With thanks to DJ on Twitter for bringing these gems to my attention. Channel Radio has provided us Carry On fans with two unexpected and rather delightful treats thanks to David Barry's Imaginarium Show. David, best known for playing Frankie Abbott in the classic television sitcom Please Sir! was joined on two different shows by some very familiar faces (or should that be voices, given that it's radio?)
David's show lasts for an hour and involves him interviewing a familiar name from the entertainment business about their life and career. During the show he also plays some of the guest's favourite music. The first show I listened to featured that larger than life cheeky chappie Robin Askwith. Robin is always good value and shared many happy, affectionate memories of his time making the Confessions films in the 1970s.
Of course Robin also appeared in Carry On Girls as well as both small and big screen versions of Bless This House. He shared memories of working with the legendary Sid James and it appears the two got on like a house on fire. He also reminisced about working with Carol Hawkins. Their friendship dates back to the days of amateur dramatics and he even credits Carol for getting him the part of Mike in the Bless This House film. Robin went on to mention what a thrill it was to appear more recently in Coronation Street.
The second show I listened to featured Please Sir! co-star Peter Cleall as a guest. Peter played Duffy in both Please Sir! and the spin off series, The Fenn Street Gang. These days he works as a theatrical agent. It was great to hear more about his life. An extra surprise was an added Fenn Street reunion when Carol Hawkins joined them on the phone from her home in Spain. I'm a real fan of Carol and it's just a shame we don't hear more from her these days. She was on good form and obviously delighted in reconnecting with both David and Peter.
I'm not sure when these programmes were recorded however one exciting snippet that came out of the second show was the announcement that Carol has been working on her autobiography. Apparently she has already worked on one draft and is now going over it again to add more material. I really hope this comes to fruition as I'd love to read more about Carol's life and career from the lady herself.
If you would like to listen to either of these shows, they are both available via the Channel Radio's Listen Again service. You can access their website here
They are definitely well worth checking out!
David Barry is also a very successful author - you can find out more about his literary career here
And you can follow David on Twitter here
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook
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