The Goons were a British comedy group formed in 1951 in London, England, by Spike Milligan, born April 16, 1918, in Ahmednagar, British India; Harry Secombe, born September 8, 1921, in Swansea, Wales; Peter Sellers, born September 8, 1925, in Portsmouth, England; and Michael Bentine, born January 26, 1919, in Watford, England. Originating from informal performances at Grafton's pub in Victoria, London, the troupe was signed by the BBC Home Service, debuting in May 1951 with the radio comedy series Crazy People, which was renamed The Goon Show for its second series. Running for 10 series until 1960, the group achieved musical chart success with the 1956 novelty single “Bloodnok's Rock 'n' Roll Call” / “Ying Tong Song”, which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, and “I'm Walking Backwards for Christmas”, which reached number 4. In 1972, the troupe reunited for the BBC Radio 4 special The Last Goon Show of All. Following Bentine's departure after the second series, the remaining members continued collaborating until the deaths of Sellers on July 24, 1980, Bentine on November 26, 1996, Secombe on April 11, 2001, and Milligan on February 27, 2002.
