My mum wrote to Spike back in '93 after the release of his book about depression. She had written just expressing her feelings about the book and her own experience etc. Spike took it upon himself to find out my mums house phone number and gave her a call to see if she was ok. They ended up chatting on a couple of occasions and my mum sent him a Christmas card every year. Bless the man.

I have spent the last 50 years of my 72 year life reading everything about Spike. I would love to come up with something astounding to say but Spike is just a lovely genius. We miss him now and should have made more of the great man when he was with us.

In the eighties Spike would turn up at out Jazz club and sit there with his chicken in a basket just enjoying the ambiance. None of us regulars paid him overly attention and he appreciated that. He would on some occasions get up on stage and play along with the what ever bands were performing .On one occasion someone asked him for his autograph handing spike a beer mat and a pen. Spike obligingly signed his name on the back of the beer mat and passed it back to the chap who then asked "could you sign it to Wally and Enid" Spike grinned asking, " Why don't they know their name He rest now in the grave yard in Winchelsea church . On his grave stone he wanted carved " See I told you I was ill" The church wouldn't allow that so he had it translated into Irish . Weather permitting when passing the Church we pop in a and share a beer with him. He was and still is a NATIONAL treasure. Bless him.

I only saw Spike live once. Edinburgh Festival more than 40 years ago. Totally empty stage with one armchair at centre and he came on, sat down and had the full house in stitches for over an hour. I laughed so much I was actually sore most of next day. He was a comic genius from a very different time. Much missed. Thanks for posting this vid.

RIP Spike Milligan (April 16, 1918 - February 27, 2002), aged 83 And RIP Sir Michael Parkinson (March 28, 1935 - August 16, 2023), aged 88 You both will be remembered as legends.

Dear Spike left us in 2002 - 'Parky' left us just yesterday at the grand old age of 88. Both at the top of their respective games. Spike suffered mentally with the stress of writing single-handedly the Goon show scripts. It must be very difficult for an artiste to fully appreciate how much they are admired and loved form within the bubble in which they live - but i hope that both these wonderful gentlemen did have some inkling of the love and affection their audiences had for them. R.I.P. gentleman. Thank you for the enjoyment you have given me over the decades I that have been listening to you.

Spike was an absolute Comedy genius , nobody can touch him, the world is poorer for laughter without him.

Spike has been one of my heroes since I was a child. Today I am only 6 or 7 years younger than he was when this show was made and feel I can relate to much of his melancholy and how nostalgia was so appealing to him. The show is notable for the fact that Parky managed to bring out the best of Spike and interviewed him when he was in a good frame of mind; genuine, caring and willing to participate in the interview, instead of constantly clowning, for which he was notorious. Oddly, Parkinson himself comes across as a shade more stilted than usual. He seemed to lurch and leapfrog from one topic to the next. In general, he was smoother and more adept at going with the flow. Nevertheless, he still was able to elicit quite a bit of original material from Spike, and for that we are grateful. Thank you for posting such a trenchant reminder that there was so much more to Spike Milligan than the limited picture that so many have of him.

When Adolf Hitler, My part in his downfall was first released I read it on holiday in Dorset. I remember well sitting on the cliffs in hysterics, passers by thought I was mad. R,I,P Spike you are still the greatest.

Spike is legendary, I love him for all his quirks, His highs, lows and everything in between.

Spike Milligan was a wonderful bloke. I remember this brilliant joke of him, he said he was once asked what he would like to have written on his tombstone and he said "I TOLD YOU I WAS ILL!" 😂😂😂

An absolutely genuine legend a great man whos timing and humour was amazing.We all loved Spike.

Fantastic. And rare to see him so lucid and with so much time to talk.

What a wonderful interview. I had forgotten the humour of Spike Milligan. Very nostalgic and sad to watch all in one.

Wow!! How good was this interview- Spike was on fire .. not anyone could interview Spike & get all that Michael Parkinson got out of him here. Wonderful!! R.I.P. Sir Michael Parkinson & Spike Milligan 🙏❤️🙏

Anyone who hasn't read Puckoon, find a copy, laugh until you cry, then pass it on.

Spike. I've read his war memoirs numerous times. Wonderful. ❤

Loved this man he was brilliant witty and eccentric the best

I bought my first Milligan book aged 12 and haven't stopped laughing yet. Thanks for this as I didn't see it at the time.

Brilliant absolutely brilliant. A national treasure. The new comics don't hold a candle to him.

