Spike Milligan - 'From Woy Woy to Wagga Wagga'

[@BryThai]

Coming to Woy Woy anytime soon? Since July 2018, there is a permanent MILLIGAN EXHIBIT at the local library! It includes a plethora of family memorabilia, and a fantastic 16-minute historic film called 'The Milligans of Woy Woy', hosted by Spike's daughter Laura and nephew Michael. It was produced locally for the Central Coast Council by Awake Productions and my colleague Bob at VideoSpark. More info on this link: www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/council/news/media-releases/spike-milligan-exhibition-comes-to-life

[@fm6419]

Curated by Geoff Potter from Gosford Library and our Curator from Brisbane Water Historical Society

[@BryThai]

@@fm6419 Yes Fiona, and a great job they did on the exhibit!

[@yokoonoII]

its funny cos he used to make a joke of woy woy. which it is haha. for the newly weds and nearly deads

[@chrispeterson1247]

That Melbourne Cup race was 1986 not 87

[@marknovak8471]

I'm 60 in 4 days and watching this just about brought tears to my eyes. This Australia is long gone and nothing remotely like it will ever rise again.

[@voice_of_change]

I am 76 watching this in 2024 and feel just the same.

[@Smudgie]

Spike really was a one-off and he still always puts a smile on my face. God bless.

[@flyingbarrel1949]

That's what I call a proper travel documentary. Was spellbound all the way through. Thank you for downloding.

[@iseeolly9959]

My dad and I watched this 30 years ago, tomorrow I'll say to him "Don't put the pot in the river" and he will laugh out loud, wonderful. xx

[@kenallen768]

It was nice to watch and see Bill Kerr with Spike , Bill was one of Tony Hancocks side kicks on the radio during the 50’s . Anyway I enjoyed the documentary. Thank u for posting it .

[@_Ben4810]

I am currently reading ''Spike An Intimate Memoir'' by his very long-serving agent, manager & clearer-upper, Norma Farnes...A great read, with enormous affection & love for Spike & his family...especially his mother. Love this documentary, & to see all things Woy Woy & his mother, as described in the book, dressed in her Royal Ascot finest outfit to watch the Melbourne Cup on TV...!!!

[@nickprohoroff3720]

Oh. Rare and privilliged is the serious side of The Milligan. "In the calender of arms, they are a mighty people." is quite a thing.

[@56music64]

Funny man and wonderful film. Sad that we all have to go. Loved the story about the drover with the brown snake in the pub, very funny. Australia and Australians you won't find better

[@jojandy1963]

How fantastic was that? Loved every second of it. Thanks Spike...RIP

[@ErgonBill]

Most Aussies I know actually 'got' Spike's humour. Fondly remember sitting around the radio listening to the Goon Show. Importantly, the 'Python ' crew did too and extended it further. Anyway, thanks for sharing this, was wonderful to see it again. We should have listened when he told us he was sick. 😉

[@christiankirkwood3402]

ALWAYS loved the guy. From "The Goon Show" with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine to his simple yet absurdly hilarious book's like the one about his time in the Artillery in WWII "Adolf Hitler - My Part in his Downfall" to his razor wit, this was a true renaissance man. My parent's regularly tuned into "The Goon Show" and used to say he had "shell shock" P.T.S.D. - the entry price for combat exposure. The man wouldn't be out of place in this world now. What a truly wonderfully funny and unique man with a curious bent. You live in my soul Spike Milligan :)

[@debjtomtom889]

I love Spike Milligans epitaph . . I told you I was sick . . Hey he got his last words out with his comedic way Good Onya Spike . . . 😁 . . .

[@johnzielman2014]

Just beautiful.

[@Anglosaxon69]

Bloody marvellous 👍

[@christiankirkwood3402]

Additional comment: I was born in 1962 and my Nanna moved to Nelson St, Umina in 1969. I was christened in Woy Woy age 7... we ALWAYS used to keep a weather eye out for Spike when we'd spend school holidays in Umina, surfing the spit at Ettalong (Box Head), Rollerskating at Ettalong and peddling our pushies to Woy Woy Olympic Pool for a change of scenery. Pure gold time's.

