Comprehensive information and links about Benny Hill

Benny Hill Benny Hill shows sold to over 140 countries around the world, and his audience could be counted in billions.. Since its debut in 1955 it has been reported that his Television show has been seen by billions of people the world over.

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Life

Hill was born in Southampton. After leaving school, Hill worked variously as a milkman, bridge operator, driver and drummer, before he finally got a foot in the door of the entertainment industry by becoming an assistant stage manager. For the stage he changed his first name to "Benny", in homage to his favourite comedian Jack Benny.

Hill worked compulsively and had only a few friends, although colleagues who knew him closely insist that he was never lonely, but was content with his own company. He never married, although he did propose to two women, one the daughter of a British writer, and was rejected by both. He never owned his own home, nor even a car, instead preferring to rent a small flat in Teddington, a convenient walking distance to the Teddington Studios, where he taped his show. He was left-handed. He was a relative of the Australian actress and singer Holly Valance.

Hill's health began declining in the early 1990s. Weighing 108 kg (17 stone or 238 lb) at 1.79 m (5 feet, 10½ inches) tall, he suffered heart problems related to his obesity. On February 11, 1992, doctors told him that he needed to lose 13 kg (28 lb), and recommended a heart bypass. He declined, and was diagnosed a week later with renal failure. Hill passed away "on or about April 20", alone in his flat, at the age of 68 (or 67 - some sources give Hill's year of birth as 1925). The cause of death was listed as coronary thrombosis. Following a foul smell, neighbours found his on April 24 sitting in an armchair. (His death closely coincided with that of another British comedy icon, Frankie Howerd, who died on April 19.)

Hill's will had left his estimated £10 million (GBP) estate to his late parents. Next in line were his brother and sister, Leonard and Diana, neither of whom he had enjoyed the closest of relationships with and both of whom were also deceased. This left his seven nieces and nephews, amongst whom the money—approximately £7.5 million—was divided. A note was found among his belongings assigning huge sums of money to his close friends Sue Upton, Louise English, Henry McGee, Bob Todd and Dennis Kirkland, but because it was neither signed nor witnessed, the note had no legal standing.

He was buried near his birthplace in Southampton. Shortly after, following rumours that he was buried with large amounts of gold jewellery, an attempt was made by thieves to exhume his

Career

Between the end of the war and the dawn of television, he worked as a radio performer. His first appearance on television was in 1949 in the television programme (1974).

His audio recordings include "Gather In The Mushrooms" (1961), "Transistor Radio" (1961), "Harvest of Love" (1963), "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)" (1971), among many others. He also appeared in the video of the song "Anything She Does" by the band Genesis.

featured him in innumerable short sketches (along with Henry McGee, Carol Cleveland, Bob Todd, Jackie Wright (Little Jackie) and others) portraying a leering, lecherous, never-quite-succeeding, yet charming protagonist. He was very versatile and appeared in many different costumes. Slapstick and double entendre were his hallmark. The show was criticized by some for being sexist, but Hill replied by pointing out that the female characters were all intelligent and kept their dignity, while the men chasing them were all buffoons. He used sped up film aka "Undercranking" and sight gags to create what he called "live animation" and he masterfully employed techniques like mime and parody. He was also a skilled composer and singer of patter songs. Here is an example of his doggerel:

The theme song, "Yakety Sax," which has gained a particular cult following on its own, was written by Boots Randolph. Apart from the tune, another signature of the show was the enthusiastic announcer intro -- "Yes! It's " (Often the announcer was cast member McGee.)

In 1969, his show moved to ITV, where it remained until cancellation, with an erratic schedule of one hour specials. The show was first broadcast in the United States in January 1979 and screened there with a series of re-edited half hour programmes culled from the ITV specials. The US versions of his show have far less risqué material than the shows which were aired in the UK. The show was awarded the "Special Prize of the City of Montreux" at the "Rose d'Or" festival in 1984.

The show has been broadcast in over 100 countries. (1969–1989Benny Hill is in syndication and is available on videotape in the US. The syndicated version consists of 111 half-hour episodes, re-edited from the original hour-long specials made by Thames Television and screened on Britain's ITV network three or four times a year. Half-hour edits also appeared on ITV, although the contents may be different from the syndicated US versions. In 1989 Thames dropped Hill, citing a major decline in ratings. Some argued that the show was the victim of political correctness, others that the of comedy was simply very dated. One reason often cited was that his character's constant leering at attractive women was less charming as he grew older. Hill later recorded some shows for US television. The Benny Hill show is currently airing in one hour portions ( corresponding to the original hour-long format), twice nightly on BBC America (Dish Network channel 135)

Perhaps ironically, there is far less material currently available in the UK, although in 2005 the Thames specials began to appear uncut on Region 2 DVD sets, each representing one year and entitled . In 2004, the same year Benny Hill started airing on BBC America (originally in 2 half-hour shows), the Thames specials began to appear uncut on Region 1 DVD sets for the US, by A, The first three sets are called "The Naughty Early Years". And unlike the UK sets, each set represents three years of the shows in order of the original airings. Set One shows the episodes from 1969-1971 (with the three never-before seen in the US Black and White episodes), Set Two shows the episodes from 1972-1974, and Set Three shows 1975-1977. Set Four was released early in 2006 under the new name "The Hill's Angels Years" with shows from 1978-1981.

Hill's Angels A tribute to the late, great Benny Hill and his beautiful ladies known as Hill's Angels