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Spike

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3f, 7m

SPIKE is an absurdly funny new play by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman that delves into the inner workings of one of the UK's most unique and brilliantly irreverent comedy minds.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3f, 7m

Details

Summary

It’s 1950s austerity Britain, and out of the gloom comes Goon mania as men, women and children across the country scramble to get their ear to a wireless for another instalment of The Goon Show. While Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers get down to the serious business of becoming overnight celebrities, fellow Goon and chief writer Spike finds himself pushing the boundaries of comedy and testing the patience of the BBC.

Flanked by his fellow Goons and bolstered by the efforts of irrepressible sound assistant Janet, Spike takes a flourishing nosedive off the cliffs of respectability and mashes up his haunted past to create the comedy of the future. His war with Hitler may be over, but his war with Auntie Beeb – and ultimately himself – has just begun.

Will Spike’s dogged obsession with finding the funny elevate The Goons to soaring new heights, or will the whole thing come crashing down with the stroke of a potato peeler?

History
SPIKE was first presented at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, on 27 January 2022.

    Media

    “A fast-paced, capering production.” – The Guardian

    “If you like The Goons you will love it.” — The Sunday Times

    “A sparkling script.” — Ox In A Box

    “Moving and hilarious.” — Oxford Mail

    ON BREAKING CHARACTER

    Spike in the Eye
    by Nick Newman
    October 14, 2022

    Licensing & Materials

    • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.


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    Scripts

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    Authors

    Nick Newman

    Nick Newman

    Nick Newman is an award-winning cartoonist and writer. He has worked for Private Eye since 1981 and has been pocket cartoonist for The Sunday Times since 1989. His cartoons have appeared in many other publications including The Guardian, Punch and The Spectator. He was The Ca ...

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    Ian  Hislop

    Ian Hislop

    Ian Hislop is a writer and broadcaster and has been editor of Private Eye since 1986. He has been a columnist for The Listener and The Sunday Telegraph, and TV critic for The Spectator. As a scriptwriter with Nick Newman, his work includes five years on Spitting Image, Harry ...
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