The Benny Hill Show

TV series
1969–1989
19 seasons
ITV1
Comedy

UK Viewers’ Rating

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7.2 TMDB worldwide · 184 ratings

The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show that starred Benny Hill and aired in various incarnations between 15 January 1955 and 30 May 1991 in over 140 countries. The show focused on sketches that were full of slapstick, mime, parody, and double-entendre. Thames Television cancelled production of the show in 1989 due to declining ratings and large production costs at £450,000 per show.

About the show

The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television series starring Benny Hill that aired on the BBC and ITV between 15 January 1955 and 1 May 1989. The show consisted mainly of sketches typified by slapstick, mime, parody, and double entendre.

At its peak, The Benny Hill Show was among the most-watched programmes in the UK, with the audience reaching more than 21 million viewers in 1971. In 1972, Hill received a BAFTA Television Award for Best Writer, and he was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance. In the late 1970s, the Thames Television edited version of the show, directed by Dennis Kirkland, gained a cult following in the United States, where it was broadcast in syndication until 1991. In 1980 and 1981, the show received Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Variety Series. In 1984, Hill received a Rose d'Or.

In 1989, Thames cancelled production of The Benny Hill Show in the face of declining ratings and increased production costs at £450,000 (equivalent to £1,200,000 in 2025) per show. In a 2015 UK poll, the show's theme song was voted number 1 on the ITV special The Sound of ITV – The Nation's Favourite Theme Tune.

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