recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Crown Court

## Bio

The **Crown Court** is a group of shabbily-dressed individuals left waiting in a nearly barren room with writings on the walls. While they're alone, they bemoan the status of the police and the system, pass along gossip and make judgements on society. These individuals include:

* "Benny" - (Benny Hill) - a leather-clad man with a grudge on the police
* Paddy - (Jackie Wright) - a smoker who promises to be quiet
* "Jon Jon" - (Jon Jon Keefe) - an optimist who thinks people are basically honest
* The Bailiff - (Jenny Lee Wright) - a woman in uniform watching over the room
* Albert - (Henry McGee) - a man who just had a wisdom tooth pulled
* "Kathy" - (Kathy Staff) - a woman wo barely talks and reveals her brother is a mounted policeman
* "Bob" - (Bob Todd) - an old drunk who drinks whisky diluted with vodka

Among the topics they talk about is:

* Paddy remembered to get stamps after meeting the Queen
* Paddy replaced all the windows in his house only to learn his glasses were cracked
* Ted broke his leg playing poker
* Charlie got three years for disturbing the police
* Paddy drove on the sidewalk to avoid paying road tax
* Bob had to drive a #7 Bus to the location

When the bailiff comes to get them, Kathy throws off the robe she has been wearing to reveal she is in the regalia of a British judge. The others are also judges as they pull on their wings and march out in judges robes.

## Trivia

* This name from this sketch comes from the description in the A&E-TV DVD box set.
* Only Henry McGee and Jackie Wright get names in the sketch.
* Jackie reads a book called "Archaic Laws."
* The sayings on the walls include:
	+ "I have lost my virginity."
	"Have you still got the box it came in?"
	+ "British prisons are the best in the world. - That's why they're always overbooked."
	+ "I'm not prejudiced - I hate everybody."
	+ "No-Nose Watson loves W.P.C. Wilberforce."

## Gallery

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Diana King

**Diana King** is a British actress best known for the movies "You're Only Young Twice," "Pink Floyd The Wall" and "They Came from Beyond Space."

Born on August 2, 1918 in Buckinghamshire, England, her first television appearance was in the movie, "Little Ladyship," in 1939. She continued to appear on television and in films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in "The Avengers," The Benny Hill Show, "Dad's army," "Crossroads," "Dixon of Dock Green," "Fawlty Towers," "Pride and Prejudice," "You're Only Young Twice" and "Z-Cars." She also had semi-regular roles in "Are You Being Served?" as Mrs Peacock and in "Terry and June," "Bachelor Father" and "Marriage Lines." She also starred in the English-learning program, "Follow Me," from 1978 to 1981 with Francis Matthews as moderator. Her final television appearance was in "Inside Story" in 1986. She died of cancer in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire on July 3, 1986, two days before her 68th birthday.

## Episode(s)

* The Trouble Maker (BBC)
* Portrait of a Bridegroom (BBC)
* The Common Market Square Dance (Thames)
Bella Emberg

**Bella Emberg** is a British comedy actress who appeared on "The Benny Hill Show" and "The Russ Abbot Show," where she played Blunderwoman. She has also featured in "Softly, Softly" and "Z Cars" as well as having small roles in "Grange Hill" as a cleaner.

Born Sybil I. Dyke on September 16, 1937 in Hove, Sussex, England, she made her professional debut in weekly repertory in Ryde, Isle of Wight in 1962. Her career includes a guest appearance in "The Basil Brush Show" and three appearances in the "Doctor Who" serial. She has since become one of 31 performers to have to acted in both the 20th and 21st century "Doctor Who" TV series.

Her modern appearances include the films "Bear Behaving Badly" in 2007, "Fuel" in 2002 and "History of the World: Part I" with Mel Brooks in 1981. In 2018, she completed filming for "In the Long Run," a Sky One comedy created by Idris Elba, due to be broadcast in 2018.

Sadly, Bella passed away January 12, 2018.

## Episode(s)

* Fun in the Kitchen
* Woodstick
* The Common Market Square Dance
* Jackie Wright: Holiday
* Dalton Abbott Railway Choir
* Spot Black
* Great British Dancing Finals
* Film Time at the National Film Theater
* Coalpits
* Sale of the Half Century
* WonderGran Meets Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde
* A Tribute to the Lower Tidmarsh Volunteer Fire Brigade
* Big Poppa
* The Monte Carbolic Show
* Talking Point

## Gallery

* with Bob Todd
* With Roger Finch, Diana Darvey and Jackie Wright
* Bella Emburg today
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Faye Mertens

Not much is known about **Faye Mertens.** She appears as one of the Hill's Angels in the March 12, 1986 episode of "The Benny Hill Show" and as one of the sketch players in "The Bucket" and R. Dibble sketches. She was possibly one of the unidentified actresses in the "Chez When" number in the episode. She was also one of several Angels with Sue Upton, Fiona Baker and Samantha Spencer-Lane in a 1986 TV Times photo shoot with Benny Hill.

Her recent wherabouts are unknown.
Ann Afford

## Bio

**Ann Afford** is a British female newscaster from the News at Ten broadcast in London. At the start of the broadcast, her strapless dress pops off and after a break, she returns in a blouse to report the news:

* The French can't find a general to present an award and kiss Michael Foot
* Professor Marvo has gone off on his honeymoon
* An agreement has been found in a strike
* A woman was arraigned for sunbathing nude on the glass roof of the Air Ministry
* Peter Pike, the Minister of Strikes, Deaths and Other Inconveniences makes an exception of the hostile {backward) kingdom of Amanda (Nathan Whitechurch supplies video commentary)
* An Italian Chef has won the Doughberry Pizza Price
* Cyril Smith gives his description of his ideal girl

After several other news stories, Afford is distracted by David Bellamy (Benny Hill) in a television next to her on a television in a store window trying to get the attention of Johnny Craddock (Bob Todd) on an episode of Fanny and Johnny Craddock on another TV set. With the traffic behind her on her set, she gets disgusted and departs, revealing the short pants she is wearing as she rides away on a bicycle.

