And to front up straight away on this one, I have absolutely no idea. I posted a photo of Tricia from Carry On England on Twitter the other day and it attracted quite a bit of interest. I guess I hadn't given her much thought before as her largest Carry On role is in one of my least favourite Carry On films. However, posting that random picture has piqued my interest. Sadly my investigations haven't got me very far.
Tricia Newby only appeared in two Carry Ons, both small supporting roles. Her first, as Bombardier Murray in the 1976 film Carry On England was her largest part, as it were. As one of the glamorous female recruits in the mixed barracks taken over by Kenneth Connor's fiendish Captain Melly, Newby co-stars alongside Diane Langton, Judy Geeson and Joan Sims. It's a featured role which mainly requires Newby to lose most of her clothes, such was the state of the franchise by this stage. She is part of the line up during one of England's most controversial scenes which sees several female recruits go topless on parade. Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas clearly being swayed by the popularity of the Confessions films at this time.
It's no fault of Tricia's that she's part of such a woeful film, just bad timing really. She obviously made an impression on Peter and Gerald as two years later she returned for a very brief, yet revealing cameo as the Surgery Nurse in Carry On Emmannuelle in a scene featuring Albert Moses and Kenneth Williams. Again, I've only seen it once but I recall Newby was required to display more than her acting talent in this role. Sadly, Emmannuelle was Tricia's last acting assignment, according to the Internet Movie Database at least. True, this site can be unreliable but when there is little other information available on an actor it can sometimes be all we have to call upon.
Tricia Newby appears to have made her screen debut two years before Carry On England, in an episode of the comedy drama series Moody and Pegg, which starred Judy Cornwell and Derek Waring. She played Sharon in the very first episode, His and Hers, in 1974. Her episode also starred Please Sir actor Peter Denyer and Carry On Behind actress Adrienne Posta. The following year she played Jill Dawson in an episode of the series Public Eye, entitled The Fall Guy. This series starred Alfred Burke and the episode featuring Tricia also starred Susan Penhaligon, Ronald Lewis (of Twice Round the Daffodils and Nurse On Wheels fame) and George Moon (who played in Carry On Camping and Dick and is the father of actress Georgina Moon).
Only a couple more brief roles followed. In 1976 she played Betty in the Nicky Henson/Joan Collins vehicle The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones while later the same year she played a French Girl in the war drama Aces High, which starred Christopher Plummer, Simon Ward and Malcolm McDowell. Tricia's two Carry Ons followed and then the trail runs cold.
I have no further information on Tricia, on what she did next, on where she came from or went to or even if she's still with us today (which I very much hope she is). A couple of people on Twitter seemed to think she became a regular in early series of The Bill on ITV but I couldn't find any evidence of that on the net, which is not to say it's not possible.
So I'm flinging this wide open to you, Dear Reader! If anyone knows anything more about Tricia Newby, do get in touch!
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