Who's Who Of
The Benny Hill Show

Page 5
(Doyle - Flanagan)

A Special Thanks must go to contributing editor William Brown for submitting these photos and information on each of these actors / actresses. Many of them were regulars and some were actually guest stars. I have added links to the Internet Movie Database where I could find them. Hope you can find many of those stars you've been wondering about and maybe a few you hadn't thought of. If you don't find what you are looking for, fear not. This section will continue to expand. Thanks again to William Brown, who wrote all of the information. I have also taken this section and put all of the entries in alphabetical order. If you are looking for someone specific, simply place your cursor on the links on the right hand side of the page. A caption will pop up letting you know which names that link will take you to. Enjoy!

Lorraine Doyle (b.1958)

IMDB Entry

Three shots of the lovely Lorraine Doyle, (top) from the Hill's Angels Photocall bit of April 5, 1989; (middle) from one of the 1985 "Just Married" quickies. First appeared on TBHS in 1977 as part of the Love Machine (qv) dancing/singing troupe, and that same year made an impression as (bottom), "Slimey Sally" in the now-famous "Husky & Starch" bit. (To see how she appeared back then, go to the Love Machine entry elsewhere in Who's Who.) She is one of only two known individuals to have been in both Love Machine and Hot Gossip, the other being Jane Eve (Colthorpe); but whereas Jane was a mainstay for several years, Lorraine was in and out of the latter troupe over the years, with at least one period (in 1981) where they toured together, though neither were in the latter outfit at the same time. Also did much stage and TV, as well as being one of the dancers in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, before returning to TBHS full-time starting with the 1985 series; by which time her old Love Machine mate, Libby Roberts (qv), had become the Hill's Angels choreographer. Ms. Doyle quickly rose to prominence among the cast, eventually becoming the second most prominent Hill's Angel after Sue Upton, especially in the wake of Louise English's departure from the series in 1986. Lorraine's other major TV work besides the Hill show was in the role of "Jackie" in the sitcom Executive Stress (whose star, Penelope Keith, had co-starred with one-time-only TBHS guest Paul Eddington (qv) in The Good Life, a.k.a. Good Neighbors). For more about her life and career, click on the Love Machine Q&A section.

Bill Drysdale

IMDB Entry

Bill Drysdale as one of the dancers in the "Cotillion Dancing" segment of the March 11, 1970 edition of TBHS. He was a dancer in the 1976 film The Slipper and the Rose which also featured Jenny Lee-Wright (qv). Later a choreographer.

Jill Easter

IMDB Entry

Jill Easter, who played "plain girl" Flo in the 1970 silent film Eddie In August; she was the one with whom Mr. Hill's title character ended up.

Another vidcap from the April 21, 1976 "Who's Afraid of Virgin Wool?" sketch:

Paul Eddington (1927-1995)

IMDB Entry

The late Paul Eddington (1927-1995), at the time appearing in a Britcom called The Good Life (shown in the U.S. as Good Neighbors), later to star in Yes, Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. In the 1980's, as public opinion in the U.K. was being (successfully, alas) whipped up against Mr. Hill and his show, Mr. Eddington was one of two former Hill guest stars (the other being Paula Wilcox from "The Lonely Miss Fox" sketch of Feb. 23, 1972) to have demanded that the respective shows they appeared in be pulled from repeat airings in Britain. Bottom: Another shot of Paul Eddington from his only TBHS appearance on April 21, 1976, here introducing the "Is There Anything In It?" sketch.

Bella Emberg (b.1937)

IMDB Entry

Bella Emberg, as seen here from the 12/5/73 "Spot Black" sketch. This is a rare case of her appearing as "herself" (i.e. instead of made up to look like a nagging wife or whatever) on the program. Among other things, she was in the "Manolo" quickies in 1973-74, a contestant in the 1976 "Sale of the Half-Century" parody, and also appeared in 1981-82 shows. Her working relationship with Mr. Hill dated back to an appearance on his Jan. 8, 1966 BBC special. Perhaps better known in Britain as "Blunder Woman" on Russ Abbot's show.

EMI 2001 Color Camera

Three shots of the EMI 2001 color camera, from one of the "Golden Shoot" bloopers of Dec. 25, 1969, and peering out in the "Fred Scuttle: Television Audience Researcher" sketch of March 11, 1970 (lower left). Was the workhorse of the British television industry from the late 1960's through to the 1980's (the last major TV series to use this camera being EastEnders, finally retired in the early 1990's). It was never credited on screen, but it was this equipment that, from Mr. Hill's first Thames show in 1969 up to about 1982, elicited the pictures in the studio sequences. Consisted of four Plumbicon tubes (R, G, B, and Y [luminance]); its picture was among the best in the industry, with exceptional black levels compared with other (three-tube) cameras. Also showed up in Nanette's Feb. 24, 1971 "Everybody's Singing, Like Now" number, the end of the "Chow Mein: East Meets West" interview sketch of Oct. 28, 1970, and the March 25, 1981 "Georgian Dancers" routine. You can also spot it in the Nov. 24, 1971 show in "The Movie Shakers: Mervyn Cruddy". This model as at Thames' legendary Teddington studios was replaced after c.1982 by American-made RCA TK-47 cameras, which would be used for the remainder of Mr. Hill's run. Bottom Left: A front shot angle of the EMI 2001 color camera, from the "Peter Seymour: New Political Correspondent" sketch of Jan. 26, 1977.

