RADIO

While it is fair to accept the oft-quoted description of Benny Hill as the first British comedian made by television, his rise to fame was little different to some of his contemporaries’. For instance, there are many parallels with the career of Tony Hancock, beginning with military service shows, Windmill Theatre experiences (Hancock was accepted, Hill was not), variety performances, fledgling radio spots, sparring with Archie Andrews, and eventually achieving television stardom. Benny Hill hit the BBC big time in 1955, Hancock saw his radio classic, Hancock’s Half Hour, transfer successfully to television in 1956. The only real difference was that Benny Hill never really became a star of radio, whereas Hancock most certainly did. However, radio was vitally important in the development of Hill’s comic personality, and it gave him many opportunities to impress would-be producers, build up a substantial country-wide following and skilfully develop his vocal mannerisms without the visual comedy which would became such a cornerstone in his work.

Ironically, the closest Hill came to becoming a major radio attraction was on the printed page, as die star of his own hugely popular comic strip in Radio Fun from 1956, billed as ‘Britain’s Brightest Boy!’ With no defined radio persona to mould the comic strips around, the story writers cast Hill in a series of misadventures involving a bumbling detective agency resembling the one in the film Who Done It? The Benny Hill strip lasted until the demise of the comic in 1961, by which time the comedian’s caricatured likeness had graced the coveted Radio Fun annual cover in 1958. Indeed, his likeness was endorsing products in that other respected journal, Radio Times, in 1955 and 1956, featuring several appearances of his advert for Mars bars. A tasty steal at just 6d each, ‘It’s that Magic Melting Moment that Makes Mars,’ said Benny Hill. Jon Pertwee was saying the same thing during a lengthy campaign, but Benny’s choc-stuffed beaming features could have sold anything. He also cropped up endorsing Rufflette, a line of curtain tape, hooks, rings and curtain tracks from M. Thomas French & Sons Ltd: ‘Benny Hill pops the question – What’s behind your curtain?’ with poses from him as his clean-cut young self and his own aged, kindly old dear of a mother.

Fresh-faced and rearing to go.

By 1956, Hill was far more famous for his own television hours than any radio interludes. Despite notching up an estimated two hundred broadcasts, ranging from Variety Roundabout to Starlight Hour, during the immediate post-war era, it would never be a medium he wanted to conquer. Once his fight for television stardom had been won, he would flirt with the airwaves on his own terms when he wanted to, but the long radio journey was an interesting and important one.

Beginners Please!

Hill’s very first radio appearance was on 30 August 1947, on this long-forgotten variety show. Designed to showcase new talents fresh to radio, billed as ‘A variety programme featuring new radio personalities’, Beginners Please! was hardly the most inspiring start, broadcast for 30 minutes from 11.45 on a Saturday morning. Brian Reece was the compere, with musical assistance from Eric Robinson and His Players. It was hard-working producer Roy Speer who struggled to secure a more convenient slot, and from 6 September, just after Hill’s appearance, the show went out at 5.40 p.m. with new compere Nigel Neilson.

Radio Fun 1958 Annual cover

The struggling comedian made his mark with a sparkling four-minute routine, culminating in his deadpan delivery of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address – ‘345a Main Street, Gettysburg’. Broadcast on the BBC Light Service from Camberwell Palace, Hill had enjoyed encouraging words from Phil Brown and Joe Collins before the main star-maker himself, Carroll Levis, recommended him for radio work. His spot was a hit, and Hill was recommended to Joy Russell-Smith, the producer of Variety Band-Box.

Variety Band-Box

What the Windmill Theatre was to the stage, Variety Band-Box was to radio. Indeed, the legendary Soho establishment proved the perfect showcase for Band-Box producers, and every returning military-experienced comedian worth their salt (and a few who weren’t) struggled into the limelight of BBC radio. Originally conceived as Band-Box Variety but rearranged by a typing error and never corrected, this cheap and cheerful training ground for post-war comedy giants was billed as ‘the people of variety to a variety of people’ – the sights were, wisely, never aimed any higher than that.

An intrinsic part of post-war Britain – like lingering rationing and the rise of Denis Compton – the series had started as far back as 27 December 1942 on the BBC Overseas Programme. The brainchild of producers Cecil Maddern and Stephen Williams, the first Variety Band-Box came from the Queensbury All Services Club, London Casino, and featured the talents of Issy Bonn, Anona Winn, Edmundo Ros and others. It proved so popular with home audiences that it was given a regular slot on 27 February 1944. The initial, uninterrupted run lasted an amazing seven years, during which time Benny Hill made several appearances.

As did all his contemporaries, Hill simply stuck to his regular variety theatre routines, and his very first performance was on the same bill as ventriloquist Peter Brough and his dummy Archie Andrews in the show broadcast on 5 October 1947. Hill was greeted with muted reaction from the BBC hierarchy. In a report dated 10 October 1947, Ronald Waldman, who was taking into account both Hill’s contribution to Band-Box and Beginners Please!, unpromisingly commented: ‘He didn’t-make me laugh at all – and for a comedian that’s not very good.’ Ironically, the major Variety Band-Box hit was Hill’s old REME pal, Frankie Howerd, who muttered, jittered and oohed his way into the nation’s subconscious.

Howerd had struck gold with this laid-back, working-class variety collection of songs, jokes and star guests. The major talking point was inspired, tongue-in-cheek interviews with major film stars. Dirk Bogarde, fresh from huge success and killing Dixon of Dock Green in the film The Blue Lamp, was probed about his continued impulse to rob people. Other guests Howerd interrogated included former regular Band-Box comedian Tony Hancock, Robert Newton, Margaret Lockwood, Richard Burton, Richard Attenborough, Gilbert Harding and Cary Grant, who was totally bemused by Howerd’s seemingly unrehearsed delivery.

