''Harry Hill'', later titled ''The All-New Harry Hill Show'' and also referred to as ''The Harry Hill Show'', is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of one-liners, stories, ...

comedy sketch show, starring comedian

Harry Hill Matthew Keith Hall (born 1 October 1964), known professionally as Harry Hill, is an English comedian, presenter and writer. He pursued a career in stand-up following years working as a medical doctor, developing an off-beat, energetic performan ...

, that ran for four series from 1997 to 2003, on both

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

and ITV.

Broadcast

Channel 4 (1997–2000)

The original Channel 4 series of ''Harry Hill'' was commissioned on the back of the success of '' Fruit Fancies'', a series of six short comedy films written and performed by Hill, which were broadcast on BBC Two, and a sell-out theatre tour in 1996 which was given excellent reviews by critics and fans alike. The

series was commissioned in January 1997. The programme's title, as shown in the title sequence, was simply ''Harry Hill'', but was often referred to, in some programme listings, as ''The Harry Hill Show''. As well as writing and producing the majority of the show's material himself, the Channel 4 version of the series also featured regular performances from

Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor, musician and writer from Hammersmith. In 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, and in 2007 he was voted the 16th gre ...

, who played Harry's older brother, Alan,

Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk, (; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor, known for his role as Cato in the ''Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of Imperial Japanese Army Ma ...

, who appeared as himself, Steve Bowditch, who played Harry's chief scientist, Finsbury Park, and Matt Bradstock, who played Harry's three year old adopted son, Alan Hill Jr. Each episode was introduced by

Barrie Gosney Barrie Gosney (1926, Surrey – 24 January 2008) was a British television, film and theatrical actor. In a career spanning five decades, Gosney played roles in ''Up Pompeii'', ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ''Believe Nothing'', ''Time Gentlemen ...

. Each episode would also include regular features, such as Burt Kwouk performing "Hey Little Hen", the Badger Parade, Harry reading the news disguised as

Zeinab Badawi Zeinab Badawi ( ar, زينب بدوي; born October 1959) is a Sudanese-British television and radio journalist. She was the first presenter of the ''ITV Morning News'' (later known as '' ITV News at 5:30''), and co-presented ''Channel 4 News'' ...

, and occasionally, a tale from Nana Hill, Harry's eighty two year old nan. The Channel 4 version ran for three years, between 30 May 1997 and 24 April 2000, and spawned three series. The Channel 4 series was produced by ''Avalon Television''. To tie in with the series, Channel 4 released a book, ''Harry Hill's Fun Book'', for Christmas 1998.

ITV1 (2003)

Following the success of Harry's latest television series, ''

TV Burp ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (also known as just ''TV Burp'') is a British television comedy programme broadcast between 2001 and 2012 on ITV. The show was produced by Avalon Television and was written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. Each ep ...

'', which was broadcast on ITV, ITV decided to recommission the series for themselves, purchasing the rights from Channel 4. For the revival, the show was retitled ''The All-New Harry Hill Show'', and a series of six episodes were broadcast between 9 February and 16 March 2003. New features for the revival included "The Hamilton Challenge", where each week

Neil Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

and Christine Hamilton would take on one of a number of different challenges; "Celebrity hobby that you didn't know about.... but will in a minute". This was in which Harry would invite a celebrity on, who would then reveal their secret hobby, and the Bouncy Castle, whereby the show would end with the entire audience coming on stage, and bouncing on a giant bouncy castle. Although viewing figures were high enough, ITV decided not to commission a second run, due to fans of the original

series expressing distaste for what was dubbed the "poor ITV revival".

