Coming back to Mr Benn after several decades was a surprise. I'd always thought of it as a programme about the magic of escapism. Each episode reveals the enrichment of one man's daily existence following his indulgence in his fantasy life. Watching it again, however, I couldn't help fixating on Mr Benn's normal life as depicted in each episode. This is a man who dresses up in a suit and bowler hat yet never goes to work, lives in a bustling street but has no friends, owns a three-bedroom terrace house but shares it with no one. The only person he speaks to in his real life is a shopkeeper. What a desolate figure! Rather than a childhood world of unlimited potential, Mr Benn is an emblem of the alienation of modern existence. His real secret-life lurks not in the fancy-dress shop but beneath that sober suit and tie. What has happened in his past? Has he lost his job, divorced, never been able to start a relationship? What will become of him? What will happen when he becomes increasingly addicted to his fantasy-life and starts carrying it into Festive Road, walking around dressed as a knight, explorer, astronaut, etc., frightening the children? The real tragedy here is that none of his neighbours would notice.
