Hi-de-Hi! | |
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Genre | Sitcom |
Created by | |
Written by |
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Starring | |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 9 |
No. of episodes | 58 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | David Croft |
Running time | 53 x 30 minutes 1 x 40 minutes 3 x 45 minutes 1 x 60 minutes |
Production company | BBC |
Original release | |
Network | BBC1 |
Release | 1 January 1980 30 January 1988[3] | –
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Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom series, created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and produced for the BBC. The programme initially began with a pilot on 1 January 1980 and aired for nine series between 26 February 1981 to 30 January 1988,[4] and starred Paul Shane, Su Pollard, Jeffrey Holland, Ruth Madoc and Simon Cadell.
Inspired by Perry's time serving as a Redcoat at Butlin's,[5] the series takes place within the fictional Maplins holiday camp in Essex towards the end of the traditional British holiday period of the 1950s. The episodes themselves focus on the lives of the camp's entertainers and staff, who frequently greet campers with the titular phrase "Hi-de-Hi!", and consist mostly of struggling actors, comedians, wannabe stars, and has-been entertainers.[5]
The programme proved popular from its launch, gaining large audiences during its broadcast; its popularity helped it to win a BAFTA as Best Comedy Series in 1984. In a 2008 poll on Channel 4, Hi-de-Hi! was voted the 35th most popular comedy catchphrase. By 2015, the series began receiving repeats, initially with the BBC alongside other sitcom classics by Croft and Perry, and subsequently moved onto being repeated on Gold.