recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Common Cold Recovery Choir

## Bio

The **Common Cold Recovery Choir** is a musical group comprised of members and staff of the Common Cold Research Centre. Its location is unrevealed, but Henry McGee visits the place to interview the director, Andrew Lemon-Melon (Benny Hill), who reveals that he and the staff has willingly contracted the common cold, which affects their ability to talk and results in several distorted words and misunderstandings. ("Middle" sounding like "Piddle.")

Lemon-Melon introduces some of the members as Nicholas ("Dickerless"), "Dick Head," Colonel De Mille from the Village Tree, Maude and Mandy. Their performance consists of coughing in tune with Lemon-Melon sneezing on the beat. Other sounds consist of choking noises, gurgling and other throaty noises to a musical beat.

## Trivia

* The members include Bob Todd, Jon Jon Keefe, Johnny Hutch, Mike Mulloy and an unknown Angel in a mustache on one side, and Anna Dawson, Sue Upton, Lorraine Doyle and two more unidentifed Angels on the other side.
* Benny mentions that "they don't have Phil" seems to be alluding to losing Phillip Jones, the Head of Light Entertainment at Thames TV. Jones was Benny's biggest supporter at Thames and his replacement with John Howard Davies was the fault leading to "The Benny Hill Show" as well as Benny's health woes and subsequent death.
* Benny also mentions not having Ted. Eerily predicting the death of his pianist, Ted Taylor, who passed a year after this special in 1992.

## Gallery

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Denise Brownlow

**Denise Brownlow** is an English actress, singer and dancer. Not much is known about her career. Her only credits are the TV mini-series "Bring on the Girls" and the TV shows "Cannon and Ball" and The Benny Hill Show, playing the female sidekick to Digger Blue. Today, she works as a choreographer.

## Gallery

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Benny And The Jests

## Production

**Episode:** 62

**Date:** 2000 (Direct-To-DVD)

**Time:** 1:12:00

**Musical Director:** Harry Rabinowitz, Burt Rhodes and Eric Robinson

**Producer:** Kenneth Carter and John Street

**Director:**

**Writer:** Benny Hill and Dave Freeman

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Jeremy Hawk
* Bridget Armstrong
* Sue Donovan
* Patricia Hayes
* Felix Bowness
* Rosemarie Dunham
* John Derrick
* Roger Avon
* Peter Vernon
* Gloria Paul
* Judy Russell
* Patsy Ann Noble
* Miranda Hampton
* Terry Day (according to the IMDB)
* Doris Hare (according to the IMDB)
* Vivienne Martin (according to the IMDB)
* Sylvia Tysick (according to the IMDB)
* June Whitfield (according to the IMDB)

## Trivia

* This DVD was released direct to DVD in 2000 with material from the 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967 Episodes Benny for the BBC.
* The name on this package was an allusion to "Benny and the Jets," a song by Elton John.

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** Bennies From Heaven
* **Next Episode:** The Good, The Bawdy, The Benny
Barbara Wise

**Barbara Wise** is an English actress best known for the Seventies films "Carry on Girls" and "Escort Girls" and the TV series "Space: 1999." Not much is known about her life and career. A former Page 3 girl, she got her start in the British TV series "Milligan" and later appeared in the December 5, 1973 episode of "The Benny Hill Show," playing a Mexican lass with an untied shoe, Benny's date in a quickie ("What do you want me to yell?") and the brunette choice of two ladies Benny Hill and Jackie Wright. Her last two credits was the 1986 film "The Wedding" and the TV series, "Chance in a Million." Today, she is known as Barbara Ashley and is possibly married.

## Gallery

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David Wright

**David Wright** is an English actor known for the films, "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Burnzy's Last Call" and "Positive I.D." Not much is known about his career. His first TV appearance was on the December 26, 1968 on "The Benny Hill Show" on the BBC, later returning as a dancer in the Great British Dancing Finals on December 27, 1973 and as Pedro for Dilys Watling on March 23, 1977 on Thames Television. He later starred in the 1981 German film, "Kudenow oder An fremden Wassern weinen ("Weeping on Strange Waters"). In 1986, he appeared in the movie "Positive I.D." In 1994, he had roles in the movies "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Burnzy's Last Call" and the TV series "Silk Stalkings."

## Episode(s)

* The Boxing Day Special 2
* The Great British Dancing Finals
* A Packed Program
Eddie Connor

**Edward "Eddie" Connor** is an English comedy actor whose career spanned much of the 70s and the 80s. Not much has been revealed about his life or career. His early roles on television include appearances on the TV shows "Sergeant Cork," "The Wednesday Play," "Crowther's Back in Town," Play for Today," "The Onedin Line" and "Selwyn." From 1977 to 1978, he starred on "The Benny Hill Show," playing an escaped convict who impersonates Charlie Chaplin on June 26, 1976 (along with Benny Hill and Jackie Wright as Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel), an injured guest at a Scout Jamboree on February 23, 1977 and a spectator at a Wheelchair Race on December 26, 1978. He later had two appearances on the British TV series, "The Breach," and had roles in the shorts, "The N7," "Dalston Heath" and "Ex."

## Episode(s)

* Friday Night Fever
* Villain of the Year
* The Bionic Baby

## Gallery

* Eddie Connor and Sue Upton
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Anita Graham

**Anita Graham** is a British film, stage and television actress and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her film work includes "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?," "Confessions of a Window Cleaner" and "Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!"

