The Benny Hill Show

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.