Punky Business
Encyclopedia
Punky Business is an episode of the British
comedy
television series The Goodies
— a BAFTA
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode is also known as "Punkerella" and as "Rock Goodies".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Tim takes the beautiful Caroline Kook out to dinner, but he can't understand what has happened to the restaurant — at lunchtime, that day, it had been an ordinary restaurant — now, at dinnertime, it had changed into a punk
restaurant called "Trattoria
Punk". He is so disgusted at what is offered on the restaurant's menu that he can't even say the names out loud (except for ratatouille
, which the restaurateur (Graeme) says is off because they've run out of rats). Tim finally chooses spaghetti
, thinking that this would not be as bad as the rest. However Graeme makes the meal a messy and memorable one for Tim — memorable, that is, for all the wrong reasons.
Tim complains to Caroline Kook about the change to the restaurant, but she becomes angry with him. Caroline has been served with dignity by Graeme, instead of the rough-handed treatment with food which Graeme has metered out to Tim — so she lacks sympathy for what had happened to Tim. Caroline Kook mentions to Tim that there is to be a Trendsetters Ball. Graeme, who is listening to what she says, looks interested in what he is hearing.
People attending the ball try to outdo each other in punkiness, including Bill (who sings a punk song). Tim wants to go to the ball, but he is told that he looks too nice. Upset, Tim sweeps the Goodies office with a broom — until Graeme arrives and turns Tim into Punkerella by operating on him. When Tim awakens, following the operation, he can't see where the change has been made — until Graeme tells Tim that he has taken Tim's leg off — following which Tim immediately falls over. Graeme warns Tim that the clip on his leg is not secure and should not be trusted to hold past midnight
, so his leg might fall off. Graeme then puts a pumpkin, with rats and lizards hanging from it, over Tim's head, and Tim attends the ball.
In his disguise, Tim is an instant success. When he quickly leaves at midnight, during the ball, his amputated leg falls off and Tim leaves it behind on the stairs. And so the hunt is on to find the pumpkin-headed weirdo with one leg — with Caroline Kook vowing to marry him when he is found.
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 "Punkerella" and as "Rock Goodies".
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Plot
The Goodies have become a rock band called "The Little Laddies", and sing 'on the road', where they are ignored by the general public. However, they are picked up off the street by policemen, who put them to work. Soon tiring of performing for the police, the Goodies discover that punk is the latest fad. Bill and Graeme decide to go punk — but Tim prefers to keep his neat and tidy image and his shiny shoes.Tim takes the beautiful Caroline Kook out to dinner, but he can't understand what has happened to the restaurant — at lunchtime, that day, it had been an ordinary restaurant — now, at dinnertime, it had changed into a punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
restaurant called "Trattoria
Trattoria
A trattoria is an Italian-style eating establishment, less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. There are generally no printed menus, the service is casual, wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle, prices are low, and the emphasis is on a steady clientele rather...
Punk". He is so disgusted at what is offered on the restaurant's menu that he can't even say the names out loud (except for ratatouille
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice. The full name of the dish is ratatouille niçoise.- Origin :...
, which the restaurateur (Graeme) says is off because they've run out of rats). Tim finally chooses spaghetti
Spaghetti
Spaghetti is a long, thin, cylindrical pasta of Italian origin. Spaghetti is made of semolina or flour and water. Italian dried spaghetti is made from durum wheat semolina, but outside of Italy it may be made with other kinds of flour...
, thinking that this would not be as bad as the rest. However Graeme makes the meal a messy and memorable one for Tim — memorable, that is, for all the wrong reasons.
Tim complains to Caroline Kook about the change to the restaurant, but she becomes angry with him. Caroline has been served with dignity by Graeme, instead of the rough-handed treatment with food which Graeme has metered out to Tim — so she lacks sympathy for what had happened to Tim. Caroline Kook mentions to Tim that there is to be a Trendsetters Ball. Graeme, who is listening to what she says, looks interested in what he is hearing.
People attending the ball try to outdo each other in punkiness, including Bill (who sings a punk song). Tim wants to go to the ball, but he is told that he looks too nice. Upset, Tim sweeps the Goodies office with a broom — until Graeme arrives and turns Tim into Punkerella by operating on him. When Tim awakens, following the operation, he can't see where the change has been made — until Graeme tells Tim that he has taken Tim's leg off — following which Tim immediately falls over. Graeme warns Tim that the clip on his leg is not secure and should not be trusted to hold past midnight
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons....
, so his leg might fall off. Graeme then puts a pumpkin, with rats and lizards hanging from it, over Tim's head, and Tim attends the ball.
In his disguise, Tim is an instant success. When he quickly leaves at midnight, during the ball, his amputated leg falls off and Tim leaves it behind on the stairs. And so the hunt is on to find the pumpkin-headed weirdo with one leg — with Caroline Kook vowing to marry him when he is found.
Spoofs and cultural references
- Punk subculturePunk subcultureThe punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
- CinderellaCinderella"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
- Caroline CoonCaroline CoonCaroline Coon is an English artist, journalist and political activist. Her artwork, which often explores sexual themes from a feminist standpoint , has been exhibited at many major London galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery and the Tate.Coon was born to a family of Kent landowners and had...
— a British artist and journalist who became involved with the punk scene. - Rock FolliesRock FolliesRock Follies, and its sequel, Rock Follies of '77, was a comedy musical drama shown on British television in the mid 1970s. The storyline, over 12 episodes and two series, followed the ups and downs of a fictional female rock band called the "Little Ladies" as they struggled for recognition and...
— a TV show about a fictional female rock band called the "Little Ladies", which the Goodies parody by calling themselves the "Little Laddies" - Bill GrundyBill GrundyWilliam "Bill" Grundy was an English television presenter and former host of Today, a regional news programme broadcast on Thames Television...
— the television presenter who goaded the Sex Pistols into swearing on television at lunchtime, effectively ending his tenure with the show and, subsequently, ending the show itself.
Quotes
-
-
- Punk interviewer ('Bill Grumpy'): "Mr Brooke-Taylor, let's face it, you are nice."
- Tim: "Yes"
- Punk interviewer: "Would you be nice, here, now?"
- Tim: "Yes, I would."
- Punk interviewer: "You mean it honestly wouldn't bother you to be nice in front of millions of people?"
- Tim: "No."
- Punk interviewer: "Well, go ahead then."
- Tim: "Well, it's very, very, very kind of you to have invited me on the programme."
- Punk interviewer: "Oh, very clever!"
- Tim: "And I'd like to come on again, please."
- Punk interviewer: "You sick little *bleep*!" (attacks Tim)
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External links
- ("Punky Business" is listed under an alternative title at IMDb)