Benny Hill: The Lost Years
Bonus Benny!

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1. Benny Goes Bodybuilding
2. Passengers Of Passion
3. Rock Concert
4. The Week's Record Releases with Hy-Figh
5. a. BBC's Top TV Drama Director: Mr. Fred Scuttle
   b. One Step Behind
6. End Credits

Next, Patricia Hayes introduces "Passengers Of Passion", which was later remade as "Cinema: The Vintage Years" (Mar. 24, 1971), with Jenny Lee-Wright. Unlike the later remake, this sketch features the actors actually moving quickly when the film skips, rather than the editing that was done in post-production of the later version. There is slowing and speeding of the audio during the "second-class passenger" scene in the dining room and the fight on the deck. (The "Phantom Prowler" was played here by Jeremy Hawk. Bridget Armstrong was the leading lady which would be played in the later version by Ms. Lee-Wright, John Derrick was the ship captain (later played by Bob Todd), Rosemarie Dunham was the femme fatale (later played by Lesley Goldie), and Sue Donovan was one of the female passengers harassed by the Phantom Prowler (her role would be played in the 1971 remake by Bettine Le Beau). Felix Bowness was one of the men in the bar. This version originally aired on Nov. 27, 1965. - William Brown).

Next, Benny plays the host (in drag) of the Rock Concert. The first act is "Pita & Cordon" which is actually Benny in another dual role. (This sketch originated from the Nov. 27, 1965 show; John Derrick and Rosemarie Dunham being amongst the dancers was an important clue. - William Brown). They sing "Only The Lonely" which Benny also did in the "Top Of The Tops" sketch at Thames, (also in B&W). ("Pita & Cordon" was a pun on Peter & Gordon (the former of whom, Peter Asher - the bespectacled one - would later manage and produce James Taylor and Linda Rondstadt - William Brown). Then it's Benny as P. J. Orbison singing "Moving On". (The name was an amalgam of P.J. Proby (a popular British singer of the time who wasn't as big in America) and Roy Orbison - William Brown). In The Week's Record Releases with Hy-Figh features Patricia Hayes talking about the Top Hits and then she introduces "Sonny & Char" with Benny sending up the famous singing duo playing both parts, singing "Those Days". (It aired on Dec. 18, 1965 - it was in that month that Mr. Hill's Benny Hill Sings? album (Pye NPL 18133), from which "Those Days" originated, was released. - (That, plus all the bonus material bearing a 1965 copyright date which was also a clue.) The announcer for that sketch may well have been Elaine Taylor, who was also on that show, but I can't really tell for sure. Also, I seemed to notice that the picture and sound quality appeared to suggest it was from a VHS dub of a kinescope. William Brown). The audio is actually from Benny's LP recording of this tune. (On the LP record, Benny's singing partner on this tune was one Maggie Stredder, four years before her group, The Ladybirds, became a part of his show. That is especially ironic in the context of his March 22, 1972 duet with fellow Ladybird Marian Davies on the same song. This was also most likely a parody of a pop program on the air at the time called "Ready Steady Go!" which was hosted by Cathy MacGowan; she was likely the one Benny was playing in drag at the start. - William Brown).

On the LP record, Benny's singing partner on this tune was one Maggie Stredder - four years before her group, The Ladybirds, became a part of his show. That is especially ironic in the context of his March 22, 1972 duet with fellow Ladybird Marian Davies on the same song. Unfortunately, I am not too sure at this point when this whole sketch first aired, other than it was 1965; probably from later in the year. This was also most likely a parody of a pop program on the air at the time called "Ready Steady Go!" which was hosted by Cathy MacGowan; she was likely the one Benny was playing in drag at the start - William Brown).

BBC's Top TV Drama Director: Mr. Fred Scuttle starts with Jeremy Hawk on the set of the BBC taking a look at Mr. Scuttle directing "Dame Edith". Scuttle steps up and gets interviewed about his work, career and latest play. Then we see the first of Scuttle's new Science Fiction series, "One Step Behind". Benny introduces a story about household appliances turning on the world, which was actually remade as the "Appliance Revolt" in the "One Night Video Stand Program". I'm not sure who the newspaperman at the end is that was later played by Bob Todd. (This whole segment first emanated from his May 22, 1965 show. In the "One Step Behind" opening, Benny was impersonating the original "One Step Beyond" host, John Newland. In the play that followed, Benny's wife was played by Pat Ashton, making the first of a total of six appearances on the show, and their son was played by John Howard (whose name, within a few years of this show's first airing, changed to John Leverett, this per different editions "The Spotlight" casting directory over the years). Ironically, Ms. Ashton would be on the show where the "Appliance Revolt" remake, first aired April 16, 1980, was featured - but not, to the best of my knowledge, in the sketch itself. As for the newspaperman in this version, I believe it was Johnny Clayton (he was also amongst the cast of this show - William Brown).