[@boemcshane4790]

I'm so glad he had all this

[@cynic150]

I heard that Spike loved jazz, but this is the first time I have heard him play jazz piano, and I am impressed. I think he played the trumpet aswell.

[@Cheepchipsable]

He was in a band during his war service.

[@plunder1956]

The bit with the tent near the end is crazy.

[@fredbloggs8362]

For some reason ‘good luck Eric’ has been stuck in my brain since i saw this on the ABC about 25 years ago.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

*"Australia: Land of opportunity, and sunshine!"* That was a hilarious introduction, by Spike Milligan.

[@terrymatthews8219]

Gotta love Spike

[@aureliobrighton1871]

I have just discovered the whole Goon thing (long way for a native German) ... it is still hard for me to decipher but I felt drawn to them from minute one .. and with rolling the Tube I have come to like Mr. Milligan a lot . besides we have a 'revolving Restaurant' on top of the Olympiaturm here in Munich as well and hearing him say the word I could almost see guests randomly fired into the evening skies together with their napkins and plates 🌼:)

[@chrisellis1089]

Great that these archive nuggets are still coming to light . .thanks for sharing . .

[@danielwhittaker695]

its get weirder when you think he had a massive affair with the Australian girl that her husband and his wife allowed to go on!!!!!! man spike was a legend!!!!!

[@simonstone4496]

He was a great funny man he changed comedy in in the UK

[@PhilipDoyle-t8e]

Interesting documentary,spike milligan.woy woy etc.meeting his mum + friends

[@netphrek]

Very rarely does a youtube video keep my interest for as long as fifty three minutes. This definitely did. Thanks for the upload man

[@johnmitchelljr]

The man did so much great work. Thank you.

[@rossandrew180]

Been a fan of Spike's since way way back and have lived and traveled in Aussie. An absolute fascinating story of his later life. Thanks for the upload.

[@parisd0g729]

This is magic to me.

[@PimlicoSteve]

Wonderful documentary! So happy someone has finally uploaded it to KZbin. Remember watching it when it was first shown on the BBC in 1987.

[@terenceotoole7850]

Dear Spike seemed so happy and contented in Australia he looked so sad in England probably just too much pressure to be funny 24 7 he would have lasted longer in Australia, just my opinion but what a lovely guy RIP Spike ps Bones & Bill Kerr are great guys to be with, what a trio, thanks for the upload great video

[@steviejohn9502]

i HAD LUNCH WITH HIS BROTHER AT THE Epping club Sydney a very nice chap indeed !

[@flashtheoriginal]

I saw this, I dunno, must be 40 years ago. I havent forgotten the Sydney Harbour Bridge joke, or the pyramid of bones one 😅😊😅😅 As for the bush tucker, when Spike remarked he was preparing for the dissentry season, I almost pissed myself laughing. When Bones went on and on and on about the pot in the river I was amazed no-one shoved it up his arsehole. Sideways. Twice. "Bill, you'll have to translate what Bones says to me, Ive been here 3 days and I dont understand what he's talking about". Classic

[@dennysmith4396]

Good luck Eric! Love Spike SO SO SO much!!! R.i.p. lovely man....

[@erikleypoldt8275]

Born in Gosford in 1981, I grew up in Woy Woy, nanna lived in Umina, we rode our bikes down Trafalgar Av daily. Woy Woy pool, BMX track behind, corner store for lollies, hamburgers. Times were good then, not the same now, trains are still as shit and house prices crazy here it is 2022.

[@matcole1975]

My Grandparents retired in Woy Woy. Great memories as a kid visiting them during school holidays and Xmas

[@BryThai]

Yes it is a great insight to another side of Spike's life. Very pleased that you and others who commented have enjoyed the program.

[@giteducalme]

Omg - spikes Ma was just like the Queen mum.😂

[@alecball68]

That's one of the best documentaries and I am crying with laughter thanks SPIKE

[@therespectedlex9794]

He was lucky, I wish my parents would bugger off to Australia.

