Spike Milligan
Overview
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE (16 April 191827 February 2002) was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India
, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom
. He became an Irish
citizen in 1962 after the British government declared him stateless
. He was the co-creator, main writer and a principal cast member of The Goon Show
, performing a range of roles including the popular Eccles
.
Milligan wrote and edited many books, including Puckoon
and his seven-volume autobiographical account of his time serving during the Second World War, beginning with Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom
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...
. He became an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
citizen in 1962 after the British government declared him stateless
Statelessness
Statelessness is a legal concept describing the lack of any nationality. It is the absence of a recognized link between an individual and any state....
. He was the co-creator, main writer and a principal cast member of The Goon Show
The Goon Show
The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...
, performing a range of roles including the popular Eccles
Eccles (character)
T.F. Eccles is the name of a comedy character, created and performed by Spike Milligan, from the 1950s United Kingdom radio comedy series The Goon Show. In the episode "The Macreekie Rising of '74", Peter Sellers had to fill-in for the role in Milligan's absence...
.
Milligan wrote and edited many books, including Puckoon
Puckoon
Puckoon is a comic novel by Spike Milligan, first published in 1963. It is his first full-length novel, and only major fictional work. Set in 1924, it details the troubles brought to the fictional Irish village of Puckoon by the Partition of Ireland: the new border, due to the incompetence of the...
and his seven-volume autobiographical account of his time serving during the Second World War, beginning with Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall.
Unanswered Questions
Quotations
For ten years Caesar ruled with an iron hand. Then with a wooden foot, and finally with a piece of string.
The Goon Show|The Goon Show, "The Histories of Pliny the Elder"
Contraceptives should be used on every conceivable occasion.
The Last Goon Show of All|The Last Goon Show of All
Policemen are numbered in case they get lost.
The Last Goon Show of All|The Last Goon Show of All
I thought I'd begin by reading a poem by Shakespeare, but then I thought, why should I? He never reads any of mine.
Spike Milligan with Jeremy Taylor Live at Cambridge University. Recorded at Cambridge University on December 2, 1973, this was previously released as a double LP, and later re-issued as a 2 CD set. Milligan used variations on the Shakespear line throughout his later life.
If a man dies when you hang him, keep hanging him until he gets used to it.