## Trivia

* Ann Afford was played by Benny Hill.
* This character is a spoof of Ann Ford, a co-anchor on the "News at Ten" on ITV.
* Roger Finch plays the customer flipping through the channels.
Carmen (sketch)

## Bio

**Carmen** is a French opera presented by Fred Scuttle at the International Television Festival. The act presents the story of discourse between a man, his wife and her lover. The husband and wife are the only ones who talk, their voices lip-syncing to re-recorded dialogue with captions on screen.

In the plot, the husband (Benny Hill) wanders home carrying an apple which he gives to a man in the stocks (Henry McGee). His wife (Helen Horton) comes out of their villa to give him dinner which he quickly criticizes. After he strikes a match for his cigarette off the head of the guy in the stock, his wife starts criticizing him for smoking. As she starts giving news from other married couples, he responds with short comments about each of them, This starts off with an exchange of insults as the husband takes back his apple and takes a bite from it. When a young beauty (Louise English) arrives to admire their baby, it slips out that the child was the product of the woman's lover. It turns out her lover is the dashing Don Jose (Jackie Wright) who soon shows up, his hair coming off with his hat. The husband is stunned he could even sire one child, and in a jealous rage, he murders Don Jose in the street as his wife calls her children close. As they gather round, she reveals that Don Jose was their father as well.

## Trivia

* The sketch is a spoof of the famous opera by Georges Bizet.
* The children in the sketch are named Pedro, Paco, Maria, Dorita and Maneula. They are played by Roger Finch, Sue Upton and three unidentified cast members.

## Gallery

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Ernie Potts

## Bio

**Ernest "Ernie" Potts** is a career criminal and con-artist who failed at petty larceny and robbery before forming a gang of con artists and thieves. One of Ernie's crimes ends up featured on Great Mysteries with Orson Buggy, hosted by Orson Buggy (Benny Hill), in an episode called "The Catch."

Ernie and his team's failed crimes include posing as monks to steal silver from two ladies (Lee Gibson and Diana Darvey) and armed robbery at the bank where the teller (Anna Dawson) ended up recognizing them. One member named Arnold (Henry McGee) came from a family who were also criminals; his grandfather confessed to a life of crimes on his deathbed then got better. He also went on strike at a factory that was noticed for three weeks. He also trained a dog that ended up biting everyone who came near it. his health is so bad he got a hernia snatching a lady's handbag,

After seeing a film on con-artists, Ernie plots a con of his own. He gathers his team includes Arnold and two more men (Bob Todd and Jack Wright) and Elsie (Diana Darvey, who refuses to stay any amount of time with Ernie for any amount of money. The older member has a thick Irish accent. They prepare a con on a book maker ("bookie") (Patrick Newell) staying at the Rose and Crown Inn and confront him in the Denby Bar downstairs, using a ten-minute delay on a horse race to win a lot of money from the stalled race broadcast. However, they're eventually busted by a police officer (Earl Adair?) that catches them drinking after hours because of the altered clocks.

## Trivia

* Ernie Potts was played by Benny Hill.
* Patrick Newell is Benny's accomplice with Henry McGee in the armed robbery scene.
* Anna Dawson plays the innkeeper
* Henry's character is named Arnold. Benny criticizes him for covering his face with Brut for men instead of a mask.

## Gallery

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Bond, Holmes and Watson

## Production

**Episode:** 13

**Date:** January 15, 1973

**Producer:** Peter Whitmore

**Director:**

**Writer:** Dave Allen, Austin Steele and Peter Vincent

## Cast

* Dave Allen
* Ronnie Brody
* Jacqueline Clarke
* Michael Sharvell-Martin
* Peter Hawkins
* Robert East

## Quotes

* **Dave Allen** - "The security of this place is getting ridiculous!" (*Dave following his opening James Bond sketch*)

* **Dave Allen** - "I'm not the only person who drinks in this country. I read the other day that nine hundred million pounds worth of booze is being drunk in this country so there's someone else at it." (*Pounds is a unit of British currency.*)

* **Dave Allen** - "Religion plays a very important part of or life. I mean, where would we be without religion. As far as this show is concerned, it would be a big empty gap in the middle."

* **Dave Allen** - "People ask is it right to laugh at religion. Of course, it's right, as long as it's not your own."

* **Dave Allen** - "He's our God, not yours." (*Dave says this when someone in the audience laughs before the joke*)

* **Dave Allen** - "The word whiskey is derived from an old Gaelic word, *uiscebea*, which means "water of life," and that water of life is the cause of more people dying and being put in the ground."

* **Dave Allen** - (*telling another story about a young girl*) "Father? Father? You know you told me if I did things I shouldn't do that I'd go deaf." and the priest says "What?!"

## Trivia

* Sleeping Beauty (along with Rapunzel) are recurring childhood characters in sketches; they are played by actress Jacqueline Clarke, a long-time favorite cast member.
* In the funeral of Cyrano sketch, the fake long nose on Dave gets much longer and his head in the coffin lowers before the lid is placed above him. The adjustment occurs that the nose sticks up through the lid of the coffin without technically resting on Dave's face.
* The Hamlet scene is Act I Scene 5 from the play.
* Ronnie Brody plays Toulouse Lautrec in this episode; Lautrec was previously played by Dave Allen in earlier episodes.
* In one sketch, Dave is dressed as a Bishop and reading a prayer from the Bible as the book is slammed shut by an altar boy. Dave's voice then hits a very high tone as if a sensitive part of his body was caught by the book. Billy Cotton, the BBC's Head of Variety, purposely held back on this sketch for several episodes because he feared viewer reprisal. After it finally ran, there was not one single complaint from the viewers.

