Dennis Kirkland
Encyclopedia
Dennis Kirkland was a British
television producer
and director
who was best known for his long association with comedian
Benny Hill
.
Born in North Shields
, Northumberland
, England
, Kirkland started out as a child actor
, appearing in television
advertisements
that aired on the then-new Independent Television
upon its start-up in the 1950s. He then went behind-the-scenes, first as a property master
for Tyne Tees Television
, and then on to short stints with the Windmill Theatre
and Royal Opera House
in London
. Later he was hired by Associated TeleVision
as a floor manager, where he worked at the time Benny Hill hosted some TV programmes for ATV in 1967.
In 1968, Kirkland joined Thames Television
as a floor manager, working first in that capacity and then as a warm-up man on The Benny Hill Show
. He then moved up the ranks, directing such children's shows
as Rainbow
and The Tomorrow People
, as well as a sketch comedy
show called What's On Next? Finally, in 1979 Kirkland was named producer/director of The Benny Hill Show, remaining in those positions for the remainder of its run at Thames. During this period, he also worked with such top comics as Tommy Cooper
, Ken Dodd
, Jim Davidson
and Eric Sykes
, whose 1979 remake of The Plank
(directed by Sykes and produced by Kirkland) won at the Montreux TV Festival
. But it was with Hill that Kirkland became best known. However, it was also during his run with the Hill show that the programme first became dogged by charges of sexism, in no small part due to the addition of the dancing and singing troupe Hill's Angels on his watch, and after years of steadily declining ratings and rising production costs,Thames cancelled the Hill show in 1989;not long afterward, Kirkland's association with the company ended as well.
He continued to work with Hill, directing a TV special in 1990 with outdoor scenes taped in New York
, and was to direct a new Hill series for Central Independent Television
when Hill died in 1992. Central went ahead with the show anyway, directed by Kirkland and fronted by Freddie Starr
. Critics panned it calling it The Benny Hill Show without Benny." In 1993, he published a memoir about his friendship with Hill, Benny: The True Story, which would be re-released in 2002 as The Strange and Saucy World of Benny Hill. He continued to work in television
in Britain and Ireland
until his death. Kirkland was married twice and had two sons and a daughter, the actress Joanna Kirkland
.
Kirkland was admitted to hospital in London
in January 2006 because of a low sodium count
and died shortly thereafter at the age of 63.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
and director
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
who was best known for his long association with comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
.
Born in North Shields
North Shields
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne, in the metropolitan borough of North Tyneside, in North East England...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Kirkland started out as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
, appearing in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advertisements
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
that aired on the then-new Independent Television
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
upon its start-up in the 1950s. He then went behind-the-scenes, first as a property master
Property master
The property master is an artistic and organizational employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production...
for Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television
Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
, and then on to short stints with the Windmill Theatre
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
and Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Later he was hired by Associated TeleVision
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
as a floor manager, where he worked at the time Benny Hill hosted some TV programmes for ATV in 1967.
In 1968, Kirkland joined Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
as a floor manager, working first in that capacity and then as a warm-up man on The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
. He then moved up the ranks, directing such children's shows
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
as Rainbow
Rainbow (TV series)
Rainbow is a British children's television series, created by Pamela Lonsdale, which ran twice weekly at 12:10 on Tuesdays and Fridays on the ITV network, from 16 October 1972 to 6 March 1992...
and The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People
The Tomorrow People is a British children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price. Produced by Thames Television for the ITV Network, the series first ran between 1973 and 1979. The series was re-imagined in 1992, Roger Price acting as executive producer...
, as well as a sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show called What's On Next? Finally, in 1979 Kirkland was named producer/director of The Benny Hill Show, remaining in those positions for the remainder of its run at Thames. During this period, he also worked with such top comics as Tommy Cooper
Tommy Cooper
Thomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
, Ken Dodd
Ken Dodd
Kenneth Arthur Dodd OBE is a British comedian and singer songwriter, famous for his frizzy hair or “fluff dom” and buck teeth or “denchers”, his favourite cleaner, the feather duster and his greeting "How tickled I am!", as well as his send-off “Lots and Lots of Happiness!”...
, Jim Davidson
Jim Davidson (comedian)
Jim Davidson OBE is a British comedian, actor and television presenter. He has been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment, particularly of British service personnel in conflict zones.- Biography :The son of a Glaswegian father, Davidson was born in...
and Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
, whose 1979 remake of The Plank
The Plank (1979 film)
The Plank is a popular 30-minute, 1979 British slapstick comedy, which was a remake of an earlier 1967 version of the film which was written and directed by Eric Sykes. The 1967 version of "The Plank" was, in turn, based on an episode called "Sykes and A Plank", which Eric Sykes wrote for his...
(directed by Sykes and produced by Kirkland) won at the Montreux TV Festival
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
. But it was with Hill that Kirkland became best known. However, it was also during his run with the Hill show that the programme first became dogged by charges of sexism, in no small part due to the addition of the dancing and singing troupe Hill's Angels on his watch, and after years of steadily declining ratings and rising production costs,Thames cancelled the Hill show in 1989;not long afterward, Kirkland's association with the company ended as well.
He continued to work with Hill, directing a TV special in 1990 with outdoor scenes taped in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and was to direct a new Hill series for Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
when Hill died in 1992. Central went ahead with the show anyway, directed by Kirkland and fronted by Freddie Starr
Freddie Starr
Freddie Starr is an English comedian who became famous in the early 1970s. He is also an impressionist and singer, with a chart album After the Laughter and UK Top 10 single, "It's You", in March 1974 to his credit.-Early career:Under his real name, he appeared as a teenager in the film Violent...
. Critics panned it calling it The Benny Hill Show without Benny." In 1993, he published a memoir about his friendship with Hill, Benny: The True Story, which would be re-released in 2002 as The Strange and Saucy World of Benny Hill. He continued to work in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in Britain and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
until his death. Kirkland was married twice and had two sons and a daughter, the actress Joanna Kirkland
Joanna Kirkland
Joanna Kirkland is an English actress. She started as a child playing small parts in The Benny Hill Show which was produced by her father, Dennis Kirkland. She went on to play adult roles in dramas such as Holby City in which she had a recurring role, Martin Chuzzlewit, The Bill, and Casualty...
.
Kirkland was admitted to hospital in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in January 2006 because of a low sodium count
Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which the sodium concentration in the serum is lower than normal. In the vast majority of cases, hyponatremia occurs as a result of excess body water diluting the serum sodium and is not due to sodium deficiency. Sodium is the dominant extracellular...
and died shortly thereafter at the age of 63.