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Funny, Peculiar: The True Story of Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an unlikely figure of global admiration—he was a deeply private individual, a loner, uninterested in money and the trappings of success. Acclaimed in the 1950s as the first British TV comedy superstar, loved for his pioneering ideas and humor, Hill's popularity remained undimmed for decades. But in the 1980s, he was reviled in Britain, with his innuendo-strewn humor branded sexist. His TV show's sudden end in 1989 was followed by a self-inflicted decline in his health, and Benny died in 1992.
- GenresBiography
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2002
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80 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lewisohn
41 books275 followersMark Lewisohn is the acknowledged world authority on the Beatles. Before embarking on The Beatles: All These Years his books included the bestselling and influential The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions and The Complete Beatles Chronicle. He was a consultant and researcher on all aspects—TV, DVDs, CDs and book—of the Beatles own Anthology and has been involved in numerous additional projects for them. Married with two children, he lives in England.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 13, 2018
A very average write-up on one of the world's greatest and funniest comedians.
I felt this book could have been written better and made more fun. It was more like a tick list, 'Benny did this, then he did this' and was very densely written, just paragraph after paragraph, rather than breaking it in to smaller and more eye-catching segments. There were a few lines from his shows but far too few. I think more would have made the book more digestible. What Mr Lewisjohn tried to do here was be as factual as possible and of course, that is the right thing to do but there is factual and there is factual. Anyone can write a book about someone's life and be factual but it takes a great writer to be factual and interesting. Sadly, Lewisjohn isn't that writer. Now, don't get me wrong there were parts of the book that were interesting but they were few and far between, hence why some days I only managed to bear reading six or seven pages as opposed to my average of forty to fifty.
I did also find myself disagreeing with the author that Alfie 'Benny' Hill was very much disliked towards the end of his career. I remember the end of his career and myself and many others I knew at the time were distraught when his shows finished. Benny Hill could quite easily have been seen, in certain circles, to be sexist and degrading to women but I have to disagree with this. Off-set, he was very generous to the females in his life, buying them gifts and taking them for meals, and this was not part of a guilt trip but more of an appreciation. After all, his two closest friends were both disabled women and I would like to think his TV shows were just of a cheeky chappie than a sexist pervert. Of course, there will be people who disagree but that is usually par-for-the-course.
Benny lead a very sad existence in my opinion. He was very much a loner and hated the limelight (mostly) and it was sad to read how his death reflected his life, dying alone in his flat and not being found for two days. It is ironic how such a lonely man (although I'm sure he would disagree with me about that) gave so much joy to so many, me included. I remember me and my mum and dad being in hysterics at some of his jokes and sketches although I think he did go a little far at times for my mum's liking (she did like his cheeky side though).
Overall, I find it a shame that such a great comedian had such a poor author writing about his life and I would avoid this particular effort if I were you. His brother wrote a biography of his life (with Benny's permission) called Saucy Boy and although I have not read it it seems to have better review ratings than this work. Maybe that might be a better choice for you..
I felt this book could have been written better and made more fun. It was more like a tick list, 'Benny did this, then he did this' and was very densely written, just paragraph after paragraph, rather than breaking it in to smaller and more eye-catching segments. There were a few lines from his shows but far too few. I think more would have made the book more digestible. What Mr Lewisjohn tried to do here was be as factual as possible and of course, that is the right thing to do but there is factual and there is factual. Anyone can write a book about someone's life and be factual but it takes a great writer to be factual and interesting. Sadly, Lewisjohn isn't that writer. Now, don't get me wrong there were parts of the book that were interesting but they were few and far between, hence why some days I only managed to bear reading six or seven pages as opposed to my average of forty to fifty.
I did also find myself disagreeing with the author that Alfie 'Benny' Hill was very much disliked towards the end of his career. I remember the end of his career and myself and many others I knew at the time were distraught when his shows finished. Benny Hill could quite easily have been seen, in certain circles, to be sexist and degrading to women but I have to disagree with this. Off-set, he was very generous to the females in his life, buying them gifts and taking them for meals, and this was not part of a guilt trip but more of an appreciation. After all, his two closest friends were both disabled women and I would like to think his TV shows were just of a cheeky chappie than a sexist pervert. Of course, there will be people who disagree but that is usually par-for-the-course.
Benny lead a very sad existence in my opinion. He was very much a loner and hated the limelight (mostly) and it was sad to read how his death reflected his life, dying alone in his flat and not being found for two days. It is ironic how such a lonely man (although I'm sure he would disagree with me about that) gave so much joy to so many, me included. I remember me and my mum and dad being in hysterics at some of his jokes and sketches although I think he did go a little far at times for my mum's liking (she did like his cheeky side though).
