovia, Yehudi Mehudin, Ravi Shankar, Donny Osmond, The Bay City Rollers, Elton John, Kojak, Gary Glitter, Alvin Stardust, Roy Wood, The Rubettes, The Wombles and Lynsey De Paul. These are all fleeting, but memorable. Then we swiftly move to a royal tea party which becomes flooded (which Tim of course enjoys regardless), resulting in the trio being awarded O.B.Es and having to create what turns out to be a new irritating dance craze called "The Bounce". Following that, there is a general election after a Nationwide report (Michael Barratt, once again showing his brilliance) shows the chaos which the dance caused, including a scene where Harold Wilson jumps off of the Labour Party conference roof. Terry Wogan and Robert McKenzie cover events (with competing parties featuring waltzers and Max Walls, plus a cameo from Kenny Everett), until finally, the Dummies win.

Again, one idea follows another as we launch into a spoof of Robin Hood outlaws attempting to cheer the nation up (after the Dummies ban fun) and gathering in 1930s-style speakeasies (or "jokeasies"), where they plan to overthrow the government with the Entertainers. Pity they can't remember their acts. They attempt to re-teach Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd, Rolf Harris, Tony Blackburn (who they don't really want), Jimmy Savile, Kojak (again), Patrick Moore, Sue Lawley, Morecambe and Wise, and of course, the infamous Eddie Waring, who Graeme Garden is famous for impersonating himself. Not to worry, says Bill, as they simply bring in a puppet government. Literally, a government full of puppets, including Sooty and Sweep, the Clangers, Hector, Punch and Judy, Pinky and Perky, Andy Pandy, Teddy, Looby-Loo, Bill and Ben, Weed, The Wombles (again), and most memorably a gigantic Dougal and Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout. Finally, a coalition government is formed of Harold Wilson, Margaret Thatcher and Jeremy Thorpe...who are puppets operated by The Goodies...who are puppets operated by director Jim Franklin.

It is very fast-paced, and admittedly some of the visual humour is lost slightly when viewed over 30 years later. What it does lack is a proper storyline or linear plot running all the way through, simply lurching from one strange occurrence to another. OK, so many episodes never really had a proper storyline, but the previous special, "The Goodies and the Beanstalk" did, and Tim Brooke-Taylor (and his Biro) also contributed to the writing. Perhaps that is the most important thing missing from this, maybe something Christmassy. Also, while it's good that all of it is done on film, it's a shame that we don't have the studio set of the office, just to add a bit of witty dialogue to the setup. Still, it's a great treat and brimming with so many off-the-wall ideas that you can't help but love it, because The Goodies do still rule - OK?

As most reviewers here concur, this Goodies Christmas special is a bit of a mishmash where the comic ideas come thick and fast, and the narrative (like the British population in the story) bounces out of control, leaving us with isolated memories of iconic moments, most notably Michael Barratt (the genuine presenter of the news programme Nationwide, who frequently appeared as himself in The Goodies) interviewing Sooty and Sweep, the spoofs of 1975's pop stars, and of course the giant Dougal. The flip side is that many sequences don't really work, including the Buckingham Palace garden party, the election (borrowed from Monty Python), the Robin Hood sequence and the celebrities (including Eddie Waring, Patrick Moore and Sue Lawley) who have forgotten how to do their own voices.

The ideas have taken over, and the Goodies' internal dynamic disintegrates as a result. Much of the comedy in the Goodies derives from the conflict between them as much as anything, Bill the deranged rebel, Tim the deluded patriot and Graeme the demented scientist. Here they work as a group moving through the social, cultural and political scene, and hardly ever differ or disagree. The lack of studio scenes in their office, where some of their best and most childish arguments were to be had, also contributes to this alien dynamic.

However, what is fascinating is the way that the plot chimes in with the dire politics of the time, when the country appeared to be falling apart. We had just had two indecisive general elections and a referendum on whether we should remain in the European Community (sound familiar?), while the economy tanked amid strikes galore in nationalised industries (note the reference to the Goodies being nationalised). Britain was known at the time as the sick man of Europe. The election theme, and the theme of a saviour to rescue us from this mess, recurred in many programmes, books and articles of the time. Democracy itself was being questioned, and many on the political right wanted a strongman dictator, while many on the political left would have preferred us to join the orbit of the Soviet Union. If you watch The Goodies Rule - OK? with that historical background in mind, it casts an interesting light. And if you watch it with today's political background of populism and despair in mind, parts of it are absolutely fascinating.

As one reviewer noted, the politicians featured would have dated it immediately. There are plenty of sequences of an impersonator of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who resigned three months later, and also a couple of shots of Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe, who resigned at the same time after featuring in a sex-and-attempted-murder scandal (memorably dramatized as A Very English Scandal, with Hugh Grant playing Thorpe). Early footage of Margaret Thatcher gives no hint of the future to come.

For the virtue-signallers, there are also the inevitable problems associated with 1970s British TV failing to meet the retrospective standards of today's political correctness. The Goodies black up, as they often did to comic effect, this time spoofing Diana Ross and the Supremes. Some may feel uncomfortable by the references to convicted sex offender Gary Glitter, when Bill Oddie memorably dons his trademark hairy chest, and Jimmy Savile.

The plot starts out showing the Goodies singing Beatles songs (with a dummy to stand in for George). The Beatles are there watching. Later after they leave, the Beatles steal their songs and become famous. This happens again with various different singers e.g. Diana Ross, Elton John, etc. Finally they decide that the public only want cheap imitations, not the real thing. They decide to copy almost every singer. They become an immediant success. The Queen of England gives them MBE's (in flooding rain). She also asks them to make up a new dance. They make up one call the bop. The bop becomes really popular. It becomes so popular that they run for parliament, but are defeated by the standing alone party (a dummy). Under the starting alone party, no one is allowed to move or have fun. At first the Goodies are like Robin hood, spreading laughter around the land. Later they are like gangsters, hiding cream pies in violin cases. Finally, sick of the the standing alone party, they decide to elect a new party... On the TV, the new party is revealed as Sooty. Sooty viciously attacks an interviewer on TV. The Goodies go to see what is happening. At the house, they are attacked from puppets of all kinds, (the wombles, etc). The puppets prove too strong, so they leave to contemplate a new idea... Returning dressed as puppets, the Goodies fight the puppets again. After a long struggle, they finally overcome the puppets. Rejoicing, they start to celebrate, suddenly, the audience is aware that they have strings on their arms. As the camera tilts up, we see the Goodies above them, revealing that they are puppets. They work the puppets string as the show ends.

The main problem is that this show keeps changing it's mind in what it wants to be about. First it has fun with the song imitations. After the bob during the rain, it turns into a robin hood-like story. Then it goes to a 1930's gangster storyline. Then the puppets saga takes over. It's always funny, but a little hard to follow if you're not paying attention. This may have worked better if it was shown in different parts i.e: the robin hood story one night, the gangster story the other night. All together, it's pretty hard to keep shifting gears as the show seems to keep forgetting about the plot. But for the Goodies generally funny sense of humor, I give it a 6 out of ten.