In an attempt to emulate the popular radio rivalry of Jack Benny and Fred Evans in America, Howerd was pitted against Derek Roy for an ever-heightening battle of wits. Indeed, Benny Hill and Bob Monkhouse established a similar on-stage ‘feud’, with Monkhouse describing his companion as ‘Fanny Hill’s son’, and Hill retaliating by dubbing him ‘Blob Monkhouse’. Hill abandoned this short-lived and uneasy sparring relationship almost immediately.

Although Frankie Howerd would crop up as a guest in the Variety Band-Box broadcasts of the early 1950s, his departure as full-time link on 2 April 1950 saw the development of the comic soap opera ‘Blessem Hall’, with Peter Sellers and a procession of resident comics like Arthur English, Al Read and Harry Secombe. What had started as a morale-boosting wartime programme hosted by a mistress of ceremonies (usually stars like Googie Withers and Margaret Lockwood – later editions were hosted by Philip Slessor), with the band playing a burst of ‘I Love to Sing,’ Billy Ternent’s ‘She’s My Lovely’ and closing with rousing audience participation on ‘Let’s Have Another One’, ended its life in 1952 as arguably the most influential of BBC radio comedy platforms, inspiring Hancock’s Half Hour, The Goon Show and many others.

Hero for a younger generation – Comic Strip antics for Radio Fun.

Producer Bryan Sears fashioned Variety Band-Box as a talent contest for comedians, trying out young hopefuls in front of the studio audience as warm-up acts before the actual recording. Some of these comedians would graduate to an appearance on air, and although Benny Hill was hardly the most prominent of these, Variety Band-Box offered invaluable experience in working an audience, firing his imagination with more and more fresh material. The very last broadcast, on 28 September 1952, fittingly ended with a turn from Frankie Howerd, the show’s brightest discovery.

Variety Band-Box: Series 1 (373 editions: 27 February 1944–29 April 1951) broadcast on the BBC General Overseas Programme and later the BBC General Forces Programme. Series 2 (44 editions: 8 October 1951–28 September 1952), broadcast Mondays 9–10 p.m. for the first eight shows, then Sundays 9–10 p.m. on the Light Programme. Locations: Queensbury All-Services Club, Camberwell Palace, People’s Palace at Mile End, Hippodrome at Golders Green, Cambridge Theatre, Kilburn Empire. Regular features: ‘Composer Cavalcade’, ‘Continental Corner’, ‘Songs of Yesterday’, ‘The Middle Eight’, ‘Ring in the New’ and ‘Blessem Hall’ with Peter Sellers and Miriam Karlin. Starring REG DIXON, ARTHUR ENGLISH, TONY HANCOCK, JIMMY HANLEY, FRANKIE HOWERD, BILL KERR, HARRY LOCKE, BERNARD MILES, ALBERT MODLEY, HAL MONTY, ROBERT MORETON, BERYL REID, DEREK ROY, GEORGE WILLIAMS, VIC WISE. Featuring JOHN BLORE AND HIS ORCHESTRA, THE BBC REVUE ORCHESTRA conducted by FRANK CANTELL, WOOLF PHILLIPS AND THE SKYROCKETS, CHARLES SHADWELL AND THE BBC VARIETY ORCHESTRA, CYRIL STAPLETON AND HIS ORCHESTRA, THE BILLY TERNENT ORCHESTRA. Regular guests included: Avril Angers, Dick Bentley, Harold Berens, Janet Brown, Max Bygraves, Violet Carson, Charlie Chester, Clapham and Dwyer, Petula Clark, Betty Driver, Percy Edwards, Dick Emery, Cyril Fletcher, Ronald Frankau, Stephane Grappelli, Benny Hill, Claude Hulbert, Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warris, Pat Kirkland, Alfred Marks, Nat Mills and Bobbie, Bob Monkhouse, Richard Murdoch, Tessie O’Shea, Vic Oliver, Ted Ray, Cardew Robinson, Harry Secombe, Terry Scott, Mrs Shufflewick, Terry-Thomas, Max Wall, Jack Warner, the Western Brothers and Jimmy Wheeler. Producers included: Philip Brown, John Foreman, Cecil Maddern, Tom Ronald, Joy Russell-Smith, Bryan Sears and Stephen Williams.

Listen My Children

From its first broadcast on 1 June 1948, this entertainment slot for children invited its audience to ‘Listen my children and you shall hear the strangest thing.’ The strange things were often written by the fledgling team of Frank Muir and Denis Norden. With no studio audience and no recurring characters, Listen My Children was Pat Dixon’s experimental attempt at presenting ‘comedy with a gently satirical note’. Musical accompaniment came from Vic Lewis and his Orchestra, with an injection of avant-garde jazz from the Swinging Strings. The starry cast included Robert Beatty, Carol Carr, Patricia Hayes, Benny Lee, Jon Pertwee, Harry Secombe and Peter Watson.

Following his moderate success on Variety Band-Box, Benny Hill was contracted for this show, recording his single contribution on 29 May 1948 to be broadcast on 29 June 1948. His Listen My Children appearance was repeated on 1 July 1948, and from then on in Hill would be a popular, albeit fairly infrequent, radio guest.

Third Division – Some Vulgar Fractions

A sort of semi-sequel to Listen My Children, with some original cast members, the same writers and the same producer, Pat Dixon. Indeed, Dixon set out the mission for the series Third Division – Some Vulgar Fractions:. ‘We shall try above all to avoid the whimsy-whamsy, and the whole thing will be made as radiogenic as possible.’ Hill appeared in all six programmes, alongside Robert Beatty, Patricia Hayes and, in a historic first teaming, Michael Bentine, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers, three-quarters of the original Goons.

