Winter Olympics (Goodies episode)
Encyclopedia
Winter Olympics is an episode of the British
comedy
television series The Goodies
— a BAFTA
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
) to guide them. Riding their trandem, blindfolded, they follow the contours of their 'cactus map' to their destination, where they find their headquarters is a tiny shed in Wales
. Their sporting equipment is also very meagre and very old.
There is no room in the shed for both training benches and beds, and the Goodies discover that the benches double as beds. A massage is provided by mechanical means, which is very uncomfortable, and the oil for the massage is provided by oil can
s with dark-coloured oil. Tim learns to ski on two planks of wood, being towed, on the road, by a rope behind the Goodies trandem.
With another unusual 'map' (this time a kettle
) to guide them, the Goodies travel to the British team's igloo
quarters. When the Goodies arrive at the North Pole
, where the Games are to be held, they are feeling extremely cold, but the sight of the beautiful Eskimo Nell
warms them up. Meals are very unappetising and boring.
The Goodies are unsure how they would go in competition in the slippery and cold icy conditions, so they capture a butterfly and strap a sunlamp to it to give themselves a better chance. With the butterfly fluttering away, the steady beam of the sunlamp causes the ice and snow to melt. In the resultant extremely hot conditions, the competitors from other countries flounder, while the Goodies win many medals.
After the Goodies' triumphant return home, they find that extreme climatic
changes have suddenly occurred, with unexpected results.
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.
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Plot
The Minister for Sports asks the Goodies to represent Britain at the forthcoming Winter Olympics. When they ask for directions to their training headquarters, the Minister gives them an unusual map (a tall thin cactusCactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
) to guide them. Riding their trandem, blindfolded, they follow the contours of their 'cactus map' to their destination, where they find their headquarters is a tiny shed in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Their sporting equipment is also very meagre and very old.
There is no room in the shed for both training benches and beds, and the Goodies discover that the benches double as beds. A massage is provided by mechanical means, which is very uncomfortable, and the oil for the massage is provided by oil can
Oil can
An oil can is a can that holds oil for lubricating machines. An oil can can also be used to fill oil-based lanterns...
s with dark-coloured oil. Tim learns to ski on two planks of wood, being towed, on the road, by a rope behind the Goodies trandem.
With another unusual 'map' (this time a kettle
Kettle
A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...
) to guide them, the Goodies travel to the British team's igloo
Igloo
An igloo or snowhouse is a type of shelter built of snow, originally built by the Inuit....
quarters. When the Goodies arrive at the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, where the Games are to be held, they are feeling extremely cold, but the sight of the beautiful Eskimo Nell
The Ballad of Eskimo Nell
The Ballad of Eskimo Nell is a bawdy rhymed recitation or song that recounts the tale of Deadeye Dick, his accomplice Mexican Pete and a woman they meet on their travels, named Eskimo Nell. In the view of some, Eskimo Nell is in her own way an authentic heroine and, by the yardstick of the...
warms them up. Meals are very unappetising and boring.
The Goodies are unsure how they would go in competition in the slippery and cold icy conditions, so they capture a butterfly and strap a sunlamp to it to give themselves a better chance. With the butterfly fluttering away, the steady beam of the sunlamp causes the ice and snow to melt. In the resultant extremely hot conditions, the competitors from other countries flounder, while the Goodies win many medals.
After the Goodies' triumphant return home, they find that extreme climatic
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
changes have suddenly occurred, with unexpected results.