Born in 1948, her first television role was in an episode of "Crossroads," followed by appearances in "The New Avengers" and The Benny Hill Show where she played a Girl Scout guide who loses her uniform to Benny Hill and Jackie Wright as they were passing in their tandem bike and a girl playing soccer with Benny. Her other appearances include "Within These Walls," "Terry and June," "Tom, Dick and Harriet," "The Morecambe & Wise Show," "Keep It in the Family" and episodes of "Doctor Who." Her film work includes "Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!," "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" and "Confessions of a Window Cleaner" with other Hill alumni, including Jo Peters, Zoe Hendry, Jenny Westbrook, Andee Cromarty, Claire Russell and Jeannie Collings.

An accomplished stage actress, Graham also appeared in "Piaf" and "Once in a Lifetime," both in 1980 at the Piccadilly Theatre. In 1983, she appeared in "Look, No Hans" at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and "The Mating Game" at the Theatre Royal in Windsor. She appeared in another production of "Look, No Hans" at the Strand Theatre from 1985 to 1986. She also starred in "Run For Your Wife" at the Criterion Theatre in 1987 and again at the Duchess Theatre from 1990 to 1991.

In 1990, Graham appeared in "Mr Thomas" at the Old Red Lion Theatre and in "Funny Money" at the Playhouse Theatre in 1996. Her other stage work includes "The Norman Conquests for Ian Dickens" in 2007 and Michael Cooney's "Cash on Delivery" at The Mill at Sonning in 2012.

## Gallery

* Anita in "Scout Jamboree"
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Cafe Le L'Opera

## Bio

The **Cafe Le L'Opera** is a French Bistro in Little Dimpton highlighted by caberet acts by the Hill's Angels. The staff Benny Hill, Henry McGee, Lorraine Doyle, Jon Jon Keefe, Jerrold Wells and Mike Mulloy is whipped into shape by a passing general (Bob Todd) whose voice also makes the plants jump into shape. R. Dibble is called in to fix a light, but he squeezes in a pear which surprises the hostess (Lorraine Doyle) when it works. The bistro is also near the Hotel Nantel.

At a street party in the courtyard, punch is served as guests (Benny Hill, Anna Dawson, Jon Jon Keefe, Sue Upton, Henry McGee and Allison Marsh) wait behind a man (Bob Todd) fishes around in the bowl, but their interest is soured after realizing he was trying to rescue his false teeth in the owl. A pianist (Benny Hill) appears to give a musical interlude, absentmindedly rolling his seat off his stool and getting stopped from sitting down without it by the audience. Several members of the accompanying band (Benny Hill, Len Keyes, Jerrold Wells, Henry McGee and Vanessa Biddulph) resort to using their instruments to steal food from the guests.
In the courtyard, the Angels perform "Come to the Cabaret" followed by Alison and Rebecca Marsh singing "Money Makes The World Go Around." They're joined in by a three-handed pianist (Benny Hill) and a band member (Henry McGee) taking a flower from the table of an old biddy (Bob Todd) to give to a young beauty (Tracy Smith). In the side lines, the wily band members also steal cash from a couple (Mike Mulloy and Anna Dawson) trying to pay the hostess (Lorraine Doyle). At the end, a husband (Benny Hill) with his wife (Anna Dawson) loses his cigar to another guest (Bob Todd).

## Trivia

* The Angels in the sketch are (possibly) Tracy Smith (orange), Vanessa Biddulph (violet), Lorraine Doyle (blue), Emma Bryant (silver), Lisa Jackman (red), Alison Thomas (green). They are accompanied in vocals by Alison and Rebecca Marsh.
* R. Dibble returns in a brief bit.
* Using musical instruments to steal food was done by Ken Sedd and Johnny Vyvyan in The Gold Digger.
* The African-American patron might be Andrew Francis who played a native in The Hot Shoe Show routine
* The guest losing his food to Vanessa Biddulph and Henry McGee is Mike Mulloy.
* This performance bares similarities to both Club Bizarre and the Little Dimpton Meter Maid dance

## Gallery

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Brendan Keaney

**Brendan Keaney** is an English actor and dancer, known for "The Benny Hill Show." Not much is known about his life and career. He started his career as a dancer in 1979, performing with a number of independent dance companies and later appearing in a string of uncredited film, TV and theatre credits. His only known acting credit was as an exhausted jogger who runs into Carla De Wansey and an Olympic torch runner who encounters Henry McGee in the April 27, 1988 episode of "The Benny Hill Show."

Prior to joining Greenwich Dance in 1996, Keaney was employed as Dance Officer for the former Arts Council of England. He has served on various boards, panels and choreographic awards. In January 2007, he received the Jane Attenborough Dance UK Industry Award for his outstanding contribution to dance. A member of the Dance Consortium, he currently works as an administrator and manager to DanceEast.

## Gallery

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April 26, 1958

## Production

**Episode:** 13

**Date:** April 26, 1958

**Time:** 45 minutes

**Musical Director:** Eric Robinson

**Producer:** John Street

**Director:**

**Writer:** Benny Hill and Dave Freeman

## Episode

* Benny performs Pepy's Diary
* Guests include:
	+ Alma Cogan
	+ Alan Kemble and Christine
	+ The George Mitchell Singers

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Dave Freeman
* Peter Vernon
* Ronnie Brody
* Jim Tyson
* Roger Avon
* Michael Darbyshire
* Irving Davies
* Mario Fabrizi
* Jessie Robins
* Tony Sympson
* Sidney Vivian

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** March 29, 1958
* **Next Episode:** February 4, 1961
Carmen Dene

**Carmen Dene** is an English actress known for the movies "Deadfall," "Genghis Khan" and "The Trygon Factor." Not much is known about her life and career. Born in Liverpool, England, her TV appearances include roles on "The BBC Sunday Night Play," "The Wednesday Play," "The Airbase," "Armchair Theatre," "The Avengers," "Mickey Dunne," "Virgin of the Secret Service" and "Public Eye," eventually playing the role of a native girl on "The Benny Hill Show" in a Jacques Cousteau spoof. She also had an uncredited role in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger," followed by appearances in "Peace at Any Price," "Genghis Khan," "Carry on Cowboy," "The Mexican Girl," "The Trygon Factor," "The Cuckoo Patrol," "The Girl Guide," "Some Girls Do," and "The Bullet Machine."

