Charlie Gray

## Bio

**Charlie Gray** is an elderly patient an an unidentified British medical convalescence hospital located somewhere in England, possibly Teddington, Little Dimpton or Lower Tidmarsh. By comparison, it seems slightly more professional than the Lower Tidmarsh Volunteer Hospital in Lower Tidmarsh.

On his 92nd birthday, Charlie is woken by Nurse Mills (Carol Mills) pouring him a glass of water for him. Because of the happy moment, she offers him a birthday kiss, but he can't hear too well her offer and kisses him on his forehead. Nurse Goldie (Leslie Goldie) lifts him up to adjust his pillow, and Charlie nearly dies of ecstasy with his face pressed into her chest.

As Nurse Goldie turns away, she turns on Charlie's radio just as the announcer (Nicholas Parsons) reveals it's his birthday and plays "Down Memory Lane." The tune sets the rhythm of the activity of the room. Nurse Wright (Jenny Lee-Wright) dances into the room to places flowers by his bedside and pinch his cheek. Charlie taps her behind as she turns away.

As the nurses care and tend to the other patients on the floor, even folding a sheet in time to the music.

Doctor Black (Benny Hill) shows up to give medicine to three other patients in the ward (Jackie Wright/Jim Tyson/Bob Todd) in rhythm. He also tests their reflexes, causing the last one to accidentally kick Nurse Wright bending over near him. Nurse Paul (Yvonne Paul) coddles a bed pan through the center of the room as if it was a wrapped baby to a nursury tune, and Doctor Black does a jig to a German tune. Nurse Penny (Penny Meredith) enters shaking metal water pitchers to salsa music just as a sheet is flown up like a canopy over an elderly patient (Jackie Wright) being rolled into the ward. Dr. Greenland (Johnny Greenland) catches him and whirls him around, catching the shot meant for the old-timer. Dr. Black chases the old man around the beds trying to give him his shot, but the old-timer jumps on to his bed to avoid the shot.

To a slow horn beat, Dr. Black assisted by Nurse Wright gives the old man his medicine as if he were a stage magician, but he goes one trick too far and the old guy goes stiff. Across the room, he tries to make his nurse disappear but instead of making her vanish, he whips a male patient (Brian Nolan) who makes out with her.

Charlie by now has gotten out of bed and gets helped into a wheelchair. With the other old-timers in chairs of their own, they're rolled parade-style into the hallway where they rolled around in a circle. The routine culminates with a French Can-Can number with the nurses flashing their skirts, but all of this is too much for Charlie whose heart gives out. The five nurses gather to try and rouse him only to sadly place his hands together on his chest.

## Trivia

* Charlie Gray is played by Benny Hill in his wild-haired old man persona.
* On VHS and DVD packaging, this musical sketch is known as "Down Memory Lane."
* The set design in the sketch mirrors several of Benny's other hospital sketches, particularly St. John Thomas Hospital in 1984.
* Jenny Lee-Wright and Penny Meredith do the dance with the sheet.
* Verne Morgan, Brian Nolan and Robert Howe play extra patients without speaking roles.
* The list of nurses includes Jenny Lee-Wright, Lesley Goldie, Penny Meredith, Yvonne Paul and Carol Mills.
* The Parade/Can-Can numbers were performed by Lesley Goldie with Benny, Jenny Lee-Wright with Bob, Penny Meredith with Joe and Carol Mills with Jackie.
* Other hospital sketches in the series include the Lower Tidmarsh Volunteer Hospital (1969), St. John Thomas Hospital (1984), National Health Clinic (1976) and Little Dimpton Hospital (1986).

## Gallery

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