Mention 'Benny Hill' to most people and the first thing they'll think off is the great man himself, a lecherous grin on his face, fleeing from scantily-clad girls to the strains of 'Yakety Sax'. Yet his Thames show, which spanned an incredible twenty years, was about far more than mere sexism.
Nobody did spoofs better than Benny Hill; when he took off 'Sale Of The Century' starring Nicholas Parsons, for a long time afterwards it was impossible to view the real thing without laughing. He also spoofed 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' with himself playing both the Burton and Taylor roles, Tennessee Williams, 'I Claudius', French language movies, and 'The Collector' starring Terence Stamp. So his show wasn't as crass and mindless as some would have us think. Yes, he went out of fashion in the '80's, but should not have been sacked. The alternative comedians who railed against Benny and helped end his career have yet to match him for sheer entertainment value. Besides, Hill did not humiliate women as much as Ben Elton did with his awful 'Maybe, Baby'.
Nobody did spoofs better than Benny Hill; when he took off 'Sale Of The Century' starring Nicholas Parsons, for a long time afterwards it was impossible to view the real thing without laughing. He also spoofed 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' with himself playing both the Burton and Taylor roles, Tennessee Williams, 'I Claudius', French language movies, and 'The Collector' starring Terence Stamp. So his show wasn't as crass and mindless as some would have us think. Yes, he went out of fashion in the '80's, but should not have been sacked. The alternative comedians who railed against Benny and helped end his career have yet to match him for sheer entertainment value. Besides, Hill did not humiliate women as much as Ben Elton did with his awful 'Maybe, Baby'.