The South Blank Show

Production

Episode: 33
Date: May 30, 1978
Time: 51:29
Musical Director: Robbie Aldrich
Vocals: The Ladybirds
Choreography:
Producer: Keith Beckett
Director: Keith Beckett
Writer: Benny Hill

Episode

• Song: Married Life
• First Impressions
• Digger Blue: Private Eye
• Hotel Sordide
• Fred Scuttle - Thames TV
• Guests: The Cotton Mills Boys - Orange Blossom Special
• The Widow
• The South Blank Show
  • Mary O'Hairy
  • Dave Allen
  • The Deputy
  • The Mayor
  • The Piano Player
• Tag: Sauna Chase

Highlights

Benny Hill as Dave Allen

• Digger Blue
• Hotel Sordide
• The South Blank Show
• A Host Of Favorite Stars - Benny impersonates Dave Allen of "Dave Allen at Large"
• The Deputy

Cast

• Benny Hill
• Henry McGee
• Jack Wright
• Dee Dee Darlington
• Charles Stapely
• Lee Gibson
• Eunice Black
• Denise Brownlow
• Jillian Foot
• Donna Scarf
• Jenny Westbrook
• Penny Chisholm
• Ken Sedd
• Frank Coda
• Chris Serle (uncredited)
• The Ladybirds

Quotes

• Coming Up

Trivia

• Selected sketches from this episode appear in "Video Revue" from HBO Home Video. 
• Several British stars and personalities are mentioned in the Fred Scuttle bit. The celebrities mentioned are Magnus Pike, Dorothy Squires, Spike Milligan, Marty Feldman, Bernard Manning, Edward Woodward, Larry Grayson, Huey Green and Ross Convoy.
• "The South Blank Show" is a spoof of the English variety show, "The South Bank Show."
• "Mary O'Hairy" is Benny's impression of English singer Mary O'Hare.
• The music for Benny's impression of Mary O'Hare is "The Spinning Wheel," written by John Francis Waller and Delia Murphy, but Benny replaced the lyrics with his own.
• "Dave Allen at Large" cast member Chris Serle appears in Benny's sketch as Dave Allen.
• Compared to other episodes, this episode doesn't have any quickies in it except for Benny's takes on several celebrities in The South Blank Show and several disconnected vignettes credited as "The Sauna Chase." These clips include:
  • Benny as a street magician
  • Benny and Jackie as distracted bird watchers (twice)
  • Benny and Jenny Westbrook doing feeding time at the aquarium
  • Benny with a change machine and a hooker played by Jenny Westbrook
  • Benny buying "a lovely chest"
  • Ted Tingley wandering into Susie's Sauna
• The audience with the stage magician is Dee Dee Darlington, Jenny Westbrook, Ken Sedd, Henry McGee, Donna Scarff and Denise Brownlow. Penny Chisholm is the pedestrian.
• Penny Chisholm, Jenny Westbrook and Lee Gibson are the ladies in the bird-watching sketches.
• The Aquarium employees are Henry McGee, Jackie Wright, Lee Gibson(?), Ken Sedd and Donna Scarff(?).
• Jenny Westbrook is probably the unidentified hand (Fifi) behind the door selling the chest.
• The Sauna Chase includes Dee Dee Darlington (stripes), Lee Gibson (yellow with black sleeves), Denise Brownlow (white), Jillian Foot (orange background), Donna Scarf (blue hat and coat) Jenny Westbrook (pink), Penny Chisholm (lavender with yellow cap) and Eunice Black (green) with Henry McGee and Charles Stapely in drag. Jackie Wright plays the police officer.

Sequence

• Last Episode: Benny Hill: Down Under
• Next Episode: Friday Night Fever

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