The End Credits roll with the tune "Moving On" playing. (This whole segment first emanated from his May 22, 1965 show. In the "One Step Behind" opening, Benny was impersonating the original "One Step Beyond" host, John Newland. In the play that followed, Benny's wife was played by Pat Ashton, making the first of a total of six appearances on the show, and their son was played by John Howard (whose name, within a few years of this show's first airing, changed to John Leverett, this per different editions "The Spotlight" casting directory over the years). Ironically, Ms. Ashton would be on the show where the "Appliance Revolt" remake, first aired April 16, 1980, was featured - but not, to the best of my knowledge, in the sketch itself. As for the newspaperman in this version, I believe it was Johnny Clayton (he was also amongst the cast of this show) - William Brown).

Summary

This is actually a fun and fascinating trip through the earlier part of Benny's TV career and a look at this work for the BBC. Although we have seen many of these sketches re-worked for Thames, it is still worthwhile to see how many of these ideas originated. BBC Video have covered a large chunk of Benny's work and there is almost four hours of content in this collection. Highlights include: The Castle, Knobbly Knees, Cinema Fantasy, Household Cha-Cha, Phantom Phone Call and Passengers Of Passion. Whether or not BBC Video will release more collections from Benny's early years at the BBC remains to be seen.

Picture

This is one area where the DVD leaves a lot to be desired. The problem is not the series being presented in B&W, but that the source elements are in such rough condition. I had hoped that some cleanup would have been done for these programs, but it looks like Warner decided to present them "as they are". Still, it's not a total disappointment, since there are sections of the DVD where the programs get crisp and sharp without fading or being soft and fuzzy. Still, other parts of the DVD contain too much pixelation and digital artifacts. The real trouble is compressing almost four hours of content onto one single-sided disc can only result in poorer results. Still, this collection was very inexpensive and we do get to see these early gems from Benny at the BBC on DVD.

Audio

Given the picture quality of this collection, the Audio isn't quite so bad. You can certainly hear the limitations of the sound for this period and there is sometimes some noise on the Audio track. Overall though the dialogue remains audible enough throughout. Again, some cleanup or remastering would certainly be warranted.

Menus

The only menu that is animated is the Main Menu with a few moving pictures as well as turning blocks and photos. Music plays from the program itself. Navigation through the menus is certainly easy. When you select a program, you get simple thumbnail shots for each chapter and titles for each sketch, making scene selection very convenient. For the Bonus Benny! section there is no scene selection, although while watching the program you can skip ahead to the next sketch, since each sketch has its own chapter. When you get to the cast index there is actually a photo of Henry McGee and I believe Pat Ashton along with Benny in color and they do not even appear in this collection. (That was a publicity photo taken during the making of one of the last three BBC shows of 1968 - which Ms. Ashton did not appear in (she wasn't on at all between her May 22, 1965 and Dec. 27, 1972 appearances). The girl might be June Whitfield, but I can't be totally sure. Mr. McGee was in the very last three shows Mr. Hill did for the BBC - Nov. 20, 1968; Dec. 11, 1968; and Dec. 26, 1968. It was also within these truly "lost" shows that Jackie Wright, Bob Todd and Jenny Lee-Wright first appeared amongst the Hill stock company. Those final three episodes were destroyed by the BBC upon Benny's move to Thames - but 20 minutes of filmed inserts for the very last show survive, "ugly enough" (as Fred Scuttle would put it). - William Brown).

Close

I have never seen any of Benny's work for Thames until now and it's really marvellous to see Benny developing his sense of comic style and timing in this collection. We see Benny portraying Mr. Scuttle without his trademark hat that he would almost always wear during his time at Thames and the origin of many famous sketches. I recognise only a couple of faces in this collection and it would have helped to have a more in-depth Cast Bios section on this DVD. I wasn't able to get permission to take screen captures for this review so the photos below provided by Warner Online Marketing will have to do. Picture quality could have been better, but at this price, we at least get to see this early work from Benny. I don't know if all Benny Hill fans would want to add this to their own collection, but hardcore Benny fans will certainly want to see Benny as a young TV Star before his big breakthrough as Britain's greatest comedians.

Star Ratings (out of 5)

Audio: **1/2
Video: **1/2
Extras: **
Programs: ***1/2
Overall: ***1/2

Screen Captures

Below are images that were provided by Warner Online Marketing. Unfortunately, these images are not taken from the "Lost Years" DVD, but from other programs that Benny did over the years with the BBC. For a larger version of each image, click on the thumbnails below and each image will open in a new window. Thanks to William Brown for the background on the images!

Background info by William Brown

Funny, I've seen the pics meself and have come to the conclusion that these came from none of the shows in the collection. All of them are publicity photos taken during the making of the shows in question, so of course they wouldn't've been of the same quality as the surviving kinescopes of the shows.