The most famous legacy of the show is the classic ‘Balham – Gateway to the South’. Later immortalized by Peter Sellers’ tour de force 1958 recording, performing the entire piece single-handed (other than record producer George Martin’s brief undertaker interjection), the piece was divided between all the cast members of Third Division. Hill intoned the unforgettable, toothbrush holesmanship piece (‘He stopped by for a couple of words – I didn’t understand either of them!’). Sadly, no recordings of this show exist in the archives.

Third Division – Some Vulgar Fractions: Broadcast on the BBC Third Service, Wednesday – show 1, 26 January 1949, 8–8.35 p.m. (recorded at 200 Oxford Street, 6 December 1948), show 2, 2 February 1949, 8.20–8.50 p.m. (recorded at Broadcasting House, 8 December 1948), show 3, 9 February 1949, 8–8.30 p.m. (recorded at Broadcasting House, 11 December 1948), show 4, 16 February 1949, 8–8.30 p.m. (recorded at Broadcasting House, 16 December 1948), show 5, 23 February 1949, 8.55–9.25 p.m. (recorded at Aldenham House, 18 December 1948), show 6, 2 March 1949, 8–8.35 p.m. (recorded at Broadcasting House, 29 December 1948). Starring ROBERT BEATTY, BRUCE BELFRAGE, MICHAEL BENTINE, CAROLE CARR, BENNY HILL, MARGARET LINDSAY, ROBERT MORETON, HARRY SECOMBE, PETER SELLERS (except show 4) with THE GEORGE MITCHELL CHOIR, VIC LEWIS AND HIS ORCHESTRA (strings under Reginald Leopold). Script: Frank Muir and Denis Norden. Additional material: Paul Dehn and Benny Hill. Producer: Pat Dixon.

Starlight

This hour-long musical comedy spectacular for the Light Programme teamed wide boy Alfred Marks with the ever so humble Benny Hill as ‘Scrubber’ in autumn 1948.

Petticoat Lane – You Want It, We’ve Got It

A popular and unfairly forgotten comedy journey through London’s famous market, this was a starring vehicle for Elsie and Doris Waters as the nationally beloved Gert and Daisy. The catchy theme song captured the spirit of the thing with:

‘Petticoat Lane,

There’s not another street like

Petticoat Lane,

Petticoat Lane,

It may be poor and tumble down,

It’s the Sunday morning rendezvous of London Town.’

A cockney romp in which the duo ‘meet unexpected people in the most unexpected places’, the show was a sequel to the ten-episode run of Our Shed (July—September 1946), a vehicle for legendary comedian Max Wall (who starred and wrote the scripts) which hastily filled the gap between two seasons of It’s That Man Again, and was a resurrection of Wall’s manic contributions to a show called Hoop-La. Petticoat Lane also featured Wall in a supporting role, included other familiar characters from Our Shed (the snobbish Auntie and Humphrey – originally played by Harold Berens, but replaced here by Benny Lee), and saw an important role going to Benny Hill, in charge of the books and sheet music stall.

Importantly, this was Hill’s first comedy character acting assignment on radio, but unfortunately, the show didn’t run to the hoped-for second series, and besides, Hill had already been replaced by Peter Sellers for the last seven episodes. Interestingly, two of the three producers (Pat Dixon and Tom Ronald) subsequently had important parts to play in the development of The Goon Show.

Petticoat Lane – You Want It, We’ve Got It: Recorded at the People’s Palace, Mile End Road, East End, London. Broadcast on the BBC Home Service. 23 editions (29 July–28 December 1949), broadcast Friday, 9.30–10.15 p.m. (programmes 1–8), Wednesday, 7–7.45 p.m. (programmes 9–21), Wednesday, 6.30–7.15 p.m. (programme 22) and Wednesday, 7.15–8 p.m. (programme 23). Starring ELSIE AND DORIS WATERS, MAX WALL, BENNY HILL (programmes 1–16), MICHAEL HOWERD, MAURICE KEARY, JOAN YOUNG, DORIS NICHOLS, IAN SADLER, KENNETH BLAIN, ALBERT AND LES WARD, BENNY LEE, PETER SELLERS (replacing Benny Hill in programmes 17–23). Music: BBC Variety Orchestra directed by Rae Jenkins. Producers: Pat Dixon (programmes 1, 8–16), Charles Chilton (programmes 2–7) and Tom Ronald (programmes 17–23).

Did You Know?

Although Petticoat Lane was Hill’s big radio break, he was still very much seen as a team with stage cohort Reg Varney. Inspired by the surreal banter of Gert and Daisy, Hill wrote reams of similar cross-talk ramblings for himself and Varney. Dubbed ‘Bill and ’Arry’, the duo enjoyed several notable radio assignments, including a high-profile appearance on Henry Hall’s Guest Night. However, as was the norm for Hall, guests were not billed in Radio Times or advertised, so if you caught Hill’s contributions, you did so without warning.

Happy-Go-Lucky

A widely remembered if fairly uninspiring ‘light-hearted blend of comedy and music’. Hosted by Derek Roy, Happy-Go-Lucky featured items including ‘Wedding Anniversary’, when a celebrating couple were treated to a rendition of their favourite song, and ‘Rhapsody at Random’, another request segment (this time open to anybody) presented by Peggy Cochrane (‘You call the tunes and composer’s styles, and Peggy gives you her impromptu interpretation.’). Benny Hill was signed up for a guest comedian spot on the very first programme (recorded on 28 July 1951 at BBC Broadcasting House, serial number SLO 92598, broadcast Thursday 2 August 1951, 9–10 p.m. on the Light Programme. Producer: Roy Speer). Very much along the lines of his old Variety Band-Box contributions, with the laughs punctuated by a ‘Naughty Nineties’ song from Doreen Harris and the Bar-Room Ballard Four or a duo from Jack and Daphne Barker, Hill’s fellow guests were Suzette Tarri and John Hanson.

