Tributes to the last Goon

Milligan's madcap and absurd sense of humour dominated the Goons, whose other members - Sir Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine - have all died.

They first performed as a team in the late 1940s at the Grafton Arms pub in Victoria, central London and the manic radio show went on to make Milligan's name.

Their radio tenure began with a series called Crazy People in 1951.

By the time their BBC Radio series came to an end in 1960, there had been a total of 243 programmes.

Milligan discovered the word Goon in a Popeye strip cartoon. After seeing it he dubbed anyone he regarded as an idiot, a goon.

The surreal series struck a chord with the public, acquiring legions of fans.

Legendary characters included Major Denis Bloodnok, Hercules Gryptype-Thynne, Neddie Seagoon, Eccles and Bluebottle.

The Goons helped pave the way towards the emergence of "alternative" comedy and their antics were a constant worry to BBC chiefs, who failed to get the joke.

There were more than 30 attempts to suppress the programme entirely.

In 1954, Sellers' famous impersonations of Sir Winston Churchill were banned, as were scenes depicting the House of Commons asleep.

In 1956, the Goons recorded a parody of the hit Unchained Melody. It would have been their first single but for objections from the music publisher Parlophone.

Milligan was the zaniest, wackiest comic genius of his generation.

He liked to regard himself as a misanthrope and once said most people bored him to death, yet most people who met him were charmed by his wit and impressed by the energy he put into the many causes he believed in.

He did a lot of fund-raising for charities, particularly in Sussex.

Probably his most famous, or notorious, remark was in 1994 when, at the age of 76, he was receiving a Lifetime Achievement Comedy Award.

A letter praising him from the Prince of Wales, his number-one fan, was read out and, in front of the audience and millions of TV viewers, Milligan declared: "Little grovelling bastard ..."

Prince Charles, who was not present, saw the funny side but many outraged viewers complained to ITV.

Milligan later sent a fax to the Prince, an old friend, saying: "I suppose a knighthood is out of the question now."

St James's Palace issued a tribute from the Prince of Wales to Milligan following his death.

The Prince said: "It is hard to see Spike's parting as anything other than the end of a great era of British comedy."

But Milligan was also an accomplished poet and author, with several volumes of war memoirs which, though riotously funny, contained the bitter aftertaste of brutal conflict.

He was also a better than average jazz cornet and trumpet player.

Then there were his intense campaigns, against abortion, vivisection, factory farming and, finally, his fight against needless noise.

It was the noise of London which drove him from his home to live quietly in the East Sussex countryside at Udimore, near Rye, from where he still regularly wrote letters to newspapers, complaining about how inconsiderate people were with car horns, radios, lawnmowers and the like.

Sometimes Milligan took his crusades to almost unbelievable lengths. He was an outspoken supporter of vegetarianism and green issues and, in 1986, he was thrown out of Harrods when he tried to stuff 28lb of spaghetti down the mouth of the food hall manager.

He said: "I told him it might give him some idea of how a goose feels being force-fed maize to make pate de foie gras."

He also cared for the welfare of children and helped raise money for many children's charities.

Corinne Gardner who set up Tree of Hope, a charity which funds medical help for children with birth defects, was overcome by grief after hearing of Milligan's death.

He was not only an honorary trustee of her charity but also an old friend.

She said: "Spike cared desperately about the children we help and we are absolutely devastated by his death."

Promoter and events organiser Brian Ralph, of The Drive, Brighton, recalled how he had met Milligan several times during events for The Variety Club of Great Britain, which raises money for children's charities.

Mr Ralph said: "My recollection at one jumble sale is that Spike Milligan was sat in the corner, holding conversations and making everybody laugh throughout. He always had the time of day for everybody."

Milligan, awarded a CBE in 1992, did eventually get his knighthood, albeit an honorary one because he adopted his father's Irish nationality and refused to swear allegiance to the Queen.

In 1984, when asked to fill out British citizenship forms by the Home Office, he said: "I have lived in this country virtually all my life and I am not going to grovel.

"I am not an immigrant. This is my home and I am the man who changed the face of British humour."

Milligan received the award last March from the Prince at St James's Palace.

Accompanied by his third wife, Shelagh, 56, and family members, Milligan characteristically joked his way through proceedings.

Throughout his life, Milligan suffered bouts of depression.

He attributed the mood swings to shell shock, sustained during service as a gunner with the Royal Artillery in Italy and Africa during the Second World War, when he was injured by a mortar bomb.

One moment, Milligan could be charming and amusing but catch him on an off day and he could be unbearable.

Milligan's chauffeur of 13 years, Alan Wise, who lives near Battle, said: "He was actually a very serious man but a very pleasant one as well."

Local pub landlord Trevor Jones, of the Kings Head pub in Udimore, said: "You had to be a bit careful what you said to him.

"He had a bit of a reputation of being fairly cantankerous."

Milligan wrote a best-selling book about his wartime experiences Adolf Hilter, My Part In His Downfall, a self-mocking tome, later transferred to stage and film.

Pressure of work led to a series of mental breakdowns throughout his life.

Milligan was born on April 16, 1918, the son of an Army captain based in India.

He was educated at Poona and Rangoon before attending south-east London Polytechnic, Lewisham.

He first came to Sussex in 1942, when he was billeted with 56 Heavy Regiment, RA, at Bexhill.

In 1973, the unit staged a reunion at the De La Warr Pavilion, where bearded Milligan suitably donned a tin helmet.

However, Peter Sellers upstaged him by wearing a Nazi uniform, much to the delight of the old soldiers.

In the Seventies, Milligan was thrust back into the national spotlight thanks to his TV series Q.

At a local level, he backed the campaign to save Brighton's West Pier from demolition and staged a series of one-man shows across Sussex to raise funds.

Rachel Clark, general manager of the West Pier Trust, said: "He was very supportive of the restoration of the West Pier and very helpful to the trust through difficult times."

He also endorsed plans to protect the Edwardian Dome cinema in Worthing.

In his later years, Milligan devoted his time to raising money for Rye Rugby Club.

In 1998, aged of 80, Milligan donned Rye's rugby kit for a fund-raising game, dubbed Spike's Last Stand, and scored a ceremonial try.

Rye Rugby Club coach Jason Bowen said: "He was vice-president for ten years, since we started. He was a real fan and came to games with us. He raised a lot of money for us."

Milligan had donated £100,000 to the Rye Memorial Care Centre and been involved in fund-raising activities.

Fund-raising administrator Ann Hostler said: "He gave not just his financial support but his time as well."

Artist Daphne Todd, from Mayfield, completed Milligan's portrait for the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Ms Todd, who is president of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, said: "His sittings for the portrait lasted for about 20 hours and I got to know him very well. He was a lovely chap and he kept making me laugh."

He died yesterday aged 83, at his home, surrounded by his family.

In his last interview with The Argus, in July 2000, when asked if he was afraid of death, Milligan replied: "No, I just don't want to be there when it happens."