Conservative UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson shocked the world this morning when he announced his resignation amid a torrent of scandals that have plagued his three-year administration.
And after a tumultuous tenure that began with his dishonest campaign for Brexit and ended in disgrace, scores of Britons are jubilant to see Johnson and the nearly 60 members of his far-right party who have resigned this week exit the British government.
Count British actor Hugh Grant among those celebrating.
Among the many piss-takes, as the Brits might put it, directed at Johnson today came from a group of protestors blaring "Yakety Sax," the iconically absurd theme song to The Benny Hill Show, in the background of interviews with Tory politicians.
What does this have to do with Hugh Grant? He's the one who orchestrated the whole thing.
See a hilarious clip of Grant's handiwork below.
\u201cA very normal day on a very normal island\u2026\u201d— Best for Britain (@Best for Britain) 1657190410
The clip shows Tory Member of Parliament and Johnson loyalist Chris Philp attempting to explain what's next for the Tories. But unfortunately for him nothing he says even registers because "Yakety Sax" is absolutely blaring from behind him.
Classic.
It all began when Grant saw well-known anti-Brexit activist Steve Bray was protesting outside Parliament following the news of Johnson's resignation.
So he took to Twitter to reach out to Bray with a special request.
\u201cMorning @snb19692 Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the Benny Hill music to hand?\u201d— Hugh Grant (@Hugh Grant) 1657180571
Grant wrote:
"Morning [Steve Bray]"
"Glad you have your speakers back. Do you by any chance have the Benny Hill music to hand?"
Oh Bray had the Benny Hill music to hand alright.
And before long it was absolutely blaring behind the UK media circus outside Parliament.
\u201cJust for @HackedOffHugh as requested here today at the media circus\u2026 College Green. The Benny Hill theme tune.\u201d— Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories (@Steve Bray Activist Against Brexit +Corrupt Tories) 1657191252
It was the perfect derisive send-off for Johnson, a Trumpian figure who, much like the former Republican President himself, began his political career as a punchline and quickly transformed into a scandal-plagued huckster.
After selling the British public on Brexit with a Russian-influenced campaign based almost entirely on lies, his botched handling of the UK's withdrawal from the EU plunged the country into supply-chain disruptions and reignited tensions along the Irish border.
Johnson's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic earned his country the nickname "Plague Island", and the secret parties he and other Tories held during the UK's emergency lockdowns, including one over the 2020 Christmas season, left Britons enraged.
But it was Johnson's elevation of Tory Chris Pincher, who is accused of sexual misconduct, to a high-level Parliament position that finally did Johnson in.
After being caught lying about his knowledge of the allegations against Pincher, nearly 60 Tory members of Johnson's government resigned in protest, forcing Johnson to follow suit.
To say that many Britons are jubilant would be an understatement.
And with the Benny Hill theme being the perfect soundtrack for such a messy prime ministership, Grant's stunt left people on Twitter positively gleeful.
\u201cSo turns out that blasting Yakety Sax (the Benny Hill chase music) at blustering Tories trying to finesse the implosion of Johnson\u2019s administration was HUGH GRANT\u2019s idea.\n\nWe went full British. You never go full British.\u201d— Mitch Benn \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@Mitch Benn \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa) 1657219104
\u201cPerfect\u201d— Sally McManus (@Sally McManus) 1657236353
\u201cThis is incredible.\u201d— Ben Collins (@Ben Collins) 1657211758
\u201coh my god this is one of the greatest things I've ever seen\u201d— ya girl (@ya girl) 1657221805
\u201cThe Benny Hill chase music could be heard even as Boris Johnson gave his resignation speech!!!! Bravo Steve Bray and Hugh Grant. #BorisJohnsonOut\u201d— Tandigi\ud83c\udf3b (@Tandigi\ud83c\udf3b) 1657195410
\u201cSo Steve Bray was playing the Benny Hill theme behind news clips at the request of *Hugh Grant*.\n\nWhat a world. What a country.\u201d— Mark (@Mark) 1657196208
\u201cThe UK feels like a clown show right now, and now we have Benny Hill music thanks to @snb19692 \ud83d\ude05\u201d— Tom Warren (@Tom Warren) 1657191192
\u201cHugh Grant organising Benny Hill music to be played as the Prime Minister is toppled is peak British moment of today so far.\u201d— Kevin Beaumont (@Kevin Beaumont) 1657196699
\u201cLAUGHING SO HARD... Sky News is battling on Parliament Green over @snb19692 playing the Benny Hill Theme Tune as per @HackedOffHugh suggestion! \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\udc4f\u201d— Stop the Lies #ToryLies \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa #FBPA #FBPE #GTTO (@Stop the Lies #ToryLies \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa #FBPA #FBPE #GTTO) 1657189644
\u201cI was LMAO this morning, whilst watching journalists report from UK's Parliament before Boris' big bye-bye \u2014 hearing the theme from 'The Benny Hill Show'. Thank You, Hugh Grant!/@HackedOffHugh \n\nP.S. And Thank You, Benny Hill!\nP.P.S. Get Stuffed, @Jacob_Rees_Mogg\u201d— Dr. Jack Brown (@Dr. Jack Brown) 1657233124
This isn't the first time Grant has raked Johnson over the coals.
Before the 2019 general election that delivered Johnson his landslide victory, Grant dragged Johnson as a liar in a pithily worded comment on BBC Radio that delighted liberal-minded Brits.