Not surprisingly, the programme was in trouble from the start. Tradition had it that any show with the word ‘Happy’ in its title failed immediately. However, help was at hand when the original squadron of writers were replaced by up-and-coming talents Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Historically important, Happy-Go-Lucky was the first collaboration between the writers and Tony Hancock, who was starring as Scout Master Mr Ponsonby in the only memorable section, ‘The Eager Beavers’. Hardly world-shattering, these low-brow romps were enough to raise the required smile, and featured a dream team of scouts in Graham Stark as Creep, Bill Kerr as Dilberry and Peter Butterworth as Botterill.

The ‘Beavers’ sketch seemed the most problematic. Hancock hated the scripts (originally written by Australians Ralph Peterson and E.K. Smith), and Bill Kerr had walked out after show 5. Galton and Simpson were drafted in for show 10’s ‘Beavers’ antics, Hancock missed show 11, and show 12 saw Peter Butterworth replaced by Benny Hill. He played the role of ‘Botterill’ for one broadcast only on 12 November 1951. Although he rehearsed, Hancock missed show 13 (later subtly mocked by Galton and Simpson in Hancock’s Half Hour) and for show 14, Butterworth’s original character was played by Dick Emery. In the face of such turmoil, the BBC held their hands up and pulled the series from the air.

Happy-Go-Lucky: 14 editions (2 August–10 December 1951), broadcast Thursdays 9–10 p.m., fortnightly from show 8, and moving to Monday from show 9 (9.05–10 p.m.), alternating weekly with Variety Band-Box on the Light ProgrammHall, Navy Mixture,e. Starring DEREK ROY, PEGGY COCHRANE, TONY HANCOCK, BILL KERR (shows 1–4), PETER BUTTERWORTH (shows 1–11), GRAHAM STARK, JACK AND DAPHNE BARKER (shows 1, 3–5,7–8 only), DOREEN HARRIS AND THE BAR-ROOM BALLAD FOUR. Guests: Avril Angers, Janet Brown, Charlie Chester, Leon Cortez, Dick Emery, Benny Hill, Miriam Karlin, Ken Platt, Beryl Reid, Suzette Tarri, Terry-Thomas. Script: Ralph Peterson, John Law, Bill Craig, Laurie Wyman and John Vyvyan, Rona Ricardo, E.K. Smith, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Script editor: Gale Pedrick. Music: Stanley Black and the Augmented Dance Orchestra, with Harry Noble and Francis King and the Sam Browne Singers. Producers: Roy Speer (shows 1–12) and Dennis Main Wilson (shows 13 and 14).

Anything Goes

This short-lived half-hour comedy variety series originally broadcast on BBC West Region was soon transferred to the Light Programme. Co-written by Benny Hill, who starred and compered, support came from Cherry Lind, Johnny Morris, Jack Watson and the Ivor Raymonde Seven. A variation on the Worker’s Playtime format, the group travelled round service camps in the West of England and put on a show.

Starting with a performance in Bristol, one less than impressed reviewer described it as something which had just ‘crawled out from under a stone’. Broadcast from 21 February 1952, it was produced by Duncan Wood. (It should not be confused with the 1954 BBC radio show Anything Goes that starred singing duo Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson.)

The Forces Show

Following four classic seasons of the comedy show Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, an ill-fated Radio Luxemburg relaunch, a handful of editions simply called Much Binding and another name change to Over to You, the winning team of Kenneth Horne, Richard Murdoch and Sam Costa were rounded up for this reunion, christened The Forces Show.

An hour-long variety presentation, the first show welcomed comedian Cardew Robinson, while Jack Hawkins and Phyllis Calvert enacted a scene from their film Mandy. Reflecting the heavy reliance on services comedians as guest artistes, Benny Hill was once again called on to enliven the proceedings. Indeed, the supporting cast reads like an edited season of Variety Band-Box.

The Forces Show: Series 1 (30 September 1952–24 March 1953) – broadcast on the Light Programme every Tuesday (fortnightly from show 23), 8–9 p.m. Hosted by KENNETH HORNE, RICHARD MURDOCH, SAM COSTA with THE PETER KNIGHT SINGERS, LESLIE WELCH (the Memory Man), THE AUGMENTED DANCE ORCHESTRA (conducted by Stanley Black) and, from show 19, LANA MORRIS. Special sections: ‘The Singers’, ‘Show Time’ (which lasted just one week and featured a clip from the film The Sound Barrier), ‘Novelty Corner’ (kicking off with Sirdani ‘the Gully-Gully Man’ performing conjuring tricks on the radio!) and ‘Solo Pianist’. Script: Bob Monkhouse and Denis Goodwin. Producers: Leslie Bridgmont and Frank Hopper. Series 2 (from 7 April 1953) – hosted by JIMMY JEWEL, BEN WARRIS with BETTY DRIVER, WINIFRED ATTWELL, WOOLF PHILLIPS AND THE SKYROCKETS. Special sections: ‘Can You Beat Pharos and Marina?’ (mindreading act), ‘Forces Quiz’ (hosted by Michael Miles). Script: Ronnie Hanbury and George Wadmore. Producers: Bill Worsley and Trafford Whitelock. Series 3 (from 15 September 1953) – hosted by JACK BUCHANAN, with GERALDO AND HIS ORCHESTRA, THE HEDLEY WARD TRIO, MAX JAFFA, LYSBETH WEBB, DIANA DORS. Special section: ‘Forces Jazz Session’ (with Humphrey Lyttelton). Series 4 (from 9 May 1954) – hosted by ALFRED MARKS with SALLY ROGERS, FRED YULE, EVE BOSWELL, DICKIE VALENTINE, THE PETER KNIGHT SINGERS, PETER YORKE AND HIS ORCHESTRA. Special sections: ‘The Ultimate in Magic’ (with David Berglas), ‘Sport Corner’ (with Raymond Glenndenning), ‘Forces Instrumentalist’ (with Julian Bream). Script: Gene Crowley, Alan Blair, Maurice Rogers and Jimmy Grafton. Series 5 (from 3 November 1954) – hosted by JOY NICHOLS, KENNETH HORNE, DEREK ROY (starring in ‘The Dean of Detectives – Kenneth Horne finds himself Without A Clue: Fantastic Adventures To Be Continued In Our Next!’) with LESLIE WELCH, RAYMOND GLENDENNING, ALBERT AND LES WARD (‘The Harmonious Discords’), DAVID HUGHES (with ‘Forces Request’), THE CORONETS, MALCOLM LOCKYER AND THE CONCERT ORCHESTRA. Guest comedians included: Arthur Askey, Max Bygraves, Peter Cavanagh, Dick Emery, Cyril Fletcher, Denis Goodwin, Benny Hill, Bill Kerr, Bob Monkhouse, Jon Pertwee, Ted Ray, Stan Stennet, Terry-Thomas, Jack Train, Max Wall, Jimmy Wheeler. Producer: Trafford Whitelock.

