A three-seat ‘trandem’ bicycle used in the final series of the TV show The Goodies is to go under the hammer at auction next month.
The blue bike was used in the final series of the show starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie, which appeared on ITV in 1982.
The trio’s hit TV series originally appeared on BBC2 for a decade, first airing in 1970, but it was axed in 1980 due to the broadcaster’s light entertainment budget for that year being swallowed up by The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The trandem that will be featured at an Entertainment & Memorabilia sale held on 4 October at Eubank’s Auctions is the third version of the bicycle that appeared in the show and is expected to go for between £1,000 and £1,500.
Known as the LWT Trandem – the final series of the show was produced by London Weekend Television – it has been auctioned before, both in sale rooms and online.
It was originally made for a 1980 TV commercial for the Kleenex Super 3 range featuring The Goodies and then used in the TV series.
Bought by a private collector at auction at Sotheby’s in 1987, it was sold on eBay in 2003 and again the following year, when it was purchased by a three-member comedy troupe, The Trap.
The bike, now painted red, was loaned to ITV chat show Richard & Judy when The Goodies appeared on it in 2005 and again in a BBC2 Return of the Goodies one-off show aired in December that year.
According to The Goodies Illustrated Guide website, Dan Marsh, a member of The Trap, said:: “We insisted that [the production company] use a removable paint and that it be returned to us in its original state which indeed it was. It is now back to tip-top condition (after we bought it, it needed a fair bit of work to make it roadworthy).”
12 thoughts on “Trandem bicycle from hit TV show The Goodies up for auction”
Goody, goody, yum yum!
Goody, goody, yum yum!
No helmets required.
No helmets required.
The original trandem was a
The original trandem was a shocker, it placed Bill Oddie over the back of the rear wheel and was dangerous a furk, the second one pictured above was the best with the lovely curved top tubes.
Think it’ll go for more than the £1500 but good luck to whoever gets it, I’ll be well jelous as a massive ‘goodie’ fan.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Looks to me like Bill doesn’t even have a set of pedals for that version.
Here’s another pic of them, just because.
God knows what a ‘trandem’
God knows what a ‘trandem’ could also possibly be in todays diverse society.
Got to love the pre-Health &
Got to love the pre-Health & safety welding a seat on to the back of a tandem, out of the box, blue sky thinking that allowed that contraption to ever see the light of day.
Bill Oddie didn’t die, kids.
Just found the Trandem ID
Just found the Trandem ID guide:
http://goodies.getlivesite.com/trandem_ID_guide
hawkinspeter wrote:
There seems to be no info regarding the 2nd bike, I wonder if it was destroyed like so much BBC stuff was BITD?
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Well, it does say:
Several years after The Goodies finished production at the BBC the trandem was sold in a BBC props auction to Rory Spowers’ brother. Rory and several friends decided to ride it across Africa to raise money for charity
So presumably either they still have it, or maybe they left it somewhere in Africa?
I believe that tandem was
I believe that tandem was built by Tom Quick of TJQ Cycles in Forest Hill. I knew Tom quite well as he used to frame repairs and resprays for me when I had a bike shop nearby.
I know the Goodies called it
I know the Goodies called it the Trandem but shouldn’t we be calling it a triplet, as at http://www.triplethire.com?
Nick Gough wrote:
As the original one that the Goodies had was actually a Tandem with an extra seat welded on to it (only two sets of pedels) I assume that the following bicycles (that were actually triplets) were just refered to a tandems for continuity/ease purposes.