The Benny Hill Show
Encyclopedia
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill
.
There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre. Thames Television
cancelled production of the show in 1989, due to declining world wide sales and large production costs at £450,000 per show.
, burlesque
and double entendre
s are his hallmark. A group of critics accused the show of sexism, but Hill said that female characters kept their dignity while the men chasing them were portrayed as buffoons.
The show often uses undercranking and sight gags to create what he called "live animation" and he employs techniques like mime and parody. The show typically closes with a speeded-up chase scene involving himself and often a crew of scantily-clad women, a takeoff on the stereotypical Keystone Kops
chase scenes. Hill also composed and sang patter song
s and often entertained his audience with lengthy high-speed double-entendre rhymes and songs, which he recited or sang in a single take.
Hill also used the television camera to create comedic illusions. For example, in a murder mystery farce entitled "Murder on the Oregon Express" from 1976 (a parody of Murder on the Orient Express
), Hill used editing, camera angles, and impersonations to depict a Quinn Martin
–like TV "mystery" featuring Hill in the roles of 1970s American television detectives Ironside
, McCloud, Kojak
, Cannon
and Hercule Poirot
.
During his television career, Hill performed impersonations or parodies of American celebrities, such as W. C. Fields
, Orson Welles
(renamed "Orson Buggy"), Kenny Rogers
, Marlon Brando
and Raymond Burr
and fictional characters, ranging from The Six Million Dollar Man
and Starsky and Hutch
to The A-Team
and Cagney & Lacey
. He also impersonated international celebrities including Nana Mouskouri
. His own country's celebrities did not escape his comedic eye either: Hill delivered impersonations of British stars such as Shirley Bassey
, Michael Caine
(in his Alfie role), newscasters Reginald Bosanquet
, Alan Whicker
and Cliff Michelmore
, pop-music show hosts Jimmy Savile
and Tony Blackburn
, musician Roger Whittaker
, his former 1960s record producer Tony Hatch
, political figures Lord Boothby and Denis Healey
, and Irish comedian Dave Allen
. On a few occasions, he even impersonated his former straight man, Nicholas Parsons
. A spoof of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
saw him playing both Richard Burton
and Elizabeth Taylor
.
", which has gained a particular cult following on its own, was written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and performed by Boots Randolph
. The show's musical director was noted pianist and easy listening conductor Ronnie Aldrich
, and vocal backing was provided by session singers
, the Ladybirds
, (who also frequently appeared on camera from 1969–74). For three episodes of the 1973–74 season, Albert Elms
filled in for Aldrich as musical director.
Apart from the theme tune, another signature of the show was the enthusiastic announcer intro: "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!" (The announcer was often cast member McGee.) From 1975 onwards, Hill was also introduced at the start of each show as "The Lad Himself". The show closed with Hill's salute: "Thank you for being with us, and we look forward to seeing you all again — very, very soon. Until then, bye bye."
, Jon Jon Keefe, Nicholas Parsons
, Bob Todd
and Jackie Wright
.
The regular sexpot type females include Jenny Lee-Wright
, Sue Bond
, Bettine Le Beau, Lesley Goldie
, Cherri Gilham
, Diana Darvey
and Hill's Angels Louise English
, Jane Leeves
and Sue Upton
. Angels who only appear once include Susan Clark and Sue McIntosh
.
Character actresses include Anna Dawson
, Bella Emberg
, Rita Webb
and Patricia Hayes
.
In the 1980s, as the climate of political correctness
continued to grow, Eddington and Wilcox refused to allow the respective editions in which they appeared to ever be shown on British television again.
Hill also gave the first major exposure to several Spanish
groups, including Luis Alberto del Paraná
and Los Paraguayos
on his show. With few exceptions, most of the musical numbers did not make it to the U.S. syndicated series.
which were offering a "Thames Week" schedule and were in the two largest American television markets; New York City
's WOR-TV
and KHJ-TV
in Los Angeles
. This introduced the show to American audiences and was immediately popular; subsequent screenings involved a series of re-edited half-hour programmes culled from the ITV
specials. Due to heavy editing, the U.S. versions of his show have far less risqué material than those aired in the UK.
The show was awarded the 'Special Prize of the City of Montreux' at the Rose d'Or
festival in 1984. Selected sketches from the first four years (1969–72) of the Thames run were also edited into a feature film, The Best of Benny Hill
(1974).
