Holiday (sketch)

## Bio

**Holiday** is a television travel show hosted by a number of professional travel critics Cliff Mitchelmore (Benny Hill), John Carter (Henry McGee) and Anne Gregg (Louise English). They offer seven nights in Majorca for £50 (not including the days) and a cruise to the Bay of Biscay where footage shows an old man (Jackie Wright) on the rolling sea polls past a female passenger (Jane Conaway), pulling off her feet near her husband (Jon Jon Keefe) and getting abused by his wife (Kathy Staff). The turbulent sea also causes the wife to lose her pastry to another passenger (Henry McGee) as the old man goes sailing again, ripping the dress off another castaway (Elfrida Ashworth) and causing her to hit the captain (Bob Todd) caught with it. Carter says this trip cost £75 and includes six meals a day (three down, three up).

Gregg covers a on-air request from Mr. and Mrs. Thorne of St. Holly's, Pringle Bottom Lane in Romford, looking for a summer vacation for their tenth wedding anniversary including a double bedroom for them and a single bedroom for their twelve year old son. The answer leads to Mitchelmore's visit to the Chez Splendid in Famoo ("somewhere between Monte Carlo and the Spanish border") where he follows Mr. and Mrs. Updike (Jackie Wright and Sue Upton) on vacation. On arrival, the baggage handler (Jon Jon Keefe) clad in Swiss attire ascends the baggage of luggage on their car and Mitchelmore blindly hands over his coat and hat to a transient (Henry McGee) at the entrance. Meanwhile, the Updikes learn their smoking housekeeper (Louise English) hangs the bedsheets low on the clothesline, leaving her footsteps on them.

At the beach, a surfer (Jon Jon Keefe) waits to get his board back from the young lady (Elfrida Ashworth) ironing in it, and a scuba diver (Benny Hill) accidentally harpoons a young lady (Corinne Russell) before also harpooning the beach side picnic of several tourists (Tracy Evans, Jon Jon Keefe, Bob Todd, Candy Davis and Jackie Wright). Another girl (Corinne Russell) applies sun bathing oil to another girl (Candy Davis) as another girl (Elfrida Ashworth) and three men (Benny Hill, Jon Jon Keefe and Jackie Wright) stroll by with inflatables, the last one with an inflatable lady.

The hotel also offers a fitness regime and tennis court with Mr. Updike getting involved in the physical fitness instruction. When he tries going after a ball they lose, he ends up handling the derriere of another young lady (Corinne Russell). Mitchelmore's narration reveals the hotel has a qualified baby sitter (Benny Hill) (who is accompanied by his girlfriend (Tracy Evans)) and several five-star restaurants.

At one of the restaurants, three ladies (Benny Hill, Jenny Lee-Wright and Corinne Russell) get together for ice cream and girl talk. However, as Mitchelmore continues his on-camera hosting segment to talk about hotel incidentals, four ladies (Lesley Woods, Tracy Evans, Jane Conaway and Candy Davis?) get between him and the camera and remove their tops before running off on the beach. He also recommends the local bars and restaurants as a young man at Chez Gaston (Jon Jon Keefe) abandons his girlfriend (Louise English) after seeing the high prices. The local Spaghetti Restaurant features table side phone service for a couple (Henry McGee and Louise English). One guest (Benny Hill) reading the "Kama Sutra" approaches a young lady (Jane Conaway) reading a book on karate, and an older gentleman (Bob Todd) approaches another previous young lass (Corinne Russell) as Mitchelmore gives hope to singles finding love on the island. He also tries describing the economy vacation package as two young ladies in bikinis distract him (Louise English and Jane Conaway?) while another two (Corinne Russell and Tracy Evans?) briefly sit up while topless. Unfortunately, his glowing description of the hotel and beach fails to cover the litter and trash the tourists leave behind.

Meanwhile, Mr. Updike is feeling fit toward the end of his stay until he throws out his back trying to lift barbells. As Mitchelmore begins to wrap up his visit, he meets the same transient from before and gets his hat and coat back. He concludes that the Updikes spent only £300 - £100 on the trip and £200 on the osteopath.

## Trivia

* This sketch was a parody of the British TV-series "Holiday" which aired on the BBC from January 2, 1969 to March 19, 2007. Cliff Michelmore was the host from its debut until 1994, and Anne Gregg would be part of the show from 1980 to 1991. John Carter was travel correspondent for The Times of London and a co-host for the show's first eighteen years, after which he left to join ITV's "Wish You Were Here...?"
* The sketch includes stock footage of a clothing optional resort and a a side view of Corinne Russell topless. This as well as the closing Mahala sketch of the episode possibly led Thames to request Benny Hill and Dennis Kirkland tone down the sexuality in the series.
* Louise English and Jane Conaway are the two girls in bikinis coming out the front entrance.
* The exercise class and female ball players are possibly Louise English, Jane Leeves, Lesley Woods, Tracy Evans, Candy Davis and Gillian Adams.
* Jackie Wright shows up carrying a blow-up doll; a rare thing for the series. They also appear as Mahala in the later Saucy Boy sketch, the Lonely Boy sketch, and the Wonder-Gran meets Dracula sketch.
* This sketch features the only speaking part Corrine Russell gets without singing with the Hill's Angels.
* Jon Jon Keefe plays the waiter.
* Bob Todd plays the father of Benny's female character in the restaurant.
* Benny also plays the hotel fitness coach, the waiter who brings Henry McGee a phone and a sommelier who serves Bob Todd.
* Ken Sedd is a background member of the fitness scenes.
* Benny had previously impersonated Cliff Michelmore on the BBC, most notably in the Showtime episode.

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