Overall, I find it a shame that such a great comedian had such a poor author writing about his life and I would avoid this particular effort if I were you. His brother wrote a biography of his life (with Benny's permission) called Saucy Boy and although I have not read it it seems to have better review ratings than this work. Maybe that might be a better choice for you..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2021
On the whole, a well-written biography. I was a little dubious to begin with as on page 95, the biographer describes a a moment when Benny is seduced by another man, the biographer retells the story but it is unclear if he was retold the story by the man in question. Mark ends the scenario with Benny stumbling over a doormat as he leaves the gentleman's flat. I was wary that this might be some "creative license" on the biographer's part and the book I was delving into might be littered with authorial interpretation of unknown finer details. However, this kind of writing didn't continue.
Being a Benny Hill aficionado, I was aware of most of the material within this sizeable tome but it was nice to read unabridged as can be possible with a biography. I suppose the facile nature of Alfie Hill Junior makes for delving any deeper into the man an obstacle. It certainly was as objective as possible, sometimes, I thought, too much so. But then again, Benny was a fairly objective personality. I did like how the interviews were conducted with friends, relatives and lovers. Mark must have asked quite personal questions which paid off as far as the person in question is concerned.
I once went on a television specialist quiz show with The Life and Times of Benny Hill as my specialist subject, it was enjoyable revisiting all that trivia in this book. I do have to add a personal remark, Benny's declining health must have been horrible to endure and I found the remaining months of his life difficult to read as this predicament must have surely been awful for him, and especially lonely and frightening at times. The archetype tragic comic at the very end. I would recommend this for anyone with an interest in historic comedians.
Being a Benny Hill aficionado, I was aware of most of the material within this sizeable tome but it was nice to read unabridged as can be possible with a biography. I suppose the facile nature of Alfie Hill Junior makes for delving any deeper into the man an obstacle. It certainly was as objective as possible, sometimes, I thought, too much so. But then again, Benny was a fairly objective personality. I did like how the interviews were conducted with friends, relatives and lovers. Mark must have asked quite personal questions which paid off as far as the person in question is concerned.
I once went on a television specialist quiz show with The Life and Times of Benny Hill as my specialist subject, it was enjoyable revisiting all that trivia in this book. I do have to add a personal remark, Benny's declining health must have been horrible to endure and I found the remaining months of his life difficult to read as this predicament must have surely been awful for him, and especially lonely and frightening at times. The archetype tragic comic at the very end. I would recommend this for anyone with an interest in historic comedians.
November 1, 2018
A really entertaining and well-balanced critique of a strangely fascinating and talented comedian. It deals with the sexism full-on and why Benny's style of humour ran out of popular support.
January 12, 2021
A good read about the man who's stock in trade was the seaside postcard type humour.
July 20, 2022
A great bio, with the appropriate analysis on how his show was sexist YET how it was not, at the same time and/or over time.
September 2, 2016
Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn brings the same pop culture awareness and spry writing style he lavishes on the Boys to one of England's most watched and (in public, at least) least admired comedians. You'll quickly find that Lewisohn's surtitle -- Funny, Peculiar -- is entirely appropriate, for what an odd, complicated, and interesting life it is, full of conflict, sadness, success, unrequited love, stage fright, and even a bit of genius.
You'll get Benny's early life, from growing up in a tightfisted family that made its money selling condoms to his brief military service and the odd jobs that would serve as the inspiration for later sketches. A lover of the stage -- though terrified of audiences -- Benny works his way through the seaside circuit (often as a straight man!) before finding his true calling, and talent, as a television comedian.
Those of us who know Benny only from The Benny Hill Show episodes that aired in the United States actually got to know Benny toward the tail end of his career, when clever comedy gave way to more suggestive sketches that had American audiences howling with laughter, but British critics and self-appointed purveyors of Good Taste groaning. Early in his TV career, Benny was admired for his quick-change ability (playing all the parts, for example, on a version of "What's My Line?"), his ability to mimic almost any accent, and his genuine charm. Even as Benny nipped the material of other comedians and (admittedly) raided old American joke books for materials, British audiences adored him, regularly voting him their favorite television personality well into the 1960s.
But even as Benny's fame soared internationally -- his agent brilliantly marketed select shows for the new syndication markets in the early 1970s -- his interest in even his own material waned, and Hill became a parody of himself, relying on bawdier material and deliberately pushing the censors to their limit.
Yet, those who knew Benny by his material would be surprised to learn that, privately, Benny was a very different man. Rather than a leering, dirty old man, he was haunted by fears of unrequited love -- and love lost to an unworthy rival -- yet once he was in a relationship, his standoffishness and apparent disinterest (which was most likely shyness) kept him from finding true love. And while he would never marry, he carried on extremely close -- and secret -- friendships with two disabled women for decades.
