Anne Aston, a familiar face from television in the 1960s and 70s, celebrates her 71st birthday today. Why am I telling you this? Well she does have a small role in the Carry On story. In 1976 she joined some very well known Carry On faces for a stage farce in Scarborough.
This play was no doubt at an attempt to capitalise on the recent Carry On Laughing television series for ATV as well as the hugely successful Carry On London stage show at the Victoria Palace in London, which ran between 1973 and 1975.
Carry On Laughing: The Slimming Factory ran for the summer season at the Royal Opera House in Scarborough during that incredibly hot summer of 1976. The show was written by Sam Cree (who wrote The Mating Game) and directed again by Bill Roberton brother of Jack Douglas). Sadly Sid James had died shortly before this play opened so many of the other Carry On regulars were unwilling to be involved. The show, a farce set in ahealth farm, starred Jack Douglas, Peter Butterworth and Kenneth Connor. Liz Fraser, having returned to the series the year before for Carry On Behind, also starred, as did Anne Aston. The nature of the show can be judged by Peter Butterworth's character's name - Willie Strokes. Enough said.
Anne is probably most famous for working on the classic 1970s game show, The Golden Shot, which was hosted by Carry On Sergeant star, Bob Monkhouse. The Glasgow-born star also appeared opposite Frankie Howerd in the 1971 film Up The Chastity Belt and later with Frankie again in the pantomime Cinderella.
Whatever Anne is up to today, I hope she has a lovely birthday.
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