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** Humor in Uniform and Religion
* **Next Episode:** Karate Dog and the Two Bears
Bettine Le Beau

**Bettine Le Beau** was a Belgian-English actress and writer probably best known for "The Benny Hill Show" and several film, radio and television appearances in the UK.

Born on March 23, 1932 in Antwerp, Belgium to Jewish parents, she was separated from her parents during World War Two and was held in Camp Degurs concentration camp on the French border of Spain, later escaping and going into hiding with the help of a family. She eventually made it to England in 1945 and attended Pitman's College, working as a model, artist, graphologist, cabaret artist and a facilitator for a Yiddish language circle. She also worked on radio on a woman's program for solving problems.

As an actress, her television appearances include five episodes of "The Benny Hill Show," "The Prisoner," "Call My Bluff" and "The Golden Shot." She also starred in the movies "My Last Duchess," "San Ferry Ann" and "Devil's Daffodil." She also had an uncredited role as Professor Dent's secretary in the first James Bond film, "Dr No." On radio, Le Beau was a regular on the BBC World Service program, "Animal, Vegetable and Mineral," a version of Twenty Questions.

Le Beau also worked as a public speaker, talking about her experiences as a child of the Holocaust. She is also an author, with the book, "Help Yourself to Happiness."

She passed away September 8, 2015 at the age of 83 in Finchley, England. Married twice, she was survived by her two children.

## Episode(s)

* Cinema: The Vintage Years
* Fun in the Kitchen with Johnny and Cranny Faddock
* News at Ten with Reginald Boozenquet
* Benny's All-Star Finale
* Woodstick

## Gallery

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Benny Hill Photo Page 3

Back to Second Page

(left to right) Zoe Bryant, Sue Upton, Benny, Vicky Facey and Lorraine Doyle(clockwise from bottom) Leslie Goldie, Penny Meredith, Geraldine Burnett, Carol Mills and Jenny Lee-Wright with Benny Hill and Jim Tyson (far right)Jenny Drummond, Helen Carpenter and GloriaHelen Carpenter, Jenny Drummond (obscured), "Gloria," Sharon Kiel, Lorraine Doyle, Liz Jobling, Emma BryantBob Todd (obscured), Debbie Scamp, Benny and Barbie Denham(back) Abigail Higgins, Nola Haynes, Louise English, Benny, Emma Bryant, Sue Upton (obscured), Pauline Crawford, (front) Sarah Woollett, Francesca WhitburnJulie Kirk, Jackie Wright, Vivienne Warman, Ken Sedd, Andee Cromarty, Roger Finchpossibly Samantha Spencer-Lane, Tracy Smith, Alison Thomas, Benny, Fiona Baker, Emma Bryant and Katie Randall.
Anita Mahadervan

**Anita Mahadervan** is an English actor, dancer and singer best known as the singer of the 80's bands Toto Coelo and Cherry Bombz.

Born Anita Chellamah Mahadervan in 1959 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, Mahadervan started her career as a dancer in Legs & Co., which appeared on the television program "Tops of the Pops" between 1976 and 1981.

In 1982, Mahadervan starred as a dancer in the "Paradise Island" sketch on January 6, 1982 episode of "The Benny Hill Show." She went on to become a member in the girl group, Toto Coelo, with Lacey Bond , Lindsey Danvers, Ros Holness and Sheen Doran. They had a moderate hit with the song, "I Eat Cannibals," reaching the Top 10 of the British single list in 1982. The next year, they released the disc, "Man O 'War," which failed to make the charts. Mahadervan left the group afterward.
Through her career, Mahadervan also went by the names Anita Chellemah, Anita Chellamah or Anita Chellamah-Nurse. She went on to star in the movies "Nutcracker" and "The Practical Guide to Divorce," later appearing in episodes of the British TV shows "The Bill" and "One Foot in the Grave."

Today, she mostly appears as a television hostess and as a video jockey on Sky Channel, Music Box and Sky Trax.
Bob Bauld

**Bob Bauld** is an English actor whose career includes roles in British TV on "The Benny Hill Show" and "Doctor Who." It is likely he played one of the British football (soccer) players in the Match of the Week sketch on March 13, 1974.

It is possible, but unconfirmed that this Bob Bauld might refer to Robert Bauld, a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half and inside forward in the Scottish Football League for Raith Rovers and Dundee United and in the English Football League for Bradford City and Chesterfield between 1920 and 1936. Born on March 14, 1902 in Cowdenbeath, Scotland, he would not have been one of the players but rather a spectator in some capacity. He passed away on October 19, 1980.
Chai Lee

**Chai-Lee** is an English-Chinese actress best known for her work on "Yellow Emanuelle" (1977), "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981) and "Mr. Hercules Against Karate" (1973).

Born in Canton, China, her first acting role was an uncredited part in the 1972 film, "Grass" and a small part in the 1972 TV series, "Villains." She next appeared in a 1973 episode of "The Benny Hill Show" where she played one of four girls attending Bob Todd along with Sui Lin, Su Yong and Helli Louise. She went on to star in a 1976 production called "Tomkinson's Schooldays" which was the pilot for Michael Palin and Terry Jones' post-Monty Python venture, "Ripping Yarns." She had a recurring role in the science fiction series "Space: 1999" and had roles in the movies "Queen Kong" (1976), Journey Through the Black Sun (1976), "Alien Attack" (1976), "Yellow Emanuelle" (1977), the 1981 James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" and "The Great Muppet Caper" in 1981. Her other TV credits include "Gangsters," "Angels," "The Professionals" and "Wales Playhouse." Her last known film was "A Skip Day in Splott" in 1996.