Hill in 1977 produced a special in Australia
(see below) whose contents found their way into scattered episodes of the U.S. half-hour syndicated edits. The cast of that Australian show included Barry Otto
and Ron Shand
.
, invited Hill in for a meeting. Having just returned from a triumphant Cannes
TV festival Hill assumed that they were to discuss details of a new series. Instead John Howard Davies sacked Hill. In an episode about Hill transmitted as part of the documentary series Living Famously, John Howard Davies, the former head of entertainment at Thames Television who had cancelled the show, stated there were three reasons why he did so: "...the audiences were going down, the programme was costing a vast amount of money, and he (Hill) was looking a little tired."
At its peak in 1977, 21.10 million viewers tuned in to Hill's show. In 1989 the last Thames episode attracted 9.58 million viewers.
from October 2004 to April 2007, restoring much of the mature content not seen in previous American airings (as such, most airings had a rating
of TV-MA). Half-hour edits also appeared on ITV.
As of February 2010, the show is being broadcast on Australia
's 7Two
. The show has also been aired in India
on UTV, dubbed in various Indian languages.
Antenna TV
, a network created for digital subchannels in the United States
, started showing the show Friday and Saturday nights in three hour blocks on January 1, 2011.
DVD sets for the U.S., by A&E Home Video
, entitled Benny Hill: Complete And Unadulterated. Each set represents multiple years of the show in order of original airings, with Benny Hill Trivia Challenges, a booklet and extras. All 58 episodes of the Thames years were showcased in the collection.
In 2005, the Thames specials began to appear uncut (including the original ad-break bumpers) on Region 2
DVD sets, each representing one year and entitled The Benny Hill Annual. To date, the Benny Hill Annuals 1969–89 have been released on DVD by Network
. Two box sets were released of the 1969-79 Annuals and 1980-89 Annuals, with a set containing all the Annuals "double bundled up together" scheduled for 2011. Also in 2005, Warner Home Video
released a collection of the surviving episodes Hill did for the BBC (roughly half of them exist) on Region 1
DVD as Benny Hill: The Lost Years.
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
.
There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre. Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
cancelled production of the show in 1989, due to declining world wide sales and large production costs at £450,000 per show.
Show format
The Benny Hill Show features Benny Hill in various short comedy sketches. The show also features occasional extravagant musical performances by artists of the time. Hill appears in many different costumes and portrays a vast array of characters. SlapstickSlapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
, burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
and double entendre
Double entendre
A double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so: often risqué or ironic....
s are his hallmark. A group of critics accused the show of sexism, but Hill said that female characters kept their dignity while the men chasing them were portrayed as buffoons.
The show often uses undercranking and sight gags to create what he called "live animation" and he employs techniques like mime and parody. The show typically closes with a speeded-up chase scene involving himself and often a crew of scantily-clad women, a takeoff on the stereotypical Keystone Kops
Keystone Kops
The Keystone Kops were incompetent fictional policemen, featured in silent film comedies in the early 20th century. The movies were produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. The idea came from Hank Mann who also played police chief Tehiezel in the first film...
chase scenes. Hill also composed and sang patter song
Patter song
The patter song is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note...
s and often entertained his audience with lengthy high-speed double-entendre rhymes and songs, which he recited or sang in a single take.
Hill also used the television camera to create comedic illusions. For example, in a murder mystery farce entitled "Murder on the Oregon Express" from 1976 (a parody of Murder on the Orient Express
Murder on the Orient Express (1974 film)
Murder on the Orient Express is a 1974 British mystery film directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, and based on the1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.-Overview:...
), Hill used editing, camera angles, and impersonations to depict a Quinn Martin
Quinn Martin
Quinn Martin was one of the most successful American television producers. He had at least one television series running in prime time for 21 straight years , an industry record.-Early life:...
–like TV "mystery" featuring Hill in the roles of 1970s American television detectives Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
, McCloud, Kojak
Kojak
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier...
, Cannon
Cannon (TV series)
Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....
and Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
.
During his television career, Hill performed impersonations or parodies of American celebrities, such as W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
, Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
(renamed "Orson Buggy"), Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and Raymond Burr
Raymond Burr
Raymond William Stacey Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas Perry Mason and Ironside. His early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain...
and fictional characters, ranging from The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American television series about a former astronaut with bionic implants working for the OSI...
and Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
to The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
and Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...
