Bio[]
Ginger Thompkins is a star English football (soccer) player of England, having taken over the position of center forward of Dimpton City, replacing Georgie Best in the team. He is married with kids, but he is also mostly criticized for his philandering with a redheaded girlfriend and raucous egomaniac behavior by his team captain, Ernie Sudge.
In 1974, Thompkins wins the Match Of The Week award has it presented to him by Georgie Pest (Jackie Wright) and later turns up in training for the Olympics.
Trivia[]
- Both Ginger and Ernie were both played by Benny Hill.
- Thompkins' football skills were accomplished using secret wire work and by reversing the footage.
- Thompkins seems to frequently turn up unnamed through the series, such as in a dance quickie in The Sound of Frankenstein, in the Top of the Tops spoof, in Match of the Week, as an Olympic jumper in the Cross-Country Race and as the emcee of the Club Chica-Go-Go, but these could just be easy be Tex Cymbal (who also had the huge orange hair) or random characters with the same curly orange wig.
- Besides Ginger, Benny has also played host Jimmy Hill and other goalies including Hugh Jarse, Willie Groper and Walter Guy through the series. Jackie Wright has also appeared as football legend George Best.
- William Brown of "Benny's Place" speculates Ginger Thompkins, in his naming, was based on Ginger Baker, a famous rock-and-roll drummer of Cream and Blind Faith fame.
