THE NEW AVENGERS
There was a gap of over five years before Rita joined Benny for more antics, even getting her picture (alongside Benny and Henry McGee) in "The Sun" News paper with the heading "It's Sum Show"
Rita appears briefly as a nurse playing cards in this famous sketch, sitting around a table in a hospital playing cards with Benny (as Steed) and Purdy. She can barely be seen to the right of the screen putting her cards on the table she says in posh voice "Three Gaul stones and an in-growing toe nail"
TV MOB
Rita is also seen (but not heard) in the crowd as Henry Magee and crowd argue other the best TV programme
26th January 1977
SUM AWARDS
Rita is seen in the background in a couple of segments of this sketch. Decked out in a brown and orange dress as a TV glamour girl she stands by the door as the guests arrive (Jack wright is dragged up as the other Glamour girl) both of them are seen at the end of the sketch along with Benny (as Dickie Davis) and cast wave goodbye
I CLAUDIUS
The "I Claudius sketch" featured Rita again as Benny's (Claudius) mum. Rita and Henry McGee arrive with Rita shouting "Hi yer darling, Mother's ere. Angel, precious, Ohhh I'll thump that little swine if he don't hurry up. Where are yer?"Benny off screen shouts with a stutter "I'm on the, in the t-t-thrown room. I'm having a sh-sh-sh-shave and er sh-sh-sh-shampoo and I sh-sh-sh- shant be long." Henry Mcgee who is poisoning the food grunts, "I wish I had a red hot poker! I'd stick the cold end in his ear, oh he would narf burn his hand trying to get it out." Rita nervously asks Henry "are you sure we're doing the right thing Quintus?" Henry replies "Mother he's not fit to rule Rome and won't abdicate. Poisons the only way." Benny comes into the room saying "Oh that's better" Henry says "Hail Quintus. How with the invasions of Britain?" Rita interrupts, more cockney than ever "There like savages. They all live in them council caves, and they was all covered in animal skins wasn't they dear."Benny replies "Hail Quintus (the audience roar with laughter presumably because he should have said this line before Rita spoke) he continues "and
not only that they had helmets on their heads with great big horns sticking out the side. And when we see them we didn't know whether to fi-fi-fight em' or milk em'. We found out eventually. I bought back a lovely little boy for my dog." Henry tells him "Our warrant just bought back plenty of Christians to throw to the lions in the arena." Rita tells him off "Oh don't say that, he don't like it. He went last week, didn't yer dear?" Benny close to Rita replies "Yes I did Mother" He leans on her breast and say's "I'm sorry" Rita has to stop herself from laughing as Benny continues "I did Mother. I thought it was cruel. I cried for there was a great big lion there, and he didn't have a Christian" Benny carries on bantering with Henry then seated at the table with the (poisoned) wine in his hand he says "Round the mouth and round the gums look out stomach" he stops what he is saying as most of the wine has been thrown over Rita, as he apologise to Rita she tries to pursued him to eat saying "A bite to eat dearest" he is reluctant and asks "Well I don't know, did you?" he makes a sprinkling gesture as do Rita and Henry nodding. Benny stutters "I'll have a p.p.p.pp" Henry shouts "Pear?" and Rita shouts "Pie" holding the food up. Benny gets his words out "Piece of that" still stuttering Rita shouts "Beef" pushing the meat in his face. Benny finishes "Bloody Pudding" Henry passes him the bowl and as he tries to eat it Rita grabs him and shouts "ABDICATE, ABDICATE!" Benny replies "I'd rather have the pudding" then turns to Henry and quips "Ere and another thing I want to ask you 'where's the honey mummy'? (in Honey Monster voice) Rita again starts up "Oh I can't be responsible. There must be some other way." She goes close up to his face and says more cockney than ever "Son have you ever thought of suicide?" Benny replies, "I wouldn't like to commit suicide Mother, I don't think I'd like that." Henry with a sinister smirk tells him "How do you know you wouldn't like it, if you haven't tried it? Now listen Claudius, Mummy and I don't feel your equipped to rule Rome" the bantering continues as Jack Wright as a slave is bought in by guards. Benny trying to show his power tells Wright "If you speak the truth you will be hanged and if you lie you will be fed to the crocodiles" The camera closes in on Jack Wright as he holds his hands up and says "I am going to be thrown to the crocodiles"Benny defeated shouts "Oh, foiled again" he goes over to Rita and Henry saying "I think we'll commit suicide" Henry passes him food saying "Eat this" while Rita gives him a glass of wine telling him"Drink this" Benny walks away and is surrounded by women, he shouts back at them "You do it your way and I'll do it mine" as he stutters and gets carted away by the buxom beauties. Henry and Rita take the poison and full back in their chairs and die.
2P OFF
Another filler sketch this time advertising a tin of dog food. Rita in a posh voice holds the tin up and looks at the camera, fluffing her lines she says "If your friend should ask you how much you paid for this tin of Chimpy dog food, you tell her to pee off." Benny comes along correcting her with "You tell her 2p off" he turns the advertising card with the words 2p off written on them and comments as he walks off "are you sure she's a national theatre player?" Rita puts her finger to her mouth and frowns.
FLASHER
Silent gag. Benny is a flasher. Rita is a shocked onlooker, in hat and brown coat.
GOODBYE
At the end of the programme Rita is seen (wearing a fancy gold dress) in the background with the rest of the cast, waving goodbye (as Benny tells the audience how great they are, he turns around and has a knife in his back) as the credits roll.