Who's Who Of
The Benny Hill Show

Page 12
(Mahadervan - Mills)

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!

Anita Mahadervan,
a.k.a Anita Chellamah-Nurse

IMDB Entry

From the looks of things, this is the single-named Anita as seen in the opening moments of the Jan. 6, 1982 "Paradise Island" number. She had been a dancer on Top of the Pops in both the "Legs & Co." and "Zoo" dance troupes. Her full name is Anita Mahadervan, later Anita Chellamah-Nurse, She is the Daughter of Bob Holness and after Benny Hill she joined vocal group Toto Coelo. She is now a Presenter and Actress.

Suzy Mandel (b.1955)

IMDB Entry

A vidcap of Suzy Mandel as from the "Girls, Girls, Girls" sketch of March 23, 1977 (top) and from the "Nor Iron Bars A Cage . . . !" sketch, Jan. 26, 1977.

Tommy Mann (b.1925)

IMDB Entry

Stunt wrestler Tommy Mann, seen here as "Two-Ton Grudge" from the "Holiday Sport Spectacular" sketch of Dec. 25, 1969. He was also on the Dec. 23, 1970 edition, and on such was one of the firefighters who served in the Lower Tidmarsh Volunteer Fire Brigade.

Alison & Rebecca Marsh

Alison Marsh IMDB Entry

Rebecca Marsh IMDB Entry

Click on the image of Alison & Rebecca Marsh for a larger view

Twin sisters Alison & Rebecca Marsh, seen here from the March 31, 1986 program singing "Money Makes The World Go Round" from the musical Cabaret. Both stand 5' 10" tall (this, from early 1990's editions of The Spotlight).

Mia Martin

IMDB Entry

Top: In this still from the Jan. 27, 1971 "Top of the Tops" sketch, I could swear the guy on the top left (next to Lesley Goldie) was a dead ringer for Michael Palin. There's Mia Martin, sucking on a citrus fruit, whose hand is partially obscuring Jenny Lee-Wright. I have no idea who the gal on the far right is, though. Bottom: Mia Martin, in a vidcap from the 11/24/71 "Cruising on the S.S. Rumpo" sketch. Was also the "chaperone" to Pamela Cundell's "beauty queen" (2/23/72), the daughter of tennis player Otto Stük in a "Balmolive" ad blooper (12/22/71), and the girl on the ship on 10/28/70 (uncredited) in the last of the "Look #7" quickies ("Ship Deck") - amongst her roles on the show.

Dickie Martyn

IMDB Entry

This is believed to be Dickie Martyn, from his only credited TBHS appearance of Oct. 25, 1972, seen here in the "Berlin Youth Choir Recital" sketch. His other credits include a 1969 episode of the TV series version of Doctor in the House, the films Oliver! and Scrooge, and Dickie Henderson's early 1970's comedy show.

Lisa Maxwell (b.1963)

IMDB Entry

From the "Passion Flower Hotel" sketch of March 31, 1986, Lisa Maxwell. She also appeared in the Jan. 2, 1985 edition of TBHS. Made some appearances on U.S. TV in the early 1990's; today she is best known in Britain as DS / Acting DI Samantha Nixon on the long-running cop show The Bill. Apologies for the fact that she's only shown here in profile.

Sylvia McNeil (b. Aug. 5, 1947)

IMDB Entry

A shot of singer Sylvia McNeil (b. Aug. 5, 1947, Yorkshire, England, UK), as seen on her Feb. 23, 1972 TBHS musical guest appearance, performing the Jesus Christ Superstar show-stopper, "I Don't Know How To Love Him." Also appeared on other TV light-entertainment shows of the period, such as The Morecambe & Wise Show, The Dave Cash Radio Show and The Golden Shot, as well as appearing on a 1970 TV show with the late legendary jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson who was working out of the U.K. at the time. Her name was sometimes spelled Sylvia McNeill (with two L's in the end). Earlier in her career, she was a bassist for pop singer Leapy Lee. She sang on Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman's first solo album from 1973, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, appearing on the track "Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'."

Andree Melly (b.1932)

IMDB Entry

Andree Melly appeared in "The Grass Is Greener" sketch and in "Cinema: The Vintage Years", among others.

Lee Meredith (b.1947)

IMDB Entry

From the "How to Meet Beautiful Women" sketch of Benny's 1990 New York show, a still of Lee Meredith. The New Jersey native first gained fame in 1968 as the original "Ulla" in Mel Brooks' movie version of The Producers, and was an early "Matinee Lady" in some pre-1971 "Art Fern Tea Time Movie" sketches that appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Also appeared in the 1975 film The Sunshine Boys that marked George Burns' return to prominence, did a series of commercials with Mickey Spillane (author of the "Mike Hammer" series of books) for Miller Lite Beer in the late 1970's, and was in two 1983 made-for-TV movies that eventually led to the Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer TV series. The Hill special was Ms. Meredith's last major acting credit to date; as of 2002, she was a special education aide in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Penny Meredith

IMDB Entry

The lovely Penny Meredith as she appeared in the March 22, 1972 "Adjudicating Panel" blooper (top). Also was in the "Scuttle's Keep Fit Brigade" sketch of Feb. 23, 1972 (bottom) - she was the one pursued throughout the park by Fred Scuttle during one of the sports games, then after they kiss, she chases the suddenly disinterested "jack-off of all trades" (as one reviewer of the Hill DVD's called him).

Faye Mertens

This appears to be Faye Mertens, as seen here in "The Bucket" sketch of March 12, 1986. She posed with Benny (as the title character of the "R. Dibble, Handyman" sketch), Samantha Spencer-Lane (qv) and another Angel from the 1986 series, Fiona Baker, in a photo that was published in a TV Times (UK) article about Mr. Hill that appeared in its March 29-April 4, 1986 issue. Not much else is known about her.

Zienia Merton (b.1945)

IMDB Entry

Here, in her only TBHS appearance, is Zienia Merton as Mrs. Chow Mein. Probably best known in the U.S. as Sandra Benes on the TV series Space: 1999.

Carol Mills (b.1943)

IMDB Entry

Seen here is Carol Mills, from the Dec. 22, 1971 edition she was in every show from the 1971-72 series. Interviewed the vicar who sat on an inflatable chair in "Heart to Heart" as shown here, peddling "Calais" soap and uttered the famous line, "What's that in the road? A head?"