## Episode(s)

* The Underworld Water of Jacques Custard (1970)

## Gallery

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Bennies From Heaven

## Production

**Episode:** 61

**Date:** 2000 (Direct-To-DVD)

**Time:** 1:05:00

**Musical Director:** Harry Rabinowitz, Burt Rhodes and Eric Robinson

**Producer:** Laura Palmer

**Director:**

**Writer:** Benny Hill and Robert Gould

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Vivienne Martin
* Terry Day
* June Whitfield
* Jeremy Hawk
* Peter Vernon
* Patricia Hayes
* Sylvia Tysick
* Doris Hare
* Felix Bowness
* John Derrick
* Gwendolyn Watts
* Joanne Ford
* Ruth Harrison
* Janie March
* Bridget Armstrong (according to the IMDB)
* Sue Donovan (according to the IMDB)
* Rosemarie Dunham (according to the IMDB)
* Miranda Hampton (according to the IMDB)
* Patsy Ann Noble (according to the IMDB)
* Gloria Paul(according to the IMDB)
* Judy Russell (according to the IMDB)
* Peter Vernon (according to the IMDB)

## Trivia

* This DVD was released direct to DVD in 2000 with material from the 1954, 1961, 1965, 1967 and 1968 Episodes which Benny for the BBC.

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** Benny Hill's World Tour: New York
* **Next Episode:** Benny And The Jets
Debbie Linden

**Deborah "Debbie" Linden** was a Scottish-English actress and glamour model best known for her role in the sitcom, "Are You Being Served?" in 1981. Born in Glasgow, Scotland on February 22, 1961, she was a Page 3 Girl for "The Sun," later working as an actress in episodes of "Give Us a Clue," "3-2-1" and "The Benny Hill Show," appearing in the opening moments of the Grand Wheelchair Rally on  December 26, 1978. She also appears with Sue Upton, Louise English and several other girls who appeared on this particular show in publicity photos for Benny Hill that appeared in the media. Her other TV appearances include "The Professionals," "Just Good Friends," "Bergerac," "The Bill" and "The Kenny Everett Video Show." She also appeared in several feature films, such as "Home Before Midnight" "Bloodbath at the House of Death," "Home Before Midnight," "The Ghost Sonata" and "The Wildcats of St Trinian's." Plagued with a drug problem for years, she died of a heroin overdose at home in Kingston-upon-Thames, England on the night of October 5, 1997 at the age of 36. Her boyfriend, Russell Ainsworth, was acquitted of manslaughter charges but sentenced to two-and-a-half years for supplying the drug.
Duggie Small

**Duggie Small** is a Scottish actor and comedian probably best known for his appearances on "The Benny Hill Show" and "New Faces."

Small was born Alexander Cairns in 1946 in Glasgow, Scotland, the son of a bus driver. He started out as a Newmarket jockey, making 300 rides and two wins until a back injury ended his career. Turning to comedy, he plunged into the Glasgow club circuit and appeared on the British TV variety series, "New Faces," in 1986, winning over all the other contestants on the show and appearing on two episodes of "The Benny Hill Show" in 1989. Despite the appearances, his comedy act never reached extraordinary success, and he remained on the cabaret circuit performing his comedy bits, including impressions and his "Superman" routine, his signature act. His son, Sean Cairns, one of four kids by wife, Helen, was a former professional footballer, and joined him to cover the lighting for Duggie's shows.

## Episode(s)

* The Crook Report
* Holding Out For A Hero

## Gallery

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Cyril Cross

**Cyril Cross** is an English character and comic actor with an acting career lasting over three decades. His best known movies are "Dulcima" in 1971, "Operation: Daybreak" in 1975 and Doomwatch in 1972. He was also a cast member on "The Benny Hill Show," replacing Bob Todd during his dismissal from the series, staying on the show after Todd's return. He appeared in the "National Health Service" sketch on the March 14, 1979 episode. He was known for being fluent in French, German and Russian.

## Episode(s)

* Friday Night Fever
* Leprechaun TV
* The Police Raid in Waterloo Station
* Women's Lib TV
* Butch Cafferty and the Fundance Kid
* Name That Tune
* Big Poppa - uncredited
* The Monte Carbolic Show
* Talking Point
* Carmen

## Gallery

* Cross in the "Cleaning Up Dimpton" sketch
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Ellie Reece-Knight

**Ellie Reece-Knight** is an English-Scottish actress and model known for the films "The House That Vanished," "Hot Girls for Men Only" and "Der Porno-Graf von Schweden" (The Count of Sweden).

Born Andrea Allan on November 18, 1946 in Glasgow, Scotland, she first appeared in the Tv series "Gideon C.I.D." playing the character, Pru Gideon. Her film appearances include roles in "Carry on Cowboy," "Assignment K" and a string of sexplotation films, such as "Der Porno-Graf von Schweden" and "Passion Potion" before landing on the TV series "UFO," based loosely as a homage to the American series, "Star Trek." She also had TV appearances in "Jason King," "Dead of Night," "Thriller" and "BBC2 Playhouse."

