That Old Black Magic (The Goodies)

"That Old Black Magic" is an episode of the award-winning British comedy television series The Goodies.

This episode is also known as "Black Magic" and "Which Witch is Which?".

Written by The Goodies, with songs and music by Bill Oddie.

Plot

A witch named Hazel comes to the Goodies office, commenting that one of them has the power and that she wants to hold a séance with them so that she can conjure up spirits of humans instead of spirits of animals (which have been her only success). The Goodies think that she is a lunatic — but they decide to hold the séance she has requested, and to play tricks on her. During the séance with Hazel, Graeme unexpectedly becomes possessed by an evil force.

Graeme starts a coven, and Tim and Bill become worried about their public image, because Graeme is continuing to wear his "Goodies T-shirt". Looking around the coven area, Tim and Bill notice a sign with the words "Virgins wanted". Later, wanting to stop Graeme, they arrive, pretending to be the sacrificial virgins that Graeme has advertised for, and wearing long white dresses and long blonde wigs (Graeme complains about their appearance but decides to let them in anyway). Graeme, who has now changed his clothes, does some magic tricks and then, just as he is about to carry out the sacrifice of the two "virgins", Hazel arrives and casts a spell over him, and the evil spirit leaves Graeme's body — only to be replaced by that of a spirit of a very lively and active Gibbon, which Tim and Bill find difficult to capture.

When Graeme is eventually captured, Hazel is able to get the gibbon spirit to leave his body and he returns to normal. Then, tearing the pages from her book of spells, Hazel states that she will never use magic again, but her words are short-lived. Tim and Bill had also become unexpectedly possessed — by the spirits of a chicken and a dog.

Song written and sung by Bill Oddie

• "Stuff That Gibbon"

Cultural references

• Black magic
• Witchcraft
• Witch-hazel
• Magician
• Coven

References

• "The Complete Goodies" — Robert Ross, B T Batsford, London, 2000
• "The Goodies Rule OK" — Robert Ross, Carlton Books Ltd, Sydney, 2006
• "From Fringe to Flying Circus — 'Celebrating a Unique Generation of Comedy 1960-1980'" — Roger Wilmut, Eyre Methuen Ltd, 1980
• "The Goodies Episode Summaries" — Brett Allender
• "The Goodies — Fact File" — Matthew K. Sharp

External links

• That Old Black Magic at the Internet Movie Database