Review for Benny Hill: The Benny Hill Annuals 1980-89

Fans of '..the lad himself' will be delighted that the good folk at network have gathered together all their 80's 'annuals' into one convenient and lower priced set (compared to buying the individual volumes). It's a perfect companion to the 'Benny Hill Annuals: The Complete 70's' collection' (a 12 DVD set) which I purchased last year.


This 8 DVD set gathers together 2 or 3 hour long specials per annum (or per disc if you prefer), showing a slightly tired Benny Hill going through the motions, as the series ground to a tragic halt as 'the lad' found himself out of luck and out of fashion, with the onset of the PC brigade. It really does beg the question of what was achieved by chasing the man out of town. Apart from the fact that within 18 months, and at the tender age of 60, Benny Hill drew his very last breath (work had been his life till that time), it seems on reflection that we merely replaced a man capable of raising a genuine belly laugh with a series of self-righteous shout-aloud intellects who raised nothing more than ironic eye-brow and a knowing snort. Or something like that. Maybe.


Watching the three discs sent through as a representation of this set, with all that history behind us, it's easy to see why the unending lechery and stereotyping was no longer acceptable. But it's equally true that despite that, and the cheesy production values, that even in these twilight years, Hill's humour was frequently inventive and often laugh aloud funny. Whilst it's easy to dismiss Hill as throw-away seaside humour, amongst the dross were often incredibly well constructed gems. The gags were relentless and he delivered again and again for more than thirty years. Though most know that Michael Jackson had been a huge fan (huh?) perhaps fewer know that Hill's own hero, Charlie Chaplin, had also been a fan up until his death in 1977. That's some accolade in my book.


The shows in this set were made for Thames Television in the 80's, and it was the Thames shows that turned him into an international superstar. So much of Hill's humour was visual and therefore language free, and the shows were successfully sold around the globe.


Though I had sight of only three of the eight discs, I can confirm that all the favourites seem to be here. There's Fred Scuttl who gets his very own TV channel, 'Scuttlevision', and the politically incorrect Mr. Chow Mein, whose varied roles include butler and choreographer of the Chinese Opera Company. 'Rubbery'!


But perhaps more significantly, there are some of the really memorable classic send ups including an extensive A-Team spoof and the brilliantly observed 'The Crook Report'.

Hill topped the ratings with these shows and their relentless gags, huge variety and page three style glamour ('Hill's Angel's) meant that there was never a dull moment, even if the gags are a bit hit and miss.


Naturally Hill is prominent throughout, wearing a variety of costumes and disguises and performing as a number of distinct characters. There's plenty of slapstick style 'under-cranking' and double-entendres aplenty with plenty of those classic cheeky looks to camera to ensure that event the slowest members of the audience wouldn't miss 'em.

It's notable that in the latter series, Hill took to doing entire sped up slap-stick sequences with kids rather than the usual trail of disgruntled adults chasing him. Many are utterly charming and reveal a sensitive side to the man that perhaps was not always evident.


The set includes eight discs as it appears that there were no shows in 1987 (unsure why) and the series ended in 1989.

There are also many examples of his trademark patter songs and every episode concludes with the trademark "Yakety Sax", written by Boots Randolph.

Picture quality is fine throughout, though has that slightly washed out, colourlessly flat look of video-taped material from the eighties, with little contrast or saturation. It's accurate but some grading of the source material may have improved this for contemporary tastes. Audio is fine throughout. Sadly there were no extras on the three discs I had.

All in all, a thoroughly recommended purchase for fans of classic comedy and essential for any Benny Hill fans who have not yet bought the individual volumes.