Editing Spike Milligan (section)

===Ad-libbing===
As illustrated in the description of his involvement in theatre, Milligan often ad-libbed. He also did this on radio and television. One of his last screen appearances was in the BBC dramatisation of [[Mervyn Peake]]'s ''[[Gormenghast (TV serial)|Gormenghast]]'' and he was (almost inevitably) noted as an [[Ad libitum|ad-libber]].

One of Milligan's ad-lib incidents occurred during a visit to Australia in the late 1960s. He was interviewed live on air and remained in the studio for the news broadcast that followed (read by Rod McNeil), during which Milligan constantly interjected, adding his own name to news items.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spike Milligan interrupts ABC News| date=28 October 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eUSdL8bqJc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2eUSdL8bqJc| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|publisher=Youtube.com|access-date=10 October 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> As a result, he was banned from making any further live appearances on the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]. The ABC also changed its national policy so that guests had to leave the studio after interviews were complete. A tape of the bulletin survives and has been included in an ABC Radio audio compilation, and also on the BBC tribute CD, ''Vivat Milligna''.

Film and television director [[Richard Lester]] recalls that the television series ''A Show Called Fred'' was broadcast live. "I've seen very few moments of genius in my life but I witnessed one with Spike after the first show. He had brought around a silent cartoon" and asked Lester if his P.A. took shorthand. "She said she did. 'Good, this needs a commentary.' It was a ten-minute cartoon and Spike could have seen it only once, if that. He ad-libbed the commentary for it and it was perfect. I was open-mouthed at the raw comedy creation in front of me."<ref name="Lester">Richard Lester, in Ventham (2002), pp.73–74.</ref>