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4 unusual facts about Benny Hill


Rock cake

In the Benny Hill song Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West) – performed first on television in 1970, later released as a single in 1971 in the UK – Ernie is killed by a rock cake below the heart and a pork pie to the face.

She's Living for This

She’s Living for This provides a modern update on the classic TV variety show standard set by the likes of Sonny & Cher, Carol Burnett, and Benny Hill.

Who Cares a Lot?

The album art for the American release was the red question mark on black background, while the UK, European, Argentine, and Oceanian releases featured the Benny Hill art.

WMPA TV

All three shows borrowed material liberally from such television programs as “Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In,” “Saturday Night Live,” "The Benny Hill Show," "Late Night with David Letterman," and “Hee Haw.”


Alec Bregonzi

Duncan Wood, the television director of Hancock's Half Hour recommended Bregonzi to other directors, so that he also appeared in 1950s/60s shows starring Benny Hill, Charlie Drake, Arthur Askey, Ted Ray, Frankie Howerd, Harry Worth, Jimmy Logan, and Alan Melville, among others.

Jenny Lee-Wright

Upon returning to England, she joined Lionel Blair's dance troupe, and then turned to acting, appearing with such comedians as Morecambe and Wise, Dick Emery, Spike Milligan (in his Q series), Frankie Howerd, Tommy Cooper and, in particular, Benny Hill.

Jeremy Hawk

Hawk appeared on television as straight man to Benny Hill, Arthur Askey, Norman Wisdom and Sid Caesar as well as hosting the ITV programme Criss Cross Quiz and the junior version for children's television from 1957 to 1962.

No – That's Me Over Here!

It was created by Barry Cryer, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle, and it featured Ronnie Corbett's first acting starring role, alongside Rosemary Leach, Henry McGee (who was at the time also playing straight man to Benny Hill in The Benny Hill Show), Ivor Dean and Jill Mai Meredith.

Peter Brough

His radio series based around the character - Educating Archie - featured in support the likes of Dick Emery, Freddie Sales, Benny Hill, Tony Hancock, Hattie Jacques, Bruce Forsyth, Harry Secombe, Beryl Reid and even a young Julie Andrews as the girlfriend of Archie; Eric Sykes was one of the series main writers in the early 1950s.

Zienia Merton

She was a lead actress as Christina in the Dennis Potter TV adaptation of Casanova with Frank Finlay, and appeared on The Benny Hill Show in 1972, playing the wife of Hill's Chow Mein character.


see also

Diana Darvey

For a time in the early 1980s she was based in Miami Beach, Florida, where by then The Benny Hill Show had become famous in the United States through syndication.

Frak!

On the Electron, this 'piracy' tune was replaced by the tune Yakety Sax, the theme from 'Benny Hill'.

Jack Wright

Jackie Wright (1905–1989), Irish comedian and performer on The Benny Hill Show

Taryn Marler

Taryn has also taken part in Rove McManus's stand up comedy show in a 'Benny Hill' style skit, as a nurse in his 2008 tour.