A program that starred Diane Holland and Barry Howard, the situation comedy Hi-de-Hi! enjoyed a lengthy run on British television, from 1981-88. It starred the said pair as married couple Yvonne Stewart-Hargreaves and Barry Hargreaves - ostensibly dance instructors in high demand, but in truth two down-and-outers reduced to giving dance lessons at a holiday camp for klutzes. This led to a number of predictably silly and over-the-top escapades, including at least one dance event required them to dress up as Little Bo Peep and a country bumpkin. The colorful allotment of supporting characters included hyperanxious maid Peggy Ollerenshaw (Su Pollard), slick entertainment manager Jeffrey Fairbrother (Simon Cadell) and crafty camp host Ted Bovis (Paul Shane). Much of the humor in the series revolved not around the ill-suitedness of campers for the ballroom floor (although the show had a fair share of this), but around the acrimonious nature of the Hargreaves' marriage itself, with Yvonne and Barry letting fly one nasty and sardonic quip after another. The program was written by David Croft (Are You Being Served?) and Jimmy Perry, who drew inspiration from Perry's real-life experiences working as a Butlins Redcoat during the post-WWII years.
by Nathan Southern
synopsis
