Hill's Angels

''The Benny Hill Show'' is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV (from 1969) between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody and double entendre (which could be described as a filmatographic version of British saucy seaside postcard humour).

At its peak ''The Benny Hill Show'' was among the most-watched programmes in the UK with the audience reaching more than 21 million viewers in 1971. In 1972, Hill received a BAFTA Television Award for Best Writer, and he was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance. In the late 1970s, the Thames Television version of the show gained a following in the United States and would run in syndication until 1991. In 1980 and 1981, it received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety. In 1984 Hill received a Rose d'Or.

Thames cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large production costs at £450,000 () per show. In a 2015 UK poll the show's theme song was voted number 1 on the ITV special '' The Sound of ITV – The Nation's Favourite Theme Tune''.

Show format

''The Benny Hill Show'' features Benny Hill in various short comedy sketches and occasional, extravagant musical performances by artists of the time. Hill appears in many different costumes and portrays a vast array of characters. Slapstick, burlesque, and double entendres are his hallmarks. Critics accused the show of sexism and objectification of women, but Hill argued that the female characters kept their dignity while the men who chase them were portrayed as buffoons (due to silly predicaments that the men themselves caused to the women (probably because the male characters find them "attractive" to them)).

The show often uses undercranking and sight gags to create what Hill called "live animation", employing comedic techniques such as mime and parody. The show typically closes with a sped-up chase scene involving Hill and often a crew of scantily clad women (usually with Hill being the one chased, due to silly predicaments that he himself caused), accompanied by the instrumental " Yakety Sax", in a send-up on the stereotypical Keystone Cops chase scenes. Hill also composed and sang patter songs 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'' and '' Cannon'', plus Hercule Poirot.

During his television career, Hill performed impersonations or parodies of such American celebrities as W. C. Fields, Orson Welles (renamed "Orson Buggy"), Kenny Rogers, Marlon Brando, Raymond Burr, and fictional characters that range from '' The Six Million Dollar Man'' and ''Starsky and Hutch'' to '' The A-Team'' (parodied as "The B-Team", in which he played the roles of both 'Hannibal' and 'B.A.') and '' Cagney & Lacey''. He also impersonated such international celebrities as Nana Mouskouri and Miriam Makeba as well as 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, Hill 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.

Production notes

The show's closing theme tune, " Yakety Sax", which has gained a following in its own right, was written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Boots Randolph. As the closing credits rolled, the theme was usually accompanied by a sped-up chase-sequence, often featuring scantily clad young women. The show's musical director was 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 to 1974). The saxophone soloist on Aldrich's version of "Yakety Sax" was Peter Hughes. For three episodes of the 1973–1974 season, Albert Elms filled in for Aldrich as musical director. "Yakety Sax" first appeared in the 19 November 1969 episode, which was also the first show for Thames.

Another signature of the show was the enthusiastic announcer intro: "Yes! It's ''The Benny Hill Show!''" (The announcer was often cast member Henry McGee.) From 1975 forward, 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.".

Characters

Hill created both long-running fictional characters, such as Fred Scuttle, and frequently spoof impersonations of other TV personalities of the day, usually tweaking names for comic effect:

*Johnny and Cranny Faddock (Johnny and Fanny Cradock)
*Husky and Starch (Starsky and Hutch)
*Cinema with Clive Janes (Clive James)
*The Scarlet Pimple ( The Scarlet Pimpernel)
*Barry Normal ( Barry Norman)
*James Gaulstone ( James Galway)

Cast

The main supporting cast included Henry McGee, Jon Jon Keefe, Ken Sedd, Nicholas Parsons, Bob Todd and Jackie Wright.

The regular sexpot-type women include Jenny Lee-Wright, Sue Bond, Bettina Le Beau, Lesley Goldie, Cherri Gilham and Diana Darvey. In later years, the show included a dance troupe, the Hill's Angels, which was briefly preceded by the Love Machine. Regular Angels were Sue Upton and Louise English, whilst Jane Leeves also appeared as a Hill's Angel in a few episodes in the early 1980s; among those who appeared only once were Susan Clark and Sue McIntosh.

The female singing group The Ladybirds, featuring the bespectacled Maggie Stredder, were regulars on the show as background singers to Hill, and occasionally singing numbers on their own.

Character actresses include Anna Dawson, Bella Emberg, Rita Webb, Helen Horton, and Patricia Hayes.

Guest stars

* Don Estelle
* Paul Eddington
* Paula Wilcox
* David Prowse

* Patrick Newell
* Hugh Paddick
* Kathy Staff

* Trisha Noble
* Dilys Watling
* Stella Moray

* Percy Thrower
* Liz Fraser
* Carl Wayne

Occasionally, Hill would briefly chat with his guests on stage. In the 1980s, as the climate of political correctness continued to grow, Eddington and Wilcox refused to allow the episodes in which they appeared to be shown on British television again.

Musical guest stars

* Petula Clark
* Alma Cogan

* Kiki Dee
* Judith Durham

* Cleo Laine

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