Catch Bless This House this evening on Talking Pictures TV!

This evening Talking Pictures TV are showing yet another comedy classic from the golden age of British film comedy. Possibly the closest any other film got to being an official part of the Carry On team without actually gaining the Carry On title, Bless This House was yet another quickly made, cheaply made picture from Peter Rogers Productions. A big screen version of the hit Thames Television domestic sitcom, bringing Bless This House to the cinema was just another part of the very 1970s trend of transferring TV comedy favourites to film. This had varying results with some performing better than others. I think we can agree Bless This House is probably one of the most successful.

Part of its success is down to the Carry On-like quality the film has, mainly down to the personnel employed both in front of and behind the camera. Bless This House remains a hugely popular film, 47 years after it was first released. It's easy going, has bags of charm, remains completely light, frothy, undemanding and innocent and in modern, more cynical times its special brand of escapism is very appealing. Nothing really happens across its 80 odd minutes and basically writer Dave Freeman, who would go on to pen Carry On Behind and Columbus, stitches together three potential small screen half hours into one film. 

There's the traditional suburban new neighbours move in and don't get on with those around them strand. So what you say? Well when the main opponents are Sid James and an extremely pompous pre-Terry and June Terry Scott, you have comedy magic. Then there's the farcical wedding strand which sees the offspring of Sid and Terry (Robin Askwith and Carol Hawkins) hitch up and get hitched. Of course nothing goes to plan but all's well in the end. In between all this there are several small plots of little consequence such as Sally Geeson's naive 1970s environmental activism, Diana Coupland and Patsy Rowlands hoarding junk for a future antiques business and best of all, Sid and best mate Peter Butterworth attempting to make their own alcohol in the garden shed, with startling results! 

In the hands of lesser actors, all of this would have fallen flat and this little film would be a very distant memory. As with the main Carry On series, the secret of this films' success is the casting. The film is mainly made up of instantly recognisable Carry On faces with only leading lady Diana Coupland failing to Carry On elsewhere (a great pity I think I as you can read here: Should Diana Coupland have carried on? Leading team members Sid James, Peter Butterworth and Patsy Rowlands are joined by Carry On supporting players Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Marianne Stone, Bill Maynard, Patricia Franklin, Julian Orchard, Molly Weir, Wendy Richard and Johnny Briggs. Phew! It seems to modern viewers that Peter Rogers basically arranged for the cast of the early 1970s Carry Ons to decamp to suburban Windsor for six weeks. Recent Carry On starlets Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson also grab leading roles while rising star Robin Askwith, soon to appear in Carry On Girls and then the Confessions series, plays Sid's son Mike. Quite an ensemble!

Of course several of these actors transferred across from the television version of Bless This House. Alongside Sid, Sally Geeson played daughter Sally in all 65 episodes of the sitcom alongside Diana Coupland. Patsy Rowlands too was a semi-regular in the sitcom as neighbour Betty. However the actors playing Trevor and Mike did not appear in the film. I don't really know why Anthony Jackson and Robin Stewart were replaced by Peter Butterworth and Robin Askwith but I can't fault either of the actors who stepped into the film. To complicate matters further, the likes of June Whitfield and Marianne Stone also appeared in the television series, albeit in very different roles!

Many of the core Carry On crew also appeared behind the camera on Bless This House. Pinewood stalwart Alan Hume was in charge of photography, Eric Rogers did the music while even the hair and make up team moved across in the familiar guise of Stella Rivers and Geoff Rodway. It really was a team effort and a film family and us fans take great comfort from seeing all these names scrolling across the screen once again. 

So make a date to catch up with your favourite comedy character actors in an undemanding hour and half of slapstick, gentle humour and family fun. 

Bless This House is on Talking Pictures TV tonight at 7.10pm. Find out more here: https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carry On Watching: Tonight on Talking Pictures TV

 

Talking Pictures TV is showing a couple of very interesting and sadly, rarely seen British films later on this evening. Both feature strong, mostly dramatic performances from two leading ladies who we know best for their comedy work.

