Benny Hill - How he is/was viewed in the U.K?

[King Alexander]

I was reading what Bozo Erectus replied in another thread:

Politics aside, I love the British culture. Im particularly a big fan of British comedy. Its comedy for adults, unlike the juvenile, childish humor here in the US.

I also like the English comedy.

I've heard(from a friend in the U.K) that Benny Hill(the Benny Hill Show, if you ever watched it) wasn't appreciated in the U.K the way I'd imagined - So, I wanted to ask the U.K citizens why is that? Was there a particular reason?

P.S.: I know that it's a bit odd to ask, since he's not living anymore, but I was curious to get an answer on the subject.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Well, it is before my time and it isn't one of those things that I've decided to go back and have a look at particularly.

The problem with Benny Hill is that he peddled smutty slapstick behaviour that could be labelled as sexist/racist. Time hasn't treated it well either...it smacks of the music hall which to me is as dreadful as the play called "The Entertainer" based around a music hall performer and his family at the time of the Suez Crisis e.g Britain losing her identity as the Empire fell away.

 

[King Alexander]

Funny, but I didn't saw any sexist/racist acts in his Show - neither all my friends/family who watched it.

By whom could be labelled like that? By feminist groups? Do they still exist out there?

It's a comedy, after all.

 

[BasketCase]

Benny Hill was no more offensive/sexist/racist/whatever-ist than MXC, Stripperella, The Man Show, or any of the other garbage they've got running on the tube these days.

If anything, Benny Hill was a realist. The things we saw him doing around women in his skits (usually involving big round eyeballs, groping, and high-speed pursuits.... ) were exactly what most guys are actually thinking when a babe is nearby!

 

[steviejay]

I loved Bennie Hill, still do. It'd be awesome it if they started repeating his shows. I'm under the impression he's well liked over here cause I've never heard otherwise. Had a ask round my class and they seemed to be mixed between liking him and never heard of him (yes I'm in a class of muppets)

 

[Scuffer]

Generally, its one of those things that Brits go at when described as typical British humour these days. A bit like Carry On films really. Which isn't to say it wasn't sometimes funny, and the music is still good to get a laugh.

Mostly I find it a bit dumb and obvious.

 

[zippy]

Like a lot of comedy, Benny Hill's style hasn't aged well. It does get slated now but it was representative of a lot of British TV at the time.

The rise of alternative comedy in the 80's seems to have resulted in a much more cynical attitude to humour in the UK. Much of the stuff from the 70's now looks incredibly trite.

 

[King Alexander]

I find Benny Hill's humor as one of the best ever.
Here, anyone appreciated his Shows and had a nice time when they viewed him on TV.

btw: Yes, although Mr. Bean has some good/clever scenes(not all of them), I think that, in comparison to Benny Hill, his humor is less good.

 

[Turner]

I don't think you can compare Bean to Benny Hill. Two different styles of comedy, IMO. Be like comparing Whose Line Is It Anyway, the american version vs the brittish. Same show, some of the same performers, but wildly different comedy.

My dad liked him, way back when. I liked him, too. Haven't heard any of his stuff in a loooong loooong time. Okay, I'm in the US...

 

[Scuffer]

Benny and Bean are both very visual comedies, which I guess accounts for popularity around the world, in non-mative English parts. As Turner says, they are quite different styles. Both are what people not from Britain would class as British comedy, but the British would not.

 

[King Alexander]

Benny and Bean are both very visual comedies, which I guess accounts for popularity around the world, in non-mative English parts. As Turner says, they are quite different styles. Both are what people not from Britain would class as British comedy, but the British would not.

Yes, as both you and Turner_727 said, they have different styles, of course, but both have elements of British comedy, right?
Mr.Bean is closer, in terms, to the 'typical' British humor, IMHO.

Ok, Scuffer, what do you, personally, consider as representative British humor?(actors, groups, ect..).

btw: I know that there're different 'tastes' in humor and an opinion might be somewhat subjective

 

[Scuffer]

Like you say, my opinion of what is British humour may well be very different others, but anyway...

In the Benny Hill era, something like 'The likely lads' or 'Stepoe and Son'

More recently, 'The Royle family', 'Phoenix nights' or 'The office'

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Benny Hill used to be funny (some 10 years ago), but Mr. Bean still cracks me up today.

 

[IglooDame]

Couple years ago I was browsing through the cable channels and saw "Benny Hi..." and thought "Woot!! Funny softporn!" and switched over to it.

Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be Benny Hinn, televangelist.

 

[anarres]

Nah, Benny Hill was disgustingly sexist and rascist to an extent not usually seen even in the 80's.

Sexist, as in he objectified women. Not in that post-modern self-referential ironic way that you can get away with now (because you don't mean it an everyone knows it), but in a ******** and purile way that shows he really *did* think it and believe it.

Rascist in not quite as bad a way, because he was going along with stereotypes of black people and he wasn't twisting the knife like he did with women. Still, I'd rather not watch a white man with bootpolish on his face mumbling something incomprehensible.

Better, can anyone tell me what he did that was funny?

 

[BasketCase]

He was a lot cleaner than some of the stereotypes in "Undercover Brother"....

 

[IglooDame]

Nah, Benny Hill was disgustingly sexist and rascist to an extent not usually seen even in the 80's.

Sexist, as in he objectified women. Not in that post-modern self-referential ironic way that you can get away with now (because you don't mean it an everyone knows it), but in a ******** and purile way that shows he really *did* think it and believe it.

Rascist in not quite as bad a way, because he was going along with stereotypes of black people and he wasn't twisting the knife like he did with women. Still, I'd rather not watch a white man with bootpolish on his face mumbling something incomprehensible.

Better, can anyone tell me what he did that was funny?

Heck, he objectified women so much that in one skit I remember, he was moving into an apartment (flat, for you UK folks) and the landlord was furnishing it with women. Literally - woman chairs, lamps, bed, etc.

You probably wouldn't find that funny; I did.

 

[King Alexander]

And who cares if he objectified women in his Show? I'm a male, and I'd lough if he objectified men as well!
We're talking about a comedian's show here, not about RL, with all due respect.

If we taken seriously what comedians do, then either we should jailed them/hang them/ sue-them-in-this-life-as-well-as-the-afterlife!

Please note: I have no idea about Benny Hill's personality/character/ideas - I just watched his Shows, so, take that into account.

 

[anarres]

Well, I *did* laugh at Monty Python's song:

"I like the Chinese, they only come up to your knees!"

However, if Roy 'Chubby' Brown said it in a joke it would not be funny.

If you can understand that, you will understand why Benny Hill is a wanker, and his show unfunny.

 

[thestonesfan]

Benny Hill is not a good example of "non-childish" British humor.