[Bounci]

As it's coming up to Christmas, I thought I'd upload this Xmas treat from 20 years ago (actually broadcast New Year's Day 2001, but part of the 2000 Xmas schedule). It's the TV comedy drama Gentlemen's Relish, which was a starring vehicle for Billy Connolly, who plays a fading painter who finds a new lease of life when given a camera to make new forms of art. However, his devious assistant (played with relish - pun intended - by Douglas Henshall) sees a chance to corner the porn industry by persuading the naïve Connolly to do 'historical re-enactment art' and then cropping out the nudes to sell to a magazine called "Gentlemen's Relish."

The summing up over, here are the ladies who had to disrobe for the drama, and in order first up are a pair of then unknown actresses Rebecca Johnson (now known as Rob Brydon's wife in The Trip TV series) and Emma Stansfield in her screen debut (before finding fame in Coronation Street in 2005). They play a couple of ladies who come to Connolly to - in Henshall's own words - "show him their bums" (and more). Then comes a photo shoot where a number of sadly unknown actresses pose for Connolly's epic photo in his studio. There is one blond actress in this scene (Pic 4) who blinks constantly and looks thoroughly nervous at having to stand and pose while her breasts are on show. Next comes Liz Ewing (as Alice) and Emily Hillier (as Ethel), who have more substantial roles in this, but unlike Johnson and Stansfield they struggled in acting afterwards. Ewing made a return to acting in TV's The Nest last year after many barren years, while Hillier last acted in 2005 and now runs her own Florist business. Then comes a scene of a Egyptian photoshoot where the actress playing Cleopatra is played by Seana Montague, who only had other roles in TV's On Home Ground (2001) and as Mary, Queen of Scots in a Elizabeth documentary from 2000. Finally there is Katie Blake, who played Henshall's wife in this, who gives the editor of Gentlemen's Relish magazine a topless photo of herself in order to shame her hubby after discovering he has been dallying with Alice. Blake herself had a decent career in the late 1990's/early 2000's after starting acting in 1997, but had surprisingly disappeared by the end of the noughties. Still, at least she showed us her naughties before she left. I'd love to include more photos, but I had to chose my snaps as they exceed the 9 pic limit! Anyway, enjoy the video. It's a fairly long one.