In the early Seventies, Allan appeared in the movies "Spanish Fly," "The House That Vanished," "Old Dracula" and "Invasion: UFO," a follow-up to the "UFO" series reusing series footage. In 1975, she posed for both Penthouse magazine in August 1975 and for French Playboy in December 1975. She eventually changed her screen name to Ella Reece-Knight for the 1976 movie "It's Getting Harder All the Time" which was followed by the movie, "The Office Party."
In 1977, she played a young ingenue pursued by Casanova on The Benny Hill Show. Her later TV roles include roles in "C.A.T.S. Eyes" and "One Foot in the Grave."

## Episode(s)

* A Packed Program
* Jack and Jill (unconfirmed)
Adam Johnstone

**Adam Johnstone** is an English child actor, who starred as one of Hill's Little Angels on "The Benny Hill Show." The son of Hill's Angels' choreographer, Libby Roberts, he starred in five episodes in the 1988 and 1989 episode. With the other Little Angels, he is often erroneously listed in the cast of Benny Hill's World Tour: New York. (That special only featured Sue Upton's son, Richard Whatling.) He also lent his voice to the video game, "City of Lost Children." His later history is unrevealed

## Episode(s)

* The Halitosis Kid
* Club Chicago-Go
* The Crook Report
* Holding Out For A Hero
* Pepy's Diary

## Gallery

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Claire Russell

**Clare Russell** is a British TV and film actress best known for her appearances in "Stardust," "Confessions of a Window Cleaner" and "Just One More Time." Sometimes credited as "Claire Russell," she started out on "The Benny Hill Show," appearing in every episode of the 1973 to 1974 season, notably as the girl inn the red dress in the "Great British Dancing Finals" and as the shower girl in the Scuttle Chunnel Tunnel sketch on December 27, 1973. Her later TV appearances include roles in "Steptoe and Son," "Fawlty Towers," "Shades of Greene," "The Morecambe & Wise Show," "Star Maidens" and "Young Dracula." Her later film roles include "Royal Flash," "Let's Get Laid" and "The White Massai" in 2005.

## Episode(s)

* Spot Black
* Great British Dancing Finals
* Film Time at the National Film Theater
* Coalpits

## Gallery

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Adam and Eve

## Bio

**Adam and Eve** was the opening act on April 16, 1986. It was performed by Benny Hill in a 1930s Burlesque format with a beauty queen contest in the middle with the Hill's Angels (featuring Sue Upton, Anna Dawson and Lorraine Doyle) as his back-up singers. The other Angels are unidentified.

## Lyrics

(*Note: The accuracy of these lyrics are a bit in doubt.*)

(*Hill's Angels lyrics*)

Well, we're six little ladies waiting for a fellow

Anyone will make up for the time

We'll do a happy dance, and this is what we have to say

This is the only place in town

(*Benny Hill lyrics*)

A demon in truth, but an angel in fiction

A woman's the greatest of all contradiction

She'll lift a man up and she'll let a man down

She'll crown him her king, and then she'll make him a clown

In the morning she does, in the evening she don't

And just when you're certain she will, she bloody well won't.

Now, like a fool, I married Lola who played the piano

But her cooking, sad to say, was not so hot.

She used to often boast of how she made pot roast

Most of the time it tasted like roast pot

On my birthday, she said, "Hun, we're gonna have beef Bourguignon."

I said,"You put in lots of lovely red wine, Lola."

She said, "I don't have time to go and get red wine."

She cooked the whole damn lot in Pepsi Cola!

Eve and Adam, Adam and Eve

They were the source of all these troubles.

Well, that's what I believe.

(*interim*)

As you probably know, this started years ago at a time...

When Adam and Eve were still around.

She would blame the apple on the top of the tree.

Me, I blame the pair on the ground.

But Adam, he loved Eve; he promised to turn over a new leaf

Then she smiled and twisted her pretty young curls

As Adam raised his eyes to heaven, he said,

"I've got more ribs. You got anymore girls?"

Eve and Adam, Adam and Eve

They were the source of all these troubles.

Well, that's what I believe.
Annie

## Bio

**Annie** was a song Benny Hill performed as Roger Twitaker (a take on crooner Roger Whitaker) in an opening quickie on March 4, 1986. As he completes the song, studio lights start crashing down around him.

## Lyrics

Annie from Brighton once ordered a steak weighing nine and a quarter pounds.

The butcher, he said, “Will you take it, ma’am, or shall I send it ‘round?”

She said, “No, I just want to look at it, ‘cause I’ve been dieting like a chump,

And that’s what I’ve lost, and I just want to see what it looks like in one lump.”

Agatha’s passion was baked beans. It’s a meal that she always enjoys.

But she’s heard if you eat too many, you might make an embarrassing noise.

Now she eats more than ever, enough to make all of you sick.

And she washes it down with pineapple juice, ‘cause she likes Hawaiian music.

But I sit here quietly singing, with my guitar on my knee.

For no matter who calls or whatever befalls, nothing worries me.
April 24, 1965

## Production

**Episode:** 21

**Date:** April 24, 1965

**Time:** 45 minutes

**Musical Director:** Burt Rhodes

**Producer:** Kenneth Carter

**Director:**

**Writer:** Benny Hill

## Episode

* Guests include:
	+ Anita Harris
	+ Tryphina Partridge
	+ The Raindrops

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Jeremy Hawk
* Patricia Hayes
* Gloria Paul
* Peter Thomas
* Dan Meaden
* Roger Avon
* Johnnie Clayton (as Johnny Clayton)
* Dave Griffiths
* Valerie Briens
* Anita Harris

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** April 3, 1965
* **Next Episode:** Police: Friend or Foe?
Brenda Arnau

**Brenda Arnau** was an American-born female singer and actress active in England and the United States, possibly best known for singing the title theme for the James Bond film, "Live and Let Die."

