Was Benny Hill Funny or Offensive ? - Page 2 — Digital Spy

Was Benny Hill Funny or Offensive ?

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  • RedSnapperRedSnapper Posts: 2,569
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    Funny at the time

    undoubtably someone would have to be offended today.
  • culttvfanculttvfan Posts: 2,800
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    edited 18/08/17 - 16:18 #28
    Personally I don't think Benny Hill gets the credit he deserves, largely because of his lazy, repetitive, unfunny and pretty offensive latter years. But in his early years on television he was the complete opposite, a real innovator, and a very underrated wordsmith who, at his best, could rival the likes of Ronnie Barker. Unfortunately as the years passed, that best became less and less frequent as the smuttiness increased. Some of his early seventies shows still hold up quite well though.
  • i_love_tvi_love_tv Posts: 5,506
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    Benny Hill is in my top 10 comedy stars of all-time, he was very funny.
  • Andy BirkenheadAndy Birkenhead Posts: 13,450
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    I thought he was fantastic.
  • canny84canny84 Posts: 856
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    How was he offensive? Took the mick out of everybody. My mum and me used to laugh our heads off. Never get those belly laughs on tv anymore
  • GillypootsGillypoots Posts: 6,894
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    He was very funny. I'm glad his career was successful in an era that wasn't so PC as today. In fact some comedians these days who are supposedly PC are often far more offensive and often not at all funny.
  • Futurama-FanFuturama-Fan Posts: 936
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    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I think the reason Ben Elton's name keeps appearing is that a lot of people see him as something of a hypocrite given what his act was in the 80's and early 90's compared to the Ben Elton of the last 20 or 25 years.

    I think Victor Lewis-Smith illustrated this viewpoint best when he said (in an episode of TV Offal):-

    "[Ben Elton] spent the whole of the 1980's spitting vitriol at Mrs Thatcher, whilst simultaneously enjoying the tax relief she only offered to the very rich"
    JeffG1 wrote: »
    He had some humorous songs with clever lyrics. There was one I vaguely remember about Samuel Pepys, the last line of each verse being "And it's all written down in his diary".

    I preferred the word-play Benny used in his chart hit "In our Garden of Love"

    Here it is on Youtube (the full Black & White 1960's BBC performance, not the shorter version that was later re-record with colour footage for ITV) :-

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAHYqHf5Is
  • canny84canny84 Posts: 856
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    Watching 8 out of ten cats does countdown and its all about making smutty words and sexual innuendos ! And bad language......Its worse than benny hill. Thats what people think is funny these days
  • SATMSATM Posts: 3,566
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    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I remember him appearing frequently on TV verbally crucifying Benny Hill, and whipping up a movement to get him removed from TV, so, for me, the name check is justified.



  • pedrokpedrok Posts: 16,975
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    Was of his time. Was never funny as far I was concerned.
  • Michael_EveMichael_Eve Posts: 14,608
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    SATM wrote: »
    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I remember him appearing frequently on TV verbally crucifying Benny Hill, and whipping up a movement to get him removed from TV, so, for me, the name check is justified.



    I'd be a bit surprised if that was the case. Elton has always said how much he enjoyed the Two Ronnies (hence Ronnie Corbett turning up in his big chair in a later Elton series) and they were hardly 'PC' (Gawn maaadddd) were they. I think by the late 80's BH had just run out of ideas and seemed completely out of date, really.
  • GibletOSullivanGibletOSullivan Posts: 43,327
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    edited 18/08/17 - 22:02 #38
    His earlier black and white material was more subtle, obviously, and even as a pervy teenager I did miss that with his 1970s shows.
    Much of his material was vulgar, yes, but no, it never was and never will be offensive. He was around at the 'right' time and was prominent enough to be made something of a scapegoat for a right-on comedically-political agenda, sadly.

    I love many of that late-70s wave of comedians too, though [many of whom have since recanted or at least regretted their historic vitriol for many from the older wave of comics).
  • Prince MonaluluPrince Monalulu Posts: 35,900
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    SATM wrote: »
    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I remember him appearing frequently on TV verbally crucifying Benny Hill, and whipping up a movement to get him removed from TV, so, for me, the name check is justified.

    I think your memory is getting a bit inventive there, I was around at the time too.
    IIRC he said something about him, tangentially on Wogan and this seems to have been worked up into 'a movement'
    Lots of punters had had enough of Benny and possibly never liked him at all and others don't want to admit that, it's all Ben Elton's fault, one comedian.

    Benny got lazy, tired and rehashed a lot of old work near the end, even those who worked with him remarked on it, June Whitfield comes to mind, so he must have been rehashing some early material.
    Apparently he was offered deals to go back and do Specials, maybe they thought he'd tighten up his act, less is more.

    Isn't it Stewart Lee who has a pop at Micheal Mcintyre it's not light hearted either and yet the blokes still about and earning.

  • suesuesuesuesuesue Posts: 17,450
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    ^^^ agree. Of course Ben Elton wasn't a one man judge on who was or wasn't fit to be on tv. Lots of the "new" comedians in the 80s/90s had a pop at the old guard, not only Hill. They simply highlighted how out of touch the old school were. Remember a doc in about 2000 about Benny. A strange man indeed, asking the young women who worked with him to call him Uncle Benny.

