5 look into ‘The Cancellation of Benny Hill’

“His name was Benny and he had the oldest joke book in the West!” – Stanley Baxter

Benny Hill was one of the UK’s most prolific comedians from the 1950s through to the 1980s. His worked for the BBC, ATV and Thames Television with high rating shows broadcast on BBC One and ITV.

While his shows were always filled with ‘pretty women’ the earlier days contained much more well written and thought out sketches. But lazy edited ‘best of’s’ by Thames and a leaning to the saucy ‘Carry On’ style skits saw his show canned by ITV in 1989.

The production was effectively ‘cancelled’ when The Benny Hill Show was criticised for containing sexist, risqué and vulgar content which would be deemed unacceptable by today’s standards.

In fact, his show has not been aired on mainstream TV since his death in 1992, although a feature length special from the 1970s ‘The Best of Benny Hill’ has been repeated on ITV3 while an American edit of his Thames TV series has aired recently on That’s TV. His entire Thames Television back catalogue has also been issued, successfully, on DVD.

In this no-holds-barred, exclusive documentary, 5 delve into the past of Benny Hill and the comedy that made his career, from his rise to the top to his eventual downfall.

Looking back through the archives, revealing unseen footage and unpacking some of his most controversial work, the film asks the younger generation to review Benny’s sketches. Do they find them funny or offensive? This special also speaks to those who knew him best and dive beneath the public facade.

The Cancellation of Benny Hill, Channel 5, April 13th at 9 pm