British Comedies

It was the old days, also my young days.

I arrived England in the late 70s, still able to watch the old days comedies. the 70s was the brilliant decade of British Comedies. At that moments, it were "Benny Hill Show" and "Not the nine o'clock news". Benny Hill Show ran from 1955 till 1989, containing slapstick, short themes and sexy girls (so called “Hill’s Angles”). Hill was everybody's name in England, dubbed as "the dirty old man" for Chinese in particular. I don't know whether or not he named his show as "Benny Hill" was to leverage the fame of English erotic novel "Fanny Hill" or just “Funny from Hill”.

 

Below are the popular ones I know in the 70s.

. Benny Hill show - a longevity comedy program with slapstick, songs, dances and girls, running from 1955 to 1989, particularly popular in the early days.

. The Two Ronnies - from 1971 to 1987. (Michael & Sam Hui Brothers' 香港許氏兄弟的雙星報喜 was inspired by the Two Ronnies)

. Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em - from 1973 to 1978 - Michael Crawford, an acclaimed comedian and musical artist - I saw his play "The Phantom of the Opera" in 1989 Auckland, NZ.

. Not the nine o'clock news - from 1979 to 1982. in the form of news satirising the UK issues. 　It was the first public appearance of Rowan Atkinson, later well known as Mr Bean. Formal BBC news was at 10:00pm.

 

“Benny Hill Show” and “Not the nine o'clock news” were broadcast in HK's Rediffusion Television Channel 麗的電視台 in the 80s. Not the nine o'clock news was not popular in HK because its contents were about the UK news.