First up is the 1972 film, The Best Pair of Legs in the Business. This film tells the rather sad story of an ambitious, yet pretty talentless entertainer at a holiday camp. His obsession with the business and still having a chance to make it in the profession means that he's blind to the fact the rest of his life is falling apart. The lead in the film is On the Buses favourite Reg Varney. This was a very brave role to take on following several years as the star of one of the most popular knockabout sitcoms on British television of the time. Not surprisingly, the public didn't take to the change of pace and the film performed poorly. However The Best Pair of Legs does feature a wonderful co-starring role for Diana Coupland as Varney's wife Mary. Diana is of course best known for her role as Jean, long-suffering wife of Sid James in the long running ITV comedy series, Bless This House. I've always been a big fan of Diana's and it's great to see her take on a different kind of role in this film.

 

The Best Pair of Legs in the Business will be on Talking Pictures TV this evening at 10pm.

Now to a better known film perhaps, although you may need to set your recorders for this showing! I'm a big fan of A Taste of Honey, however the tone and content of the film means I have to be in the right mood for it. The film features extremely strong performances from its small cast of excellent actors, including a young Rita Tushingham, Maggie Smith's first husband Robert Stephens, the great Paul Danquah and Theatre Workshop and Stratford East regular, Murray Melvin. A Taste of Honey was the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, written when she was just 18 years old. The play was first produced by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop and was premiered at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in May 1958. 

 

A Taste of Honey is set in North West England in the 1950s. It tells the story of Jo, a seventeen-year-old working class girl, and her mother, Helen, who is presented as crude and sexually indiscriminate. Helen leaves Jo alone in their new flat after she begins a relationship with Peter, a rich lover who is younger than her. At the same time Jo begins a romantic relationship with Jimmy, a black sailor. He proposes marriage but then goes to sea, leaving Jo pregnant and alone. She finds lodgings with a homosexual acquaintance, Geoffrey, who assumes the role of surrogate father. Helen returns after leaving her lover and the future of Jo's new home is put into question.

A Taste of Honey was and remains a really important film for the way it tackled issues such as race, class and sexual orientation head on at a time when, while these issues existed and affected the people of Britain, they were not yet openly discussed in film. The film features a stunning dramatic (albeit with comedic edges) performance from the wonderful Dora Bryan, again probably best known for her comedy roles. Three years after her role as Norah in the first ever Carry On, Carry On Sergeant, Dora proves what a capable, strong and truthful dramatic actress she could be in the role of Helen.

 

A Taste of Honey will be on Talking Pictures TV tonight at midnight.



You can watch Talking Pictures TV on: Virgin 445 / Freeview 81 / Sky Channel 343 / Freesat 306 / Youview 81

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan on Facebook and on Instagram

Please Broadcast Bless This House ITV3!

 

I don't often get on my soap box but I really do think ITV3 are missing a trick here. I have come to love this ITV station for showing some classic British comedy. Of course ITV3 also gave us the wonderful Carry On Forever series last year which brought back together some familiar Carry On stars and breathed fresh life into many classic tales.

ITV3 frequently repeats many wonderful old shows but there is one in particular that hasn't seen the light of day in quite some time. I remember about twenty years ago the now defunct Granada Plus used to show the great Bless This House every morning before I went to school. It was my first introduction to this giant of the domestic sitcom and showed Sid James in a completely new light. Sadly, although the series has been made available on DVD, I don't believe it has been repeated since (I may be wrong on this, so if I am, I stand corrected!)

 

I know there are often complex reasons for not repeating old shows. For a start, television companies are constantly pilloried for the volume of repeats they broadcast instead of new material. There is also the issue of us all having moved a great deal since these shows were first aired. Society has, in some cases, thankfully moved on since the 1970s and certain content may not be totally palatable now. There are many shows that simply couldn't be repeated now and that's mainly due to changing times. Viewing some of these programmes with a modern eye may be unavoidable but sometimes not helpful. However the likes of George and Mildred, Dad's Army and Man About The House are shown again and again but no sign of the domestic life of one Sidney Abbott. 

So why do I think Bless This House deserves another viewing? Well, first of all there is undoubtedly a huge market for nostalgia. There's a reason why the BBC constantly repeat Dad's Army on a Saturday evening on BBC2. It's because people from all generations love it and watch. Also, I do believe Bless This House is probably the finest, purest example of a domestic sitcom we have ever produced. Thirdly, just look at the cast. You can never see enough of Sid, Diana Coupland, Patsy Rowlands et al as far as I'm concerned. 

