Change of Life (Goodies episode)
Encyclopedia
Change of Life is an episode of the British
comedy
television series The Goodies
— a BAFTA
-nominated series for Best Light Entertainment Programme.
This episode was made by LWT
for ITV
.
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Tim models the wildly over-the-top new looks available for Bill to choose, and after Bill decides on Graeme's Barbara Cartland
look-alike option, he's told he will have to settle with what he's given. Graeme then decides that they all could use a makeover and enters their details into the computer, which also organises dates for the trio for the night.
The Goodies hit the town to show off their new looks. Tim is sporting a curly blonde wig, beauty spot and false teeth. Graeme is given curly mop hair, a hairy chest and Groucho Marx
-style glasses, nose and moustache. Bill sports a bouffant
hairdo, platform shoes and ridiculous false chin. The Goodies wait to meet up with their dates, and soon discover that the computer organised three elderly ladies to be their companions for the night. The Goodies are led on a night of fun by the ladies - firstly to a pub, then a screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
, then a disco. The weary Goodies eventually stagger from the disco, only to see the old ladies leave them and head off with a group of motorcyclists.
The trio decide to close down their business due to old age, and Graeme stands on the office balcony threatening to commit suicide. Tim and Bill demand he make a last will and testament
before he goes, and with all of his possessions given away, Graeme jumps. Tim is horrified and runs over to the ledge. As he's leaning over the ledge lamenting on "that little face stone dead looking up at me", Graeme emerges, revealing that he only jumped a couple of feet, and right onto Tim's dead tortoise Gilbert.
Stating that it was just a test run, Graeme reveals his elaborate "doomsday machine", a Rube Goldberg
-style execution machine, replete with a giant blade, a 200,000 volt trap, spears, a shotgun and tripwire, a noose and a 1 ton weight, designed to end it all. Graeme blindfolds himself and prepares to end it all, but as he's about to enter the machine, the telephone rings, but the call is for the Goodies' resident Robot.
The Robot states that the Goodies is under new management and he's taken over. He accepts the job on offer, which makes the Goodies realise that they still want to carry on. The Robot states that they are not what they used to be, and Graeme says they can prove it by undertaking the "Goodies Standard Test", designed to see if they are still capable of carrying on as Goodies. The Robot will take over if they fail, but must do the test as well.
Arriving at the testing centre, the Goodies and the Robot must jump hurdles and then change into their trademark Goodies costumes. Their first task is to make a patriotic speech, Tim does nothing but faint. The Robot fires off fireworks
from the top of his head and plays a recording of Land of Hope and Glory
, winning the task.
The next task is to make a hit record. The Goodies fail again, with the Robot winning by doing his version of Funky Gibbon. The "Giant Kitten" from the Kitten Kong
episode makes an appearance and chases after the Goodies, but as they are chased by the cat, the wires and crew members pulling it along are revealed, with the Goodies computer admonishing the lads for revealing how the special effects were achieved.
The next task is Ecky Thump from the Kung Fu Kapers
episode, Tim and Graeme prove no challenge for the Robot. Bill decides to blow up his black pudding to ridiculous size, but it soon explodes all over him, meaning the Goodies lose another task. The Goodies then flee the Golden Goose from The Goodies and the Beanstalk episode. The Goose drops a golden egg bomb, and the computer tells the crew to bring in the Goodies stunt dummies and to get the real Goodies out of the shot. The egg bomb hits the ground and blows the dummies into the air. Trademark jump cuts see the Goodies' dummy selves being replaced by their real selves, but the effect is ruined when Bill appears on the opposite side of the screen to his dummy. The computer orders "get the dummy out" and Bill promptly walks off screen. A crew member brings him back, with the computer saying "No, the other dummy!". The Goose appears again, and it's revealed the phony goose is attached to a crane and being driven along. The Robot blows up the goose, and then the Goodies are attacked by a cardboard cutout Nicholas Parsons
. Making their escape on their trademark trandem bike, the Robot blows up Parsons. The Goodies crash their bike into a brick wall and a group of autograph hunters descend upon the Robot.
The final scores are revealed. The Robot scored 53 points. Tim scored 24 points, Graeme scored 28. Bill scored just two, but their combined tally of 54 is enough to beat the Robot. Conceding defeat, the Robot gives the job he received to his rivals. It is then revealed the job is a BBC
vacancy looking for "Three Goodies". Suddenly a job taken notice is placed over the job advert and the Goodies notice a trandem bike go past with their replacements - a trio of robots who have become the newest incarnations of the Goodies.
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 was made by LWT
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.
Plot
It is Bill's 40th birthday, and Tim and Graeme intend to celebrate it in grand style. An angry Bill, annoyed that he's getting older, arrives at the office and screams at his fellow Goodies to stop reminding him of his birthday. After Tim and Graeme ignore him and present him with a card and a cake (with no less than 75 candles), Bill flies into a rage, and accidentally ends up dumping the cake onto himself. A miserable Bill cheers up a little bit after catching a glimpse of his out-of-shape body in front of the mirror, and Graeme (assuming his doctor alter-ego "Dr Grayboots") offers to give Bill a makeover.Tim models the wildly over-the-top new looks available for Bill to choose, and after Bill decides on Graeme's Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland
Dame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
look-alike option, he's told he will have to settle with what he's given. Graeme then decides that they all could use a makeover and enters their details into the computer, which also organises dates for the trio for the night.