It looks like the B&W photos have all come from his 1962-63 half-hour sitcom anthology Benny Hill, of which only two episodes survive today (out of 19 that were produced; I refer to it as a "sitcom anthology" because he played a different character or characters every week). I have positively identified TA-35221.jpg as originating from the episode "Cry of Innocence," originally aired on Dec. 7, 1962 (the anniversary of Pearl Harbor - whatta coincidence); seen here with Benny is Joan Ingram in the role of 'Princess von Puffenburg.' T-JMA-32203.jpg and T-JMA-32204.jpg both emanated from an episode called "The Constant Viewer" which aired on March 9, 1962; the girl in the shot with him in the latter was apparently (based on examining the cast list and comparing headshots in old Spotlights) Jennifer Browne. The lass with Benny in pic TA-35424.jpg is Moyra Fraser, who appeared (as 'Lady Fenella Twinge') in the episode "Mervyn's Christmas Pudding" which was broadcast on Dec. 21, 1962. TA-35152.jpg may well have come from an episode called "The Mystery of Black Bog Manor" (air date Nov. 30, 1962); the actress in that is most likely Priscilla Morgan, who was credited in the IMDB as a 'Maid' in this episode (the outfit she's wearing may be the clue, as is his being in bed; that episode was a haunted-house offering). Ms. Morgan was also in one of his last three shows for the BBC in 1968; none of these people appeared in any of his subsequent Thames episodes.

The color photos were taken from his very last BBC series in 1968 (the last three editions - all aired in black and white, by the way, as were all his BBC shows - were destroyed by the Corporation out of pique after he up and moved to Thames Television; the only part of this last series to survive are 20 minutes of filmed inserts from his very last show of Dec. 26, 1968 - that, and the attached photos). This was the group of shows where Henry McGee, Bob Todd, Jackie Wright and Jenny Lee-Wright all first joined the Hill team. Certainly, Mr. McGee himself is unmistakable in those photos. The fire brigade choir shots - indeed, all the pics in question - were evidently from the Nov. 20, 1968 edition; besides Mr. McGee and June Whitfield, there was also The Kaye Sisters (the three girls with red hair in shot, who were that show's musical guests; like The Ladybirds, they had some personnel changes over the years); I can't make out the other two guys, however. (I noticed a "Wednesday Showtime" banner in the name of those pics; that was the banner under which that November 1968 show aired. This, plus the core cast assembled within these final programs, was a forerunner of the future, in terms of days his show would usually air from here on out; his Dec. 26, 1968 edition was aired on a Thursday; up to April 20, 1968, the last surviving edition in the BBC archives, his shows usually aired on a Saturday.) The shot of him as "Executive Script Editor" was the same sketch as he did on his Feb. 22, 1973 Thames show #16 as "Programme Planner"; in both, he was on the phone with a budding writer named Shakespeare. I don't recall the shots with Benny and Henry and the baby carriages in any equivalent redoing during the Thames years - not offhand, anyway. Mr. McGee, in one of the photos amongst the menus of this DVD, was seen wearing the exact same suit he would wear in many an interview sketch through 1975 (the last one, I believe, being the interview with Scuttle as a TV producer from March 12, 1975).

I have to presume that publicity photos of the actual shows were taken at their respective times. (I saw, in the biography Saucy Boy by Benny's brother Leonard, a picture taken during the showjumper interview of April 26, 1958 with Benny and Peter Vernon; however, the caption quoting the "Loving Cup" exchange misidentified Benny's character as Mrs. Grimshaw rather than Mrs. Biscuit.) Why those weren't dug up, I wouldn't know. There was evidently a publicity photo of Benny with Janie Marden from the April 20, 1968 "Lover, Come Back to Me" duet, as a picture of them was on the cover of one of the three VHS compilations combined to form this one DVD.

As to the relatively "poor" quality of the material from The Lost Years: That may have something to do with most of the shows being "telerecorded" on 16mm film; of the programs culled for these compilations, only two - Nov. 6, 1964 and April 10, 1965 - were shot on 35mm film, and therefore the quality is a bit better on those than the others. ("Telerecording" was the common term used in Britain for what was called "kinescope" in the U.S.)

I myself would've preferred to see his complete surviving shows (and, in two instances, filmed inserts) - including the two sitcom-anthology episodes in question, and a segment he did for the 1964 edition of Christmas Night With the Stars called "The Lonely One" dealing with a "jubilant delinquent" named Willie Tredder and all the people (all played by Mr. Hill) associated with him at one time or another in his life - in a box set a la the A&E sets of his Thames shows. That might shed some clue as to who else appeared; the contemporary Radio Times listings, I've noticed, had only a fraction of the actual casts as shown in the end credits. (And I've only seen the April 26, 1958 show, from which the original Mrs. Biscuit interview emanated, in its entirety, thus can I so speak.)

Another thing to keep in mind is that his 1955-68 BBC shows were aired when the video standard was 405 lines, 25 fps. Starting in 1964 with the inaugural of BBC2, they would gradually be introducing the PAL system which was 625 lines, 25 fps; BBC2 went color (or "colour," to quote the British spelling) in July 1967; BBC1 (where his 1964-68 shows aired) and ITV (of which Thames was the weekday London franchise from 1968 to 1992) switched to 625/25 PAL colo(u)r on Nov. 15, 1969.

Screen Captures

The Following images were provided by Warner Online Marketing. Unfortunately, these images are not taken from the "Lost Years" DVD, but from other programs that Benny did over the years with the BBC. For a larger version of each image, click on the thumbnails below and each image will open in a new window. Thanks to William Brown for the info on each image!

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