Spike and Seller's love-hate relationship?
In December 1952, Spike attempted to kill Peter Sellers.
"I was writing the third series of the 'Goon Show'
when I finally broke down," Spike admitted. "The
madness built up gradually... Finally, I thought, they are
letting me go insane. I must do something desperate so they
will put me in hospital and cure me. I know what I’ll
do – I’ll kill Peter Sellers."
After wielding a knife at Sellers’ front door, Spike
was admitted to St Luke’s in Highgate, London. This
was the first of many hospital stays and the beginning of
a long journey towards managing his mental
health.
"I expect they both tried to kill each other. I think
your dad said that my dad makes his writing looks good,
or something like that," Michael Sellers told Jane
Milligan. "Those two understood each other on a comic
level that was sort of beyond…the beyond. What made
them laugh made them both laugh equally and they found the
same fun in the same things."
|
