“He never gave interviews; he didn’t like being in the limelight unless he was being a character and Benny Hill was his character. I think that there are questions that need to be asked about his content, particularly regarding the portrayal of women in his shows, and the play gives us an opportunity to put him under a microscope and ask why”. For director Gareth John Bale, shining a spotlight on controversial comedic icon Benny Hill in his upcoming production Benny has certainly proved a challenging task. A brave choice on behalf of writer Owen Thomas, the play analyses the stark juxtaposition apparent in the two days following Hill’s death; whilst the comic lay dead in his armchair, isolated without close friends or family, he was at the same time being watched in over 100 countries in the world by an estimated one billion people. Striving to achieve a balance between the light and dark aspects of a conflicted character, Bale hopes that Benny will celebrate the legacy of a somewhat forgotten comedic icon; “Benny Hill was, first and foremost, a brilliant comedian. He was the first to really grasp television and what you could do with it, yet nowadays you don’t see him on television channels like Dave, like you do with Bob Monkhouse and Morecambe and Wise. His main fault was that unlike these comedians, he didn’t adjust to the times, so his humour dated quickly, but in the 70s and 80s he was the biggest comedian in the world bar none”. With The Benny Hill Show’s long-term absence from British television often attributed to its vast array of politically-incorrect gags, Bale hopes that Benny will provide its audience with an opportunity to enjoy Hill’s comedy in a modern context, thus finding humour in hindsight. “We’re not going to attempt to defend him in anyway. We can’t shy away from the fact that he was accused of being a sexist, and some of his sketches certainly couldn’t be shown today. But in terms of his skill and comedy he was so ahead of his time, and you’ll find yourself laughing at gags throughout his lifetime, right up until the end”.
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Sun 6 – Wed 9 Sept. Tickets: £11 – £13. Price: £11 – £13. Info: 029 2030 4400 / www.chapter.org
words ELERI CROSSLAND