Hi-de-Hi! Comes to the WI
The WI‘s April meeting was their ‘Open Meeting’ when they invited other local WI groups and visitors. David Webb, one of the twins from the TV comedy series Hi-de-Hi!, was the guest speaker. With the aid of sound, videos and stills David told his audience about his early days with his twin brother and how they were invited to become part of the show. Initially minor characters, by series 4 (of 9) they had assumed more material roles.
It was fascinating to hear stories from behind the filming and some of the unexpected calamities.
Our members provided an excellent selection of homemade cakes and a bumper raffle.
A bit about the show
Since the show was aired between 1980-1988, some younger readers might have missed this BBC SitCom. Set between 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, Hi-de-Hi! was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote Dad’s Army and It Ain’t Half Hot Mum amongst other programmes. In all, there were 58 episodes
The title was the greeting the campers heard every morning; it was expected to be answered with a Ho-de-Ho although some of the characters often gave a more fruity response. The series revolved around the lives of the camp’s entertainers, most of them struggling actors or has-beens. Jimmy Perry worked as a Redcoat at Butlins in Filey and Pwllheli during the holiday season after he was demobilised, and it was this that inspired him to write Hi-de-Hi!.
Local Fact
Warners holiday camp in Dovercourt was where location scenes of Hi-de-Hi were filmed.