Complete & Unadulterated
The Naughty Early Years - Set 1

Navigation: 1 2 3 Next Page

Volume 1
(Episodes 1-4)

Benny in The European Song Contest

Jump to an Episode: 1 2 3 4

This DVD Collection comprises the first three years of The Benny Hill Show from Thames Television from 1969-1971. I have made the reviews fairly short for each program with simple descriptions and comments for each sketch. You'll find the reviews divided into three pages, one for each Volume of this set. I've also taken the liberty to mention a few highlights at the beginning of each review. Look for technical details and closing comments at the end of page three. Special thanks must go to William Brown for pointing out many of the actors and actresses we are all curious to know about. Enjoy.

Benny as a French singer in European Song Contest from the first Thames program

Benny as a French singer in the "European Song Contest" from the first Thames program

Eira Heath as Benny's wife in "The Russian Zone"

Benny as Ginger Tompkins in "Holiday Sports Spectacular"

Nicholas Parsons is the host in "Is This Your Life?"

Benny flirts with a pretty maid in "Hotel Sordide"

Benny in "The Old Fiddler"

Left to Right: Benny as a ventriloquist and Nicole Shelby in "Benny's Bloopers"

Left to Right: Nicole Shelby and Marian Davies in "Rogue Nudist"

Nicholas Parsons (left) with Benny in "Fred Scuttle: TV Audience Researcher"

Patricia Hayes in "The Hitch Hiker"

The Ladybirds sing "The Girl Is In Love With You"

Benny as Tiny Tim in "Benny's Bloopers"

Episode 1

(Nov. 19, 1969)

Color [52:20]

Benny Quickie: Ye Olde Wishing Well
Opening and Ballad: "Anna-Marie"
Benny's Bloopers
Sound Delay Interview
The Ladybirds: "Your Secret Love"
The Russian Zone
Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service
Mrs. Fripp: ITV's Most Loyal Viewer
European Song Contest
Closing: The Age Of Aquarius (not in the menu)

Cast: Benny Hill, Eira Heath, Henry McGee, David Battley, Ken Parry, The Ladybirds, Miguel Lopez Cortezo, John Wright, Michael Sharvell-Martin, Jan Butlin, Connie Georges, Verne Morgan, Barbara Lindley.

Produced and Directed by: John Robins

Highlights: The Russian Zone; Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service; European Song Contest.

This is the first program in this DVD Collection and marks the very first program Benny did for Thames. And what a premiere it is, too. It all starts with a Benny Quickie: Ye Olde Wishing Well where Benny as an old man and his wife are walking past an old well and Benny tosses in a coin, wishing for a beautiful, young girl. The lesson: be careful what you wish for. The muscleman was an uncredited Dave Prowse, years before becoming the body of Darth Vader in the first three (released) Star Wars movies.

There is an introduction for the show to start and we have the Opening and Ballad: Anna-Marie. This is a fine example of Benny's ability to make us laugh with a knowing look or smile and Benny's fine sense of word play is here, too. The Ladybirds support Benny with fine vocal harmonies. Next, Benny's trademark "moments when things go wrong" segment, which he would use throughout the series in Benny's Bloopers. These are all memorable shorts, including a classic running gag of Benny singing to Eira Heath. Benny also assaults a young girl (Eira Heath) and there is an ad for instant potatoes, (also with Eira Heath).

Sound Delay Interview has Henry McGee interviewing Benny through a live hook-up, but there is a technical delay and the answers to the questions get mixed up. Classic! The Ladybirds: "Your Secret Love" is actually called "I think I'm Going Out Of My Head", I think. At any rate, The Ladybirds perform dynamically and the hairstyles, clothes and feel of this segment are a real trip back to a more innocent time. I really like the use of the camera, as well as the choreography and lighting. The Russian Zone features Benny and Eira Heath as newlyweds on their honeymoon. They don't even know that where they are honeymooning is being divided into the American Zone and the Russian Zone. A great moment! Is that Barbara Lindley in the Russian Uniform at the end?

The Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service is the first of many sketches where no dialogue was used in a sketch and the classic "Yakkety-Sax" plays. Jackie Wright needs surgery and Benny is the Doctor. There are also plenty of young beauties and great sight gags. Wait till you see what Benny does for stitches during surgery. Brilliant! Jan Butlin is Jackie Wright's wife, Connie Georges is the older nurse who kicks Jackie in the butt. Look for Michael Sharvell-Martin an the doctor hoping into bed with Barabara Lindley! Benny is in drag again in Mrs. Fripp: ITV's Most Loyal Viewer as Henry McGee interviews him about "her" favorite programs.

The European Song Contest is a one-man tour de force for Benny, showing him at his best in various costumes, singing, dancing or in drag and always coming off as the fool. Just watch Benny sing "Ting-a-ling-a-loo" or sing in several different languages. Look for Eira Heath singing with Benny & Miguel Lopez Cortezo accompanying her on guitars. Eira Heath puts on a blonde wig and her and Benny sing a German tune. This is pure Benny at his best with his classic sense of timing. Genius! The program closes with Benny chasing down a girl (Barabara Lindley, who also appeared in the "Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service") with a butterfly net to "The Age of Aquarius" but ends up netting Connie Georges. This is truly a wonderful premiere show and one you won't soon forget.

Episode 2

(Dec. 23, 1969)

Color [50:58]

Benny Quickie: Fishing
Opening and Ballad: "Juanita Bonita Delores"
Holiday Sports Spectacular
Benny Quickie: Peeping Ben
The Ladybirds: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
The Short Happy Life of Maurice Dribble
Benny's Bloopers
Miss Eira Heath: "Wedding Cake"
Is This Your Life?
Closing: The Age Of Aquarius (not in the menu)

Cast: Benny Hill, Eira Heath, Nicholas Parsons, Robertson Hare, Rita Webb, Michael Sharvell-Martin, The Ladybirds, Tommy Mann, Yvonne Paul, Valerie Stanton, David Hamilton, Connie Georges, Lillian Padmore, Wally Goodman, Valerie St. John, Bill Straiton, Michael Moore

Produced and Directed by: John Robins

Highlights: Holiday Sports Spectacular; The Short Happy Life Of Maurice Dribble; Is This Your Life?

This episode opens with Benny Quickie: Fishing with Benny as a frustrated fisherman getting luckier than he thought he would. The Opening and Ballad: "Juanita Bonita Delores" features Benny singing a song of luckless love with great vocals by the Ladybirds and a rousing Mexican flavour to the tune. Next is the Holiday Sports Spectacular, a parody of soccer hero Ginger Tompkins which features Benny as a soccer player being interviewed by Nicholas Parsons about the soccer hero he hates. There is also a wrestling match between Benny and Tommy Mann and we get to hear their conversations during the match with lots of double entendres.

Benny Quickie: Peeping Ben shows Benny peeping out the window at a girl with unexpected results. The Ladybirds: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" features the singing trio with a black cloth backdrop and wearing blue dresses. They sing with great conviction and the musical accompaniment is really tight. There are also more neat camera tricks to make this a fun musical number. I also like that cool sax used as well. The Short Happy Life of Maurice Dribble features techniques that Benny used that became trademarks of his show. The use of sped-up Victorian music, fast-speed camera work, no dialogue, a biographical storyline, (cradle to the grave) and jokes and gags that can come at you faster than you can keep up. This is a true gem in the Benny Hill cannon and a favorite sketch for many. Look for Yvonne Paul as the nurse who plays strip poker with Benny.

Benny Bloopers features another series of short clips and running gags that represent moments when things go wrong in TV, including a western film set, a game show with Benny impersonating Bob Monkhouse, a very popular British comic and game show host at the time. Miss Eira Heath: "Wedding Cake" features Eira Heath singing of love and relationships, but I'm not too fond of her voice. "Is This Your Life?" features the life of a senior citizen played by character actor Robertson Hare who had previously worked with Benny as far back as 1959 in a stage play called "Fine Fettle". He is being honoured by Nicholas Parsons as the host, with Benny playing several different characters throughout, including the very first appearance of Fred Scuttle. This program also closes with "The Age of Aquarius" which Benny used for several shows as a closing tune. This time it's a park setting with Benny being chased by Rita Webb ending this classic program.

