Benny Hill

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Boots Randolph: He was a renowned sax player best known for his early 60s hit "Yakety Sax," which was later used as the theme song on Benny Hill. Randolph recorded dozens of albums and played in many bands, and was part of the Million Dollar Band on Hee-Haw for many years. He died after suffering a brain aneurysm and falling into a coma two weeks ago. He was 80.

If you've been enjoying the antics of Benny Hill on BBC America, I have sad news for you: the series is being removed from the channel.

The decision to remove The Benny Hill Show from the channel's lineup is just part of a new makeover that's discarding many older shows for newer ones. The channel hopes to give American audiences more modern shows instead of older fare such as Hill and Are You Being Served? and replace them with newer shows like Torchwood and Hollyoaks.

I must say, I never really understood the appeal of Benny Hill, though that certainly doesn't mean it was a bad show. Obviously, a lot of people liked the series, and how many of us can watch a scene shot in high speed and not start humming that goofy Benny Hill chase music?

I have to ask: will any of you miss Benny once he's gone? Or is he an artifact of an earlier age and no longer relevant?

[via CC Insider]

Here are the new TV DVDs in stores tomorrow.

• The Benny Hill Show - Hill's Angels, Set 6
• The Big Valley - Season 2, Vol. 1
• Dallas - Season 6
• I Dream of Jeannie - Season 3
• Law and Order: SVU - Season 3
• Lucky Louie - Complete Series
• Murder, She Wrote - Season 5
• Three's Company - Jack's Favorites

• The Benny Hill Show - Complete and Unadulterated: Vol. 5
• The Book of Daniel - Complete Series
• Brotherhood - Season 1
• Danger Mouse - Seasons 7 to 10
• Dark Shadows - Collection 26
• The Dick Tracy Show - Complete Series (Animated)
• Ellen - Season 4
• Kids in the Hall - Best Of, Vol. 1
• Mama's Family - Season 1
• Masters of Horror - Imprint (Takashi Miike)
• The Munsters - Fright Fest
• One Tree Hill - Season 3
• Riptide - Season 1
• Thriller - Season 1
• Transformers: Armada - Season 1, Part 2
• Voltron: Defenders of the Universe - Collection One (Blue Lion)
• Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Season 1, Vol. 1 (Censored and Uncensored)

• All-American Girl - Complete Series
• Archie Bunker's Place - The Complete 1st Season
• The A-Team - Season 3
• The Benny Hill Show - Benny Hill, Complete And Unadulterated: The Hill's Angels Years - Set 4
• Dark Shadows - DVD Collection 22
• Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete 2nd Season
• Gastineau Girls - The Complete 1st Season
• Here Comes the Grump - Here Comes The Grump
• Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - The Complete 3rd Series
• Hill Street Blues - The Complete 1st Season
• Inked - The Best of Season 1
• Knight Rider - Season 3
• Magnum, P.I. - The Complete 3rd Season
• MI-5 - Volume 3
• The Pink Panther Show - Classic Cartoon Collection
• The Rat Patrol - The Complete 1st Season
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Volume 20: Turtles Against H.A.T.E.
• Two's Company - Series 4
• The X-Files - Season 1 (New); Season 2 (New); Season 3 (New)