The Goodies hit the town to show off their new looks. Tim is sporting a curly blonde wig, beauty spot and false teeth. Graeme is given curly mop hair, a hairy chest and Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
-style glasses, nose and moustache. Bill sports a bouffant
Bouffant
A bouffant is a type of hairstyle characterized by hair piled high on the head and hanging down on the sides.-History:The bouffant was a mainstream hairstyle in the mid-to-late 18th century in western Europe. It was thought to be created for Marie Antoinette, as she had relatively thin hair and...
hairdo, platform shoes and ridiculous false chin. The Goodies wait to meet up with their dates, and soon discover that the computer organised three elderly ladies to be their companions for the night. The Goodies are led on a night of fun by the ladies - firstly to a pub, then a screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
, then a disco. The weary Goodies eventually stagger from the disco, only to see the old ladies leave them and head off with a group of motorcyclists.
The trio decide to close down their business due to old age, and Graeme stands on the office balcony threatening to commit suicide. Tim and Bill demand he make a last will and testament
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
before he goes, and with all of his possessions given away, Graeme jumps. Tim is horrified and runs over to the ledge. As he's leaning over the ledge lamenting on "that little face stone dead looking up at me", Graeme emerges, revealing that he only jumped a couple of feet, and right onto Tim's dead tortoise Gilbert.
Stating that it was just a test run, Graeme reveals his elaborate "doomsday machine", a Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
-style execution machine, replete with a giant blade, a 200,000 volt trap, spears, a shotgun and tripwire, a noose and a 1 ton weight, designed to end it all. Graeme blindfolds himself and prepares to end it all, but as he's about to enter the machine, the telephone rings, but the call is for the Goodies' resident Robot.
The Robot states that the Goodies is under new management and he's taken over. He accepts the job on offer, which makes the Goodies realise that they still want to carry on. The Robot states that they are not what they used to be, and Graeme says they can prove it by undertaking the "Goodies Standard Test", designed to see if they are still capable of carrying on as Goodies. The Robot will take over if they fail, but must do the test as well.
Arriving at the testing centre, the Goodies and the Robot must jump hurdles and then change into their trademark Goodies costumes. Their first task is to make a patriotic speech, Tim does nothing but faint. The Robot fires off fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
from the top of his head and plays a recording of Land of Hope and Glory
Land of Hope and Glory
"Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar and lyrics by A. C. Benson, written in 1902.- Composition :...
, winning the task.
The next task is to make a hit record. The Goodies fail again, with the Robot winning by doing his version of Funky Gibbon. The "Giant Kitten" from the Kitten Kong
Kitten Kong
"Kitten Kong" is the first BAFTA nominated episode for Best Light Entertainment Programme of the British comedy television series The Goodies.As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.-Award:...
episode makes an appearance and chases after the Goodies, but as they are chased by the cat, the wires and crew members pulling it along are revealed, with the Goodies computer admonishing the lads for revealing how the special effects were achieved.
The next task is Ecky Thump from the Kung Fu Kapers
Kung Fu Kapers
Kung Fu Kapers 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 "Ecky-Thump"....
episode, Tim and Graeme prove no challenge for the Robot. Bill decides to blow up his black pudding to ridiculous size, but it soon explodes all over him, meaning the Goodies lose another task. The Goodies then flee the Golden Goose from The Goodies and the Beanstalk episode. The Goose drops a golden egg bomb, and the computer tells the crew to bring in the Goodies stunt dummies and to get the real Goodies out of the shot. The egg bomb hits the ground and blows the dummies into the air. Trademark jump cuts see the Goodies' dummy selves being replaced by their real selves, but the effect is ruined when Bill appears on the opposite side of the screen to his dummy. The computer orders "get the dummy out" and Bill promptly walks off screen. A crew member brings him back, with the computer saying "No, the other dummy!". The Goose appears again, and it's revealed the phony goose is attached to a crane and being driven along. The Robot blows up the goose, and then the Goodies are attacked by a cardboard cutout Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
. Making their escape on their trademark trandem bike, the Robot blows up Parsons. The Goodies crash their bike into a brick wall and a group of autograph hunters descend upon the Robot.
The final scores are revealed. The Robot scored 53 points. Tim scored 24 points, Graeme scored 28. Bill scored just two, but their combined tally of 54 is enough to beat the Robot. Conceding defeat, the Robot gives the job he received to his rivals. It is then revealed the job is a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
vacancy looking for "Three Goodies". Suddenly a job taken notice is placed over the job advert and the Goodies notice a trandem bike go past with their replacements - a trio of robots who have become the newest incarnations of the Goodies.
Spoofs and cultural references
- The "Glasgow messia Fu Manchu" look, briefly modelled by Tim, is a reference to Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
. - Tim's other impersonations include Denis HealeyDenis HealeyDenis Winston Healey, Baron Healey CH, MBE, PC is a British Labour politician, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.-Early life:...
and Barbara CartlandBarbara CartlandDame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
, as well as a 'cuddly toy' in reference to The Generation GameThe Generation GameThe Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
. - The grannies drag the Goodies to the cinema to see The Texas Chain Saw MassacreThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
, a film refused a British certificate by the BBFC until 1999, but which was widely released to cinemas anyway after local town and city councils (including the Greater London Council) awarded it an X-certificate (the equivalent to today's 18 certificate). - The 'Goodies Standard Test' references several other episodes of The GoodiesThe 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...
, including Kitten KongKitten Kong"Kitten Kong" is the first BAFTA nominated episode for Best Light Entertainment Programme of the British comedy television series The Goodies.As always, the episode was written by members of The Goodies.-Award:...
, The Goodies and the Beanstalk, Kung Fu KapersKung Fu KapersKung Fu Kapers 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 "Ecky-Thump"....
and The Goodies – Almost Live. - The final shot was originally intended to have been the Not the Nine O'Clock NewsNot the Nine O'Clock NewsNot the Nine O'Clock News is a television comedy sketch show which was broadcast on BBC 2 from 1979 to 1982.Originally shown as a comedy "alternative" to the BBC Nine O'Clock News on BBC 1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy...
team cycling into the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
headquarters on a four-seater bike.