Showband Show

The stage antics which had seen Bob Monkhouse and Benny Hill create a cross-talking battle of wits were transferred to radio for this musical comedy show. Hill was dubbed ‘Belly Hill’ or ‘Benny Hell’, and ‘B.H.’ was explained as standing for ‘Broadcasting House’, ‘Benny Hill’ and ‘Big Head’. Monkhouse’s brilliant patter contrasted with Hill’s bizarre character performances perfectly. One such figure, a German psychologist, even decided to spice up their orchestra conductor, Cyril Stapleton, by bashing him over the head.

Mid-Day Music Hall

This 30-minute slice of old-fashioned entertainment, presented by Michael Miles and dished up by the finest talents to emerge during the immediate post-war era, began on 2 January 1953. Benny Hill was a regular top-of-the-bill guest artiste, alongside legends like Peter Sellers, Jon Pertwee, Michael Bentine, Peter Butterworth and Terry Scott. Trafford Whitelock produced the popular programmes, and Malcolm Lockyer’s Revue Orchestra kept the listeners’ feet tapping. By 6 May 1953 the show went twice-weekly, with a Wednesday edition hosted by Bill Gates, while on 10 April 1961 the programme was elongated to an hour slot, marking the occasion with the presence of super-guest Max Miller.

The show’s tenth anniversary was marked with a title change from 7 January 1963, when the programme became simply Music Hall, although by then the original stars were too busy with movies and television to make an appearance.

Variety Cavalcade

Benny Hill hosted this marginally popular regional revue show. One edition featured guest comedian Tony Hancock, and Hill kept the fun ticking over with consummate ease, but this was hardly going to set the world alight. It should not be confused with the seven-hour history of wartime radio comedy broadcast from 11 February 1946.

Variety Cavalcade: Produced by Duncan Wood for the BBC West of England Service only. Recorded 19 May 1953 at the BBC Bristol studio, broadcast 30 May 1953, 8–9 p.m.

Archie’s the Boy

When I was at school, one class wag told a gag about a hopeless performer who became a hit on radio as a ventriloquist. Oh, how we laughed – and oh, how little we knew that, over thirty years earlier, the very talented ventriloquist Peter Brough had fashioned one of the most popular and important comedy radio shows with his irascible dummy, Archie Andrews. Brough’s father, Arthur Brough, had marked his swansong with chilling work in the classic Michael Redgrave closing segment of Ealing’s chiller compendium Dead of Night, while Peter and Archie had charmed post-war radio audiences with guest appearances on Music Hall, Navy Mixture, Variety Band-Box-, Workers Playtime and Henry Hall’s Guest Night.

After several false starts (including a 1947 pilot, The Archie Andrews Radio Programme, with Jon Pertwee and Bonar Colleano), Brough secured a series, Educating Archie, which started on 6 June 1950. Within weeks, the original line-up (Max Bygraves, Hattie Jacques and Robert Moreton) was attracting a regular audience of 12 million, and the show won the Top Variety Award in 1950’s Daily Mail National Radio and Television Awards. Alongside stage productions, a surreal venture into Goonland, a wealth of merchandising and the honour of being the first dummy to be immortalized in wax at Madame Tussaud’s, Archie’s hit show, Educating Archie, proved an invaluable training ground for comic talents like Bernard Bresslaw, Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth, Tony Hancock, Sid James and Alfred Marks. Benny Hill was not one of them! However, he did get to battle the wooden-headed wonder with the short-lived and unsuccessful spin-off series Archie’s the Boy.

The show was an experiment to move Archie out of the classroom and into early teenage antics, although his chief cohort was Beryl Reid’s snooty schoolgirl, Monica (‘She’s my best friend and I hate her!’), who also added to the fun as Birmingham youth Marlene (‘Good evening, each!’). Indeed, the show’s chief saviour, Eric Sykes, left his post as writer after a mounting argument about Reid proffering one-liners for the script while he struggled to develop Educating Archie as a character-driven piece.

By the time of Archie’s the Boy, Sykes (whom Brough considered the cornerstone of the show’s success) was gone, and Beryl Reid was still very much at the helm. Despite comic support from Graham Stark as the bombastic Nigel Bowser-Smythe and the seductive tones of Shirley Eaton adding to the mix, the great British public missed the original format of naughty boy versus bemused schoolteacher. Benny Hill’s place in all this madness was really an extended combination of the master authority/comic relief role of old, sparring with the wooden star and feeding him laugh lines/catchphrase links for all his worth. The level of humour was hardly staggering, but Hill kept his delightfully feminine convention ribbing style intact with best man gags, such as that marriage equals a three-ring circus – ‘engagement ring, wedding ring and suffer-ring’.

The BBC quickly returned to the old format, resurrecting Educating Archie for its sixth season from 26 September 1955. Retaining Graham Stark and Beryl Reid from the run of Archie’s the Boy, they abandoned Hill in favour of turning the clowning/authority duties over to Ken Platt and James Robertson Justice. Educating Archie, which featured performing and scripting duties by Warren Mitchell and Marty Feldman, eventually came to an end after its tenth season on 17 February 1960. In its 219th edition, Sid James provided most of the laughs.

Archie’s the Boy: 20 editions, 11 November 1954–24 March 1955, broadcast Thursday 7.30–8 p.m. on the Light Programme. repeated on each following Sunday, 14 November 1954–27 March 1955, 1.45–2.15 p.m. Starring BERYL REID, BENNY HILL, GRAHAM STARK, SHIRLEY EATON, PETER MADDEN, THE CORONETS, THE AUGMENTED REVUE ORCHESTRA conducted by Harry Rabinowitz. Script: Eddie Maguire, Ronald Wolfe and Rex Dawe. Producer: Roy Speer.

Desert Island Discs

From its very first broadcast on 29 January 1942, when Vic Oliver selected the eight favourite records that would be stranded with him in palm-tree solitude, Roy Plumley’s long-running programme Desert Island Discs was hugely popular. Benny Hill was never fully comfortable with appearing as himself in the public arena, so interviews were rare, but he made a single appearance as castaway number 465, patiently going through his life and work, digging out his favourite sounds and seeming very relaxed. The show also proved a useful platform to plug his new stage show, Fine Fettle.

In 1992, Hill agreed to make a second appearance on Desert Island Discs during Sue Lawley’s tenure in the chair – typically claiming he only accepted because he liked her legs! Hill asked Louise English if she had a recording of her singing Ivor Novello’s Glamorous Nights – to remind him of a joyous theatre trip to see her at the Mill Theatre, Sonning.

Desert Island Discs: BBC, the Home Service, Monday 16 November 1959, 1.10–1.40 p.m. Producer: Monica Chapman.

Holiday Music Hall

A popular, hour-long variety spectacular hosted by that glorious master of the odd ode’, Cyril Fletcher, Hill topped the bill on one edition in June 1961.

Holiday Music Hall: Saturday 10 June 1961, 7.30–8.30 p.m. Host CYRIL FLETCHER invites the family to listen to CON TRAVERS, ANDY COLE, MICHAEL HOWARD, JAMES B. CHRISTIE, JULIE DAWN, BENNY HILL. Featuring PERCY EDWARDS (‘Country Calendar’), CY GRANT (‘Calypso Time’), RAWICZ AND LAUDAUER (‘Memories in Music’). BBC Variety Orchestra led by John Jezard. Conductor: Paul Fenoulhet. The Adams Singers directed by Cliff Adams. Producer: Bill Worsley.

Benny Hill, the dummy and Peter Brough - Archie’s The Boy.

Variety Playhouse

Yet another class showcase for Britain’s top light entertainment personalities, this hour-long jamboree was hosted by Vic Oliver. Allowing new talents to stand alongside respected performers, each month featured a guest comedian, and for November 1961 it was Benny Hill. Comic support came from his familiar stooge, Peter Vernon, while fledglings Leslie Crowther and Ronnie Barker successfully picked up the pieces.

Variety Playhouse: BBC, the Home Service. Introduced by VIC OLIVER .Comedy: LESLIE CROWTHER, RONNIE BARKER. Comedy guests: BENNY HILL, PETER VERNON. Storyteller: FLORA ROBSON. Variety Playhouse Orchestra leader: John Jezard. Conductor: Vic Oliver. Saturday 4 November 1961, 7.30–8.30 p.m. (recorded Sunday, 28 October 1961) — Singers: Monica Sinclair, Leon Greene, John Heddle Nash and The George Mitchell Choir. Violin: Anthony Gilbert. New talent: Margot Barry. Saturday 11 November 1961, 7.30–8.30 p.m. (recorded Sunday 5 November 1961) – Singers: Victoria Elliott, Catherine Wilson and Edward Byles. Piano: Clive Lythgoe. New talent: Bernard Turgeon. Saturday 18 November 1961, 7.30–8.30 p.m. (recorded Sunday 12 November 1961) – Singers: Glenice Halliday, Niven Miller and The George Mitchell Choir. Flute: Wilfred Shaw. New talent: Angela Jenkins. Saturday 25 November 1961, 7.30–8.30 p.m. (recorded Sunday 19 November 1961) – Singers: Elizabeth Vaughan, Raimund Herinex and Alberto Remedios. New talent: Bruno Schrecker.

Star Parade

Variety on television may have been less popular than it had been, but variety on radio continued to enjoy large audiences, so it still attracted the cream of the crop for guest-geared, sketch-heavy entertainment. Star Parade headlined such stars as Edmund Hockridge, Bernard Cribbins and Harry Secombe, while the show was topped and tailed with Ronnie Hazlehurst’s theme tune, ‘Seconds Out’. Billed as ‘the world’s greatest layabout’, Hill claimed top billing twice.

His first appearance, in February 1963, reflected the star’s longing to return to variety, dragging orchestra leader Malcolm Lockyer into the comedy antics, hamming things up as a German tourist babbling on about the intricacies of British telephone boxes, teaming up with Peter Vernon as a couple of unsuccessful dance hall Don Juans, condemning the gutter press as a relentless exposé journalist, and celebrating the great British holiday as the entertainments manager for the lacklustre summer resort, Dimpton-on-Sea.

So popular was Hill’s first guest appearance that he returned in August, when Fred Scuttle stumbled about as an amateur space captain, Arnold Cruddy rambled on about his less than respectful scribblings, Amos Thripp proudly discussed the fascinating facts behind his huge vegetable marrows, and a disgruntled baboon bemoaned his zoo-bound fate of turning somersaults for nothing more than a wet biscuit. All of them were brought to life by Benny Hill – and all without the need for make-up.

