A Kick in the Arts (Goodies episode)
Encyclopedia
A Kick in the Arts is an episode of the popular British
comedy
television series The Goodies
— a BAFTA
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode is also known as "Summer Olympics".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
's athletes have no money and are starving. Tim tries to help and ends up becoming an athlete too. To survive, the athletes turn to crime, and Tim even steals the Queen's tiara
as she drives by waving to spectators. Eventually, Tim and other athletes are locked up in prison for their crimes.
Meanwhile, Graeme pretends to be Australia
n sports entrepreneur
"Kerry Thwacker", and imports athletes from all around the world, to make up his own Olympics team — with the intention of giving the team to Tim as a gift.
Because all of the athletes have disappeared, and not knowing what Graeme is up to, Tim changes the direction of Summer Olympics competition from sports, alone, to that of a mixture of sports with poetry and literature, so that Britain will have more of a chance to win. With the changed rules, being a good athlete is no longer enough to guarantee a win in any of the competitions in the Olympic Games
, and actors become the new Olympic champions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series The Goodies
The Goodies (TV series)
The Goodies is a British television comedy series of the 1970s and early 1980s. The series, which combines surreal sketches and situation comedy, was broadcast by BBC 2 from 1970 until 1980 — and was then broadcast by the ITV company LWT for a year, between 1981 to 1982.The show was...
— a BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode is also known as "Summer Olympics".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Plot
BritainEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's athletes have no money and are starving. Tim tries to help and ends up becoming an athlete too. To survive, the athletes turn to crime, and Tim even steals the Queen's tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
as she drives by waving to spectators. Eventually, Tim and other athletes are locked up in prison for their crimes.
Meanwhile, Graeme pretends to be Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sports entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
"Kerry Thwacker", and imports athletes from all around the world, to make up his own Olympics team — with the intention of giving the team to Tim as a gift.
Because all of the athletes have disappeared, and not knowing what Graeme is up to, Tim changes the direction of Summer Olympics competition from sports, alone, to that of a mixture of sports with poetry and literature, so that Britain will have more of a chance to win. With the changed rules, being a good athlete is no longer enough to guarantee a win in any of the competitions in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, and actors become the new Olympic champions.
Spoofs and cultural references
- A vast list of English arts and academic persons were 'participants' as part of the UK team, including:
-
- J. B. PriestleyJ. B. PriestleyJohn Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, Rita HunterRita HunterRita Hunter CBE was a British operatic dramatic soprano.Rita Hunter was born in Wallasey, Merseyside. She studied singing in Liverpool with Edwin Francis and later in London with Redvers Llewellyn and Clive Carey...
, A J P Taylor, John Betjemen, Francis BaconFrancis BaconFrancis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, David HockneyDavid HockneyDavid Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire and Kensington, London....
, Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
- Summer OlympicsSummer Olympic GamesThe Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
- Kerry PackerKerry PackerKerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...
— an AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n media tycoon who was personally responsible for the foundation of World Series CricketWorld Series CricketWorld Series Cricket was a break away professional cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television network, Nine Network. The matches ran in opposition to established international cricket...
— spoofed as Kerry Thwacker
- Summer Olympics
- J. B. Priestley