What Spike said about the Australians is spot on. They are wonderful, easy-going, friendly people. The 10 years I spent in Australia (1995-2005) were the nicest years of my life.

Another example, among many, of the brilliance of Sir Michael Parkinson.

I used to work with a man, Ralph Pickett, RIP, who was in the same Artillery Regiment during WW2 - the 7th Heavy Artillery. Spike was 4 guns down the line. Ralph said he was an absolute lunatic in those days. His books, 'Hitler and my part in his downfall' and 'Rommel, Gunner who?' had me in stitches.

Spikes war books are brilliant went back and read them again and again over the years..

Thank you so much for uploading. One of the best Spike interviews I've seen.

He grew to love Australia, Barry Humphries, and Woy Woy North of Sydney where his parents lived. Australia loved him, the Goon Show (ABC National, midday every Sunday), and everything else about him.

62 going on 26 AhtitinThailand What a joy to be able to listen. Thank you for posting

Spike was a national hero and treasure. A comic genius.

This upload is a true YT gem, thanks!

Parkinson was one of the best interviewers of all time

If you've never read Spike's : "Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall" I strongly urge you to. The funniest book that I've ever picked up. And RIP to Parky. A fantastic interviewer.

VHS-decode is one of the hugest technological advances the media preservation community has seen, and I'm incredible grateful to those who put in the work to develop it.

I've never seen Spike Milligan so funny as here.

An absolute gentleman. He went through Hell writing the Goon Show. Truly one of the comic geniuses of our time. R. I. P. Spike Milligna - the well known spelling error

Never seen this before - excellent. Spike is an all time hero, and Parky one of the best, great combo...

Spike Milligan had a strange absurdist take on things. His next door neighbour once hailed him over the garden fence and said : Hey Spike. I've just seen you on the TV. Later the neighbour was at home and someone knocked on his door. He opened the door and it was Spike. And Spike said, Oh hello, I've just seen you in the garden.

I read his complete series of books, WW2. I could not stop crying ...

Parky was the Master of Chat shows. 😢

Spike is one of my all time comedy heroes along with Michael Palin and Rik Mayall. Only one left. Long live Mike!

1st play I was ever taken to was Puckoon back in the eighties. I wtill laugh out loud when I think of it. I come from Donegal, bordering northern Ireland. I have been in the pub believed to be the inspiration for it. I cannot recommend this highly enough for anyone who wants to just laugh at absurdity Miss you Spike!

Excellent interview. Love them both

Absolutely brilliant.

God bless Spike. The originator of The Goons. Writing the vast majority of the scripts and the pressure eventually sending him 'over the edge'. He will forever be remembered for The Goons and the effect they had on future generations of comedians. R.I.P. A well deserved rest.

Entertaining, witty and trying to raise a warning about the abuse that has since come out! Gotta love Spike, a true genius

We were truly blessed having both of these great character' living amongst us. They won't be making anymore like these two guys. God bless um.

So great. Every word worth listening to. Thank you.

Without doubt a comic genius. Being a mere 65 now, I can remember so well my father emulating the goons with his friends back in the 1960s. His favourites were Spike's Eccles and Minnie Bannister. Interestingly, talking of the Goon Show, I always loved Peter Sellers as he was so clever at doing voices. I started to learn from Sellers' ability to take on other people's voices. Spike was different. He went off the rails slightly with his 'Q Series'. However, the Pakistani Dalek sketch was hilarious. I have a particular fondness for Spike not only for his great books i.e. 'Adolf Hitler: My part in his Downfall' and 'Puckoon' and many more but his beautiful poetry and love for animals. The Sketch where he played the part of an Indian in a pub with Alf Garnett was priceless. RIP to a wonderful man.

He’s a gem. Spoilt me for most modern comedians. I was really young but in New Zealand we had the goon show on radio, repeats for years. I remember they came on tv, the telegoons. Then another show came on tv and spike was on at the end of each show dressed in a nightgown slippers and a noddy hat. He was hilarious, just sat in a chair by himself and had us in stitches. He was the best, they were all on that show, John Cleese and all, I think it was called Monty Pythons Flying Circus but spike was the best. The telegoons was good but it didn’t last long, really the script was written for radio not mud puppets. I would watch Monty Pythons just to see Spike at the end of the show.

Thanks so much for sharing this video. Spike is incredible. I grew up listening to reruns of the Goons with my mum on Sunday afternoon radio 1YC in New Zealand

What a funny guy. The best British humor. Good reason to learn English.