One of three replacements for little Jackie Wright:

Don Estelle (1933-2003)

IMDB Entry

The late Don Estelle (1933-2003), best known in Britain for his role as "Lofty" Sugden in the long-running BBC series It Ain't Half Hot, Mum, seen here in his only TBHS appearance on Sept. 24, 1975. According to The Spotlight, he stood 4' 10".

Jane Eve (Colthorpe)

IMDB Entry

Top: from the Feb. 23, 1977 Love Machine "Think of the Boys" musical number and Bottom, from the Feb. 18, 1976, "Transistor Radio" sketch. The Felixstowe native first joined the Machine in 1975, just prior to their first appearance on TBHS (she came in following the departure from the group of future Hill mainstay Sue Upton). After the Machine disassembled in 1979, Jane joined the racy dance troupe Hot Gossip which appeared on both Kenny Everett's Thames Video Show and BBC Television Show; she followed in the footsteps of fellow ex-Machinist (and future Hill's Angel) Lorraine Doyle (qv) who'd been a Hot Gossiper the year before; but unlike Ms. Doyle whose run was somewhat brief, Jane lasted with the group well into the mid-'80's. She and the other Hot Gossip dancers as constituted at the time appeared in the 1980 Village People turkey Can't Stop the Music, on which she was credited as Jane Margaret Colthworphe (the spelling of her surname in the credits of that flick appeared a bit too outlandish to be true - and indeed, it was; however, the BFI database has her surname spelled correctly in connection with this film credit). For many years after 1982, she was known as Jane Newman, her first major credit as such being in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983; she was one of the many dancers who participated in the "Christmas in Heaven" musical number). She remained with the Everett show as a featured player in sketches after her run with Hot Gossip ended. There is a page which has some other info about her at the point of her Hot Gossip run, c. 1983 at www.early-sarah-brightman.com.

Vicky Facey

A photo of Vicky Facey (top) from the ending of the "National Smile Week" sketch of Jan. 13, 1988. She was on the show within the final two series (1987-89) of Mr. Hill's Thames run. She was known as Vikki Harris during her time on the Benny Hill Show, but is now known as Vicky Facey. The bottom is from a publicity shot with Benny and other Angels.

Claire Fairgood

By all appearances, these shots are of Claire Fairgood, from (top) the "Last Tango" reprise of the "Hill's Angels: Chez When" number, she was paired here with Alison Thomas (qv); and (bottom) the "Love Ship" opening number, both pics from the March 12, 1986 edition. Apologies that both images aren't all too clear (or, in the case of the latter still, close-up). This was her only TBHS appearance.

Robert Falk

IMDB Entry

Child actor Robert Falk, as seen in the Jan. 5, 1983 "Superteech" sketch as a St. Nana's school pupil. He was not credited on this show, but was identified through a publicity photo taken during the making of this sketch (he posed with Benny and Louise English) as featured in a contemporary issue of the British trade publication The Stage and Television Today. Was probably one of the last "stage children" to be booked on the show, prior to the creation of the "Little Angels."

Joey Faye (1909-1997)

IMDB Entry

The late veteran burlesque comic Joey Faye (1909-1997), as seen in this screencap from the "How to Meet Beautiful Women" sketch of Benny's 1990 New York special. This perpetual "second banana" claimed credit for two famous routines that turned up in different Abbott & Costello movies, "Slowly I Turned" and "Floogle Street." Did much TV and film work over the decades, including the 1954 movie version of Top Banana, an uncredited appearance in Lou Costello's final film The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959), a 1967 "Color Honeymooners" episode of The Jackie Gleason Show, and director Sergio Leone's 1984 epic Once Upon a Time in America. The Hill special turned out to be his final acting credit.

Here's proof that Jon Jon Keefe and Roger Finch are two different people.

Roger Finch

IMDB Entry

A still of Mr. Finch from the March 5, 1980 Chow Mein Industrial Tribunal sketch. His sister, Linda Finch, was the first Hill's Angels' choreographer, serving from 1980 to 1983. He himself was a former member of The Young Generation which also boasted Kay Frazer.

Lanny Flaherty (b.1935)

IMDB Entry

Two shots of Lanny Flaherty from Benny's 1990 New York special. Three of the Texas-born actor's most famous credits include Natural Born Killers (1994), the infamous Kevin Costner flick Waterworld (1995), and Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000). Also did episodic TV including The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, The Cosby Show and Third Watch.

Flanagan

IMDB Entry

A screengrab of Flanagan, (sometimes credited as Maureen Flanagan), from the massive "Woodstick" sketch of Oct. 25, 1972, which marked her only TBHS appearance, albeit uncredited. A popular British-based '60's model and early 'Page 3' girl who did a good deal of film and TV in the early '70's (on some of which she was credited by her full name, Maureen Flanagan). She appeared in several episodes of the first season (1969-70) of Monty Python's Flying Circus and was credited on two episodes, one of which featured the famous 'Agatha Christie' sketch (with John Cleese as Inspector Tiger {"Alself me to myduce introlow"}) in which she played the 'Anona Winn' character. Is one of a handful of performers to have appeared on both MPFC and TBHS - and the only known one to have been credited on Python but not the Hill show.