Audio dramatisation of an unlikely celebrity encounter

This sounds like a blatant pitch for one of Sky Arts Urban Myths episodes: a dramatisation of what happened when Michael Jackson met Benny Hill.

It was an unlikely encounter which actually happened: the king of pop visited the comedian 30 years ago as he was recovering from a heart attack in a London hospital. Jackson was a big fan of Hill’s, likening his work to Chaplin’s.

‘Michael never stopped talking about the show,’ Benny’s producer Dennis Kirkland once said of the visit. ‘Michael knew every gag and kept saying to Benny, "remember that  bit when…?" It was obvious that Benny was one of his heroes.’

Sadly, though, this half-hour audio play doesn’t expand much on that adoration, putting little imagination into suggesting any odd twists of how their conversation might have played out. Instead, Hill – ably played by comedy veteran Phil Nice – essentially gives us a romp though his CV and his well-documented fall from grace, with a few old-school gags dotted about the scripts.

Hill complains about being unceremoniously dumped by Thames Television as accusations of sexism grew, with an especially stinging criticism from Ben Elton.  ‘But at the same time your shows are being sold all over the world,’ says the fictional Jacko in disbelief.

There are references, too, to his solitary life, liking nothing more that watching TV in his modest home, and taking frequent trips to Paris. And of being put off intimate contact with woman by an early encounter.

All of this is true and has been covered in previous biographies of the star (such as Mark Lewisohn’s, from which the above Kirkland quote comes). It provides a useful primer if you didn’t know who Hill was – but why would anyone in that camp download this?

He’s certainly an interesting character but writer Jonathan Morris, who’s previously worked on Dead Ringers, doesn’t probe the psychology beyond the information already out there.

Jackson, as played by Casualty actor Daniel Anthony, is little more than a conduit for these anecdotes, though he offers an explanation that his penchant for childlike things stems from the fact his own childhood was stolen. That there may be darker aspects is not touched on in this affectionate, but rather bland, tribute to both men.

• When Michael Met Benny is available for free from  all podcast platforms, including Spotify.

Review date: 4 Mar 2022
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett