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Episode 2

Spike takes his first steps into show business when his newly formed band becomes the hottest jazz combo working in the Bexhill area.

Another chance to hear Spike Milligan's war memoir read by lifelong Milligan fan, Paul Merton.

This was the first of seven volumes of Spike's war memoirs but it is also a comedy classic in its own right. First published in 1971, the book is peppered throughout with Milligan's gags, one-liners and surreal comic invention

Paul Merton's delivery of the gags, characters and Goonish events of the story vividly bring to life the experiences of the 22 year old Spike Milligan from call up through basic training in the early years of the war.

In part two, the battery endures "those military meals" served by a team of cooks suspected of working for the Ministry of Bacteriological Warfare. At the same time Spike takes his first steps into show business when his newly formed band becomes the hottest jazz combo working in the Bexhill area.

15 minutes

Last on

Fri 19 Jun 2009 21:15

Broadcasts

  • Fri 1 Feb 2008 21:15
  • Fri 19 Jun 2009 21:15