Born Brenda Burton in Cleveland, Ohio in June 1941, she was one of two children; her younger brother passing away at an undefined date. She took the last name, "Arnaud," from her first husband which was later shortened to "Arnau." She later married Michael Bastow, a movie art-director, and had a daughter, Shelley Arnau.

Originally, Arnau considered a career as a fashion designer, but she also worked as a telephone operator, a go-go dancer and as a hairdresser in San Francisco before moving to Las Vegas to audition as a showgirl. She eventually landed a guest-spot on "The Joey Bishop Show" and a part in the movie "Finian's Rainbow," later joining the USO as an entertainer on the U.S. Armed Forces Network during the Vietnam War, performing for American troops in the war-zone.

Afterward, she had a successful cabaret act in Paris after the war, moving to London where she was discovered by famed producer Kenneth Tynan while singing at London's Playboy Club in 1970. Tynan added her to the cast of his production of "Oh Calcutta." She stayed with the production for seven months before leaving on a world tour of cabaret gigs. She returned to England in 1973 where composer George Martin hired her to sing on the soundtrack to the James Bond film, "Live and Let Die," composed by Paul and Linda McCartney. She also starred in the movie as a cabaret singer. Arnau also went on to star in and develop the role of Silvia in the original London production of the rock musical, "Two Gentlemen of Verona." She also appeared on British television, particularly on the 1975 "Morecambe and Wise" Christmas Show, performing Shirley Bassey’s hit, "Big Spender" and the March 24, 1976 episode of "The Benny Hill Show." She also had guest spots on "The John Denver Show" and "Frost’s Weekly" but her James Bond performance led to her signing a three-year record deal with RCA in London as well as a cabaret season at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. By now billed as B.J. Arnau, she also released an album of soul music backed by a variety of artists including Francis Moneyman of Sky and Curved Air, Albert Lee of Head, Hands and Feet, Herbie Flowers and Rosetta Hightower.

Sadly, Arnau died of a brain tumor on November 1989, survived by her daughter, Shelly Arnaud, by her second husband and granddaughter, who will be carrying on her legacy.

## Gallery

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Cissy

## Bio

**Cissy** is the main character in the playlet, "The Long Dry Summer," by Tennessee Robbins.

Cissy lives with her mother (Stella Moray) in a Southern mansion. One day, she is late getting home because the strange man following her can't walk very fast. Her mother wants her to marry, mentioning a local boy Norton Short who Cissy can't stand because he acquired a theater to admire the wall-to-wall carpet and only allowing anyone over 70 in free if accompanied by their parents. Although having been faithful to Norton several times, Cissy admits she liked Elmer Johnson, who her mother disapproved of for beng a city slicker. She also describes how her mother put off a boy named Jed by arriving late to a clambake after following a cow late for milking, putting a fried egg in her malted milk and thinking a phone had been installed in a tombstone at the end of cable. Breaking down, Cissy reminds her mother when she got hurt falling out of a tree and lost her teddy bear, woolly panda, doll and pet skunk and didn't get a cookie. Adding she likes visiting Choctaw Ridge, she learns her father proposed to her mother there before dying, which makes Cissy something. Her mother says she was a mean one too.

Lester (Bob Todd), the old black manservant then enters to announce he has to move on as he's not making enough money. When Cissy presses him further, he shows a note from a father saying that Lester made all his daughters pregnant, something Cissy announces Lester has done twelve times that year and it was only January 4.

Cissy's suitor, Mr. Arvutis (Jackie Wright), arrives to woo her, but they just share insults at each other on the sofa. When Cissy's mother enters to see how they're getting on, he admits he actually wanted to marry her instead of Cissy, who insists on running away with Lester. When Cissy's mother wants to know why, Cissy shows her Lester's note and leaves with him.

## Gallery

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Debbie Scamp

**Debbie Scamp** is an English actress, singer and dancer who starred as one of the Hill's Angels in the final season of the "The Benny Hill Show." Born in 1967, she is a graduate of the London Mission Training Center, graduating with an HND in theater studies at the University of Kent in 2002. She has worked in the theater in the West End, later touring the United Kingdom and the United States. She has starred in several uncredited film and television projects, singing lead vocals in a number of bands and sessions, including a 1987 production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Hornchurch, Essex.

## Episode(s)

* Club Chicago-Go (unconfirmed)
* The Crook Report (uncredited)
* Holding Out for a Hero (uncredited)
* Pepy's Diary (uncredited)
* Benny Hill's World Tour: New York (uncredited) as a Hill's Angels

## Gallery

* Debbie with Benny and Barbie Denham
* Debbie and Benny
* Sharon Kiel, Debbie and Lorraine Doyle
* Debby with Benny in NYC special
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April 27, 1957

## Production

**Episode:** 8

**Date:** April 27, 1957

**Time:** 45 minutes

**Musical Director:** Bob Sharples

**Producer:** Duncan Wood and John Street

**Director:** Tommy Linden

**Writer:** Benny Hill and Dave Freeman

## Episode

* Guests include:
	+ The Tommy Linden Dancers
	+ The George Mitchell Singers
	+ The Tanner Sisters

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Pia Beck
* Susan Denny
* Philip Harben
* Jeremy Hawk
* Patricia Hayes

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** March 30, 1957
* **Next Episode:** June 1, 1957
Bogdan Kominowski

**Bogdan Kominowski** is an English-New Zealand actor and singer of Polish descent known for the movies "A View to a Kill," "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" and "Flash Gordon" and the stage shows "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Elvis: The Musical."