Episode 3

(Feb. 4, 1970)

Color [50:30]

Benny Quickie: Black Moor
Opening and Ballad: "Colleen"
Naked Audition
Luis Alberto del Parana and Los Paraguayos
Hotel Sordide
Tour Guide
Ballet Company with Audience Commentary
Miss Eira Heath: "Carnival"
Making a Commercial
The Old Fiddler
Benny's Bloopers
Tommy Tupper in Tupper-Time
Benny's Ballad: "Girls of the Sousa Bar"
Closing: Yakkety Sax (not in the menu)

Cast: Benny Hill, Eira Heath, Henry McGee, Rita Webb, Nicole Shelby, Luis Alberto Del Parano and Los Paraguayos, Michael Sharvell-Martin, The Ladybirds, David Hamilton, Valerie St. John, Charmaine Seal, John Wright, Christine Rodgers, Harold Gee, Ann Irving

Produced and Directed by: John Robins

Highlights: Hotel Sordide; The Old Fiddler; Tommy Tupper in Tupper-Time.

This show starts off with Benny as a reporter in Benny Quickie: Black Moor with Benny putting his foot in the wrong place. The Opening and Ballad: "Colleen" features Benny singing a tune of unrequited love with The Ladybirds giving their trademark vocal support. Benny's use of songs as an opener to the shows is something I always look forward to and features his genuine ability to write great tunes. The Naked Audition is another staple of the series: a sketch where a voice off-screen (this time Henry McGee) provides description and narration demonstrating Benny's ability to use only his facial expression and body language to fill out the story. Benny is waiting to audition for a "blue" movie, seated next to Valerie St. John. Dialogue comes into this sketch near the end to set up the punch line when Rita Webb and Henry McGee appear. Of course, Benny is made the sucker.

Luis Alberto del Parana and Los Paraguayos is another fine example of the musical guests Benny would bring on his show. This Paraguayan group plays with real fervour and virtuosity. Check out the harp player. I'm not sure how he plays that thing without breaking his fingers. Hotel Sordide is a completely mimed piece with Jackie Wright and his wife (Christine Rodgers, who also appeared in "At Last The 1948 Show" from 1967) on their honeymoon. Benny plays the desk clerk and butler with Rita Webb as the maid. The Hotel is really a "sordid" place and the service is terrible. Just watch for the dinner scene. Classic! Tour Guide features Benny speaking to a group of tourists in several languages but gets more than he bargained for. Ballet Company with Audience Commentary is a short segment with Benny performing a ballet on screen with Charmaine Seal with comments from Benny and a few other folks off screen.

Miss Eira Heath: "Carnival" features another vocal performance from this actress/singer who played many parts on the show in this early part of the series. Not a great singer, but she does make an excellent performer alongside Benny in many of the segments in this DVD collection. Making a Commercial is a unique and brilliant sketch with only Benny describing the events surrounding the making of a commercial. We use our own imaginations to fill in the blanks! Great stuff. The Old Fiddler is a song Benny recorded in the studio for one of his albums and he gives it the TV treatment here. The fiddler really puts in the sour notes when needed and Benny gives us that knowing smile throughout. Classic! This leads into Benny's Bloopers with some very short segments with Benny goofing things up, including the classic "air coming out of a beach ball so it sounds like a fart" gag. There's also the honeymoon of Benny and Rita Webb with Benny having to hold up the large lady on a film set.

Tommy Tupper in Tupper-Time is a great send-up of talk shows with Benny as the stereotypical host. His guests, however, are the worst, they're either dying (Jackie Wright), not talking (Henry McGee), leaving their fly down (Michael Sharvell-Martin), or just plain drunk (Nicole Shelby?). Classic! Benny then closes the show with Benny's Ballad: "Girls of the Sousa Bar" The Ladybirds support Benny in a song about a place where young men are warned not to look for women. The LP "This is Benny Hill (a.k.a. Benny Hill: Words & Music) lists this songs title as "Suzy". The show closes with Benny chasing Nicole Shelby in the woods to the tune of Yakkety-Sax.

