As a US fan who didnt discover him until 1979, I was shocked to see Benny Hill started on BBC in 1955. That's old, old. You lucky Brits! Anybody know if and how Benny's show changed over the years? Would love to see a clip from '55. Anyone know of any place on the Net?
shareSad to say, in terms of his BBC work, the earliest existing show was April 26, 1958; all his prior works were junked or never recorded. The earliest known of his TV shows to exist were editions of his late 1957 series for ATV (Associated Television). Sketches from his 1958-1968 shows (the latest surviving being April 20, 1968; the last three shows were destroyed by the BBC after Mr. Hill moved to Thames) were featured in a compilation called The Lost Years that was released on VHS and DVD. The latter format, had 34 minutes of bonus material, all from 1965.
And yes, you're not the only American to discover Benny in 1979; in a sense, all Americans did.