Kominowski was born to Polish parents in a Nazi concentration camp just outside Dusseldorf, Germany on April 22, 1945. After the loss of his father, he and his mother survived and emigrated to New Zealand in 1949, settling in Palmerston North. Leaving school in 1963, he enrolled at Palmerston North Teachers College, later joining a local band called the Cyclones. A DJ named Keith Richardson got him jobs in the in the Hawkes Bay area. Keith's wife, Sylvia Richardson, came up with a new name, Lee Grant, for his singing career.

His first recording was "Doo-Doodle-Do-Doo"/"As Long As I Have You" in 1965. While appearing on "Teen Scene," he met reporter Dianne Cadwallader who became his manager and secured him guest spots at Teenarama in Wellington and procured him a recording contract with HMV. After two unsuccessful singles, Dianne managed to get him a spot on the hit New Zealand music show, "C'Mon," where he became a resident vocalist.

From 1966 to 1967, Kominowski went on three musical tours as a support vocalist to Sandy Edmonds, Roy Orbison, The Walker Brothers and The Yardbirds. The exposure helped put his single "Opportunity" on the National Charts at #17, reaching #1 on the charts in May 1967. His next single, "Thanks To You," was released in September 1967 and also made it to #1 on the National Charts. He also collected the 1967 Loxene Golden Disc award and the NEBOA Award for "Entertainer of the Year."

In December 1967, Kominowski's new single "Movin' Away" failed to reach higher than #2 on the charts. His single, "Ave Maria," failed to reach the charts, but the follow-up single, "Why Or Where Or When," once again had him at #1. His success was followed by the songs, "Rivers Run Dry" and "Bless You." However, his success waned after moving to London. He did release some singles in England, however, but none of them were successful.

In London, Kominowski started performing in stage, TV and film under his birth name, playing roles in "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Elvis: The Musical" and TV shows, such as "Oh Boy" and "Brushstrokes." In 1980, he starred in the movies "Gulag" and "Flash Gordon" as the Lieutenant of Ming's Air Force. On January 16, 1984, he appeared as one of the Dolly Fins with Benny Hill and Jon Jon Keefe in the "Cafe Bizarre" sketch on The Benny Hill Show. In 1985, he starred in the James Bond movie, "A View to a Kill." He also appeared in the TV series "Brush Strokes."

In 1993, Kominowski appeared in an Australia/New Zealand production of Ken Hill's "Phantom of the Opera." In 2001, he released a CD called "The Very Best of Mr. Lee Grant," starring in the film "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" with Tom Cruise and the TV series, "Vera," in 2014.
Aunt Mirabelle

## Production

**Episode:** 6

**Date:** March 30, 1962

**Time:** 25:00

**Musical Director:** Ron Grainer

**Vocals:** None

**Choreography:** None

**Producer:** Duncan Wood

**Director:** Tony Abbott

**Writer:** Benny Hill and Dave Freeman

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* June Whitfield
* Graham Stark
* Priscilla Morgan
* Patricia Hayes
* Ronnie Brody
* Penny Morrell
* Roger Avon
* Michael Stainton
* John Vyvyan
* Laurel Mather
* Leslie Rawlings
* Carl Ewer

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** The Before Man
* **Next Episode:** The Mystery of Black Bog Manor
Eira Heath

**Eira Heath** is an English singer and actress of Welsh descent best known for the movies "Gang War," "A Man for All Seasons" and "The Best of Benny Hill."

She was born Eira Gwen Heath on January 17, 1936 in Rochford, England, although another source gives her birthplace as Westcliff-on-Sea, England in 1940. She was educated at St. Bernard's Convent in Westcliff. She started out as a musical-comedy performer on stage, radio and TV, later appearing in the 1966 movie, "A Man For All Seasons." She also played Hippolyta in the 1964 Rediffusion London TV production of "Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Benny Hill and Kay Frazer. While starring in music programs on BBC Radio, she starred in the first season of "The Benny Hill Show," but she stayed with the BBC until the 1980s. She has been married to Toby Jessel since 1980.

## Episode(s)

* The European Song Contest
* Is This Your Life
* Tommy Tupper in Tupper-Time
* The Sound of Frankenstein

## Gallery

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Carmen

## Production

**Episode:** 51

**Date:** May 27, 1985

**Time:** 50:34

**Musical Director:** Ronnie Aldrich

**Vocals:** The Ladybirds

**Choreography:** Libby Roberts

**Producer:** Dennis Kirkland

**Director:** Dennis Kirkland

**Writer:** Benny Hill

## Episode

* Quickies - 3
* Ballad: Costa Coco
* The Weather Hut
* Quickie: Religious Intervention
* The Lover
* Quickie: The Verdict
* Carmen
* Quickies - 7
* Tag: Dibbles Health Farm

## Highlights

* The Lover
* Dibbles Health Farm

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Henry McGee
* Bob Todd
* Jon Jon Keefe
* Jack Wright
* Louise English
* Sue Upton
* Erica Lynley
* Alison Bell
* Len Keyes
* Kerry Gallagher
* Jade Westbrook
* Dee Dee Darlington (uncredited}
* Jerold Wells (uncredited)
* Jenny Lee-Wright (uncredited)
* Cyril Cross (uncredited)
* Jenny Westbrook (uncredited)
* Leanne Robinson (uncredited)
* Derek Royle - vagrant (uncredited)
* Alison Thomas - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Lorraine Doyle - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Jane Leeves - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Nicola Bacon - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Laura Wynne - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Cheryl Mortimer - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Helen Tozer - Hill's Angel (uncredited)
* Emma Bryant - Hill's Angel (uncredited)

## Trivia

* This was the last episode for Jackie Wright who left the series because of health problems.
* Selected sketches from this episode appear in the "Golden Smiles" VHS from HBO Home Video.

