TALES of the madcap humour of Goon Show star Spike Milligan were related to Bishopsteignton Probus Club members by one of his close friends.

Ed Welch, a prolific TV composer, wrote the title song for the comic’s film, Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall when he worked for United Artists Music.

Spike took him under his wing, and they worked together on a variety of projects for many years, including BBC shows, where Ed performed some of his own songs, including The Carpet is Always Greener Under Someone Else’s Bed, and other numbers co-written by the pair.

In another joint project, Spike narrated the The Snow Goose, while Ed wrote the score, which was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Ed described many of Spike’s crazy antics which he experienced, including incidents in which Spike would insult people who annoyed him.

On one occasion he approached somebody whose cigarette smoke was upsetting him and suggested he put his head inside a glass chamber.

Far from reacting aggressively to this comment, the man saw the funny side and probably dined out on it for some time.

Before his death in 2002, Spike decided that his epitaph should be ‘I told You I Was ill’, but the local diocese objected when the family wanted to include it on his gravestone.

However, Spike got the last laugh from his grave when it was eventually agreed the Gaelic version could be used.

While the bulk of Ed’s talk focused on Spike Milligan, he also shared some of his other achievements.

He writes the songs for Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, the scripts for the children’s cartoon series Wolves, Witches, and Giants, as well as composing the music for Television South West’s signature tune, and their programmes including music for Gus Honeybun.

He also composed the incidental music for many programmes including the series One Foot in the Grave, as well as the theme music for the quiz show Blockbusters.