Specs-appeal: Glasses worn by Benny Hill up for sale
A PAIR of unmistakable glasses which belonged to bespectacled funnyman Benny Hill have emerged for sale more than 20 years after his death.
The wire-rimmed specs were worn by the slapstick comic in a 1973 sketch called The Deputy in which he played a bungling Wild West sheriff.
Hill had eye holes drilled in the thick lenses - because contrary to popular belief there was nothing wrong with his eyesight.
He became famous for his unique style of rude and raunchy comedy that often included chasing scantily clad women.
His sketch show The Benny Hill Show was such a hit that it ran for almost four decades and made him a household name. The glasses are the last item to be sold from a private collection of memorabilia assembled by a fan following Benny Hill's death in 1992.
Experts have tipped them to fetch £600 when they go under the hammer at C&T Auctions in Rochester, Kent.
The glasses are being sold with letters of provenance from Benny Hill fanclub Benny's Place and Frances Bolwell, a costume designer who worked on the Benny Hill Show.
Benny Hill is a TV legend and there is nothing more recognisable than his round glasses
Glen Chapman, a specialist in TV memorabilia at C&T Auctions, said: "Benny Hill is a TV legend and there is nothing more recognisable than his round glasses.
"These ones are like the bottoms of milk bottles but Benny Hill's eyesight was fine so he had holes drilled into the lenses so he could see.
"They come from a scene called The Deputy that came out in 1973 in which Benny played a dopey sheriff in the American Wild West.
"These glasses are being sold by a vendor who bought a large collection of Benny Hill memorabilia in the early 1990s.
"Over the years he has sold all of the collection apart from this one pair of glasses.
"They come with letters of authenticity from Frances Bolwell, who designed costumes for the Benny Hill Show, and a Benny Hill fan club called Benny's Place.
"The sale will appeal more to an older audience who remember Benny Hill as the comedy genius he was." The auction will take place on September 19.
