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"The End" is an episode of the British
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
television series ''
The Goodies
The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television comed ...
''.
This episode is also known as "''Encased in Concrete''" and "''Concrete on the Outside''" and as "''Entombed''".
Written by
The Goodies
The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television comed ...
, with songs and music by Bill Oddie.
Plot
The Goodies's office accidentally gets completely covered in
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
, ironically as part of an architectural design of Graeme. The Main Works Department agree to save them, but only after completing a series of highways across Britain (drawn on the map as a game of
noughts and crosses
Tic-tac-toe (American English), noughts and crosses (Commonwealth English), or Xs and Os (Canadian or Irish English) is a paper-and-pencil game for two players who take turns marking the spaces in a three-by-three grid with ''X'' or ''O''. T ...
). Gradually all the Goodies'
utility
As a topic of economics, utility is used to model worth or value. Its usage has evolved significantly over time. The term was introduced initially as a measure of pleasure or happiness as part of the theory of utilitarianism by moral philosopher ...
services are discontinued, including the telephone (they cannot go out to pay the bills). Then, later, when the nation is in the grip of poverty, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
cuts back their services by 100%, and the ending of television broadcasts means that the Goodies are cut off entirely from the outside world. Tim then asks "Who thinks we should panic now?" All three raise their hands, and proceed to panic, with much screeching and Tim crying "
I'm a teapot!" repeatedly, with the attendant teapot pose.
Tempers become short and Bill (arguing with Tim) says: "In this society, every single one of us is gonna clean the shoes." Tim retorts: "You sniviling little commie." Bill retaliates with the comment: "You elitist, fascist pig." Tim, feeling insulted, says: "Well I never." Graeme then enters the conversation, saying: "This is good, political discussion, a healthy thing." Bill denies this, saying: "This isn't political discussion, we're just shouting at one another", to which Graeme replies: "Same thing."
When they are almost out of food, Tim and Graeme decide that Bill should '
provide' for them. Bill, who is totally unaware of the plans against him, comes up with a solution of cooking and eating the furniture. This means that he is not eaten and his life is saved.
The years pass, and the Goodies grow old, and they begin suffering from
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
s, which is noticeable when Tim and Graeme are in conversation with each other, reliving their past. Tim comments: "Goodness! I've almost forgotten what an umbrella looks like." Graeme then makes the comment: "You know, I've almost forgotten what a woman looks like." Tim reminisces: "Women, yes — and umbrellas. Hey!" Graeme agrees, saying: "Many's the evening you'd dance the night away with an attractive young umbrella." Tim continues: "And, if it rained on your way home, you'd pop up your woman." Graeme then comments: "They'd keep you dry all night!" and Tim says: "I used to have a big black woman with a cane handle ...."
Later they 'get' religion, Graeme becomes a monk, Tim becomes Jewish, and Bill becomes a
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
. While Tim and Graeme show their ages, Bill never seems to change — he seems to be forever young.
A rescue team finally arrives to rescue the Goodies —
space suit
A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...
ed Goodies from the future, but all that's left in the office is the skeletons of Graeme and Tim and the recently deceased corpse of Bill (who still hasn't aged). Just as they are about to leave, there is a
cave-in
A cave-in is a collapse of a geologic formation, mine or structure which may occur during mining, tunneling, or steep-walled excavation such as trenching. Geologic structures prone to spontaneous cave-ins include alvar, tsingy and other limes ...
, trapping the new Goodies where they experience similar difficulties. Immediately, the 'Future Tim' panics and assumes the pose of a teapot spout and handle, and comments: "I'm a teapot!"
Cultural references
*
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
*
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
Notes
* The office is decorated with posters of
David Essex
David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...
and
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...
, both of whom grow beards as the episode progresses.
* Tim's and Graeme's elderly selves are based on Teddy and Freddy, professorial characters from the duo's
Broaden Your Mind
''Broaden Your Mind'' (1968–1969) is a British television comedy series, broadcast on BBC2 and starring Tim Brooke-Taylor and Graeme Garden, joined by Bill Oddie for the second series. Guest cast members included Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Jo ...
series (and revived on the 2007 UK stage tour, ''The Goodies Still Rule OK'').
* Bill remarks that "under this lot (his beard and moustache) I look a bit like
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...
". Bill would later shave-off his beard for ''
Earthanasia
"Earthanasia" is an episode of the British comedy television series ''The Goodies''. It was written by The Goodies, with songs and music by Bill Oddie.
This episode is also known as "''The End of the World Show''" and "''The End of the World''". ...
''.
*This episode was set completely in the Goodies' office, because the show's budget had run out.
"Oldie but Goodie"
Kerrie Murphy, The Australian
''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
, 1998
DVD and VHS releases
This episode has been released on both DVD and VHS.
References
* "''The Complete Goodies''" — Robert Ross, B T Batsford, London, 2000
* "''The Goodies Rule OK''" — Robert Ross, Carlton Books Ltd, Sydney, 2006
* "''From Fringe to Flying Circus'' — 'Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980'" — Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980
* "''The Goodies Episode Summaries''" — Brett Allender
* "''The Goodies — Fact File''" — Matthew K. Sharp
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:End, The
The Goodies (series 5) episodes
1975 British television episodes