In this, the sixtieth anniversary year of Carry On, I set out to countdown my top twenty list of all time favourite Carry On actors. It was a lightbulb moment to do this series of blogs and at first thought it seemed an easy task. And then I realised just how many actors were involved in the twenty years of original films and out of that lot, just how many I loved, cherished and adored.
Originally it was going to be a top ten. Then I broadened out to twenty as I wanted to celebrate some of the lesser known, supporting players who although never the stars of the series, were still vital to their ongoing and lasting success. The quality of the Great British character actor was never more important than when casting a low budget, quickly produced Carry On comedy. It proved something of a labour of love to post the countdown of blogs but I've loved doing it and I've loved the reaction to my choices on social media. So first of all, a big thank you to everyone who has read my scribblings and passionately agreed or disagreed with my decisions.
I've just revealed my ultimate Carry On actor(s) so I thought I should do a quick recap of all twenty blogs in case you've missed some or just want to read a particular one all over again.
Going from top to bottom (Matron!) …
Joint First: Sid James and Joan Sims - My King and Queen of Carry On!
No. 3: Charles Hawtrey - Charles starred in the series from 1958 - 1972, in 23 films
No. 4: Kenneth Williams - appeared in 26 Carry Ons, more than any other actor
No. 5: Hattie Jacques - more than Matron, Hattie played in 14 Carry Ons from 1958 - 1974
No. 6: Peter Butterworth - Peter B co-starred in 16 Carry Ons between 1965 - 1978
No. 7: Kenneth Connor - Kenneth appeared in 17 of the films from 1958 - 1978
No. 8: Jim Dale - the Carry On romantic hero starred in 11 films between 1963 - 1992
No. 9: Patsy Rowlands - the brilliant Patsy co-starred in 9 films between 1969 - 1975
No. 10: Bernard Bresslaw - the star of 14 Carry Ons between 1965 - 1975
No. 11: Dilys Laye - the versatile Dilys co-starred in four 1960s Carry Ons
No. 12: Fenella Fielding - Only two Carry Ons to her name, but Screaming is one of the best
No. 13: Margaret Nolan - the stunning Maggie Nolan added glamour to six films in the series
No. 14: Barbara Windsor - the lowest placed 'regular', Babs starred in nine of the films
No. 15: Esma Cannon - a true one off, Esma co-starred in four early Carry On films
No. 16: Julian Holloway - son of Stanley, Julian gave us cheeky charm in eight Carry Ons
No. 17: Joan Hickson - the Miss Marple actress added class to five Carry On films
No. 18: Marianne Stone - that veteran of British film who popped up in nine Carry Ons
No. 19: Liz Fraser - who played in four Carry Ons, from Regardless to Behind
No. 20: Peter Gilmore - supporting actor in eleven Carry Ons, from Cabby to Columbus
And there we have it, my Top Twenty list in full. I hope you've enjoyed the journey - I'm off for a lie down!
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram
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