[@johnharrop5530]

I was lucky enough to have met Spike on Woy Woy station when I was a kid 13 years old , I asked him what he had and it was a painting of his dad that he was going to get cleaned for his mum 😊 ,my father loved Spike and he would of been jealous,unfortunately my dad died 4 years earlier

[@dennistregellis9162]

My wife had a hairdressers in Gosford in the 1980's just near the railway station. One Saturday just as she cleaning up to close, Spike walked in and asked her for a hair cut. He had on his usual grey light weight raincoat.She recognised him straight away but never said so or even asked for his autograph which she has always regretted.

[@stevealdous5905]

That's how I want to remember Australia

[@styxcreek]

this is gold. thanks uploader

[@markbegley1564]

fabulous ,thank you

[@anEyePhil]

Whenever I go to the Central Coast from Sydney, I always drive past his Mums old house, park, and soak up the Goonery.

[@seasidehouseuk]

How could anyone give Spike a thumbs down?

[@bongofrenzy303]

Don't worry. He doesn't mind.

[@d7sfblab]

For sheer bigotry, possibly...

[@mrtrashcompaktor1540]

Maybe they were fascists ? 'He also joined the Young Communist League in opposition to Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists, who were gaining support near his home in south London' I certainly don't think you can describe him from a few of the contemporary attitudes of the time that he expressed....he wasn't perfect....and no one from the past, the present or the future is either.

[@philipbond9896]

some people have no breading

[@Nozinbonsai]

​@@philipbond9896 like for deep frying?

[@markmathews6876]

Spikes classic road trip

[@toulds]

Pure Gold.

[@vantheman1238]

Imagine being that train driver and thinking “was that Spoke Milligan” 😂

[@KJVism]

What a legend. Not your usual lonely planet

[@voice_of_change]

@voice_of_change 0 seconds ago I am 76 watching this in 2024 and feel nostalgia now I am an expat in Asia . I have traveled almost every place Spike went on this video having been a Northern Beaches boy (Narrabeen) who married a girl from Griffith hence have traveled through most of those places like Grong Grong, Gumly Gumly, Wagga Wagga, Woy Woy as well as most of Australia.

[@jackdaniels4282]

Nice video.. I discovered new sights and funny names of the city's. Thanx

[@bradtrounson]

Loved it.

[@petertancred3507]

Wow wow the 'venice of oztraylia..... classic!

[@anniemac4637]

Such a humble man..RIP...😊

[@markmathews6876]

just about a lost world now. Spike old mate

[@mikepetergumball8337]

fantastic .

[@me-cq7wv]

Maybe GOON But Never Forgotten LEGEND

[@briankane6547]

Baked on a Stone = "Damper" Round a stick = "Twist"

[@adrianjackson2696]

Not many bogan's left in Australia now like the blokes shown in the last half of this film which is 34 years old now in 2021.

[@boychildnew1]

That's interesting - Spike took on a slight Australian accent when he arrived there!

[@redsword1659]

as he says, he spent a lot of time here and he got his accent here

[@shaughnfourie304]

THANK YOU ONE OF MY HEROES .....INTREPID IS THE WORD.....OH DEAR OH DEAR OHHHH DEAR

[@planB-john]

John Laws and Stan Zemanek Gee time flies.

[@darkelectric2024]

Sad, they're all gone makes me wonder sometimes what's it all about.

[@deejannemeiurffnicht1791]

Good gosha mighty! I remember being on those double-dekker trains in the Sydney area when visiting on my way to NZ. I'd never seen anything like them. A good system compared to what I was used to in Scotland. Spike wasn't sure which part of the name Woy Woy meant 'deep', and which part meant 'water', since the name is said to mean 'deep water'.I'm guessing woy is water, and woy woy means water-water.. a lot of it. Hence deep water.... Would that be right?

[@barumman]

Very interesting and entertaining.

[@waggafletcher]

Vale Mike Bailey. Weatherman extraordinaire.

[@fl3162]

I didn’t realise Spike was normal - but this film shows that he is or was

[@parisd0g729]

Don't worry ole mate being left behind isn't so bad.

[@gerrynicol3951]

Loved waricks joke,Rover wouldve loved those bones.

[@parisd0g729]

Don't put the pot in the river... Wise advice, haha.