Even with his enormous fame and fortune, Benny was one of England's famous tightwads, living happily in his parents' unheated flat or in his own sparsely furnished apartment in Teddington, eating great gobs of cheap food, walking everywhere, and generally baffling friends who would find uncashed checks for enormous sums tucked away in the back of a drawer.
Whether you're a fan of Benny's or not (and I am), you'll be genuinely touched and saddened by Benny's final years, watching his reputation decline at home, his sad rompings with the children and families of women he could have married, and his often fractuous relationship with his family. When Benny died in his flat in Teddington in 1992, his body sat for days, slumped in front of the television, before finally being discovered by police.
All told, a remarkable story, wonderfully told by Lewisohn.
You'll get Benny's early life, from growing up in a tightfisted family that made its money selling condoms to his brief military service and the odd jobs that would serve as the inspiration for later sketches. A lover of the stage -- though terrified of audiences -- Benny works his way through the seaside circuit (often as a straight man!) before finding his true calling, and talent, as a television comedian.
Those of us who know Benny only from The Benny Hill Show episodes that aired in the United States actually got to know Benny toward the tail end of his career, when clever comedy gave way to more suggestive sketches that had American audiences howling with laughter, but British critics and self-appointed purveyors of Good Taste groaning. Early in his TV career, Benny was admired for his quick-change ability (playing all the parts, for example, on a version of "What's My Line?"), his ability to mimic almost any accent, and his genuine charm. Even as Benny nipped the material of other comedians and (admittedly) raided old American joke books for materials, British audiences adored him, regularly voting him their favorite television personality well into the 1960s.
But even as Benny's fame soared internationally -- his agent brilliantly marketed select shows for the new syndication markets in the early 1970s -- his interest in even his own material waned, and Hill became a parody of himself, relying on bawdier material and deliberately pushing the censors to their limit.
Yet, those who knew Benny by his material would be surprised to learn that, privately, Benny was a very different man. Rather than a leering, dirty old man, he was haunted by fears of unrequited love -- and love lost to an unworthy rival -- yet once he was in a relationship, his standoffishness and apparent disinterest (which was most likely shyness) kept him from finding true love. And while he would never marry, he carried on extremely close -- and secret -- friendships with two disabled women for decades.
Even with his enormous fame and fortune, Benny was one of England's famous tightwads, living happily in his parents' unheated flat or in his own sparsely furnished apartment in Teddington, eating great gobs of cheap food, walking everywhere, and generally baffling friends who would find uncashed checks for enormous sums tucked away in the back of a drawer.
Whether you're a fan of Benny's or not (and I am), you'll be genuinely touched and saddened by Benny's final years, watching his reputation decline at home, his sad rompings with the children and families of women he could have married, and his often fractuous relationship with his family. When Benny died in his flat in Teddington in 1992, his body sat for days, slumped in front of the television, before finally being discovered by police.
All told, a remarkable story, wonderfully told by Lewisohn.
September 22, 2016
I used to watch the Benny Hill Show when I was a kid, so I was drawn to this biography of him by Mark Lewisohn.
Lewisohn has been very thorough in his research of Benny Hill and does a good job of building up Hill's family history, childhood, career etc. Unfortunately, the subject of the book - Benny Hill - was a very simple and private soul. It seems no one really got to know him all that well, or if they did, they're not spilling all the beans, despite the author conducting interviews with many people who knew and worked with Hill over the years. As a result, the reader gets insights into Hill's true character (for instance, he was never particularly interested in making money through investments or shrewd purchases - which apparently annoyed his accountant no end! Yet he'd walk through Hyde Park to buy salmon cheaper than Harrods was selling it for), but never the full picture. It seems his friends and associates may have had a similar experience, only ever seeing facets of this enigmatic man.
Lewisohn has been very thorough in his research of Benny Hill and does a good job of building up Hill's family history, childhood, career etc. Unfortunately, the subject of the book - Benny Hill - was a very simple and private soul. It seems no one really got to know him all that well, or if they did, they're not spilling all the beans, despite the author conducting interviews with many people who knew and worked with Hill over the years. As a result, the reader gets insights into Hill's true character (for instance, he was never particularly interested in making money through investments or shrewd purchases - which apparently annoyed his accountant no end! Yet he'd walk through Hyde Park to buy salmon cheaper than Harrods was selling it for), but never the full picture. It seems his friends and associates may have had a similar experience, only ever seeing facets of this enigmatic man.
July 23, 2012
Lewisohn, the author of some wonderfully detailed books on the Beatles' recording sessions, does the same thorough detailed job here on the life of Benny Hill. A lot of the tale is sad - Hill was a lonely guy who essentially lived for & through his TV show, and when it was gone, it was like he gave up on life. A very interesting look into the personality & life of a very underrated comedian.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews