Goodies fans choose Kung Fu Kapers as favourite episode

The Kung Fu Kapers episode was shown on BBC One in March 1975

Fans asked to vote for their favourite episode from surreal 1970s TV series The Goodies have made their choice.

The sketch Kung Fu Kapers was announced as the winner at Bristol's Slapstick Festival, which is celebrating the show's 50th anniversary.

Chris Daniels, from the Festival, said he was delighted fans had picked "such a creative and innovative episode".

The show starred Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor, collectively known as The Goodies.

The festival has brought the three men together for a special reunion at the sold-out event, at the Redgrave Theatre on Saturday, where the winning episode will also be screened.

Slapstick Festival's Chris Daniels and Goodie Graeme Garden were both surprised the Kitten Kong episode did not win

Mr Daniels said there had been a "brilliant response" to the poll, with more than 600 people responding online.

"In terms of 'favourite episode of all time', I was surprised about Kung Fu Kapers because I thought Kitten Kong would be the top choice, purely because it's the best known image associated with the Goodies.

"I do remember Kung Fu Kapers [transmitted in March 1975] - it's one of their standout episodes. I remember seeing it as a child - as a kid, I just loved it.

"It's the silliness and the stupidity of it that I loved - grown men, dressed up and hitting each other with giant sausages," Mr Daniels said.

Goodie Graeme Garden said he had also expected Kitten Kong to win "as that's the one people seem to remember".

"However, our voters seem to have been a discerning lot, and have carefully considered their decision," Mr Garden said.

"[Kung Fu Kapers] is a worthy winner - some nice set-pieces, a bit of parody, and one or two gags that were very much of their time.

"Filming the fight sequences, I don't think any of us got hurt, which was miraculous.

"My abiding memory is falling headfirst into a vat of gunge, live in front of the studio audience - not much chance of a retake if it went wrong."

Tim Brooke-Taylor, Bill Oddie and Graeme Garden created and wrote the show

Chris Daniels said the Goodies' humour "still resonates with audiences".

"Slapstick is a perennial type of humour that crosses generations," he said.

"Whether it's Tom and Jerry or Charlie Chaplin or The Goodies, audiences still engage with the best visual comedy and humour - and The Goodies did it so well."

The Goodies performing Ecky Thump on Top of the Pops in 1975