The Benny Hill Show

*The Benny Hill Show*
The Benny Hill Show
Genre	Sketch comedy
Written by	Benny Hill (all); Dave Freeman (BBC);
Starring	Benny Hill
Theme music composer	Boots Randolph; James Q. Rich;
Ending theme	"Yakety Sax"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	8 (BBC); 1 (ATV); 19 (Thames);
No. of episodes	34 (BBC); 9 (ATV); 58 (Thames); 101 (total);
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	45–60 minutes
Production companies	BBC; ATV; Thames Television;
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	15 January 1955 –; 26 December 1968
Network	ITV (ATV)
Release	9 November 1957 –; 1960
Network	ITV (Thames)
Release	1969 –; 1 May 1989
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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]

^ "Benny Hill (TV Series 1969–1989)". IMDb.
^ "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.
^ "Features | Britain's Most Watched TV | 1970s". British Film Institute (BFI). Archived from the original on 22 November 2005. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
^ 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.
^ "The Sound of ITV: The Nation's Favourite Theme Tunes Episode 1". itv.com. Retrieved 1 October 2019.

[1] "Benny Hill (TV Series 1969–1989)". IMDb.

[epguide-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.

[inflation-UK-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.

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