Who was the Phantom Flan Flinger on TVs Tiswas?
Phantom Flan Flinger (Helen Piddock/Jim Davidson/Benny Mills) A mischevious evil fiend, created by producer Glyn Edwards purely to offset the criticisms of ATV’s management who thought that the presenters throwing pies and water around was setting a bad example to kids. Dressed entirely in black, the Phantom’s identity was never revealed while Tiswas was on air, but the presenters always tried to unmask him with unsuccessful results. The Phantom was initially played by ATV researcher Helen Piddock, who usually worked behind the scenes on Tiswas, and had written a few of their tie-in books. In the 1970s, controversial comedian Jim Davidson donned the black costume, something he is very proud of, although we are told it only happened for one show, as his tattooed arm was visible, revealing his identity. Due to some union dispute, on a day when Helen was expected to climb into the black leotard, Benny Mills was quickly drafted into, and stayed in that role permanently right until the show