. He also impersonated international celebrities including Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
. His own country's celebrities did not escape his comedic eye either: Hill delivered impersonations of British stars such as Shirley Bassey
Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
, Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
(in his Alfie role), newscasters Reginald Bosanquet
Reginald Bosanquet
Reginald Bosanquet was a British journalist, best known for presenting ITN news in the 1970s.-Early life:He was the son of the cricketer Bernard Bosanquet, inventor of the "googly" and a cousin of the public relations executive Christopher Bosanquet...
, Alan Whicker
Alan Whicker
Alan Donald Whicker, CBE is a British journalist and broadcaster. His career has spanned over 50 years.-Background:Whicker was born to British parents in Cairo, Egypt...
and Cliff Michelmore
Cliff Michelmore
Arthur Clifford "Cliff" Michelmore CBE is a British television presenter and producer. He is best known for the BBC television programme Tonight, which he presented from 1957 to 1965....
, pop-music show hosts Jimmy Savile
Jimmy Savile
Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...
and Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
, musician Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
, his former 1960s record producer Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch
Anthony Peter "Tony" Hatch is an English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger and producer.-Early life and early career:...
, political figures Lord Boothby and Denis Healey
Denis Healey
Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey CH, MBE, PC is a British Labour politician, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.-Early life:...
, and Irish comedian Dave Allen
Dave Allen (comedian)
David Tynan O'Mahoney , better known as Dave Allen, was an Irish comedian, very popular in Great Britain, Australia, and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. He also became known in the United States through repeats of his shows on public television. His career had a major resurgence during the late...
. On a few occasions, he even impersonated his former straight man, Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
. A spoof of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1966 American drama film directed by Mike Nichols. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is an adaptation of the play of the same title by Edward Albee...
saw him playing both Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
and Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
.
Production notes
The show's theme tune, "Yakety SaxYakety Sax
"Yakety Sax" is a piece of music written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and popularized by saxophonist Boots Randolph.The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
", which has gained a particular cult following on its own, was written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and performed by Boots Randolph
Boots Randolph
Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit, "Yakety Sax"...
. The show's musical director was noted pianist and easy listening conductor Ronnie Aldrich
Ronnie Aldrich
Ronnie Aldrich, born Ronald Frank Aldrich was a British easy listening and jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer. The only son af a store manager, he was three years old when he started playing the piano...
, and vocal backing was provided by session singers
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, the Ladybirds
The Ladybirds
The Ladybirds are a British female vocal harmony trio, most famous for their appearances in The Benny Hill Show. They participated in over 60 episodes between 1968 and 1991. In addition, they were long-standing backing singers to many established artists, and perennial television ...
, (who also frequently appeared on camera from 1969–74). For three episodes of the 1973–74 season, Albert Elms
Albert Elms
Albert Elms was a British composer and arranger who worked mainly on television and film.Elms is best known for providing incidental music to ITC series such as Man in a Suitcase, The Champions and Ivanhoe...
filled in for Aldrich as musical director.
Apart from the theme tune, another signature of the show was the enthusiastic announcer intro: "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!" (The announcer was often cast member McGee.) From 1975 onwards, Hill was also introduced at the start of each show as "The Lad Himself". The show closed with Hill's salute: "Thank you for being with us, and we look forward to seeing you all again — very, very soon. Until then, bye bye."
Cast
The main supporting cast includes Henry McGeeHenry McGee
Henry McGee was a British actor, best known as straight man to Benny Hill for many years. McGee was also often the announcer on Hill's TV programme, delivering the upbeat intro "Yes! It's The Benny Hill Show!"...
, Jon Jon Keefe, Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
, Bob Todd
Bob Todd
Bob Todd was an English comedy actor, mostly known for appearing as a straight man in the sketch shows of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. For many years he lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent....
and Jackie Wright
Jackie Wright
John "Jackie" Wright was an Irish comedian, best known for being the bald-headed sidekick of Benny Hill on his television programme for one and a half decades...
.
The regular sexpot type females include Jenny Lee-Wright
Jenny Lee-Wright
Jenny Lee-Wright is a British actress and dancer who later became a Foley artist.At age 16, she left school to train with the Ballet Rambert. Within a year, she became part of a French cabaret group that travelled the world...
