I mentioned a few days back how BBC America will begin showing more contemporary BritTV, including Torchwood. This article details the sea change at BBCa, and how making room for the new means getting rid of some old standbys.
His brand of cheeky slapstick humour has rarely been seen on British TV for more than 20 years, but in the US Benny Hill is still a mainstay. Until now …
BBC America, the corporation’s US commercial entertainment channel, is to ditch daily repeats of The Benny Hill Show as well as other British imports in an attempt to shake up its schedule in favour of more recent British shows.
Shows that often epitomise British television for many Americans such as The Avengers, Keeping Up Appearances, and Are You Being Served? will be axed in favour of series such as Hollyoaks, Hotel Babylon and Footballers’ Wives.
A more detailed list of what’s hot and what’s not:
Out
Benny Hill Show Slapstick best known for his chasing near-naked women
Are You Being Served? Innuendo-laden 70s sitcom in a department store
The Avengers Kitsch espionage with Patrick Macnee
Keeping Up Appearances Suburban comedy with “Hyacinth Bucket”
As Time Goes By Slow-paced sitcom with Geoffrey Palmer and Dame Judi DenchIn
Hollyoaks Channel 4 daily soap about some teenagers in Chester
Whistleblower BBC America/ITV production about those who risk their careers to expose dangerous secrets
Torchwood Doctor Who spin-off
Hotel Babylon Trashy BBC1 hotel drama with Tamzin Outhwaite
Lead Balloon BBC4 comedy series starring Jack Dee
I’ll confess that I’ve never “gotten” Benny Hill. Watch one ep and you’ve watched them all. And The Avengers has been running on BBCa for eons (and the season discs are readily available). Still, no doubt there will be a lot of angst and kvetching about the change. We’ll see how it flies (and how it’s reflected in the BBCa catalog …)