## Episode(s)

* The Dalton Abbott Railway Choir
* Jackie Wright's Holiday
Diana Darvey

**Diana Darvey** was an English actress, singer and dancer, possibly best known for her personal cabaret act and her recurring appearances on "The Benny Hill Show."

She was born Diana Magdalene Roloff on April 21, 1945, the daughter of entertainer Pamela Cooper of the Windmill Girls. Her father having died when she was just two, Diana was raised and educated in Bristol.

In 1962, Diana made her first stage appearance at the age of 17 as a pantomime dancer in Bath and a year later became a Butlin's Redcoat. Changing her name to "Davey" after her step-father (the "r" added years later to change it to "Darvey"), she also joined a London ballet troupe that travelled Sweden, Germany and Spain. Afterward, Darvey settled in Spain and became a popular revista performer under famed Spanish impresario Colsada. Over the next several years, she appeared in musical theatre productions in and around Spain. While performing in Madrid, she was discovered by Benny Hill and accepted into his television comedy repetoire.

First appearing on his show on February 7, 1974, Darvey became an international celebrity with her songs and her self-designed, often gravity-defying costumes. She could sing in English, French and Spanish and sometimes wore as many as four costumes in one act. Her most popular sketch on the series was the "Continental Cabaret" sketch with Hill and Jackie Wright, featuring a gag involving the word "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from the Walt Disney movie, "Mary Poppins." She also participated in other sketches, including a gender-reverse parody of the 1956 film, "Baby Doll," a remake of a 1965 sketch with Elaine Taylor.

After appearing in five episodes, Darvey made appearances on the game show, "Quick on the Draw" and the comedy "And Mother Makes Five. " She also starred in the movie, "Carry On Behind" in 1975. Afterward, she traveled in a cabaret act with her husband, Terry Gittings, the former drummer for Georgie Fame. When "The Benny Hill Show" was syndicated in 1982, she was living in Miami Beach, Florida. After her divorce with Gittings, she moved back to England and managed a pub in Bodicote, Oxfordshire.

Darvey married for a second time to Ralph Barker in 1995. After a fall at her home, she passed away on April 11, 2000, ten days before her 55th birthday.

## Episode(s)

* The Bionic Baby
* Great Mysteries with Orson Buggy
* Coalpits
* Film Time at the Natural Film Theatre
* Gavin Blod: The Man and His Music

## Gallery

* Diana with Henry McGee
* Diana in Kung Phooie sketch
* Sherrie Hewson, Carol Hawkins, Georgina Moon, Diana Darvey
* Diana and Benny
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Benny Hill (series)

**Benny Hill** was a short-lived 25-minute situational comedy anthology that ran from December 23, 1962 to October 1, 1963 that starred Benny Hill. In 1960, the BBC grew tired of its numerous sketch comedy shows and tried to herd their comedy stars into more focused situational comedies. Developed by Dan Freeman and Charlie Drake, the post-Monty Python series featured Benny in nineteen self-contained plots featuring him playing different characters in each episode confronted by different circumstances in each episode. Although brilliant and intriguing in concept, the series is almost forgotten today, the series involved Hill working with someone else's material under his usual allotted time, and he was eventually returned to his original 50-minute sketch comedy format.

## Season One

* Portrait of a Bridegroom
* A Pair of Socks
* The Constant Viewer
* The Changeling
* The Before Man
* Aunt Mirabelle

## Season Two

* The Mystery of Black Bog Manor
* Cry of Innocence
* The Time Bicycle
* Mervyn's Christmas Pudding
* The Secret of Planet Seven
* The Shooting of Willie the Kid

## Season Three

* The Vanishing Man
* Mr. Apollo
* The Visitor
* Mr. Jolly
* The Trouble Maker
* The Dresser
* The Taxidermist
Benny Hill Connections

A list of homages to "The Benny Hill Show" in American television.

## Married with Children

* In "The England Show," Bud (David Faustino) tries to explain England to Kelly (Christina Applegate) by mentioning Shakespeare and Churchill but she realizes where she is when he mentions Benny Hill.
* In "It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This," Al Bundy (Ed O'Neil) goes on a vacation and Peggy (Katey Sagal) and Marcy (Amanda Bearse) travel along with him griping, complaining and arguing. The procession of their presence plays on Al to the tune of Yakety Sax.

## Mystery Science Theater 3000

* Through the "Hellcats," "Crash of Moons," "Gunslinger," "Alien from L.A." "The Atomic Brain," "Jack Frost," "The Projected Man" and "The Screaming Skull" episodes, Joel Robinson and later Michael J. Nelson make numerous references to Benny Hill, his series and Yakety Sax, which they often hum along to in scenes while riffing on movies.

## Robot Chicken

* In the "Vegetable Funfest" episode, a British newscaster named Sir Wimperton Cornswallow (Mark Hamill) reports on the tragic death of beloved British comedian Benny Hill. He is followed by footage of mourners chasing the pallbearers carrying off Benny's casket to the tune of trumpet music doing an off-version of Yakety Sax. A blonde girl loses her clothing in the fracas which ends with a fall down a cliff, followed by a brief glimpse of the dummies later switched with the real "actors."

## SCTV

* In the "Polynesian Town" episode, Dave Thomas and Joe Flaherty team up with a cast of extras to do a dialogue-laden sketch called "Benny Hill Street Blues." Thomas is almost unrecognizable in the sketch which focuses on the activity in a police station. Dave does the "fake arm" gag to pinch an attractive blonde, Thomas plays multiple characters like Benny Hill, he mugs and leers and he blocks part of a word and accidentally insults himself. Intermittent chase scenes fill the time between scenes to the tune of Yakety Sax.