Revival (2012)

In June 2012, as part of Channel 4's upcoming ''Funny Fortnight'', Hill revived the series, and filmed a spoof documentary, entitled ''Whatever Happened to Harry Hill?''. The documentary features the story of the original Channel 4 series, and includes interviews with Alan Hill (

), Burt Kwouk and the Badgers. The documentary reveals the story in a spoof light, claiming that Hill was in fact the cause of the show's demise, when it was in fact Channel 4's budgetary restraints, and an upcoming deal with ITV which led to its cancellation, fake stories of Hill becoming addicted to Sild and abusing cast members, and a pair of new sketches, dubbed as the "rewritten ending". This featured Alan Hill performing as

Rizzle Kicks Rizzle Kicks are a British hip hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, ''Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...

and Hill, Alan, Burt Kwouk and Stouffer dressing up as the judges of ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

'', to perform a rendition of Jessie J's "

Price Tag A price tag is a label declaring the price of an item for sale. It may be a sticker or attached by twist tie or other means. Some jurisdictions require items (possibly exceptions for bulk good and produce) to be individually marked with the pri ...

". The spoof documentary aired on 23 August 2012, alongside repeats of episodes from the first and third series of the show.

Episodes

Series 1 (1997)

* Episode 1 (30 May 1997) – Guests: Keith Harris & Orville * Episode 2 (6 June 1997) – Guests:

Chas & Dave Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) were a British pop rock duo, formed in London by Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock. Hodges died in 2018. They were most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled ''rockney'' (a port ...

* Episode 3 (13 June 1997) – Guests:

Garry Bushell Garry Bushell (born 13 May 1955) is an English newspaper columnist, rock music journalist, television presenter, author, musician and political activist. Bushell also sings in the Cockney Oi! bands GBX and the Gonads. He managed the New York C ...

* Episode 4 (27 June 1997) – Guests: Billy Bragg * Episode 5 (4 July 1997) – Guests:

Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom '' Dad's Army'', and is the last surviving major cast member of the series following t ...

* Episode 6 (11 July 1997) – Guests:

Rustie Lee Rustie Lee (born 22 May 1949) is a Jamaican television personality, television chef, actress and singer. She participated on the Channel 5 reality-television show '' Celebrity Super Spa'' in 2013; ITV's ''Who's Doing the Dishes?'', hosted by Bri ...

* Episode 7 (18 July 1997) – Guests: Peter Davison * Episode 8 (18 July 1997) – Guests:

Todd Carty Todd Carty also known as Todd John Jennings (born Todd Robert Carty; 31 August 1963) is an English actor and director who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage appearances have ranged from pantomime to serious dram ...

Series 2 (1998)

* Episode 1 (30 October 1998) – Guests:

Little and Large ''Little and Large'' were a British comedy double act comprising straight man Syd Little (born Cyril John Mead; 19 December 1942) and comic Eddie Large (born Edward Hugh McGinnis; 25 June 1941 – 2 April 2020). Comedy duo They formed their p ...

* Episode 2 (6 November 1998) – Guests:

Jan Leeming Jan Leeming (born Janet Dorothy Atkins; 5 January 1942) is an English TV presenter and newsreader. Early life and personal life Leeming was born in Barnehurst, Kent, and educated at the Assumption Convent, Charlton and St Joseph's Convent Gr ...

* Episode 3 (13 November 1998) – Guests:

Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was a British comedy actor. He played the role of Chief ARP Warden Hodges in the sitcom '' Dad's Army''. Early life Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 192 ...

* Episode 4 (20 November 1998) – Guests: Mystic Meg * Episode 5 (27 November 1998) – Guests:

Huffty Andrea Huftika Reah, better known as Huffty, sometime credited as Huffty Riah or miscredited as Huffy Reah, is a British television personality. She was a presenter of Channel 4's 1990s television series, '' The Word''. In his autobiography ''My ...

* Episode 6 (11 December 1998) – Guests: Peter Baldwin * Episode 7 (18 December 1998) – Guests:

The Wurzels The Wurzels are an English Scrumpy and Western band from Somerset, England, best known for their number one hit " The Combine Harvester" and number three hit "I Am a Cider Drinker" in 1976. They are known for using British West Country phrases ...

* Episode 8 (18 December 1998) – Guests:

Sweep Sweep or swept may refer to: Cleaning * Sweep, the action of using a brush to clean * Chimney sweep, a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys * Street sweeper, a person's occupation, or a machine that cleans streets * Swept quartz, a cleani ...