[@intothefuzz3866]

Ha no way there watching the Melbourne cup at my nans old house what a spin out

[@thomaselliott573]

This must have been made in 1987. It might have been a good idea if you mentioned that. I visited here often around 1978 to see my girlfriend who lived in Woy Woy. It was a strange place in a way and Spike did not know it quite as well as I do, but even given its faults, this is an accurate representation of its better side. It was a wonderfully unaffected place and very lovable as most of Australia was at that time.

[@BryThai]

It might have been a good idea if you read my introduction which gave the year the program was broadcast, before being so quick to complain. Regarding Woy Woy, every place has its good and bad sides and Woy Woy is a typical Australian town in most respects.

[@dmg7111]

Hahahahaha, I'm an ol' Terrigal fella. Was known, 'lovingly', as WallyWorld back then. Played a lot of rugby on Woy Woy Oval... Was as hard as a mother-in-laws kiss.

[@lesbennett18]

I still listen to the Goons, while lockedup in Andrewstan, (formerly Melbourne). Their humour got me through puberty. I still try to see the stupidity in the chaos called modern society. Not difficult in Victoria, Australia 2021.

[@Nozinbonsai]

Try complaining in a real "stan" province. I'm happy to pay for a one way flight. In the meantime keep whining.

[@lezzman]

18:26 Birth control? If she thought there were too many people in 1987, what must she be feeling in 2017? Woy Woy is practically a major metropolis today.

[@wuipuichang611]

Didn't I say don't put the pot in the river bill😄

[@adrianjackson2696]

Check out on You Tube "Woy Woy the Venice of Australia" made in the early 1930's by the look of it. A serious travel short film. Interesting and funny but Spike was not in it.

[@madskier50]

That woman was right about the pork sausages though. Couldn't get a decent one all the time I lived in Australia.

[@BryThai]

🙄

[@anthonywilson4873]

Woy meaning water, it must mean water with water which must be deep.

[@MichaelCairns-fv2vi]

He planted alot of trees in Woy Woy

[@andyjay9346]

Eccles could have put that tent up far quicker then eaten the burnt damper.

[@dmg7111]

needle nardle noo..... 😜

[@sydneytravellervlogs4659]

Spike 😅😭😢

[@lisacolley3897]

bellylaughs

[@roblostandlate.6005]

51:44 - 52:14. What did he say?

[@dmg7111]

" needle nardle noo " ???

[@ralphlongbottom2218]

Don’t think Spike trusted the taxi driver, who he said knew him by name. Stalker alert? Spike got him to drop him off in a side street called Cedar Crescent just before his Mum’s place. Celebrity occupational hazards...

[@BryThai]

🙄

[@BryThai]

Spike clearly knew the driver, who, like many locals, knew the Milligan home very well. I'm sure the reason he dropped Spike where he did, was so that there wouldn't be any crazy viewers trying to identify or stalk the house!

[@allenkreymborg7492]

nice

[@gperrin9050]

how the F did john laws look 70 in the 80's and he is not dead in 2019

[@BryThai]

Considering that Mr Golden Tonsils is 'only' 83 now - he must have got quite an early start working, and living life to the full - but great that he's a fan of Spike!

[@dennysmith4396]

Sad spraying poison everywhere.... no wonder animal kingdom in dire straits!!! Mutual respect is all it takes to keep a paradise alive.... lovely lady wth kangas!!!

[@lynguthrie1601]

Spike’s brand of comedy died with him ....unfortunately!

[@kendavies945]

"the Aborigines got lost terminally" and that's progress???

[@oldoddjobs]

Won't somebody think of the gines

[@gisellemagraibhaigh8342]

How did Spike manage to avoid conversation, let alone footage, with Aboriginal people? Can only be deliberate - goes to Wagga, Tumut etc and not one black face??? Disturbing and hugely disappointing. Was he a 'fascist' like his dad maybe 🤔

[@dmg7111]

Sorry to burst your bubble, But... Like it or not the majority of folks here screaming "I'm proud to be Aboriginal" aint all that black.

[@patrickjohnson1309]

Why would he interview Aborigines?

[@oldoddjobs]

How did he manage it? Effortlessly