## Svengoolie

* In the "Evil of Frankenstein" episode, Svengoolie plays Fred Scuttle as a police officer in search of Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing). He traps him in Caron Gardner's room while making confused looks to the camera, but Frankenstein steals a sheet and escapes out the window.
* In the "House on Haunted Hill" episode, Svengoolie plays Yakety Sax in the opening segment as cast and crew run around his casket.
Candy Davis

**Candy Davis** is an English actress and model probably best known as a Page Three Girl in the British magazine, "The Sun."

Born Clare Damaris Bastin on January 2, 1962 in Loughton, England, she was the daughter of an education officer and a school headmistress and became a model as an adult. In addition to her experience as a Page Three Girl, she competed in and won the Miss Nude pageant in 1982. The role parlayed her into an acting career. She appeared in an episode of the series "Minder," starred as one of the Hill's Angels in the Holiday sketch on "The Benny Hill Show" and played the buxom blonde secretary, Miss Belfridge, on the last two seasons of the British sitcom, "Are You Being Served?" She married actor Gary Olsen in 1985, although they later divorced. She also had TV appearances in "The Two Ronnies" and "The Comic Strip Presents" and a role in the 1985 movie, "Underworld." She is now retired from acting.

Candy went on to write best-selling crime fiction under the pseudonym Mo Hayder. However, her online biography makes no mention of her acting career or her film and TV parts as Candy Davis.

Sadly, Candy passed away on July 27, 2021 from motor neuron disease. Her passing was noted in the press and in the publishing world under her literary pseudonym.

## Gallery

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Proteus

"*Enjoy the fairy lights.*"
—Proteus to Brona Croft[src]

**Proteus** was a character on Showtime's *Penny Dreadful*. He débuts in the first episode of the first season. He is portrayed by guest star Alex Price.

## History

**This article or section needs more history!**You can help out the **Penny Dreadful Wikia** by updating or adding to the history of this subject.

## Appearances

 **Appears**
 "Closer Than Sisters":
 *Absent*

 *Absent*
 "Glorious Horrors":
 *Absent*

## References

1. ↑ "Séance", *Penny Dreadful*, Showtime
Death of an Indian Rubber Man

## Production

**Episode:** 30

**Date:** December 27, 1976

**Producer:** Peter Whitmore

**Director:**

**Writer:** Dave Allen, Austin Steele and Peter Vincent

## Cast

* Dave Allen
* Jacqueline Clarke
* Michael Sharvell-Martin
* Ian Burford
* Chris Serle
* Peter Hawkins
* Simon Barnes
* Robert East
* Susie Baker
* Paul McDowell
* Ralph Watson

## Quotes

* **Dave Allen** - "People do not believe when I tell them I actually met the Pope."

* **Dave Allen** - "I am asked because I occasionally make reference to religion what religion my kids are being brought up in. I insist they are brought up in my religion, that is if they can ever find out which one it is."

* **Dave Allen** - "For years, I was convinced God lived in the bathroom at home. Every morning, my father'd get up, pound on the bathroom door and yell, "God, are you still in there?!""

* **Dave Allen** - "Very well adjusted, Australians, the most balanced people in the world, they got a chip on each shoulder."

* **Dave Allen** - (*to Australian guest in the audience*) "Your dollar is nearly as bad as our pound so don't laugh."

* **Dave Allen** - "It would appear for some reason that my waist coat picks up a tremendous amount of comment. People are always writing me and asking why is it always wrinkled. Very simple - because my stomach is also wrinkled."

* **Dave Allen** - "Thank you, good night, and may your God go with you." (*Dave's closing signature which varied very rarely during the run of the show*)

## Trivia

* BLOOPER - Dave flubs a bit at one part in the episode but immediately catches himself. He goes: "I was in Wome... Rome...."
* *Wuthering Heights* which Dave Allen parodies in this episode is a great English romantic novel by Emily Bronte.
* Recurring series themes and characters in this episode include duelists, Wuthering Heights, a wedding and the confessional booth.
* After "Dave Allen at Large" wrapped, Dave waited over twenty years to return to work in television. His six-part series, named simply "Dave Allen," premiered in 1993 and followed the old format of "Dave Allen at Large," but with a new ensemble of sketch actors.
* According to the BBC Website, twenty-four of Dave's episodes in England were 45 minutes long while the final season episodes were edited at 50 minutes long. Re-edited for American television, this length of time for the series allows only around 51 episodes available to be syndicated for American TV.
* During the course of their separate series, Dave Allen and Benny Hill each spoofed several of the same figures including Robin Hood, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Count of Monte Cristo, Casanova and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** An Integrated Hamlet
* **Next Episode:**
Chris Serle

**Chris Serle** is an English actor, reporter and television host possibly best known as one of the sketch actors on "Dave Allen At Large." His film work includes the movies "The Computer Programme," "That's Life!" and "Windmill."

He was born Christopher "Chris" Richard Serle on July 13, 1943 in Bristol, England and attended Clifton College and Trinity College in Dublin, where he studied modern language. In 1965, he starred in the TV series "Broad and Narrow," eventually getting a role as one of the cast members in the first season of "Dave Allen At Large," but he gained greater public recognition as one of the hosts on the TV series, "That's Life!." He also appeared in "In At The Deep End" with Paul Heiney, another fellow former "That's Life!" cast member. In 1978, he also appeared in an episode of "The Benny Hill Show" playing a stage hand with Benny Hill impersonating Dave Allen.

In the 1980s, Serle presented "Windmill," a series in which clips from the BBC archives on particular themes were shown. He also later presented the viewer-response show "Points of View," later moving on to play similar roles in "The Computer Programme" and "Monkey Business." On radio, he was the regular host of "Pick of the Week" from 1991 and 1998, later appearing as a frequent guest presenter until 2006. He was also in "Greek Language and People" with Katia Dandoulaki.

Serle currently serves as the Honorary President of the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service, a registered charity which provides a radio service to the hospitals of Bristol. He is also married and has two grown up sons. His interests include jazz, silent films, antique cars and hospital radio for children. He is also the President of the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum; he owns an Aston Martin DB2/4 and a Model T Ford.

## Episode(s)

* The South Blank Show
* Dave Allen At Large
Ernie Touch

## Bio

**Ernie Touch** is the captain for the Dimpton City Football team, famous for the footwork of its star player, Ginger Thompkins, who Ernie can't stand and criticizes in an interview on television. He is also considered possibly the oldest player at the age of forty-eight. (Touch confesses he's only forty-seven.) Interviewed by Nicolas Parsons for the Holiday Sports Spectacular, he initially calls Ginger lovable when it's pointed out that he has caused an upsurge in interest from female fans, but eventually Parsons notices that Touch is repressing some anger and asks about jealousy in the team. At first, Touch tries to pass off the claim, but when Parsons reveals that Ginger is making more than the other players and that fans only show up when he plays, Touch starts venting and calls Ginger "a juvenile little twit," revealing Ginger's life with a mistress and having a nervous breadown as he calls Ginger a monster.

## Trivia

* Thompkins and Touch were both played by Benny Hill.
Dibbles Health Farm

## Bio

**Dibbles Health Farm** is a fictional health facility located somewhere in England, possibly in Lower Tidmarsh or Little Dimpton. Situated on the grounds of a large stone brick manor house, it includes a gymnasium, artist studio and athletic field with a full restaurant and dining room. The local handy man (Benny Hill) tends to hit people around him with a long board as he ogles the girls (Cheryl Gilham and Jeannie Collings) around him before mistaking a man on a bench behind a newspaper (Don Estelle) for one of the young ladies.

In the restaurant, a patron (Benny Hill) enters and accidentally spills water from his hat on to the hostess (Libby Roberts) as he checks in before spraying her with ink from a defective pen. The pen also shoots across the desk and hits a couple (Don Estelle and Jeannie Collings) who continue on to the restaurant. The waiter (Benny Hill) tends to fraternize with the female staff when he's not distracted by the waitress (Debbie Greenhill) or nearly getting his hand bitten off by another patron (Henry McGee).

While one guest (Benny Hill) enjoys himself on the punching bag in the gym, three ladies (Cheryl Gilham, Debbie Greenhill and Jeannie Collings) enjoy themselves on the field joined by another member (Benny Hill), who goes to retrieve their lost ball which turns out to be the posterior of another guest (Libby Roberts). Embarrassed, he goes to test out a saw horse, but he lands on the middle of it and hurts his crotch. He also enjoys tennis before trying to rejoin the three ladies from before, but the rude noises from his ball send them away.

In the studio, a female guest (Jeannie Collings) tries to paint a guest (Benny Hill as Fred Scuttle) as a boxer, but she gives him a black eye to give her portrait more character. Meanwhile, our hero tries again to impress the three ladies, but his exercise bike comes loose, and he careens over the grounds and through the health farm sign. Leaving the facility, he gets to leave with (Cherri Gilham), and he pretends to run out of gas with her. Unfortunately, she comes prepares with gas in a vodka bottle. When his moves on her don't work, she leaves in a huff, so he releases another young lady (Libby Roberts) out of his trunk to accompany him.

## Trivia

* This sketch was accompanied by Eddie Buchanan singing 'There's Something About You Baby I Like."
* Benny Hill plays four possible characters/seven individual characters in this sketch.
* The grounds of this state look like the same stone brick residence from Bionic Boy and the Scouts and Guides Annual Fete sketches.
Chow Mein

*"Hello, every-bloody...." - Chow Mein*

## Bio

**Chow Mein** is a Chinese entrepreneur with a number of businesses and enterprises around England. His real name is J. Arthur Mein, and one of his enterprises is the film industry, having created the film Beyond The Bamboo Curtain. Although he thinks he has a mastery of the English language, his Chinese accent tends to warp certain words into other words ("America" into "A miracle"). This tends to result in a lot of frustration in Mein as he has a hard time understanding the confusion and calls his interviewer, usually Nicholas Parsons or Henry McGee, a "stupid iriot." He is sometimes antagonized himself by the Hindu accent of Mamood Ramsun. Mein is also married; his wife is also frustrated by the English/Chinese language barrier. He is also acquainted with Chu-Em Gumm, the Chinese Overseas Minster from the People's Republic of China.

Despite his early reputation as an entrepreneur, it appears he later falls on hard times, ending up waiting on tables at the Hotel Splendid, doing home catering for a dinner party and later trying to get work as a ventriloquist for a TV series.

### Businesses

* Film producer (Great Mysteries with Orson Buggy)
* Chinese Overseas Minister (Jackie Wright: Holiday)
* Chinese Restaurant (Cinema: The Vintage Years)
* Cow breeder (Benny's All-Star Finale)
* Guest on "Meeting People" with Nicholas Parsons (Down Memory Lane}
* Owner of Chinese circus (A Packed Program)
* Hotel Splendid waiter (The Monte Carbolic Show)
* Home Caterer (Holding Out For A Hero)
* Ventriloquist (Benny Hill's World Tour: New York)

## Trivia

* Chow Mein was played by Benny Hill. His wife was played by actress Zienia Merton in 1972.
* When Mein first appears in East Meets West, he's a flutist in an orchestra at London Palladium, his wife is revealed as an English singer, and his first name is "Chicken." He also implies he was forced into marriage by his wife and in-laws.
* Mein often uses the nick-name "Cookie" to refer to others.

