Son of Fred

Son of Fred
Written by	Spike Milligan
Starring	Peter Sellers; Spike Milligan; Valentine Dyall; Kenneth Connor; Graham Stark; Patti Lewis; Max Geldray; John Vyvyan; Mario Fabrizi
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	8
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Release
Original network	Associated-Rediffusion; ITV
Original release	17 September –; 5 November 1956
Chronology
Preceded by	The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d ; A Show Called Fred

Son of Fred was the successor series to The Idiot Weekly, Price 2d and A Show Called Fred. It was made by Associated-Rediffusion and broadcast only in the London area, Midlands and Northern England.

It was the third and final in a series of sketch comedy shows attempting to translate the humour of The Goon Show to television. Spike Milligan concentrated on writing and only made small walk on appearances, leaving the lead acting to Peter Sellers. The series was produced and directed by Richard Lester.

Impact on comedy and culture

The minimalist format, with little or no scenery and few props, sketches without any real purpose or punch line, and mixing live action and short animations directly influenced the format of Monty Python's Flying Circus.[1] The unconventional format was revived in Spike Milligan's Q series more than a decade later.

A half hour special Best of Fred was broadcast on 18 September 1963 combining surviving sketches from A Show Called Fred and Son of Fred.

The 1997 convention of the Goon Show Preservation Society was billed as Son of a Weekend Called Fred.

Archive status

The show is believed lost, no episodes are known to exist as of 2009.

Footnotes

Terry Jones quoted in Roger Wilmut From Fringe to Flying Circus, London: Eyre Methuen, 1980.

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[1] Terry Jones quoted in Roger Wilmut From Fringe to Flying Circus, London: Eyre Methuen, 1980.