Daylight Robbery of the Orient Express (Goodies episode)

Daylight Robbery of the Orient Express is an episode of the British comedy television series The Goodies.

Cast

Regular cast

Tim Brooke-Taylor as "Tim"
Graeme Garden as "Graeme"
Bill Oddie as "Bill"

Guest cast

Erik Chitty

Plot

The Goodies are running their own 'Railway Mystery Tour', and several famous detectives arrive to go on the mystery train.

The Mystery Train is at the station and, after the detectives are aboard, Bill runs up and down the platform with a life-sized model cow on wheels to represent a cow that is being passed, and antlers on his head to represent a deer that is being passed — to make the detectives feel that the train is moving (which it isn't). On the train, Graeme is the narrator for the 'journey', while Tim dresses up in clothing suitable for the country the train is supposed to be going through.

Then mysterious things start to happen: the train takes off down the track, with Bill running after it — and the world's great detectives begin to disappear.

The train keeps moving on — not always on rail. It is discovered that a group of badly behaved mimes are behind the mysterious events, and that they had stolen the train as part of an attempt to win at the French "Le Boring" competition.

Quotes

Quote 1

Bill: "Ten little **s, sitting down to dine,

Someone cut their cufflinks off,

Now, there's only nine."

Bill (later):

"Nine little **s, sitting there in state,

Someone lit the touchpaper,

Now, there's only eight."

Miscellanea

This episode spoofs many famous television detectives, including: Ironside, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Kojak, among others.

The episode also spoofs the Agatha Christie film, "Murder on the Orient Express".

The episode also spoofs the Agatha Christie novel, "And Then There Were None".

The episode also pays tribute to French mime, Marcel Marceau, when they dress and act as mimes. The Goodies, who are all excellent mimes, and who also do all of the dangerous stunts, themselves, look exactly like Marcel Marceau during the "La Boring" segment.

Broadcasting date

"Daylight Robbery of the Orient Express" was the third episode of Season 6. It was first broadcast on 5 October, 1976

External link

The Goodies - "Daylight Robbery of the Orient Express" - at the IMDb