## Episode(s)

* The Underwater World Of Jacques Custard
* Down Memory Lane
* Cinema: The Vintage Years
* Great Mysteries with Orson Buggy
* Jackie Wright: Holiday
* Benny's All-Star Finale
* A Packed Program
* Holding Out For A Hero
* The Monte Carbolic Show

## Gallery

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Derek Deadman

**Derek Deadman** was a British character actor who appeared in numerous British films and television series over a 40-year period.

Born in Fulham, England on March 11, 1940, he was one of three sons of George and Edith Deadman, working as a window cleaner and decorator before becoming an actor. He started out in minor roles on television in the Seventies, later appearing in episodes of the RAF sitcom, "Get Some In!," in 1975 and 1978 before getting a recurring role on the series, "Never the Twain," between 1981 and 1991. He also played the ruthless Sontaran Commander Stor in the "Doctor Who" serial and starred in the last episodes on "The Benny Hill Show" from 1988 to 1989.

During his career, Deadman starred in numerous movies, playing normally minor roles, generally as the fall guy who gets kicked around by some nasty villain. His many film appearances include roles in "The Canterbury Tales," "Queen Kong," "Jabberwocky," "The Glitterball," "The Big Sleep," "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," "The Apple," "Time Bandits," the James Bond film "Never Say Never Again," Bullshot," "Brazil," "National Lampoon's European Vacation," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Crush" and as the barman of The Leaky Cauldron in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in 2001. He retired to France from acting after his last movie, "A Goldfish of the Flame," in 2010. Sadly, he passed away on November 22, 2014 in Frespech, France.

## Episode(s)

* The Halitosis Kid
* Club Chicago-Go
* The Crook Report
* Holding Out For A Hero
* Pepy's Diary
* Benny Hill's World Tour: New York (uncredited)

## Gallery

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Debi Gaye

**Debi Gaye** is an English actress and dancer who starred as one of the Hill's Angels on "The Benny Hill Show" during the 1980 season. She can be seen in both the Fingers McNee and Cafe Bizarre sketches on January 16, 1984 episode. Not much can be found about her life or career.

## Episode(s)

* Scuttle-Vision
* Talking Point
* The Monte Carbolic Show
* Butch Cafferty and the Fundance Kid
* Women's Lib Television
* The Hot Shoe Show - uncredited

## Gallery

* Jo Thomas and Debi GayeGo to Jo Thomas
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December 18, 1965

## Production

**Episode:** 26

**Date:** December 18, 1965

**Time:** 45 minutes

**Musical Director:** Burt Rhodes

**Producer:** Kenneth Carter

**Director:**

**Writer:** Benny Hill

## Episode

* Guests include:
	+ The Kinsmen

## Cast

* Benny Hill
* Patricia Hayes
* Jeremy Hawk
* Elaine Taylor
* Felix Bowness

## Sequence

* **Last Episode:** November 27, 1965
* **Next Episode:** The Laddyboys: Tex Cymbal
Buffy

"**Buffy**" is an unidentified member of the Hill's Angels who appeared in the "Boon" segment of the "TV Titles" routine on May 1, 1989. Her real name has yet to be identified, but she was also the violet 50s dancer in the "Happy Days" number. She might also be the girl in the leopard-print jumpsuit in the "Hill's Angels: Photo Call" on March 5, 1989.

She might actually be Debra Hemmings, but this is unconfirmed.

## Episode(s)

* Holding Out For A Hero (possibly)
* Pepy's Diary

## Gallery

Chloe, Susie Waring, Jon Jon Keefe and BuffyHelen Carpenter, Nikki, Buffy and Nicola Bacon
Ballad of Anna Marie

## Bio

The **Ballad of Anna Marie** was the opening number on April 5, 1989. Set in a Mexican Cantina, it is sung by Benny Hill with the Hill's Angels on chorus. The background includes Sue Upton, Henry McGee, Bob Todd, Anna Dawson, Jon Jon Keefe, Duggie Small, Lorraine Doyle and Mike Mulloy among several unknown extras.

Since Benny already performed another Anna Marie song on November 19, 1969, William Brown of "Benny's Place," suggests that the actual title for this song could be "Café Olé."

The Angels for this number are uncredited, but the cast includes Sara Throssell, Nicola Bacon, Helen Carpenter, Susie Waring, Alison Deegan and Victoria Rees. The last two girls are unrevealed.
Barbie Denham

**Barbie Denham** is an English actress best known for the movies "A Clockwork Orange," "Octopussy" and "Quadrophenia." Her birth name is Barbara Witrylak.

Not much is known about her life and career. She was born in 1955 in the Hammersmith area of London England, and attended the Barbara Speake Stage School in the 1970s. Her first known movie credits were "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," "The Devils" and "Please Sir!," followed by TV appearances in "And Mother Makes Three," "Please Sir!" the TV Series," "The Two Ronnies," "The Dick Emery Show," "'Allo 'Allo" and "Doctor Who." In 1977, she played a female Saurin in "Star Wars" with David Prowse and Laurie Goode.

Barbie also appears in the February 8, 1989 of the "The Benny Hill Show" as one of the dancers in the opening Western Round-Up musical number. The IMDB also lists her as a girl chased by Benny Hill in the episode of "The Benny Hill Show," but there's no such sequence in the episode. However, she might be one of Benny's pursuers in the final sketch.

She has since married and now goes by the name Barbie Frankland.

