Benny Hill’s theme song sounded this morning in Westminster as outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson finalized his resignation.
The cheerful music, often used as a soundtrack for bizarrely funny or farcical situations, was heard loudly in the background of a Sky News interview with Tory Member of Parliament Chris Philip.
The unmistakable sound of the tune, officially called Yakety Sax, was pumped out of a loudspeaker by anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray, who made a series of similar statements outside Parliament this week.
He confirmed that this particular stunt was inspired by an acting legend Hugh Grant, who asked for the song to play earlier this morning in a tweet to Bray.
He posted a video of his own on Twitter, showing people dancing on the green, Mr Bray wrote: “Only for [Mr Grant] as requested here today at the media circus… College Green. Benny Hill’s theme tune.’
The stunt was met with delight on social media, as one journalist tweeted: ‘Love the circus music playing in the background now as UK networks broadcast Number 10 outside. Appropriate.’
Broadcaster Max Rushden said: ‘Great that [Mr Bray] takes requests. Route one, but Go Now by the Moody Blues is a great song x’
Another user wrote: ‘So Hugh Grant asked Steve Bray on Twitter if he had the Benny Hill theme tune and here’s what the news sounds like… the country is crazy/demob happy BUT I’M HERE FOR IT!’
A fourth added: “Steve Bray blasting the Benny Hill theme tune whenever a Tory MP is interviewed at College Green is something of absolute comedic beauty.”
The unmistakable sound of the tune, officially called Yakety Sax, was pumped out of a loudspeaker by anti-Brexit protester Steve Bray, who made a series of similar statements outside Parliament this week.
The upbeat music, often used as a soundtrack to bizarrely funny or farcical situations, was heard loudly in the background of a Sky News interview with Tory MP Chris Philp
People could be seen dancing on the green to the music pumped out by the activist
From Port Talbot to Parliament: one-man protest by EU fanatics
Steve Bray has been making noise outside Parliament since September 2017.
The Port Talbot coin collector initially becomes part of the scenery on Westminster’s College Green, with his colorful ensemble of an EU-inspired top hat and Union Flag cape regularly lurking in front of TV cameras.
When the grandfather first burst into the Westminster scene to interrupt news stories by hovering behind the interviewees with his anti-Brexit signs, the broadcasters went looking for elevated towers to keep him out of the picture.
But he continued to harass politicians and blast music in Parliament, despite vows to retire in 2019.
But his attempt to enter politics failed. He stood for the Lib Dems in the 2019 Cynon Valley election in Wales, finishing sixth with less than 1,000 votes and losing his deposit.
While the daily protest may seem like a thankless job for the numismatist, who has uprooted his home in Wales, Bray has raised thousands of pounds in donations from Remain activists to support his comfortable lifestyle.
In 2019, it was revealed that he had moved into a plum mansion in Westminster opposite Jacob Rees-Mogg, after receiving a handsome lump sum from Remainer plumbing magnate Charlie Mullins.
One of his most memorable feuds was with Theresa May’s former deputy Damian Green, whom Mr Bray had asked how he felt about the pivotal vote on the Withdrawal Agreement.
Mr. Green declined to answer, saying, ‘No, you can’t, because you just tried to shout over an interview I did, just like everyone else.
‘In a competitive field you are the biggest w***ker.’
It comes just 24 hours after the activist also interrupted a live broadcast of Good Morning Britain by broadcasting an adapted rendition of Bye Bye Baby outside the Houses of Parliament.
GMB presenters Susanna Reid51, and Ed Balls, 55, were presenting the ITV breakfast news show live from Westminster when Mr Bray, 53, began singing ‘Bye Bye Boris’ to the tune of the Bay City Rollers’ hit song.
Reid seemed distracted as the pro-EU protester began to sing, asking, ‘Oh what’s… Sorry, where’d that come from?’
Balls replied, “I don’t know,” while Reid continued, “Are we going to do karaoke?”, before realizing it was Bray.
Bray, from Port Talbot in South Wales, has regularly protested Brexit on College Green and is known for screaming during TV news broadcasts.
He is also known for walking the background of live coverage, often in a flashy outfit and carrying placards with anti-Brexit or anti-government messages.
As Bray’s performance got better, Reid and Balls started dancing to his rendition of Bye Bye Baby.
Reid quickly recognized the performer and said, ‘Oh, it’s Steve Bray! It’s Steve Bray’s latest protest, isn’t it?’
Despite the interruption, both presenters seemed to be enjoying the inventive performance.
“Oh, come on, Steve,” Balls said. Reid added, “Well, I suppose if you’re no longer allowed to yell, there are other ways to make your voice heard.”
It comes after Bray, a failed Lib Dem MP, was silenced by police last week when they confiscated his powerful music system in Westminster.
under the police, crimeCriminal and court law, which came into effect on June 28, he was told by the metropolitan police that morning he was unable to hold a “loud protest” within a designated area outside the Palace of Westminster.
He labeled cops “a bunch of fascists” as they explained the new rules to him and took his gear.
Bray started his one-man demonstration shouting about Brexit, but has since targeted Boris Johnson and conservatives.
His set list of songs features artists like the Bay City Rollers, the Sex Pistols, the Fun Boy Three and Sam Cook, on a heavy rotation.
He regularly plays outside the palace on Wednesdays, when he knows that Mr Johnson will be on hand for the Prime Minister’s questions, but also shows up on other days.
People working on the side of the parliamentary estate opposite his protest have filed noise complaints, but local authorities were unable to take action against a legitimate political protest until recently.
Under new laws, it is now possible to intentionally or recklessly cause public nuisance in an effort to counter disruptive ‘guerrilla protests’.
The Benny Hill theme drowned out a Sky News interview today with former technology secretary Chris Philp, who indicated he would return to government if necessary, now that Mr Johnson is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party.
Philp, who himself resigned just hours ago, told Sky News he wouldn’t refuse to help the government if it had to pass legislation through the House of Commons, but he wasn’t looking to get his job back.
He said: ‘I think all of us in public life are here to serve the country and if I could do that in any capacity then of course I’d be happy to serve.
“If I was asked to help get the online security law through parliament, okay, I’d be willing to help in any way, in any capacity, whoever the leader was.
“I’m not asking for that (his old post). I don’t expect it. I resigned and if you resign, you resign.’
He also said he had not thought about the best candidate to replace Mr Johnson.