Hi-de-Hi!

71%19809 Seasons

Comedy

Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom set in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, during 1959 and 1960, and was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum amongst others. It aired on the BBC from 1980 to 1988. The series revolved around the lives of the camp's management and entertainers, most of them struggling actors or has-beens. The inspiration was the experience of writers Perry and Croft: after being demobilised from the army, Perry was a Redcoat at Butlin's, Pwllheli during the holiday season. The series gained large audiences and won a BAFTA as Best Comedy Series in 1984. In 2004, it came 40th in Britain's Best Sitcom and in a 2008 poll on Channel 4, 'Hi-de-Hi!" was voted the 35th most popular comedy catchphrase.

Episodes

1. Hey Diddle Diddle (Pilot)40m

It is 1959. Tired of academia, Cambridge University archaeology professor Jeffrey Fairbrother goes to Maplin's Holiday Camp as the new Entertainments Manager, a job he looks forward to with idealised optimism. Camp host, Ted Bovis, instructs his new recruit, camp comic Spike Dixon, in how to succeed at Maplin's. The pilot would subsequently be shown consecutively with the first series, although repeated broadcasts on television were edited to reduce the runtime down to a more standard half-hour format.

2. Desire in the Mickey Mouse Grotto30m

Jeffrey is implicated when Ted is spotted entering a chalet with a girl camper.

3. The Beauty Queen Affair30m

Jeffrey is called upon to judge the Holiday Princess Competition. Meanwhile, Ted teaches Spike how to make the most of the campers' generosity.

4. The Partridge Season30m

Mr. Partridge's drinking is getting worse, and Jeffrey's untimely decision to give him an advance on his wages doesn't help matters.

5. The Day of Reckoning30m

Fred's past comes back to haunt him, causing the staff - Peggy and Spike in particular - several difficulties.

6. Charity Begins at Home30m

Joe Maplin ordains that each Thursday should be Sunshine Smile Day, encouraging Ted to indulge in a money-making scheme.

7. No Dogs Allowed30m

Jeffrey's marital problems start to interfere with his work, and scandalous rumours are soon circulating around the camp.