Who's Who Of
The Benny Hill Show

Page 1
(Adair - Bolgar)

A Special Thanks must go to contributing editor William Brown for submitting these photos and information on each of these actors / actresses. Many of them were regulars and some were actually guest stars. I have added links to the Internet Movie Database where I could find them. Hope you can find many of those stars you've been wondering about and maybe a few you hadn't thought of. If you don't find what you are looking for, fear not. This section will continue to expand. Thanks again to William Brown, who wrote all of the information. I have also taken this section and put all of the entries in alphabetical order. If you are looking for someone specific, simply place your cursor on the links on the right hand side of the page. A caption will pop up letting you know which names that link will take you to. Enjoy!

Earl Adair

IMDB Entry

Although he's partly obscured by Jackie Wright's bald head, here's Earl Adair from the same sketch. He also appeared in drag as one of the "Pam's People" dancers. From the mid-'80's on, he's been known as James Earl Adair. Does much regional theatre in England.

Andrew Alburger

IMDB Entry

A shot of Andrew Alburger as seen in the "Welcome to New York" opening of the 1990 Benny Hill's World Tour: New York special. His only other known credit, according to IMDb, was as "Saul Kimmer" in the 2002 film version of Sam Shepard's True West. He has done much theatre around the country, including a 2001 performance of A Christmas Carol in Idaho (he played "Ebenezer Scrooge") about which an article at the time in the Idaho Mountain Express; his picture can be found in the online article at www.mtexpress.com.

Ronnie Aldrich (1916-1993)

IMDB Entry

Though the image is not sharp, clear or close-up, this is Ronnie Aldrich, as seen conducting the orchestra in The Ladybirds' March 11, 1970 "This Girl's In Love With You" number. Mr. Aldrich was musical director on all but three editions (all from the 1973-74 series) of the nearly 20-year Thames TV run of TBHS, as well as on Mr. Hill's 1991 New York special. He first gained fame during World War II, when he fronted the swing band The Squadronaires, which remained together through 1964. For at least the first decade of his run with the Hill show, he recorded albums of piano-based easy-listening music on London Records' "Phase 4" label, some of which featured vocals from The Ladybirds. He also conducted Benny's posthumously-released CD, Benny Hill . . . The Best Of. After his death in 1993, biographies listed him as musical director for Thames Television, not even mentioning TBHS which, according to the IMDB, was his lone TV-related credit.

Brenda Arnau

IMDB Entry

The lovely Brenda Arnau, from her only TBHS appearance on March 24, 1976. She was also known as B.J. Arnau, and was also in the James Bond movie Live and Let Die (as a "Fillet of Soul Singer").

Sydney Arnold(1900-1993)

IMDB Entry

Two vidcaps of veteran comic/character actor Sydney Arnold (1900-1993): (top) from the runoff sketch of April 16, 1986, and (bottom) in drag during "The Bucket" sketch, March 12, 1986. Was credited on both editions as "Sidney" Arnold. He was possibly another potential replacement for Jackie Wright. His various credits included a role in "The Crimson Permanent Assurance" segment of the Monty Python troupe's final film together, The Meaning Of Life.

Arriflex 16BL Camera

Three shots of the Arriflex 16BL film camera, as held by Henry McGee in the Feb. 8, 1989 "The Crook Report" sketch. This was one of several film cameras used over the years to shoot outdoor inserts for airing on TBHS, and as the model designation attests this camera shot 16mm film. First introduced in 1965, it was the first self-blimped 16mm film camera from the company. Another camera made by Arriflex, the model 35II 35mm film camera (first introduced in that form after World War II), was in a picture featured in some Hill biographies (probably taken in the 1970's) where Benny, dressed in Western garb, was adjusting the settings on that camera for an upcoming outdoor scene to be filmed.

Pat Ashton (1931-2013)

IMDB Entry

A vidcap of Pat Ashton from her "Lover, Come Back to Me" duet with Benny on Feb. 22, 1973. Her first TBHS appearance was on his May 22, 1965 BBC show. Among her more famous moments were as his duet partner in blooper segments from Dec. 27, 1972, the leading lady in "Crimson Shadow" bloopers on this episode, and appearances in all his 1980 shows. Her other credits include such TV programs as Thick As Thieves and The Gaffer. Her last known credits were in the mid-1980's. Married to Geoff Godwin from 1953 to 1985; they had two children. Died in Diss, Norfolk (that town name sounded like something Benny might have come up with - but no, it actually exists).

Elfrida Ashworth

IMDB Entry

A Photo of Elfrida Ashworth from The Spotlight Magazine. She appeared in The Cruise and The "Lady Godiva" routines, as well as making a brief appearance in the film "Labyrinth".

Nicola Bacon

A shot of Nicola Bacon from the April 5, 1989 "Hill's Angels: The Seven Foolish Virgins" segment. She appeared in all three shows of the 1985 series, plus the last two of Hill's Thames shows in 1989.

Fiona Baker

Two pics of what appears to be Fiona Baker, both from March 12, 1986, in (top) "The Bucket" and (bottom) the "R. Dibble, Handyman" ending runoff. She and another 1986 Angel, Faye Mertens, posed with Benny (as R. Dibble) and Samantha Spencer-Lane in a picture that appeared in a March 29-April 4, 1986 TV Times (UK) article about Mr. Hill. TBHS is her only known credit.

A vidcap from the April 21, 1976 "Who's Afraid of Virgin Wool?" sketch:

Susie Baker (b.1946)

IMDB Entry

Susie Baker, one-half of the Baker Twins (the other being Jennifer) whose credits ranged from Stop the World - I Want to Get Off to the movie version of The Who's Tommy. She also did some solo work besides this appearance. Like such Hill alumni as Ronnie Brody and Michael Sharvell-Martin, she was part of the Dave Allen at Large show.

Carol Ball

IMDB Entry

A shot of Carol Ball from her sole TBHS appearance on Dec. 27, 1973 (on which her name was misspelled as Carole Ball during the end credits), in which she played Benny's dance partner (designated Couple #69) in "The Great Britsh Dancing Finals" sketch where they cut up the rug (and then some) at breakneck speed. She had done some TV - ranging from Room at the Top to The Bill - and films like Winners Are Losers, but she mainly acted and danced her way along the London stage, most notably in the 1988 West End production of 42nd Street where among her co-stars was a pre-stardom Catherine Zeta-Jones. Was married to Harry Dickman from 1971 until his death in 2020; they had two children.

David Barham

A headshot of child actor David Barham from the "Children" volume of the 1983/84 edition of The Spotlight (London). This entry lists TBHS among his credits, but doesn't specify when he appeared or in what sketch. It's probable that he was Benny's double as "Gaston LeClerc" in some shots in the March 25, 1981 "Friends to Tea with Henry McGee" sketch. His other known TV credit, as also mentioned, was a 1976 appearance on The Sweeney.

Guillermo Basilisco

IMDB Entry

Legendary flamenco guitarist Guillermo Basilisco, who accompanied Benny and Diana Darvey during the "Mexican medley" of 3/13/74. One of the syndicated episodes had him credited as "Willie" Basilisco.

David Battley (1935-2003)

IMDB Entry

The late David Battley (1935-2003), British comic actor, who appeared with Mr. Hill in the short film The Waiters, seen here as the guard in "The Russian Zone" sketch on the first Thames TBHS on Nov. 19, 1969. Among his many credits were also a stint on Python alumnus Eric Idle's Rutland Weekend Television (he played one of the original Rutles).

Dennie Bayliss

IMDB Entry

The petite Dennie Bayliss as seen in the "When I Was a Lad" film segment from Dec. 27, 1972. She was also in the runoff where she, Sue Bond and Cheryl (Cherri) Gilham were disrobing before so-called "trees." The Spotlight (London) casting directory listed here as Dennie Baylis (sans extra "s").

