The Benny Hill Show was a beloved British comedy series that aired for several decades
in various iterations.
In addition to titular comedian Benny Hill, the series also featured a troupe of beautiful
dancers known as Hill's Angels.
The troupe debuted during the series' later years, and its members also oftentimes doubled
as comedic performers during the show’s sketches.
Some of these performers went on to greater careers in the entertainment industry.
Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Hill’s Angels from The Benny Hill Show then and now.
Jane Leeves Although Jane Leeves wasn’t the member of
Hill’s Angels that performed the most on The Benny Hill Show, she is the former member
that went on to have the most outside success in the entertainment industry.
In fact, most audience members will likely recognize Jane Leeves better as Daphne Moon
from Frasier than as a member of Hill’s Angels.
Still, Jane has always been a talented dancer in addition to being a talented actress, and
she put those skills to work as a member of Hill's Angels for a time in her early career.
Jane was born in England in 1961 and started studying dance at an early age.
She worked a little bit as a model while studying at the Bush Davies School of Dance.
Sadly, Jane received an ankle injury during her studies that prevented her from pursuing
a career as a professional ballerina.
Looking for other work in the entertainment industry, she auditioned to become a member
of Hill’s Angels on The Benny Hill Show.
Jane ended up becoming one of the dance troupe’s members that lent her acting skills to the
series, performing in comedic sketches in addition to dancing with the troupe.
At the height of Frasier’s success, Jane was the highest-paid British actress in the
entirety of American entertainment.
Sue Upton Jane Leeves may have been the former Hill’s
Angels member to find the most success outside of her time on The Benny Hill Show, but Sue
Upton was the Hill's Angels member that made the most appearances on the series.
Sue Upton was the leader of the Hill's Angels and was the reason that the dance troupe was
formed.
Sue was born in England in 1954.
She studied dance and was qualified as a dancing teacher by the age of only 16.
From there, she pursued a career as a dancer, becoming quite successful.
Sue was brought onto The Benny Hill Show in 1977.
She used her connections to help Benny Hill find other dancers to fill out the Hill's
Angels.
She became the coach and leader of the dance troupe but was also a reliable comedic performer
on the show's various sketches.
Sue could often be found performing as Benny Hill's wife or girlfriend and was also memorably
skilled at playing an elderly woman.
Some of Sue's most memorable characters that she performed on The Benny Hill Show include
superhero grandma Wonder-Gran and Stan Laurel to Benny Hill's Oliver Hardy.
Sue Upton was also a personal friend of Benny Hill's, as the two developed a close relationship
during their time working together on the show.
Benny considered Sue and her kids to be like a second family to him, and Sue's kids even
performed in some of the series' later episodes as Hill's Little Angels!
Sue took a reduced part in the series in later years so that she could spend time with her
family, but has always been happy to take a moment to reminisce positively about her
time on the show.
She retired from show business after Benny Hill's death in 1992 and currently lives in
London.
Louise English Louise English is the former Hill’s Angels
member that made the second-most appearances on The Benny Hill Show, after Sue Upton.
Sue and Louise became great friends over the course of working together on the series,
and Sue even named her daughter Louise!
Louise came onto The Benny Hill Show in 1978, a year after Sue.
She didn’t leave the series until 1986.
Louise was born in 1961, and her mother was a dancer by the name of Elizabeth English.
As a member of a dance troupe by the name of the Evening Stars, Elizabeth had performed
alongside Benny Hill during some of the earliest days of his career.
Louise started dancing when she was only two years old, studying both classical ballet
and modern dance.
After working for years on the stage, she got her role on The Benny Hill Show.
Louise started out on The Benny Hill Show as a simple member of Hill's Angels but eventually
became a full-blown comedic performer alongside Sue Upton.
As he did with Sue, Benny developed a personal relationship with Louise and considered her
a great friend.
Louise continued working in television after Benny's death, though she currently does most
of her work on the stage.
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Lorraine Doyle Lorraine Doyle was born in 1958 was worked
with Sue Upton before her time on The Benny Hill Show.
She started performing on the show in 1977, the same year as Sue.
She also performed in a few of the show’s sketches.
After her initial time on the series, Lorraine acted in a few films, including Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom.
After taking a break from The Benny Hill Show during the early 1980s, Lorraine came back
and was given an increased role after the 1986 departure of Louise English.
At this point, she began acting in more and more sketches, with her often taking on the
role of Benny Hill’s wife or girlfriend in them.
Towards the end of The Benny Hill Show, Lorraine got married and had two daughters.
In 1993, a year after Benny Hill's death, she officially retired from show business
in order to raise her children.
She and her husband opened up a jewelry store in London in 1998, though the store ended
up closing after her husband's death in 2004.
Abigail Higgins Abigail Higgins started out as a member of
Hill’s Angels on The Benny Hill Show, but soon into her tenure found herself unable
to dance.
After years of performing complicated routines throughout her career, Abigail’s body could
no longer take it!
The nice guy he was, Benny Hill decided to allow Abigail to stay on the series as a comedic
performer for the time being, though she eventually decided to call it quits on show business
altogether and focus on making pottery.
She currently resides in England, selling her ceramics.
Samantha Spencer-Lane Samantha Spencer-Lane became a member of Hill’s
of London.
Alison Bell Alison Bell was born in England in 1960.
She first appeared on The Benny Hill Show in 1979, having apparently been hired onto
the series after interviewing for the position over lunch and a glass of wine.
Being the tallest member of Hill’s Angels at 5’ 10”, Alison’s height also allowed
her to perform roles in some of the show’s comedic sketches that wouldn’t have been
appropriate for the other female performers.
One such role was the role of a female version of the comic book character, the Hulk.
Alison performed in a good deal of sketches during her time as a member of Hill’s Angels,
in addition to performing dances with the troupe.
After her time on The Benny Hill Show came to an end, Alison could be seen on several
other popular British television series.
In 2006, The Benny Hill Show was given a complete and unedited release on DVD for the first
time in history.
Previous releases had all eschewed or condensed material, but this release included every
episode of the show as it had originally aired!
To commemorate the occasion, numerous featurettes were filmed to be included on the box set,
and one such featurette revolved around Hill's Angels.
Although Benny Hill himself had been deceased for well over a decade, the majority of the
former members of Hill's Angels are still alive today, and many of them were happy to
lend their time to filming the featurette!
The featurette featured on the 2006 DVD release of The Benny Hill Show featuring Hill’s
Angels was called “I Was a Hill’s Angel”, and featured interviews from many of the beloved
troupe’s former members.
Alison Bell was one of the many former members that showed up to be interviewed for the featurette,
and she appeared alongside such other former members as Sue Upton.
All of the former members of Hill’s Angels have always reminisced positively about their
time on The Benny Hill Show when given the chance, and they have also always reminisced
positively about the late titular comedian himself.
Audiences may have tuned into The Benny Hill Show to see Benny Hill’s comedy, but many
ended up staying to check out Hill’s Angels!
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that many members of Hill’s Angels
from The Benny Hill Show are still practicing dance to this day, or did you think that they
had all retired?
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