BBC finally repeats shows

Goodies fans are celebrating after the BBC decided to repeat full episodes for the first time in more than 25 years.

BBC Two will air eight episodes over Christmas, with the first going out late at night next Wednesday.

It has been suggested that the BBC had refused to air the shows until now because Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor defected to ITV for their last series. The corporation did not even release the shows on DVD, leaving it to an independent company to secure the rights to a ‘best of’ collection.

In a recent interview, Oddie said: ‘Has the BBC been bearing a grudge for 30 years?’

Garden added: ‘We’ve never known the real reason they won’t show us, because whenever we’ve asked about repeats we’ve been given a different story.’

However, the trio clearly still have fans: a Return Of The Goodies special attracted 1.77 million viewers to BBC Two last month, even though it was a five-year-old repeat.

The eight episodes to be repeated to mark the trio’s 40th anniversary include the classics Kitten King, Kung Fu Kapers (also known as Ecky-Thump) and The Goodies And The Beanstalk, as well as lesser-known installments such as The Lighthouse the disco-themed Saturday Night Grease.

Lisa Manekofsky, president of The Goodies Rule - OK! fan club, said: ‘Goodies fans are rejoicing over the news and hoping this is only the beginning of The Goodies return to the BBC.’

Published: 16 Dec 2010