The Benny Hill Show

"Hill's Angels" redirects here. For the Disney movie, see The North Avenue Irregulars.

The Benny Hill Show
GenreSketch comedy
Written by
StarringBenny Hill
Theme music composer
Ending theme"Yakety Sax"
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series
  • 8 (BBC)
  • 1 (ATV)
  • 19 (Thames)[1]
No. of episodes
  • 34 (BBC)
  • 9 (ATV)
  • 58 (Thames)
  • 101 (total)
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45–60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release15 January 1955 (1955-01-15) –
26 December 1968 (1968-12-26)
NetworkITV (ATV)
Release9 November 1957 (1957-11-09) –
1960 (1960)
NetworkITV (Thames)
Release1969 (1969) –
1 May 1989 (1989-05-01)[2]
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and double entendre.

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.[3] 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 (equivalent to £1,414,100 in 2023[4]) 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.[5]

  1. ^ "Benny Hill (TV Series 1969–1989)". IMDb.
  2. ^ "The Benny Hill Show (A Titles & Air Dates Guide)". John Lavalie - epguides.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Features | Britain's Most Watched TV | 1970s". British Film Institute (BFI). Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  4. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. ^ "The Sound of ITV: The Nation's Favourite Theme Tunes Episode 1". itv.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.