Episode 4

(Mar. 11, 1970)

Color [51:26]

Benovite (not in the menu)
Opening and Ballad: "My Garden of Love"
The Hitch Hiker
Fred Scuttle: TV Audience Researcher
Rogue Nudist
Benny's Bloopers
The Ladybirds: "The Girl is in Love with You"
Benny's Ballad: "Golden Days"
Benny Quickie: One-Man Band Monk
Cotillion Dancing
The Birds and the Bees
The Sound of Frankenstein
Closing: Yakkety Sax (not in the menu)

Cast: Benny Hill, Eira Heath, Nicholas Parsons, Patricia Hayes, Jimmy Thompson, Nicole Shelby, The Ladybirds, Michael Sharvell-Martin, Bill Drysdale, Walter Cartier, Terry Day, Sue Bishop, David Hamilton, Valerie St. John, Pippa Reynaud
Produced and Directed by: John Robins

Highlights: The Hitch Hiker; Rogue Nudist; The Birds and the Bees; The Sound of Frankenstein.

Episode 4 opens with the classic commercial parody of "Benovite", with Benny and his wife (Pippa Reynaud?) getting the love life back in their marriage. Opening and Ballad: "My Garden of Love" features Benny and Nicole Shelby. Benny provides great word play; Nicole provides the chewing gum. Benny then introduces Patricia Hayes in The Hitch Hiker. Benny plays the Hitch Hiker picked up by Patricia and she takes him to her house, keeping him there for her own amusement. Also appearing in the sketch is Jimmy Thompson towards the end. Nicholas Parsons then introduces Fred Scuttle: TV Audience Researcher in a special interview about his TV network. Benny leads our imaginations wayward.

Rogue Nudist is a brilliant sketch with Benny actually going to a nudist colony and there is a series of great sight gags and embarrassing moments for Benny throughout. This one also includes Nicole Shelby, Marian Davies (of The Ladybirds) and Jimmy Thompson. Next up, Benny's Bloopers featuring a sword fight; a commercial mixup; a strange and hilarious musical performance by Benny of "Please Release Me"; Benny as Tiny Tim; Benny looking up a girls skirt in a disco (I love that wig!) and Benny singing "Stardust" completely off-key. These are all brilliant shorts that I remember from my teens. Classic, classic, classic! "After Dinner with Charlotte Fudge" features Eira Heath as the host of a talk show, Patricia Hayes as a fashion consultant and Benny as a drunken guest who is absolutely hysterical, completely ruining her moment with the audience. I love his jokes and putdowns. Brilliant! Benny also does a short as a bad ventriloquist and with a turtle puppet. Look for Nicole Shelby in this one with the sexy outfit (as well as the fishnets with the seams).

The Ladybirds: "The Girl is in Love with you" features the Ladybirds in an offstage setting like a studio with Ronnie Aldrich conducting in the background. These Ladybirds segments in the series became an important part to give the audience a rest from the gags and added to the variety feel of the programs. It's also fun to see the band perform as well. Next up Patricia Hayes introduces Benny as "Dickey Dido", a country and western singer who likes to tell jokes to his audience. He then performs Benny's Ballad: "Golden Days" with Eira Heath. Great stuff. Benny Quickie: One-Man Band Monk is an unusual joke that you have to see for yourself. Cotillion Dancing features Benny dancing with Patricia Hayes (in a black wig) at the dance while all the other guys get pretty ones. Actors include Bill Drysdale and (possibly) Walter Cartier. Benny ends up with Terry Dane at the very end. The Birds and the Bees is a recitation by Benny about growing up and finding out about love and life. He uses a pet bird to get all the village girls up to his room. Benny is great at getting us to use our imaginations.

The Sound of Frankenstein is a musical parody of the legendary movie monster and features several players and songs. Not the funniest, but a fun little segment with catchy tunes. The scientist was played by Michael Sharvell-Martin, making his final appearance on the show, as did Eira Heath. Benny gives us his trademark goodbye and the close features Benny robbing Valerie St. John and then being chased by her to Yakkety-Sax ending a really great program with some really memorable moments.

Navigation: 1 2 3 Next Page

Complete & Unadulterated The Naughty Early Years - Set 1

Volume 1(Episodes 1-4)

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Complete & Unadulterated
The Naughty Early Years - Set 1

Volume 1
(Episodes 1-4)