 

I think the star quality of Sid James gives Bless This House currency, even in 2016. He is still such a recognisable figure - nearly everyone around today would still know Sid James. I think his role as Sidney Abbott is also one of his best performances. Sid is completely relaxed in the part, works well with his supporting cast and while there are occasional glimpses of his Carry On or Hancock persona, I think this role is the closest we ever got to the real Sid, the family man, in performance. It's a joy.

Thames Television produced 65 episodes of this classic series, over six series between 1971 and 1976. Sadly the original run was only brought to an end in '76 because of Sid's untimely demise on stage in Sunderland. And don't forget it also spawned a rather wonderful, very seventies sitcom spinoff film version, produced by the Carry On powerhouse of Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas and bringing together sitcom royalty including June Whitfield, Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth and Carol Hawkins.

So come on ITV3, don't let us down! It's time to go into the archives, dust off those old spools of film and treat both old and new generations of viewers to some prime comedy and classic Sidney James.

 

You can read more on my love of Bless This House here

And you can read more about the film version here 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Carry On Blogging Interview: Sally Geeson

 

I recently caught up with the lovely Sally Geeson to chat about her time working with the wonderful Sid James on the classic television series Bless This House as well as her time with the Carry On team in the early 1970s. Along the way, the likes of Norman Wisdom, Christopher Lee and Vincent Price are also mentioned, so Carry On Reading to find out more...

First of all, I'd love to know more about what made you want to become an actor. Was it something you always wanted to do?


Our parents sent me and Judy to full time Drama School, The Corona Stage School, when I was 7 and Judy was 9. They loved the theatre themselves, and I guess they decided it might be a good career for us girls. My Mum worked in the Box Office selling tickets at The Colliseum in London, this was when my parents first met first met. Then after the war my Dad went into Advertising.


One of your early film appearances was in Carry On Regardless - it took me forever to spot you in a crowd scene! Do you have any memories of that experience?

I remember making a lot of films when I was a child: The Millionairess. Don't Raise The Bridge Lower The River (with Jerry Lewis). Expresso Bongo. The Young Ones. Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter. Spare The Rod. The list is long, but one other was Carry On Regardless. I only vaguely remember filming this.

 

Quite early on in your career you starred opposite Norman Wisdom in the film What's Good for the Goose. What was that film like to make and what was Norman like to work with?

Norman Wisdom was a joy to work with, his amazing comedy talent and his sense of humour was with him at all times. He was a kind, sensitive and sweet man who clearly adored his children who came to visit him on location.

In 1969 you appeared in the horror film The Oblong Box. What are your memories of that film and of working alongside the likes of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price?


I was thrilled and honoured to work with Vincent Price in The Oblong Box and Cry Of The Banshee, he was great fun with huge humour and so nice to me. Christopher Lee was also brilliant, very professional and at all times helpful to a young actress like myself.

 

I must ask you about Bless This House, it's one of my favourite television comedies. What was it like to be a part of that team for so many successful series?

Bless This House were the happiest years of all. I loved Sid, Diana and Robin Stewart, plus working at wonderful Thames Television by the river at Teddington.


You always speak so fondly of the late, great Sid James, which is lovely to hear. Looking back, how do you remember Sid now?

I remember Sid with great affection, we got on so well, always chatting daily about this and that. Definitely a Dad and Daughter rapport right from the start. Sid's laid back, relaxed and humorous personality created a happy atmosphere for all the cast and crew.

 

Your television Mum in Bless This House was Diana Coupland, another actor I'm very fond of. What was she like to work with?

Beautiful Diana was perfect as Sid's on screen wife Jean. Patsy Rowlands was hilarious as Betty the neighbour, and Tony Jackson was cast superbly as Sid's neighbour and mate, 
Sid often commented how excellent Tony was. Bless This House TV Series - the best job ever!

Robin Stewart sadly died in November 2015. As we left the crematorium the signature tune of Bless This House played, starting with the 3 bells at the beginning. It was very moving. Sid's daughter Susan was with me and we both shed a tear.

 

 
Can you tell me what it was like to become part of the Carry On team with Carry On Abroad in 1972?

I love being part of the Carry On history. My favourite Carry On is Carry On Nurse, and my favourite scene is The laughing gas scene in the operating theatre. My favourite on screen actor from the Carry On's is Charles Hawtrey. I was more than proud to be mentioned in Kenneth Williams Diaries. He was always very nice to me.

I would love to have a little cameo role in the new Carry On movie, what  a thrill that would be.

 

Thanks again to Sally for taking time to chat to me about her life and career. You can find out more about Sally via her website: http://www.sallygeeson.com/

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also on Facebook

From the Archive: Sid's Sitcom Successes - Bless This House

On the fortieth anniversary of Sid's death, here's another chance to read my blog celebrating his greatest small screen success, that wonderful 70s sitcom Bless This House.

I have been writing about some of our favourite Carry On stars on the small screen, and more specifically focussing on some of their well known sitcom roles. I have previously looked at Hattie Jacques' contribution to Sykes and Joan Sims' part in the success of On The Up. Today I'm going to write about Sid James.

The trouble is that Sid starred in so many situation comedies over the years that it's impossible to condense them all down into one blog. There will be more to come, however today I am going to start with his last and probably best remembered series, Bless This House.

Bless This House ran for six series on ITV from early 1971 right up until Sid's sad death in 1976. So popular was the series that a seventh lot of thirteen episodes was already in the pipeline before the current series had come to an end. Broadcast on Monday nights, it was regularly the most popular show in the time slot and even spawned a feature film, produced and directed by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas and co-starring the likes of Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth and June Whitfield.

The sitcom format of Bless This House was nothing particularly original, however the main casting was. By the early 1970s, Sid the character actor had become Sid the star and Sid was primarily the star of the bawdy Carry On films. Sid's persona was one of a lecherous wide boy, forever chasing younger, glamorous women. As Sidney Abbott, he was allowed to play away from all those on screen antics and settle down with his television family. For the first time, the younger generation (in the form of Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson as his teenage children)  are running rings around him and are often more worldly wise than their dad.

Sid plays it respectable as the suburban father, occasionally henpecked by his wife Jean (Diana Coupland) and stressed out by his life as a salesman. Yes, he still likes the odd drink and a smoke down the pub with his best mate Trevor, but it's still far removed from his big screen womanising personality. The role of Sidney Abbott fitted James like a glove - it was probably the one role that most closely represented the man himself. Interestingly, as Bless This House became increasingly popular, the family man pipe and cardigan image began to appear in the Carry Ons - Sid Plummer may have spent the entire film chasing Chloe Moore but at heart he was a family man in At Your Convenience. 

Bless This House was very much of its time. It was light, frothy and farcical. It also replicated what was no doubt happening across Britain at the time. The older, post-war generation were now struggling to understand their teenage children who were very obviously benefiting from the liberal 1960s. Sid's character runs the gamut of free love, birth control and adventurous fashions, struggling to take it all in and keep up. Interestingly, Jean, although from the same generation as her husband, has no such trouble with the changing face and quickening pace of the 1970s youth. 

At the heart of Bless This House was a wonderfully warm, funny and believable husband and wife double act between Sid and Diana Coupland. Diana was a brilliant foil for Sid, always coming out on top. You could tell they got on and enjoyed working together. Sid also had terrific chemistry with Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson and his friendship with Anthony Jackson as Trevor was on the money too. Throw in a semi-regular role for Carry On favourite Patsy Rowlands and you have one hell of a show! Incidentally, apparently Sid recommended Patsy for the role as his neighbour Betty in Bless This House as he had enjoyed working with her in the Carry On series.

The series also had some excellent writers, including Harry Driver, Vince Powell, Dave Freeman, Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. Driver was a regular contributor to Coronation Street while Dave Freeman worked with the likes of Benny Hill and later wrote Carry On Behind. Lane worked on Bless This House years before her hit comedies Butterflies and Bread. 

So there you have it. Bless This House is a wonderful example of the classic 1970s sitcom that British television used to do so well. It is also a fitting legacy for the tremendous Sidney James. It brought out a side of Sid audiences may have found unfamiliar at the time but it showed once again just what a gifted comedy actor our Sidney was.

