{"podcast":{"title":"Goon Pod","slug":"goon-pod-3923052","podcast_index_feed_id":3923052,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/5c86827c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://pod.link/1569929507","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/production/podcast_uploaded_nologo/15423191/15423191-1672433948945-89aac5be845a4.jpg","author":"Goon Pod","episode_count":242,"summary":"A podcast where we talk about classic comedy with particular focus on the work of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe & Michael Bentine. You'll also hear us discuss the likes of Monty Python, Hancock, Blackadder, the Carry On films, Peter Cook, Steptoe & Son and countless other comedy figures & fixtures from the postwar era. Please follow on Bluesky @goonpod.bsky.social and Twitter @goonshowpod","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T16:18:31.828950+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/goon-pod-3923052"},"episode":{"title":"Mr Topaze (1961)","slug":"mr-topaze-1961","published_at":"2026-05-06T05:45:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/goon-pod-3923052/mr-topaze-1961","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/goon-pod-3923052","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tyler-adams0/episodes/Mr-Topaze-1961-e3ip2o9","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/5c86827c/podcast/play/119359689/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-2%2F423316962-44100-2-f5dff5eae8a7c.m4a","summary":"This week we're discussing Peter Sellers' only directorial feature, Mr Topaze from 1961. Sellers plays Albert Topaze, an earnest, impoverished schoolteacher in provincial France whose rigid honesty ultimately proves his undoing. He teaches under the status-obsessed headmaster Muche (Leo McKern) and is in love with Muche’s daughter Ernestine (Billie Whitelaw). Living modestly with his colleague and friend Tamise (Michael Gough), Topaze supplements his income through private tutoring. His integrity leads to his dismissal when he refuses to falsify a report, leaving him vulnerable to manipulation. He is soon drawn into the orbit of the glamorous Suzy Courtois (Nadia Gray) and her corrupt associate Castel Benac (Herbert Lom), who install him as the front for their fraudulent business dealings. Initially oblivious, Topaze is horrified when he learns the truth, but agrees to continue in order to protect Suzy. Joining Tyler this week to chat about the film's background, themes and ultimate re-evaluation after decades languishing in obscurity is Vic Pratt of the BFI https://www.bfi.org.uk/profile/vic-pratt","meta_description":"This week we're discussing Peter Sellers' only directorial feature, Mr Topaze from 1961. Sellers plays Albert Topaze, an earnest, impoverished schoolteach…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4528,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/goon-pod-3923052/episodes/mr-topaze-1961/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/goon-pod-3923052/mr-topaze-1961.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}