The Goon Show

The Goon Show was a BBC radio comedy show broadcast from 1951 to 1960; it featured Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe, and Spike Milligan, who was also its principle writer. The show was known for surreal plots, outrageous puns, and strange sound effects. I spent my junior year in college in England during the second Monty Python series and I recall my English classmates talking about The Goon Show even then, a decade after it had finished its run.

The Goon Show's influence extended long beyond its run. Peter Sellers went on to international fame as a movie star, and the show influenced, among others, the American comedy troupe, The Firesign Theater, and Monty Python's Flying Circus, as well as many comedians who came to prominence in the 1960s.

Wikipedia has an especially long article about the Goon Show, its performers, and its impact.

Series description provided by Frank Bell.