, Sue Bond
Sue Bond
Sue Bond is a blonde British actress, cabaret singer, and comedienne best remembered for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show in the early 1970s....
, Bettine Le Beau, Lesley Goldie
Lesley Goldie
Lesley Goldie was a British actress of the early to mid-1970s, especially and better known for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show as guest star, as well as for her charming looks....
, Cherri Gilham
Cherri Gilham
Cherri Gilham , also known as Cheryl Gilham, also known as Cherry Gilham is a former comedy actress, who was one of the first Page 3 Girls and is now a writer and musician.- Modeling and acting career :...
, Diana Darvey
Diana Darvey
Diana Magdalene Roloff , known professionally as Diana Darvey, was a British actress, singer and dancer, who is most famous for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show.-Early life and career:...
and Hill's Angels Louise English
Louise English
Louise English is a British actress with many roles in West End plays and nationally touring musical theatre productions, and was a regular performer on the The Benny Hill Show from 1978 to 1986 ....
, Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves
Jane Leeves is an English film, stage, and television actress, comedienne and dancer.Leeves made her screen debut with a small role in the 1983 popular British comedy television show The Benny Hill Show. Leeves moved to the United States, where she performed in small roles until she secured a...
and Sue Upton
Sue Upton
Sue Upton is an English comic actress and dancer, best known for her many appearances on The Benny Hill Show. She was one of the longest-serving cast members of Benny Hill's stock company, appearing on the show from 1977 to his final programme for Thames Television in 1989...
. Angels who only appear once include Susan Clark and Sue McIntosh
Sue McIntosh
Sue McIntosh is a former news reader for Australian ABC News. She was known prior to the mid-1970s as Sue Donovan, from her marriage to actor Terence Donovan, which ended in divorce in 1973...
.
Character actresses include Anna Dawson
Anna Dawson
Anna Dawson is an English actress and singer.Dawson starred in several West End musicals. She featured in episodes of Dixon of Dock Green during the 1960s, The Benny Hill Show during the 1980s, and played Hyacinth's sister Violet in the final series of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, though her...
, Bella Emberg
Bella Emberg
Bella Emberg is a British actress probably best known for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show and The Russ Abbot Show, where she notably played Blunderwoman...
, Rita Webb
Rita Webb
Rita Webb was an English character actress, mainly in comedy roles.Born Olive Webb in Willesden, Middlesex, England, she is best known for her appearances as a stooge for Benny Hill in his long-running Thames Television series...
and Patricia Hayes
Patricia Hayes
Patricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
.
Guest stars
- Don EstelleDon EstelleDon Estelle was a British actor and singer.Born Donald Edwards in Crumpsall, Manchester, he was brought up in a house on Russell Street, Crumpsall. During World War II, at the age of eight, he was evacuated to Darwen, Lancashire, twenty miles away from his home town, to escape the German bombing...
- Paul EddingtonPaul EddingtonPaul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
- Paula WilcoxPaula WilcoxPaula Wilcox is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Chrissy in the British comedy Man About the House .-Early sitcom fame:...
- Patrick NewellPatrick NewellPatrick David Newell was a British actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles...
- Hugh PaddickHugh PaddickHugh William Paddick was an English actor, whose most notable role was in the 1960s BBC radio show Round the Horne in sketches such as Charles and Fiona and Julian and Sandy...
- Kathy StaffKathy StaffKathy Staff was an English actress, well known for her work on British television...
- Trisha NobleTrisha NoblePatricia Ann Ruth "Trisha" Noble is an Australian singer and actress.-Biography:Noble was born in Sydney, Australia. Her father was comedian and singer Buster Noble and her mother was the entertainer Helen De Paul....
- Dilys WatlingDilys WatlingDilys Watling is an English actress, possibly best known for appearing on British television ....
- Stella MorayStella MorayStella Moray was an English character actress who appeared on stage, film, and television in dramas, comedies, and soap operas....
- Percy ThrowerPercy ThrowerPercy John Thrower MBE was a British gardener, horticulturist, broadcaster and writer born at Horwood House in the village of Little Horwood in Buckinghamshire....
- Liz FraserLiz FraserLiz Fraser is an English actress, mainly in comedy roles.- Life and career :Her birthdate is usually attributed as 1933, the year she gave when auditioning for her role in I'm All Right Jack, as the Boulting Brothers wanted someone younger for the part...