* ''Harry Hill's Christmas Sleigh Ride'' (23 December 1998) – Guests:

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

and Ted Rogers

Series 3 (2000)

* ''Harry Hill's Christmas Memory Lane of Laughter'' (23 December 1999) – Guests: Frank Skinner * Episode 1 (27 February 2000) – Guests: Phill Jupitus * Episode 2 (5 March 2000) – Guests:

Russ Abbot Russ Abbot (born Russell Allan Roberts; 18 September 1947) is an English musician, comedian and actor. Born in Chester, he first came to public notice during the 1970s as the singer and drummer with British comedy showband the Black Abbots, la ...

* Episode 3 (12 March 2000) – Guests:

* Episode 4 (19 March 2000) – Guests:

Bobby Davro Robert Christopher Nankeville, known professionally as Bobby Davro (born 13 September 1958), is an English actor and comedian. He made his television debut in 1981 followed by breakthrough in ''Live from Her Majesty's'' (1983); this was follow ...

* Episode 5 (26 March 2000) – Guests:

Barbara Dickson Barbara Ruth Dickson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish singer and actress whose hits include 'I Know Him So Well', 'Answer Me' and ' January February'. Dickson has placed fifteen albums on the UK Albums Chart from 1977 to date, and had a ...

* Episode 6 (9 April 2000) – Guests:

Karl Howman Karl Howman (born 13 December 1953) is an English actor and voice-over artist. He is best known for playing Jacko in the sitcom ''Brush Strokes'' from 1986 to 1991, Mulberry in ''Mulberry'' from 1992 to 1993 and Buster Briggs in ''EastEnders'' f ...

* Episode 7 (16 April 2000) – Guests:

David Soul David Soul (born David Richard Solberg; August 28, 1943) is an American-British actor and singer. He is known for his role as Detective Kenneth "Hutch" Hutchinson in the television series ''Starsky & Hutch'' from 1975 to 1979; Joshua Bolt on ' ...

* Episode 8 (24 April 2000) – Guests:

Sarah Greene Elizabeth Sarah Greene (born 24 October 1957) is an English television presenter and actress. She co-presented ''Blue Peter'' from May 1980 until June 1983, and hosted the Saturday-morning series '' Saturday Superstore'' and ''Going Live!''. E ...

and Mike Smith

Series 4 (2003)

* Episode 1 (9 February 2003) – Guests:

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war dram ...

* Episode 2 (16 February 2003) – Guests:

Gail Porter Gail Porter (born 23 March 1971) is a Scottish television personality, former model and actress. She started her television career in children's TV, before branching out into modelling and presenting mainstream TV. In the 1990s, she famously po ...

and Dan Hipgrave * Episode 3 (23 February 2003) – Guests:

Dora Bryan Dora May Broadbent, (7 February 1923 – 23 July 2014), known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.Les Dennis Leslie Dennis Heseltine (born 12 October 1953) is an English television presenter, actor, and comedian. He presented ''Family Fortunes'' from 1987 until 2002. Early life Dennis was born Leslie Dennis Heseltine on 12 October 1953 in the Liverpoo ...

* Episode 5 (9 March 2003) – Guests: Rick Parfitt * Episode 6 (16 March 2003) – Guests: Busted

Specials (2012)

* ''Whatever Happened to Harry Hill?'' (23 August 2012) – Guests:

Paul Burling Paul Burling is a British impressionist. A veteran of show business for 25 years, having worked in voiceover, radio and pantomime, he rose to national attention as a finalist of the fourth series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. His debut televisi ...

External links

* *
''Harry Hill''
at BFI
''The All-New Harry Hill Show''
at BFI {{Harry Hill 1997 British television series debuts 2003 British television series endings 1990s British comedy television series 2000s British comedy television series Channel 4 comedy ITV comedy Television series by ITV Studios Harry Hill British English-language television shows