Benny Hill: Acacia Avenue

Acacia Avenue is the closing tag from episode 24 of The Benny Hill Show (March 26, 1975). Waiting at the bus stop, several locals (Libby Roberts, Henry McGee, Moira Foot et al) and a priest (Don Estelle) are alarmed by the appearance of a stereotype "duffer" (Benny Hill) with a half-naked woman on his arm (turns out it's just a mannequin). Noticing the commotion, WPC Jeannie Collings turns up to investigate, ordering Benny to drape his coat over the figure. Meanwhile, a pretty young girl (Debbie Greenhill) strolls up, taking her place by the bus stop. Naturally, Benny mistakes her for the mannequin and rips her clothes off, exposing her underwear in public. Having incited the inevitable melee, Benny flees into a local park where he leaps astride an ostrich (?!) to ride to freedom.

Summary by User: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 :)

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.

James Bond: Gretta

 

Gretta getting into trouble (and out of her clothes)...

Artwork by Yaroslav Horek