It was the age before PC. And we're not talking computers...

Sometimes, to appreciate what you are watching, you must first appreciate those featured within. Benny Hill, along with his rather obscure but phenomenally talented cast, transformed British television comedy at a time when many else had tried and failed.

The Benny Hill Show was one of the most successful programmes ever shown on British television, transforming Hill into a global household name as a result.

The Benny Hills Annuals 1982 and 1983 feature two fifty minute episodes of the most non-pc, risqué comedy you will ever have seen. Armed with his entourage of bikini-clad women, and his trio of hopeless helpers (Henry McGee, Bob Todd and Jackie Lee Wright), Benny seamlessly works his way through a large variety of different styles of comedy, an ability that very few have been able to replicate.

As you become engrossed within each episode it becomes very clear to see why the show was just so successful: Benny himself. In every sketch, his playful attitude is met with an acute understanding of comedy at its very basic. While the sketches are funny in themselves, Benny brings a real charisma and child-like humour that you cannot help yourself from laughing at. Like many of the old-school comedians, such as Tommy Cooper and the forever legendary Norman Wisdom, Benny was the inspiration of a generation, evident still in the fondness with which people recall his antics. His ability to turn something as mundane as a trip to the doctor’s into an opportunity for comedy, combined with a rather mirthful smile and hilarious facial expressions, make it virtually impossible not to laugh along.

While this is true, it is important to remember the decade the show was filmed into. Women were experiencing more liberation and freedom than ever before and Hill took full advantage of this, working as much of his comedy around the female form in its freest, within the perimeters of ITV censorship.

"Combined with astonishingly crafted cabaret pieces and his sincere love of comedy at its simplest form, the DVD’s are as entertaining now as the shows ever were and showcase a time when British comedy was at its peak"

As well as this, British comedy had been built on a foundation of slapstick humour and one-liners and, keen to continue this tradition, these feature heavily within his shows. For example, in the first episode of the 1982 annual show, Benny presents a sketch featuring himself as a Scottish teacher, downed in full attire. Upon reading his “classes” results, he discusses his astonishment to the viewer, recalling some of the worst answers. “What is a Hebrew...a male teabag”; “Name four fruits beginning with an N? ...an napple, an norange”; “Never assume boy, because when you assume you make an ass of you and me!” It was this ability to make the most day to day occurrences into genuinely funny sketches that made Benny and his cast national icons. Combined with astonishingly crafted cabaret pieces and his sincere love of comedy at its simplest form, the DVD’s are as entertaining now as the shows ever were and showcase a time when British comedy was at its peak.

Inevitably, Benny will be forever remembered for his highly recognisable theme music, heard at the end of each episode. However, he and his fellow cast offer so much more than monotonous theme songs, with each episode, while still following a similar format, offering something different from the one before it. From Chow Yung the Chinese theatre director to Superteech, the teacher with an “super alter-ego”, it becomes evident to see why Hill became such a worldwide star before his untimely death just ten years later.

However, like much of the comedy of its era, the DVD’s really are hit and miss. While hugely popular, his appeal may be short lived to those with a lack of appreciation of traditional British comedy. There are times where sketches feel long winded and you start to feel that they may have been extended to meet a required length.

On top of this, Hill’s comedy plays to the most basic, Neanderthal weakness of men, and women may struggle to gain the same enjoyment from the episodes as their male counterparts.  However, in an industry where sex sells and partial nudity is common place, it could be that Hill was simply ahead of his time.

"While Hill may not have the graduate academia of many of today’s top writers, such as Stephen Merchant or Paul Abbott, his passion and natural humour more than make up for it"

In order to most enjoy these DVD’s, it would be best to forget everything you know about comedy and just sit back and enjoy. While Hill may not have the graduate academia of many of today’s top writers, such as Stephen Merchant or Paul Abbott, his passion and natural humour more than make up for it. At the same time, it is best to avoid it if you are easily offended as you may find it difficult to make a complaint about a comedian who has been dead for over 18 years.

At just £7.99 each, both represent good value for money and should be treated as such. For the budding comic, Hill is essential viewing as much can be learnt from his deliverance and showmanship. For the general viewer, each disc will provide 100 minutes of the most lively, fast paced comedy they will have seen, providing laughter for both Benny Hill veterans and inexperienced spectators alike.

Extras: None
Run Time: 100 mins
Certificate: 12

Benny Hill Annual 1982 is out now, whilst Benny Hill Annual 1983 is released on the 30th May 2010

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