[3] The series originated as The Freddie Starr Variety Madhouse; with Russ Abbot, Mike Newman, Toni Palmer, Norman Collier and Bella Emberg.
After one series in 1979, Freddie Starr left and the show was repackaged as Russ Abbot's Madhouse premiering on 12 April 1980,[4] with Liz Smith, Dustin Gee, Nicky Croydon and Billy Hartman joining the cast.
In 1986 the series was transferred over to the BBC, where it was renamed The Russ Abbot Show, and featured Dennis, Emberg, Hewson, Holland, Suzi Aitchison, Tom Bright, Maggie Moone, Paul Shearer, and Lisa Maxwell.
In 1991 allegedly the BBC was heard to announce at the Montreux Television Festival that Abbot no longer represented what the audience wanted to see on their screens[6] and the series transferred to ITV.
The annuals featured comic strips based on popular characters Abbot had created in the various series of the show.