Pamela Beckman

IMDB Entry

In all likelihood, this is Pamela Beckman (a.k.a. Pam Beckman), seen here as a nurse in the "Lower Tidmarsh Hospital Service" sketch on Mr. Hill's first show for Thames on Nov. 19, 1969. She had appeared on TBHS as far back as 1960 during one of his sojourns with ATV, but her most famous appearance was on his April 20, 1968 BBC show where she was one of three girls who terrorize Benny in his own home in the "Phantom Phone Call" sketch. She was not credited on this maiden Thames show, but her name was listed amongst the cast of the 1974 compilation movie The Best of Benny Hill. The Spring 1960 edition of The Spotlight (London) casting directory (the last known edition in which she appeared) also listed amongst her credits TV programs hosted by Tommy Steele (Mr. Hill's costar in the movie Light Up the Sky), Charlie Drake (who from 1965 to 1970 worked with Hill straight man Henry McGee in a British sitcom called The Worker), and the late Arthur Haynes (amongst whose show's cast included another future Hill straight man, Nicholas Parsons).

Alison Bell

IMDB Entry

The lovely Alison Bell, as seen in the "Keep Young and Beautiful" number from Feb. 11, 1981. This statuesque (5' 10"), voluptuous beauty first appeared on TBHS on the April 25, 1979 show, where in all likelihood she played "Lady Cynthia Ramsbottom" in the famous "The Police Raid in Waterloo Station" sketch. Her winning smile lit up such routines and sketches as "Hotel Splendide," "The Poster Girl," and "Little Dimpton Street Party"; her almost Amazonesque height and ample proportions lent themselves to such over-the-top characters as a She-Hulk, a female vampire, and an S&M dominatrix. On at least two occasions, she appeared in roles played in earlier versions/incarnations by Lesley Goldie (qv): as a woman trapped inside a burning building in the remake of "A Tribute to the Lower Tidmarsh Fire Brigade," and as the younger wife of Jackie Wright in "The Lover." Ms. Bell's only known entry in The Spotlight (London), published in the 1982/83 edition, did not list the Hill show among her credits, but listed other TV credits such as appearances on the Bruce Forsyth and Little & Large shows; and a West End (London) stage show, Underneath the Arches. Also appeared in a 1986 episode of Chance in a Million. She was interviewed for featurettes on the Hill's Angels in Sets 4 and 5 of A&E Video's Complete & Unadulterated series of DVD's. Is not to be confused with the former British TV newscaster of the same name.

Vanessa Biddulph

Two stills of Vanessa Biddulph, a Hill's Angel in the last two shows of the 1986 series: (top) from the March 31, 1986 "Passion Flower Hotel" sketch, and (bottom) as a troublemaker in the April 16, 1986 "Funny Old World" routine. She was also the one wearing purple in the "Come to the Cabaret" number of the former show. Ms. Biddulph's only other known TV credit aside from TBHS was the 1980's Thames series of Mike Yarwood in Persons (which featured a few other Angels, either former or current, scattered amongst the cast).

Sue Bishop

IMDB Entry

Before either Ms. Bond and Ms. Upton, there was Sue Bishop in her only TBHS appearance on March 11, 1970. This was in the blooper where she said, "Help? Stop it!" (and in "The Sound Of Frankenstein", as noted in the IMDB).

Eunice Black

IMDB Entry

One of several TBHS one-shots from May 30, 1978 (we'll get to some at other points) was Eunice Black, seen here from the "Hotel Sordide (II)" sketch.

Benjie Bolgar

IMDB Entry

A shot of child actor Benjie Bolgar as from the Dec. 22, 1971 News at Ten parody. He was not credited on the original show, but was listed in the custom credits of the post-1987 syndicated half-hour episode which featured the sketch. His only other known credit was a 1976 Disney film released in Britain as Escape from the Dark and in the U.S. as The Littlest Horse Thieves, in which he played the role of "Tommy Sadler"; the movie was noticeable in that it was Alistair Sim's final feature film appearance.

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