Why Do ITV3 Carry On Cutting?

I'm the first to thank ITV3 for being the main home for Carry On these days. They regularly show many of the Rothwell era films and there's a guarantee there will be a score of Carry Ons on the channel over Christmas. They also of course brought us the wonderful Carry On Forever three part celebration of the series back in 2015.

However, I've noticed quite a bit of criticism of the ITV channel in recent weeks over on my Twitter feed. While all fans applaud seeing a Carry On film on the telly for us all to enjoy, many fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with ITV3 and their decision to chop out sections from our favourite films. I noticed it on several occasions during Carry On Up The Jungle yesterday and I agree it is rather annoying. I know the films are from a certain era and some of the content might be viewed somewhat differently in 2018 but as always, I urge modern viewers to see the Carry Ons for what they are - they were not created to be offensive, challenging or controversial. 

I can understand the occasional brief moment of nudity being cut from one of the films or the odd naughty word but compared to a lot of what is passed for general consumption today, the Carry Ons are mild and relatively family friendly fare. I do honestly believe audiences today are immediately looking for something to shock them or some kind of content they can be offended by and 'take to Twitter' to clutch their pearls over. Perhaps ITV are mindful of this, as all networks will be these days, but please do not butcher our beloved Carry Ons as a result!

So why are the Carry Ons cut so often? Well these made for the cinema features weren't designed for the modern, ever more frequent commercial break. ITV must cut into the action every so often to bring us those all so necessary adverts we all immediately fast forward through. Surely though ITV could just provide a longer slot for the films to allow them to be shown in their entirety and still make way for the adverts? I think it's more than that though - I think most of the cuts are down to the content of the films.

If ITV feel they must cut scenes from the Carry Ons, then why are they still showing them in the afternoons or even the early mornings? If they do not believe the films are suitable for that time of day, I'm sure most fans would prefer to see the films in the evenings if it means they are left unscathed by the ITV3 pruning shears. I love seeing the Carry Ons being shown so often on our screens don't get me wrong, I just wish we could watch them as they were originally shot and edited by the masterful Alan Hume and Gerald Thomas.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram