Benny Hill: Elsie

Elsie (Abigail Higgins) is the unwitting 'star' of Benny Hill's 1981 Channel Surfing sketch. Preparing to bed down for the evening, Elsie walks into the living room where newscaster Benny ogles her through the television screen. Nonchalantly removing her sheer blue negligee, Elsie strips down to her bra, panties and stockings in front of the stammering anchorman.

 

Unaware this is happening, Elsie moves around the apartment as Benny repeatedly misquotes the news, looks out the back of the set when she crosses behind it and even steals a bite of her pastry through the screen. When Benny later reports that an escaped convict (Bob Todd) is loose in her neighborhood, the criminal immediate bursts into Elsie's apartment and hides in her wardrobe, closely followed by two police officers (Henry McGee and Roger Finch) strolling into the house. 

Seeing all this, the newscaster tries to warn them, but they turn down the volume on the television which he then turns back up. When the criminal is caught hiding, a struggle ensues, and the newscaster is shot through the TV monitor, lamenting that the only casualty was an innocent newsreader. Finally looking at the television, Elsie comments "Look at that - drunk again."

Summary by Thor2000.

Benny Hill: Garters Galore!

And now for another (in)famous chase scene from The Benny Hill Show! By the end of the eighties, the starring cast must have been stripped down to their underwear in every manner humanly possible, but apparently, the Old Reprobate still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

 

 

 

 

This 1986 closing sketch has Benny fleeing through the Dimpton countryside with the obligatory Traffic Wardens in hot pursuit. Inevitably, a chance encounter with a barbed wire fence leaves the girls in nothing but their bras and knickers, at which point the tables abruptly turn and the WPCs find themselves sprinting half-naked through the woods.

 

 

On the run again...

 

The skit appears to have been a fun shoot for everybody concerned; evidently the girls found running around in their stockings and garters as much of a thrill as we do. Interestingly, the scene posted above originally had the closing credits rolling over the action. We'd be very interested to know how they removed the titles for this animated gif. It seems to have been lifted from an old video compilation (as opposed to DVD), maybe there's an alternate source concealed somewhere on the net :)

Up to his old tricks again...

Yes, Benny Hill will do literally anything to meet a pretty girl. In this 'silent movie' sketch, Benny dresses up as an old maid then finds himself alone in a room with four sweet young things (apologies for the grainy screencaps):

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good quality clip of this scene anywhere online. Feel free to post a link if you happen to have one.

Benny Hill: A Damned Good Show!

Whatever else may be said about Benny Hill, the man knew how to put on damned good show, and the finale to Sauce at Benito's was one of the best ever presented. The amount of detail poured into this fast-paced routine is truly astonishing: set in a Victorian music hall, the sequence combines nostalgic humor with modern day sensibilities, topping it off with a blockbuster cancan number that is a wonder to behold.

The cancan scene from "Sauce at Benitos" is available on Youtube, though it may be blocked in some countries for copyright reasons:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8VH9W0by08

It's the Benny Hill Show!

Stripped to their lingerie yet again!

In its heyday, The Benny Hill Show was the most popular comedy on British TV. A fast-paced sketch programme recalling the "golden age" of English music hall, the show frequently ended with a Mack Sennett-style chase scene full of stereotype 1970s "dolly-birds" running around in their underwear - usually the result of Benny's bumbling antics.

As the series' humour revolved around sexual innuendo, a considerable amount of risque imagery was incorporated into the skits and routines. Initially employing female television extras (mainly upcoming starlets and "page three" girls), Benny later founded a repertory dance ensemble (The Hill's Angels), which featured in many of show's musical and variety numbers. Highly skilled entertainers in their own right, they also contributed a great deal of humorous content, most often by falling out of their clothes at the most inopportune moments.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Virtually all of the specials produced by Thames TV after 1971 incorporated gratuitous panty shots, unexpected stripteases, wardrobe "malfunctions" and full-figure lingerie scenes. As the show progressed, the costume department kept pace with the fashion industry, especially where the actresses' underwear was concerned. Female cast members wore floral bras and briefs during the early seventies, eventually giving way to gauzy French intimates throughout the Eighties.

Lingerie in 1971...

Lingerie in 1981.

Contrary to the allegations propagated by New Wave critics and (self-appointed) moral guardians, Benny Hill was a talented and hard-working entertainer, now recognized as one of Britain's greatest comedians. Close friends and associates - including former cast members - remember him as a kind, gentle and generous man who treated everybody with the courtesy and respect they deserved. The Show's continued success over thirty years since its cancellation is a testament to Benny's comedic genius.