Star Parade – The Benny Hill Show: BBC, the Light Programme, Sunday 31 March 1963, 2–2.30 p.m. Repeated Sunday 31 March 1963, 2–2.30 p.m. Starring BENNY HILL. Featuring PETER VERNON, LYNNETTE RAE, THE HIGHLIGHTS. Script: Benny Hill. BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Lockyer. Producer: Eric Miller.

Star Parade – The Benny Hill Show: BBC, the Light Programme. Sunday 25 August 1963, 2.30–3 p.m Repeated Thursday 29 August 1963, 8–8.30p.m. Starring BENNY HILL. Featuring PETER VERNON, JAN WATERS, THE MICHAEL SAMMES SINGERS, THE JOHNNIE SPENCE ORCHESTRA. Script: Benny Hill. Producer: John Browell

Benny Hill Time

Benny Hill’s one and only headlining radio series came at the peak of his BBC television success, and displayed the effortless brilliance of his comedy writing at the time. If he could spare material of this quality for his radio shows, then imagine the standard of writing for his more beloved television specials. These radio escapades were a thankful return to the sketch format he always preferred. In between the experimental sitcom Benny Hill and his triumphant return to television’s The Benny Hill Show, the star threw himself into the first season of this classic radio venture.

Although television had taken pole position in public popularity, radio was still an important medium, but few radio shows generated such publicity as Benny Hill Time. Heralded with a Radio Times front cover flash alongside William Hartnell’s first Dr Who cover appearance (22–28 February 1964) and a lengthy introductory Hill interview, the show extended his television sketch personae. Producer John Browell commented, ‘I haven’t laughed so much since I produced The Goons’, to which Hill disarmingly replied: ‘Who are they?’

Just as polished and finely tuned as his television classics, Hill returned to full-time writing duties as well as gathering round him a competent team of supporting players and guest stars. Pitching the shows away from the free and easy style of other radio revues, Hill proudly described these perfectly timed productions as ‘full-grown’, giving them the same loving attention he had devoted to his more high-profile television assignments. The half-hour would be centred round one excellent, fairly lengthy sketch, a few shorter, less polished ones would be thrown in, and – typical of his BBC era – the gaps were filled by variety turns. A typical example from 1965’s second season was resurrected for BBC Radio 2’s 1994 nostalgia season, The Golden Age of Radio, with Raymond Baxter rather snootily introducing a prime piece of Benny Hill class.

This particular show kicked off with the universally feted Fred Scuttle, surprisingly revelling in new-found wealth, in conversation with interviewer Peter Vernon. Living the life of a rich business tycoon, Scuttle, complete with flamboyant title Fred Scuttle ‘the Third’, ran on auto-pilot, with Hill just winding the character up and letting him go. There were laughs aplenty to glean from his self-aware excesses (embracing Mae Westisms with peeled grapes, a huge cigar in each hand, and abandoning his car because it was facing in the wrong direction), counterbalanced with more bitter-sweet comic observations (having his television stolen while watching his prized jewellery) and tongue-in-cheek twisted economics while discussing his sausage-less sausage rolls – ‘the roll with the hole’. Endearingly peppered with ‘Sir!’ this and ‘Sir!’ that, Hill shamelessly mocked his latest film appearance with talk of his position as the housewives’ friend since Those Magnificent Men in Their Washing Machines, and exploited his ability to drag gags out of the most obvious of wordplays. The exchange ‘Inveterate smoker?’ – ’No, cigarette smoker!’ was a model of comic timing. The pay-off concerning his inheritance of a million pounds leads to a rather lame ending, but it’s still hilarious, and Peter Butterworth used a similar narrative ploy a decade later in Carry On Behind – written by Hill’s old partner, Dave Freeman.

A brief musical interlude saw Hill presenting Jan Waters singing ‘The Other Side of the Track’ from Little Me! before the show’s masterpiece, welcoming Waters back as the glam girl. Far too often cast as the emasculated male, Hill made a hilariously confident charmer, and this classic boating pond sketch is a perfect example. This was one of the regular spots for cheerful teddy boys Harry and Lofty (played by Hill and Peter Vernon), brilliantly escalating sketches which made up the backbone of all the best series entries. Here Hill could cascade through the obvious (his cohort reading the boat number upside down), crack into gear with suggestive comments about stroking an all-girl rowing team, and convince his pal that some kinky girls go for ugly fellows like him. The comedy was milked with mounting concern about one girl with two handbags, ranging from a thought that she had a lot of money to her having a boyfriend on the scene (as Hill exclaimed – ‘What sort of people!’).

The female figures were also the comic butt, particularly Patricia Hayes as the regular character Edie Grimthorpe (‘not pretty – not horrible ... pretty horrible!’), who was likened to a dog, and only gained Hill’s interest with talk of her father’s new yacht. But again, as with all of Hill’s comedy, it was the man who lost in the end, finding out that she was really working-class, finally being coaxed into asking her out despite everything, and after a long pause, receiving the humiliating ‘No!’ from Hayes. Hill was allowed a bellowed ‘Women!’, but his cool dude was left with egg on his face, the fall from comedy confidence making the situation all the funnier. In those censorious days at the BBC, his jokes were all the more funny and inventive because he had to work within an accepted definition of what constituted dubious material.

Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson broke into song for ‘The Girls That Boys Dream About’ from Robert & Elizabeth before it was back to Benny for a fairly average if enthused cinematic parody. Part of the regular ‘Benny Go Round’ slot, it was a look at the latest country yokel western being shot at Pinetree Studios, with plenty of bungled bank robbery discussions, innuendo-packed comments, some fine Max Miller-like throwaways (making the female carry the case to make them look more like a married couple) and the final lavatorial error which signalled the gang’s quick exit. Probably a piece not considered strong enough for television, it was enlivened by Hill’s obvious enjoyment, cracking up with laughter as he struggled to deliver the corny gags with a straight face.

