Michael Berry (26 September 1938 – 8 April 2009), known professionally as Lennie Bennett, was an English comedian and game show host. After attending the Palatine Secondary School in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

, Bennett became a journalist for the '' West Lancashire Evening Gazette'' before becoming a professional hypnotist and appearing on the BBC light entertainment programme '' The Good Old Days'' in 1969. He starred with

Jerry Stevens Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian film ...

in the ''Lennie and Jerry Show'', which ran from 1978 to 1980. Bennett was also the host of '' Punchlines'' and ''

Lucky Ladders ''Lucky Ladders'' was a United Kingdom daytime game show based on the American format titled ''Chain Reaction'' that was produced by Anglia and aired on ITV from 21 March 1988 until 14 May 1993. It was hosted by Lennie Bennett and narrated by ...

'' in the 1980s. He also performed in twelve

Royal Variety Show The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...

s, and had a brief stint as a chat show host on

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

in 1982, before working as a speaker on the after-dinner circuit. Bennett suffered a serious heart attack in 1994, which necessitated a

bypass operation Coronary artery bypass surgery, also known as coronary artery bypass graft (CABG, pronounced "cabbage") is a surgical procedure to treat coronary artery disease (CAD), the buildup of plaques in the arteries of the heart. It can relieve chest pai ...

. He died at the age of 70 in the

Royal Lancaster Infirmary The Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) is a hospital in the city of Lancaster, England. It lies to the south of the city centre, between the A6 road and the Lancaster Canal. It is managed by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation ...

on 8 April 2009, following a fall at his home from which he failed to regain consciousness. His funeral took place at the

Carleton Crematorium Carleton Crematorium, together with the adjacent necropolis, Carleton Cemetery, is a graveyard located within the Greenlands ward of Blackpool with its main entrance on Stocks Road in Carleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, in England. It was o ...

.Michael Berry: Obituary
From ''Blackpool Evening Gazette'', 16 April 2009.

TV appearances

*'' Jokers Wild'' – panel game, regular guest, ITV, 1972–73 *''

Celebrity Squares ''Celebrity Squares'' is a British comedy game show based on the American comedy game show '' Hollywood Squares''. It first ran from 20 July 1975 to 7 July 1979 and was hosted by Bob Monkhouse, then—also hosted by Monkhouse—from 8 Ja ...

'' – panel game, regular guest, ITV, 1970s *''International Cabaret'' – variety show, host, BBC2, 1978 *''The Lennie and Jerry Show'' (originally titled ''Lennie and Jerry'') – sketch show, BBC1, 1978–80 *''

Blankety Blank ''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps. The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...

'' – game show, regular panellist, BBC1, 1979–80 *'' Punchlines'' – game show, host, ITV, 1981–84 *''TSW Opening Night'' – host,

Television South West Television South West (TSW) was the ITV franchise holder for the South West England region from 1 January 1982 until 31 December 1992, broadcasting from studios at Derry's Cross in Plymouth, Devon. History Origins and Launch On 28 Decembe ...

, 1 January 1982 *''Names and Games'' – game show specials, host, ITV, 1984–85 *''

'' – game show, host, ITV, 1988–93 *'' You Bet!'' – game show, regular panellist, ITV, 1990 *''

Fantasy Football League ''Fantasy Football League'' is a British television comedy programme hosted by David Baddiel and Frank Skinner. It was inspired by the Fantasy Football phenomenon which started in the early 1990s and followed on from a BBC Radio 5 programme hos ...

'' – guest, BBC, 1995 *''After They Were Famous'' – documentary, subject, ITV, 2004

References

External links

* * Gavin Gaughan
"Lennie Bennett" (obituary)
''The Guardian'', 13 April 2009.

in ''The Daily Telegraph'', 13 April 2009. 1938 births 2009 deaths 20th-century English comedians 21st-century English comedians English game show hosts English male comedians English male television actors English television presenters People from Blackpool {{UK-comedian-stub