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** Forever Love
* **Next Episode:** R. Dibble: Handyman
Charles Stapely

**Charles Stapely** is a veteran English actor whose career spans three decades; his best known work are the British TV shows "Crossroads" and "The Adventures of Robin Hood."

Stapley was born on July 23, 1925 in Ilford, England. Not much is known about his acting career. His first TV appearances included roles in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Assignment Foreign Legion," "Ivanhoe," "The ITV Play of the Week," and several roles in "The BBC Sunday Night Theatre" before playing a Titanic passenger in "A Night to Remember."

In 1962, he started appearing on stage, appearing in the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical, "My Fair Lady," at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, England with Tonia Lee, James Hayter, Zena Dare, and Tom Chatto in the cast. He also appeared in Ray Cooney and John Roy Chapman's play, "My Giddy Aunt," at the Savoy Theatre in 1965 with Irene Handl and Peter Gray in the cast. He returned to television through the Seventies, appearing in "Trial," "The Befrienders" and "Do You Remember?" before getting a recurring role in the first season of "Crossroads." He also appeared in the movie "Slaughterhouse-Five" and the TV mini-series, "Number 10."

His last known TV appearances were two appearances in "The Benny Hill Show." On May 30, 1978, he played the husband of Jillianne Foot in Benny's Hotel Sordide sketch. The IMDB also has him credited on May 27, 1985, but he hasn't been located in the episode.

Stapley passed away on January 8, 2011 in England. He was survived by two wives, Lynn Furlong and Nan Winton.

## Gallery

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Claire Lutter

**Claire Lutter** is an English actress, singer, dancer and entertainer best known as a founder and member of the musical dance troupe "Love Machine." Her film credits include the 1986 film "Shanghai Surprise" with American pop star Madonna and the TV shows "The Benny Hill Show" and "Space: 1999."

Not much of her early life and career are known. She started out dancing at the former Stork Room in London where she met and became friends with Libby Roberts and Sue Upton. After her contract with the night club ended, she started "Love Machine" with Libby, Jane Newman (now Jane Margaret Colthorpe) and a fourth member named Lynn Collins to perform in nightclubs all over the country. After Lynn departed, they were joined by Teresa Lucas, a close friend of Claire and Jane's. Lorraine Doyle later joined the permanent line up as a singer until joining "The Benny Hill Show" as a regular sketch character.

Claire and "Love Machine" appeared in three episodes of "The Benny Hill Show" which included Sue Upton as a cast member. Their routines included the songs "Think of the Boys," "The Flash" and "Dancing in the Nude," backed by Eddie Buchanan doing the vocals. The series was very favorable to their popularity with Claire also appearing bit parts in sketches, such as Chow Mein's secretary, Hi Pong, in the March 23, 1977 episode. She afterward went on to star in a production of "The King and I" at the London Palladium with Yul Brynner and uncredited roles in the movies "Never Say Never Again" with James Bond and "Shanghai Express" among other projects.

Claire still lives in London with her long-term boyfriend, actor Rayner Bourton, who played Rocky in the original Rocky Horror Show. She is an active member of the Grand Order of Lady Ratlings, the long-established charitable and social organization for women in British show business.

## Episode(s)

* A Packed Program
* The World of Sports with Love Machine
* Murder on the Oregon Express with Love Machine
* Villain of the Year with Love Machine

## Gallery

* Claire and Libby
* Claire and Benny
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Cheryl Mortimer

**Cheryl Mortimer** is an English actress and dancer, best known for her appearances as a Hill's Angel on "The Benny Hill Show," starring in such numbers on the show as the "Little Dimpton Street Party" and the "Strip Tease" number on February 10, 1982. After leaving the show, she starred in a cabaret act with fellow Angel, Lesley Young.

## Episode(s)

* The Monte Carbolic Show
* Talking Point
* Holiday
* Carmen
Bill Drysdale

**William "Bill" Drysdale** is an English dancer known for his work on "Macbeth," "The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella" which also featured Jenny Lee-Wright and "The Unforgettable Eric Morecambe."

Not much about Drysdale's life and career is known. His first credit was on television in "Friday Night, Saturday Morning," late appearing on "The Good Old Days" for several episodes. He was also one of the cotillion dancers and a player in the Frankenstein sketch on the March 11, 1970 episode of "The Benny Hill Show." He also appeared on "The Dick Emery Show" in 1970. He now works as a choreographer, his work appearing on "The Unforgettable Eric Morecambe" and "The Unseen Eric Morecambe."
Clovissa Newcombe

**Clovissa Newcombe** is an English actress, known for the TV series, "It's Tommy Cooper." Not much is known about her career. Born on April 22, 1936 in Paddington, England, her acting debut was in the movie, "Buckler's Hard," in 1950, followed by the television shows, "For the Children," "Harpers West," "One More Faces of Jim," "Lance at Large," "For Amusement Only" and "It's Tommy Cooper" and the movies, "The Three Princes" and "Big Bad Mouse."

In 1971, she starred on the December 22, 1971 episode of "The Benny Hill Show," starring in the "Simplified English" section of the "News at Ten" parody and playing the blonde-haired Catherine trying to poison the King in "The Great Pretender" sketch and Miss Dimpton-on-Sea. Newcombe later went on to the TV shows, "The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine," "Tarbuck's Luck," "Bless This House," "Fresh Fields" and "Keeping Up Appearances." Her later movies include "Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World" with Henry McGee and "Come Spy with Me."

## Gallery

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Eunice Black

**Eunice Black** was an English character actress known for "On the Buses," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Holiday on the Buses."