Compulsory listening for anybody who thinks Hill was simply a fine visual clown, Benny Hill Time allowed him to develop new characters (Peter Vague and Mervyn Twit the awful actor), prolong the life of old favourites (notably the eternal Fred Scuttle), and most importantly, begin to sharpen his teeth on more satirical ideas, notably Peter Nobble, his merciless parody of respected film critic Peter Noble, and Hans and Lotte Hill, a couple of underwater explorers not a million miles from Hans and Lotte Haas, searching for the forward-walking crab. A regular spot featured ‘The Sunday Ben’, with songs performed by The Raindrops, while frequent vocal drag madness would be included with Hill’s plummy-voiced Duchess figures. Harry Hypocrite would eagerly visit a strip joint six times in succession in order to fully comprehend how disgusting he thought it was, and the delightfully suave Anthony Sharp would often keep things in order as the refined man from the BBC.

So successful was the series that it ran for three seasons before Hill became preoccupied with regular television specials. The BBC released a compilation record in 1966, and a cassette of four complete episodes in 1995.

Benny Hill Time: Series 1 – 13 editions broadcast on the Light Programme, Sundays, 2–2.30 p.m. Starring BENNY HILL. Featuring PETER VERNON, JAN WATERS, THE MICHAEL SAMMES SINGERS. Show 1: 23 February 1964, guest artists – Patricia Hayes and Frank Thornton. Show 2: 1 March 1964, guest artist – Patricia Hayes. Show 3: 8 March 1964. Show 4: 15 March 1964. Show 5: 22 March 1964, guest artist – Anthony Sharp. Show 6: Easter Day, 27 March 1964, guest artist – Anthony Sharp. Show 7: 5 April 1964. Show 8: 12 April 1964, guest artists – Patricia Hayes and Anthony Sharp. Show 9: 19 April 1964, guest artist – Patricia Hayes. Show 10: 26 April 1964. Show 11: 3 May 1964, guest artist – Patricia Hayes. Show 12: 10 May 1964, guest artist – Patricia Hayes. Show 13: 17 May 1964, guest artists – Patricia Hayes and Anthony Sharp. Series repeated on each following Wednesday, 26 February–20 May 1964, 7.31–8 p.m. BBC Revue Orchestra conducted by Malcolm Lockyer (shows 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 and 12). BBC Variety Orchestra conducted by Paul Fenhoulet (shows 3, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 13). Script: Benny Hill. Producer: John Browell. Series 2 – 6 editions broadcast on the BBC Light Programme, Sundays 1.30–2 p.m. Starring BENNY HILL. Featuring JAN WATERS, PATRICIA HAYES, PETER VERNON, PEARL CARR AND TEDDY JOHNSON. Show 1: 21 February 1965. Show 2: 28 February 1965. Show 3: 7 March 1965. Show 4: 14 March 1965. Show 5: 21 March 1965. Show 6: 28 March 1965. Series repeated on each following Wednesday, 24 February–31 March 1965, 7.31–8 p.m. Script: Benny Hill. The Hill Time Band conducted by Malcolm Lockyer. Producer: John Browell. Series 3 – 7 editions broadcast on the Light Programme, Sundays, 2.30–3 p.m. Starring BENNY HILL. Featuring PETER VERNON, PATRICIA HAYES, ELAINE TAYLOR (except show 4), THE RAINDROPS. Show 1: 27 February 1966. Show 2: 6 March 1966. Show 3: 13 March 1966. Show 4: 20 March 1966. Show 5: 27 March 1966. Show 6: 3 April 1966. Show 7: Easter Sunday 10 April 1966. Series repeated on each following Monday, 28 February–11 April 1966, 7.31–8 p.m. Script: Benny Hill. The Hill Time Band conducted by Malcolm Lockyer. Producer: John Browell.

Clowning with The Dagenham Girl Pipers at the Earls Court Radio Show – 1955.

Woman’s Hour

Making a very rare radio interview appearance, Hill was guest of the week for Woman’s Hour between the second and third series of Benny Hill Time. Hosted by Marjorie Anderson, the other items that week were ‘Back to Burnley’, following Joan Cannon’s diary of life as a Northern housewife after her move to the South-East, ‘Young Widow’, featuring memories of Anne Batt, whose husband had died when she was aged just 22, ‘Reading Your Letters’, ‘Live and Learn’, with Sally Holloway presenting views, facts and developments in the field of education, and Shakespearian actress Patience Collier reading the sixth of seventh instalments of All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West. How Benny coped in this company heaven only knows, but he seems to have come through the interview with flying colours, dignity intact, enjoying loyal fan appreciation from the women around him, and plenty of plugs for his upcoming screen and radio ventures.

Woman’s Hour: Broadcast on the Light Programme, Wednesday 16 February 1966, 2–3 p.m. Introduced by MARJORIE ANDERSON. Guest of the week: BENNY HILL.

The final series of Benny Hill Time came quickly on the heels of this Woman’s Hour interview, and that collection of seven half-hour comic cascades pretty much wrapped up Hill’s radio career. However, he would occasionally agree to headline in other variety spectacular shows under the direction of Benny Hill Time’s producer, John Browell. Often, these would be last-minute, unheralded favours that allowed Hill the chance to fall back on vintage material he hadn’t used since the days of Variety Band-Box. Working frequently with the BBC Light Orchestra, Hill would effortlessly spread his unique comic magic on the airwaves, although by 1969 he was rarely heard on the old network. He finally came back to the BBC for a selective interview contribution to Barry Took’s celebration of the history of British comedy, The Best of British Laughs, broadcast in 1976