- Carl WayneCarl WayneCarl Wayne was a British singer and actor. He is best remembered as the lead vocalist of Birmingham rock group The Move during the 1960s.-Early days:...
In the 1980s, as the climate of political correctness
Political correctness
Political correctness is a term which denotes language, ideas, policies, and behavior seen as seeking to minimize social and institutional offense in occupational, gender, racial, cultural, sexual orientation, certain other religions, beliefs or ideologies, disability, and age-related contexts,...
continued to grow, Eddington and Wilcox refused to allow the respective editions in which they appeared to ever be shown on British television again.
Musical guest stars
- Petula ClarkPetula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
- Alma CoganAlma CoganAlma Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop music in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed "The Girl With the Laugh/Giggle/Chuckle In Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era...
- Kiki DeeKiki DeeKiki Dee is an English singer with a career spanning more than 40 years....
- Judith DurhamJudith DurhamJudith Durham, OAM is an Australian jazz singer and musician who became the lead vocalist for the Australian popular folk music group The Seekers in 1963. She left the group in mid-1968 to pursue her solo career...
- Cleo LaineCleo LaineDame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
- The Mike Sammes SingersMike SammesMichael William "Mike" Sammes was an English musician and vocal session arranger, performing backing vocals on pop music recorded in the UK from 1955 to the 1970s.-Career:...
- Anne Shelton
- The SpringfieldsThe SpringfieldsThe Springfields were a British pop-folk vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland and included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, record producer Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, later a noted Sufi writer, who was latterly replaced by Mike Hurst, who...
- DesignDesign (UK band)Design was a British vocal group of the early 1970s and its members were Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, Jeff Matthews, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style has been described as folk rock 'with intricate and appealing harmonies and an interesting psychedelic...
Hill also gave the first major exposure to several Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
groups, including Luis Alberto del Paraná
Luis Alberto del Paraná
Luis Alberto del Paraná was a Paraguayan singer and guitarist. During the fifties, sixties and early seventies, he traveled extensively around the globe with his group Los Paraguayos, popularizing Paraguayan music. He is the best-selling Paraguayan musician ever.-Family and early life:He was born...
and Los Paraguayos
Los Paraguayos
Los Paraguayos is a music group consisting of musicians from Paraguay. Since its foundation in the 1950s, the group has featured many singers and musicians, playing guitars, bongo drums and a Paraguayan harp, including Luis Alberto del Paraná and Carlos Espinoza...
on his show. With few exceptions, most of the musical numbers did not make it to the U.S. syndicated series.
International airings
In the late 1970s, Thames Television purchased a week's transmission time on two stations owned by RKO GeneralRKO General
RKO General was the main holding company through 1991 for the noncore businesses of the General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Tire's reorganization in the 1980s, GenCorp. The business was based around the consolidation of its parent company's broadcasting interests, dating to 1943, and...
which were offering a "Thames Week" schedule and were in the two largest American television markets; New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's WOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
and KHJ-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. This introduced the show to American audiences and was immediately popular; subsequent screenings involved a series of re-edited half-hour programmes culled from the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
specials. Due to heavy editing, the U.S. versions of his show have far less risqué material than those aired in the UK.
The show was awarded the 'Special Prize of the City of Montreux' at the Rose d'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
festival in 1984. Selected sketches from the first four years (1969–72) of the Thames run were also edited into a feature film, The Best of Benny Hill
The Best of Benny Hill
The Best of Benny Hill is a 1974 film spinoff from the television comedy series The Benny Hill Show. This movie features sketches from the early Thames Television years from 1969-1973...
(1974).
Hill in 1977 produced a special in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(see below) whose contents found their way into scattered episodes of the U.S. half-hour syndicated edits. The cast of that Australian show included Barry Otto
Barry Otto
Barry Otto is an Australian actor with a long list of memorable roles on stage and in film. Otto received an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in Strictly Ballroom as well as being nominated for Bliss, Cosi and The More Things Change......
and Ron Shand
Ron Shand
Ron Shand was Australian actor and comedian who worked extensively in theatre, vaudeville and television.Shand started his career in the circus with his parents as a clown, and later performed as a song and dance man in vaudeville, did tent shows and performed comedy...