Best I've seen spike. THanks Guys x

There is only one word for Spike genius. Also loved his remark about training to become Oliver Reed

I Read one of his books MY HELP IN HITLERS DOWN FALL. One of the Funniest books I've ever Read ..made me Laugh out Loud.

Two really great fellas fom a much better time.

This has made my day, bloody brilliant

The Last bit I agree with I think Parky and Spike were Last of a breed .

My god he is so good .my insides are hurting me with laughter.god bless you

Spike was unique. We will never see his like again!

Very good - thanks for uploading.

Milligan was childlike. He had an innocence about him.

This is so enjoyable to watch!! Thank you for posting , brilliant understanding between Parkinson and Spike

Marvellous entertainment…… thanks Spike ..!! 😉👍

So that was Spike, in 1987 burning Savile. Willing to talk about what was the known secret ahead of anyone else. Spike!

Brilliant interview. Spike was looking and sounding well. He was a lovely man who suffered greatly with his mental health. I remember my dad had all his books, that he wrote about his time in the army during WW 2, which he let me borrow..I was nine years old at the time and became an instant fan.. The books are very funny but moving at the same time..I highly recommend his books of poetry.and also the very funny novel Puckoon. Thanks for all the laughs Sike 😅🤣😂🤩

Watched Spikes show as a kid with my Dad, he would have us in tears of laughter. Absolute legend of comedy, the crazy kind just like the Python team.

Spike was a genius. We were lucky to have him..

War diaries by Milligan are the best ever!

This is amazing

The godfather of British comedy, a national treasure...and not even British.

That was BEAUTIFUL. I LOVED that, thank you. ❤

Legend, and a gentleman

As a small boy I ❤him and still do RIP. Spike.

This is what brilliance looks like.x God bless him.

How can you not love Spike?...He was absolutely brilliant!.....I miss him

I can see where Leonard Rossiter’s mannerisms derived from. Check Spike around 17.30. I can just imagine him saying “good evening, Miss Jones”. Loved Rising Damp. We had many brilliant character comedians in the 60s and 70s.

I had a book by Spike as a child. I found his writing mysteriously fascinating. I liked his daft jokes. Seen on a gravestone: “I told them I was ill”. Apparently it’s his headstone! Lol. In Irish.

Love his comments about modern comedians, and that was 1987! What would he have to say now?

Howdy from Rockhampton Queensland Australia. I read Spikes triology of books years ago. I was laughing me guts out. The wife came in and said "What r u laughing At?" Him i said, him. Spike. Jooly good reading i tell you. Ta da.

Wonderful interview

What a legend.

RIP both

What an incredible piece of film. Amazing man

Awesome! And Facebook won't let me share this !

"I told you I was ill", I wish Spike lived forever, he was so much a part of family life

England's Treasure was Spike. Back in 1987 Spike mentioned those horrible, endemic offences (at 33:06). Worse was to come and unfortunately nobody heeded him. Pity there were very few willing to stop it and too few with enough guts.

Spike plays this one relatively straight, which is a compliment to his host (with whom I've had my own issues over his career), Parky managing to strike a balance here with a notoriously tricky customer, and it all comes off rather well, a fascinating *_and_* amusing half hour.

Well said!!

One evening in the twilight gloom A butterfly flew in my room Oh what beauty Oh what grace Who needs aliens from out of space? The butterfly by Spike Milligan...

Utterly brilliant

Simply brilliant!!!!!!!!

Brilliant man ! Love listening to his life story

That was Spike at his best bloody marvelous 😂😂😂

Oh God,, I am So Lucky to born in 1954 and be so Lucky to appreciate Good times throughout My Life,, Thanks to All, That Came Before Me. Good People, Hard Work, Wonderful Music of Every Genre, And Comedic Genius, Too Many, To Mention.. Also, Lucky enough to live in Australia,,,, Yes, and because of Our Heritage, have had some input too..(modern comedy is No laughing matter)

A tragic loss to the world when he died.

Just fabulous, thank you for posting..the man was a genius imho.

Spike was one of the best

I would imagine interviewing Milligan gave Parky the nerves depite his experience.Anything could have happened and my guess is Parky knew that.Milligan was indeed the very fine line of genius and madness defined.

Ok just a brilliant interview

Saw him in capentown in 1983. Helarious he was. He made us all pass a cardboard box around.

You can see his brain working 10 times faster than everyone else...