    The Stewart Lee thing is very funny, how he takes time to bring the story about, although I thought it was a pop at Lee Mack not McIntyre ? Could be wrong. Still it focussed on jobbing comedians dislike of those who steal ideas /material .


  • lundavralundavra Posts: 31,790
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    usefulmale wrote: »
    Benny Hill is still funny. Ben Elton is barely a memory.

    Ben who?
  • Janet43Janet43 Posts: 8,008
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    His humour was saucy postcard humour. The government were worried about the country's declining morals and cracked down on the sale of those postcards in the 1950s. Donald McGill, whose work they were, was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act. They were revived in the 1960s, but declined again in the 1970s and 80s. They were of their time, just as Benny Hill's humour was. His take off off of Indian and Chinese accents was funny at then, but wouldn't be tolerated now.

    Tastes change and humour changes. The saucy but harmless innuendo was replaced by the angry humour of people like Ben Elton, which I didn't find funny at all, and has now been replaced by much more sexually explicit themes. Wonder if Donald McGill is turning in his grave and wondering how they can away with what they do without being prosecuted like he was.

    Give me Benny Hill's sauciness over today's "humour" any day.
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    All I can say is that when I was still at school I used to look forward to his programmes and found him very funny. I might not now, but I'm sure the humour has aged better than that of Ben Elton, who now seems downright embarrassing.
  • Andy BirkenheadAndy Birkenhead Posts: 13,450
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    That Garden Of Love piece was brilliant.
    Benny's facial expressions and delivery were perfect !
  • allafixallafix Posts: 20,717
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    edited 19/08/17 - 09:50 #45
    It was funny, but towards the end it became just a parody of itself. Very tired and unoriginal. People saying it wouldn't be acceptable now should remember that some people at the time thought it was unacceptable. PC isn't a recent phenomenon. None of his shows had anything in them that could not be shown now, and occasionally clips do get shown.

    I think the problem was he lost the plot and focussed on "Hill's Angels" showing as much as they could get away in every sketch. Should have put the comedy first and less of the leering at legs and cleavages for the sake of it. The older shows are better written.
  • SATMSATM Posts: 3,566
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    SATM wrote: »
    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I remember him appearing frequently on TV verbally crucifying Benny Hill, and whipping up a movement to get him removed from TV, so, for me, the name check is justified.

    I think your memory is getting a bit inventive there, I was around at the time too.
    IIRC he said something about him, tangentially on Wogan and this seems to have been worked up into 'a movement'
    Lots of punters had had enough of Benny and possibly never liked him at all and others don't want to admit that, it's all Ben Elton's fault, one comedian.

    It would appear to be more than a tangential reference on Wogan.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ZQrpbBpsE



  • Dansky+HDDansky+HD Posts: 9,806
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    In today's twitter and Facebook and PC mad society he would be chastised for his brand of humour, and calls for him to be axed would be there by the mainstream... probably have several courts after him from the gold digging fame hungry society.

    Luckily not everyone is offended easily.

    It wouldn't get on the main channels but would be popular.

    Your not allowed to like all that stuff now though.
  • Johnny_SinclairJohnny_Sinclair Posts: 1,538
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    Offence is never given it's always taken.
  • culttvfanculttvfan Posts: 2,800
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    edited 19/08/17 - 11:23 #49
    SATM wrote: »
    SATM wrote: »
    Anyway, Ben Elton's name always gets a mention, how he killed someone's career or slagged them off.
    Seriously how influential was Ben Elton, you'd think he was commissioning editor at numerous TV channels the number of times he gets a name check.

    I remember him appearing frequently on TV verbally crucifying Benny Hill, and whipping up a movement to get him removed from TV, so, for me, the name check is justified.

    I think your memory is getting a bit inventive there, I was around at the time too.
    IIRC he said something about him, tangentially on Wogan and this seems to have been worked up into 'a movement'
    Lots of punters had had enough of Benny and possibly never liked him at all and others don't want to admit that, it's all Ben Elton's fault, one comedian.

    It would appear to be more than a tangential reference on Wogan.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32ZQrpbBpsE



    What really strikes me about Elton in that video is what a complete phony he was, not least his mockney accent. I suppose one saving grace is he now has the reputation he deserves. There are very few comedians (I obviously use the word in its loosest sense) who are held in such contempt as Elton, especially by other comedians.
  • WackjobWackjob Posts: 870
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    People only think Benny Hill is 'offensive' because they've been told to think that way by the papers and by countless *oh look how horrible we were in the past we should be ashamed* clip shows.
  • Dansky+HDDansky+HD Posts: 9,806
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    Offence is never given it's always taken.
    Wackjob wrote: »
    People only think Benny Hill is 'offensive' because they've been told to think that way by the papers and by countless *oh look how horrible we were in the past we should be ashamed* clip shows.

    Completely agree. With both.
    The comedy now can be so sterile.
    It's the nanny state. Media, PC.
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