Occasionally, when I've had nothing better to do (which is really more than occasionally, when it comes down to it), I do a little mental tally of which television shows have had the most lasting influence on my life.

Since my life is mostly taken up by writing/cultural commentary, I do this by tabulating which particular shows end up appearing - either by direct quote or gentle paraphrase - in my work.

Generally speaking, the top of the pile looks something like this: The Nanny, The Simpsons, Seinfeld, Black Adder, and The Goodies.


(Best themesong of all time?)

The latter's influence has extended beyond the written/broadcast word in my world and entered (like so many pointless pop culture references) my daily vernacular. There's a Goodies quote for every occasion.

Someone asks a stupid question? "If only we had an Eskimo phrasebook ah here's one."

Irritating modern art, pompous critical thought or interpretive dance? "Bienvenue à Cannes Festival of Le Boring" and/or "Sacha Disgrace" and "Jean Paul Satire".

Is it windy outside? "Le compulsory 'Walking Against The Wind'."

No particular reason at all: singing Tulips From Amsterdam and then screaming "HE'S EATEN ME GRAMOPHONE!"

And so on.

So you can imagine my delight when my mum breathlessly emailed me to let me know that ABC2 was once again screening The Goodies, every Monday night at the perfect "oh god the week has started again" time of 8pm.

Given the limited amount of episodes available on DVD (curse you, BBC!) and the quiet, winking enjoyment that comes with watching the show again with grown-up eyes, being able to actually watch the show "on air" again is lovely.

Most of the episodes stand up very well, and even the weaker ones are testaments to the enduring hilarity of fast/rewind-motion, outrageous sound effects, and Bill Oddie's never-quite-realised dreams of pop stardom:




What's especially nice is knowing that - as much as it makes me sound like a PR nutjob - there's the chance for a whole new generation of viewers to discover the show.

(And I don't necessarily mean children - a close friend had, believe it or not, never watched the show, and was mind-blown by last week's Kitten Kong airing.)

But most of all it means that, perhaps, I can now blurt out Goodies lines like they're going out of style (well, they went out of style around 1989), and at least people now know when to tune in to be enlightened.