She was born Eunice Holden on October 23, 1914 in West Ham, Essex and started out at the Unity Theatre, London before becoming a qualified teacher of English and Drama. Teaching through World War Two, she didn't start acting until the Sixties, appearing in the TV shows "The Arthur Haynes Show," "Six More Faces of Jim," "A Christmas Night with the Stars" with Jimmy Edwards, June Whitfield, Ronnie Barker and Michael Brennan and "Tales of Mystery." She made her film debut in "A Taste of Honey," followed by small or uncredited film roles in "Drop Dead Darling," Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Benny Hill, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Bullseye!" (1990).

In 1970, Black was a regular supporting cast member on the ITV sitcom "On The Buses," appearing in three different roles. Her later television work involved many British sitcoms such as "Please Sir!," "The Liver Birds," "Doctor at Large," "George and Mildred" and "The Benny Hill Show," playing the wife of the philandering Henry McGee on May 30, 1978. Her last sitcom appearance was in a 1988 episode of "Last of the Summer Wine."
Black passed away on August 27, 2007 in London at the age of 92. Her autobiography, "Nine Lives of a Free Spirit," was published postumously in 2008.
Arthur Hewlett

**Arthur Reginald Hewlett** is an English actor, best known for "The Pied Piper," "Love Among the Ruins" and "The Night Visitor." He was born on March 12, 1907 in Southampton, England. He is probably best remembered for his roles on British television, including "Quatermass and the Pit," "Police Surgeon," "The Avengers," "The Saint," "No Hiding Place," "The Baron," "The Troubleshooters," "Follyfoot," "The Changes," "Doctor Who," "Shoestring," "Juliet Bravo," "The Black Adder" and "Moondial." He also starred as Snug in the 1964 Rediffusion-London production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Benny Hill, Eira Heath and Kay Frazer, later getting a bit part on "The Benny Hill Show" on a sketch that made it into The Best of Benny Hill. His other movies include "The Professionals," "The Third Alibi," "Reach for Glory" and "A Challenge for Robin Hood." He passed away February 16, 1997 in London, England, survived by his wife of thirty-three years, actress Margaret Denyer.
Edith Packet

## Bio

**Edith Packet** is a former Thames TV executive who retired from her job and moved to the vineyard countryside of France after getting married a seventy-year old suitor. Eighteen months later after her departure, she is interviewed by Alan Henry McGee, a reporter from Thames TV over her retirement. Unfortunately, the Eurovision link between studios is on delay, and Packet ends up answering the questions in sequence to the wrong responses.

Despite the camera delay, Packet reveals she no longer gets the TV Times, but she misses her subscription. Her new husband enjoys tennis and golf, and the small French poodle she got as a wedding present now has distemper and heart worm. She describes meeting Monsieur Pompaduke, calling him a perfect gentleman. She describes seeing twelve to fifteen acres of vineyards of white and black berries in a valley with a motorway before an assistant distracts her from the interview.

## Trivia

* Edith Packet was played by Benny Hill.
* This is the first sketch with Henry McGee as a beleaguered interviewer, a role he would most be known for in the later Eighties episodes.

## Gallery

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David Battley

**David John Battley** was an English comedy actor probably best known as the confused teacher of Charlie Bucket in the movie, "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." He also appeared in the movies, "Krull" and "S.O.S. Titanic."

Battley was born on November 5, 1935 in Clapham, England, the elder son of John Battley, a post-WW2 Labour MP, although alternate sources give his birthplace as Battersea, London. Born with a hole in his heart, he was initially taught at home before attending a special school, later enrolling at Camberwell Art School, but he left before completing the course. He earned a living working for the family printing firm, Battley Brothers, before applying to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

As an actor, Battley was known for his dry, ironic delivery on television and in films, playing a variety of character roles and comedic stooges. He starred in the military police drama, "Redcap," in the Sixties, the 1975 TV adaptation of "Moll Flanders" and the 1977 Christmas Special of "The Good Life." His TV appearances include "The Bill," "Lovejoy" and "Mr. Bean" in 1995. He also played the Executioner in the 1966 TV play, "Alice in Wonderland," later turning up as a comic foil to Eric Idle of "Monty Python" fame in the BBC series, "Rutland Weekend Television." In 1969, he made a brief appearance playing a Russian Commander on an episode of "The Benny Hill Show."
Battley continued to make films through the Seventies and the Eighties. including "Hotel Paradiso," "Crossplot," "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Up the Chastity Belt," "Up the Front," "That's Your Funeral," "Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!," "Mister Quilp," "S.O.S. Titanic," "The London Connection," and "Krull." Sadly, he passed away on January 20, 2003 after a heart attack at the age of sixty-seven in Epsom, England.
Caroline Sargeant

**Caroline Sargeant** is an English actress and dancer who appeared on British television and film through the Seventies. She was born in London, England and attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre between 1972 and 1980 with actress Lynn Morgan. She later became a member of the Sam's Set troop of dancers created by Samantha Stevens along with Sharon Fussey, Sandra Hamilton and Erica Lynley, the four of them making headlines in the British press when she and the other three members of "Sam's Set" refused to wear the skimpy bikini attire for the "Holiday Time" sketch, instead turning to fully clothed roles. She plays a blonde ingenue in a light blue blouse in the Grand Wheelchair Rally sketch with Faye Hillier, Eddie Connor and Benny Hill as a pick pocket as well as one of the people pushing their way past the police. She was however misidentified as the female hitch-hiker Benny discovers.

Of the members of Sam's Set, Erica Lynley later returned as a recurring cast member. Caroline has since starred in the 1981 short "Late Flowering Love" and the 1989 TV series, "The Bill." She is possibly the same Caroline Sargeant who starred in "Bonfire Night" and "Autopsy" in 2014. She now does mostly voice-over work and has her own website.

## Gallery

* Faye Hillier, Eddie Connor, Caroline Sargeant and Benny Hill
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