.
Cancellation
In June 1989, Thames Television's Head of Light Entertainment since March 1988, John Howard DaviesJohn Howard Davies
John Howard Davies was an English television director and producer and former child actor.Davies was born in Paddington, London, the son of the scriptwriter Jack Davies...
, invited Hill in for a meeting. Having just returned from a triumphant Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
TV festival Hill assumed that they were to discuss details of a new series. Instead John Howard Davies sacked Hill. In an episode about Hill transmitted as part of the documentary series Living Famously, John Howard Davies, the former head of entertainment at Thames Television who had cancelled the show, stated there were three reasons why he did so: "...the audiences were going down, the programme was costing a vast amount of money, and he (Hill) was looking a little tired."
At its peak in 1977, 21.10 million viewers tuned in to Hill's show. In 1989 the last Thames episode attracted 9.58 million viewers.
Syndication
The Benny Hill Show aired in one-hour portions (not corresponding to the original hour-long format), twice nightly on BBC AmericaBBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
from October 2004 to April 2007, restoring much of the mature content not seen in previous American airings (as such, most airings had a rating
TV Parental Guidelines
The TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the Federal Communications Commission , and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major U.S...
of TV-MA). Half-hour edits also appeared on ITV.
As of February 2010, the show is being broadcast on Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
. The show has also been aired in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on UTV, dubbed in various Indian languages.
Antenna TV
Antenna TV
Antenna TV is an American digital broadcast television network, primarily featuring classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s, along with some feature films. It is owned by Tribune Broadcasting, a division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
, a network created for digital subchannels in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, started showing the show Friday and Saturday nights in three hour blocks on January 1, 2011.
Programme list
- Hi There, broadcast on BBC1 (1951) - One episode was made.
- The Centre Show, broadcast on BBC1 (1953) - Seven episodes were made. After the first episode, this was retitled The Forces Show.
- Showcase, broadcast on BBC1 (1954) - Eight episodes were made.
- The Benny Hill Show, broadcast on BBC1 (1955, 1957–58, 1961, 1964–66, 1968) - 32 episodes were made.
- The Benny Hill Show, broadcast on ATV (1957–60, 1967) - Eleven episodes were made.
- Benny Hill, broadcast on BBC1 (1962–63) - Sitcom where Hill played a different role every week. 19 episodes were made.
- The Waiters (1969) - 30-minute silent film.
- The Benny Hill Show, broadcast on Thames (1969–86, 1988–89) - 58 episodes were made.
- Eddie In August (1970) - 25-minute silent film.
- Benny Hill Down Under - 1977 special broadcast on Channel 10.
- Benny Hill's World Tour: New York! - 1991 special broadcast on the USA NetworkUSA NetworkUSA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
.
DVD releases
In 2004, the Thames specials were released uncut (except for ad-break bumpers) on Region 1DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD sets for the U.S., by A&E Home Video
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
, entitled Benny Hill: Complete And Unadulterated. Each set represents multiple years of the show in order of original airings, with Benny Hill Trivia Challenges, a booklet and extras. All 58 episodes of the Thames years were showcased in the collection.
In 2005, the Thames specials began to appear uncut (including the original ad-break bumpers) on Region 2
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD sets, each representing one year and entitled The Benny Hill Annual. To date, the Benny Hill Annuals 1969–89 have been released on DVD by Network
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
. Two box sets were released of the 1969-79 Annuals and 1980-89 Annuals, with a set containing all the Annuals "double bundled up together" scheduled for 2011. Also in 2005, Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
released a collection of the surviving episodes Hill did for the BBC (roughly half of them exist) on Region 1
DVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD as Benny Hill: The Lost Years.
External links
- Benny Hill page at the Museum of Broadcast CommunicationsMuseum of Broadcast CommunicationsThe Museum of Broadcast Communications is an American museum that currently exists exclusively on the Internet and not in any physical capacity. Its stated mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain...
- The Benny Hill Show page at the Museum of Broadcast CommunicationsMuseum of Broadcast CommunicationsThe Museum of Broadcast Communications is an American museum that currently exists exclusively on the Internet and not in any physical capacity. Its stated mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain...
- The Benny Hill Songbook Lyrics and transcripts
- Benny's Place featuring Louise English & Hill's Angels A tribute to Benny Hill