## Gallery

* Barbie standing to Benny's left
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Barry Otto

**Barry Otto** is an Australian actor and voice artist probably best known for the Australian TV series "Dance Academy" and his work in the movies "Bliss," "Legend of the Guardians" and "The Great Gatsby."

Born in Brisbane in 1941, Otto was the son of a butcher. He originally trained as an artist but later switched to acting. His first known credits were the TV series "Until Tomorrow," "Case for the Defense" and "Tickled Pink." In 1977, he starred with Benny Hill in the TV Special Benny Hill: Down Under playing one of Benny Kelly's outlaws, a stable mate to Lady Godiva and Benny's son in "Hold Back The Wind." He later appeared in the TV series "A Country Practice."

Otto received an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie "Strictly Ballroom" in the 90s. He also received nominations for his roles in "Bliss," "Cosi" and "The More Things Change." His other films include "Australia," "The Dressmaker," "Kiss or Kill," "Dead Letter Office," "The Visitor," "The Great Gatsby," "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole," "Love's Brother" and "Blinky Bill: The Movie." An amateur artist, he has twice entered for the Archibald Prize.

Otto has three children. He has a daughter, Miranda, by his first wife and two, a son named Eddy and a daughter named Gracie by his partner, Sue Hill.
Dave Allen at Large

**Dave Allen at Large** was a stand up (or rather sit down) comedy accompanied by traditional sketches orchestrated by Irish comedian Dave Allen and his assembled group of actors. The show was very popular in the UK in the 1970s and BBC2's rival series to The Benny Hill Show. It was also exported to the US where it became a minor success after being shown intermittently on American public television or as late-night filler on the local networks. Dave Allen's relaxed style of delivering stand up comedy remaining seated while enjoying a cigarette and having a glass of whiskey remains unique to this day. A few of his most popular recurring sketch characters include Father William O'Flaherty, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes, James the Faithful Retainer, a Mexican Revolutionist and the Pope. His retinue of sketch performers included Michael Sharvell Martin, Ronnie Brody, Jacqueline Clarke, Ian Burford, Chris Serle, Peter Hawkins, Simon Barnes, Robert East, Doran Goodwin, Susie Baker, Paul McDowell and Ralph Watson, several of whom also worked with Benny Hill.

These episode descriptions are based on how *Dave Allen At Large* was first run in England as thirty-one episodes and two specials at forty-five minutes each. The series was later edited and re-worked to fifty thirty-minute episodes for syndication in the United States.

As far as is know, the series has yet to be released on DVD; however, many episodes have been posted on YouTube.

## Season 1

* January 21, 1971
* February 4, 1971
* February 18, 1971
* March 4, 1971
* March 18, 1971
* April 1, 1971

## Season 2

* January 27, 1972
* February 10, 1972
* February 24, 1972
* March 9, 1972
* March 23, 1972
* April 6, 1972

## Season 3

* January 15, 1973
* January 29, 1973
* February 12, 1973
* February 26, 1973
* March 12, 1973
* March 26, 1973

## Season 4

* February 27, 1975
* March 6, 1975
* March 13, 1975
* March 20, 1975
* March 27, 1975
* April 3, 1975

## Season 5

* October 18, 1976
* November 1, 1976
* November 15, 1976
* November 29, 1976
* December 13, 1976
* December 20, 1976
Club Bizarre

## Bio

**Club Bizarre** is a German discotheque and night club with cabaret entertainers. Possibly located in Germany, a female doorman (Lisa Mulidore) stands guard out front, watching the acts inside through the doors with her uniform reversed so that she looks like a man from behind. Just inside, a hat girl (Debi Gaye) takes the hats from incoming patrons (Gary O'Bee? and Henry McGee) with them giving tips down the front of her outfit, but one patron (Len Keyes) sprinkles the top of her outfit with loose coins.

Inside the club, a male patron (Benny Hill) tries hitting on several ladies (Debi Gaye/Sue Upton/Jenny Lee Wright), but the last one tricks him with a fake set of legs. In the audience, a wife (Jenny Lee Wright) tries drugging her husband (Bob Todd), but he pours out his drink, and it explodes. Meanwhile, the German emcee (Benny Hill) comes out and announces the acts:

* Adolfo (Len Keyes) - a sword swallower
* Doctor Zoktish(?) (Bob Todd) - a memory man
* Jon Jon Keefe sings You Are Too Beautiful to Erica Lynley
* Erica Lynley and Louise English sing "Dumkopf Men"
* The Dolly Fins (Benny Hill/Bogdan Kominowski/Jon Jon Keefe) sing "Happy Life In The Sea"
* Erica Lynley plays a Chaplin-esque Fuhrer trying to claim the world
* The Emcee tells a joke about German workers
* Louise English sings "Milord" backed by the Hill's Angels "all the way from England" as Moulin Rouge dancers

## Trivia

* Jon Jon Keefe plays the dancer in the Gestapo uniform dancing with Sue Upton.
* The old-timer with his beard used as a sling is possibly Debi Gaye.
* Francesca Lacey and Lindsay Neil are (probably) the girls who find Benny after he strikes out with Jenny Lee Wright.
* Tracy Smith, Benny Hill, Gary O'Bee (?) and Sue Upton play the tall to short back-up singers.
* Erica is helped into the bath tub by Debi Gaye and Tracy Smith.
* Len Keyes plays the guy holding up cards to introduce the acts.
* The Angels are Lesley Woods (yellow), possibly Elfrida Ashworth (lavender), Lesley Woods (white with bowler hat), Tracy Smith (green), Lisa Mulidore (black with German helmet) and Noreen Bothan (blue).
* Besides her performance in Hill's Angels: Cruise Ship on January 5, 1983, this sketch is possibly one of Louise English's most memorable performances in the series.

## Gallery

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