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Should Diana Coupland have carried on?

 

I have always had a soft spot for the late actress Diana Coupland. I really enjoyed her spirited performances as Sid James' wife in the classic situation comedy Bless This House. As Jean Abbott, Diana played Sid's long-suffering wife on the small screen for over five years and the pair worked really well together. Teaming Sid with Diana meant that the Carry On great was entering a new phase in his comedy career and together they were sitcom gold.

This has led me to wonder whether Diana should have been invited to appear in the Carry On films. She was a terrific actress, equally adept at comedy and drama and worked solidly in a wide range of film, television and stage productions for decades. She also had a proven track record of working with several potential Carry On co-stars in Sid, Sally Geeson (her on-screen daughter in Bless This House and Patsy Rowlands, who played Jean's neighbour Betty in the comedy). On this basis alone she would have been an asset to the Carry Ons and fitted in well.

 

Diana also starred in the Bless This House big screen spin off in 1972, a film I have been very fond of since I was a child. The film was produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas, with a script by Carry On Behind scribe Dave Freeman. In addition to some of the regular television cast, the film also featured such regular Carry On faces as Peter Butterworth, Carol Hawkins, June Whitfield, Marianne Stone and Terry Scott. Diana fitted in with the extended Carry On family with ease. Indeed of all the other films Rogers and Thomas made during their heyday at Pinewood, the Bless This House film is the closest non-Carry On to be considered a Carry On, if you follow me!

I know the Carry On films already had several well-known and well established regular character actresses in Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor, not to mention Patsy Rowlands, but I think there could also have been a nice for Diana. I wonder if she was offered a role following the success of the Bless This House spin off and turned it down? Perhaps Rogers and Thomas were concerned her appearance would link the films too closely to Sid's sitcom success for Thames Television?

 

Whatever the reason, i think it's a shame that Diana Coupland never appeared in a Carry On film. I think she could have slotted in with ease to the likes of Convenience, Matron, Abroad or Behind. As the Seventies progressed, the Carry Ons recruited more and more actors from successful small screen shows, so it wouldn't have been out of place to include Diana.

Anyway, what do you think? Would you like to have seen Diana Coupland in a Carry On film? 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also on Facebook

The Death of Robin Stewart

The sad death of Robin Stewart on Sunday came as rather a shock. At just 69, his demise is untimely. Another actor gone too soon. Although he hadn't acted significantly for many years, his link to Sid James and that classic sitcom, Bless This House meant those far off days were still tangible.

As Sidney Abbott's layabout son Mike, Robin starred in the sitcom success for over five years. Although there were suggestions he wasn't as professional on set as some of the senior stars would have liked (indeed he missed out on the 1972 big screen version), there was no doubt a great deal of affection between the regular stars in the series.

Robin had made a return to the limelight in the past few years after having been based in Australia for some time. He appeared alongside old co-star Sally Geeson at several events and met fans at film conventions all over the country. I'm glad he had the chance to reconnect with the past in his final few years.

Sadly, the death of Robin Stewart comes with the dawning realisation that now there is only one surviving member of the Bless This House cast. Sally Geeson is the last Abbott standing. Following Sid's death in 1976, we lost Patsy Rowlands (Betty) in 2005 and both Anthony Jackson (Trevor) and Diana Coupland (Jean) in 2006. They are all greatly missed.

I loved Bless This House. It was my favourite television role for Sid. He was, many say, most at home in this domestic comedy and the role of Sidney Abbott was most like the real Sid - the family man. I used to watch the repeats on the now long defunct Granada Plus every morning before I went to school. Although the teenage problems and marital strife over the housekeeping of the mid 1970s were a long way off by the time I watched in the 1990s, it was still a fun show with lighthearted stories and timeless comic performances from the cast.

As with all successful actors, Robin Stewart leaves behind a legacy of laughter and classic comedy performances. He had the chance to create a niche in Bless This House and work with some of my heroes. Not bad at all. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

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Sid's Sitcom Successes: Bless This House

I have been writing about some of our favourite Carry On stars on the small screen, and more specifically focussing on some of their well known sitcom roles. I have previously looked at Hattie Jacques' contribution to Sykes and Joan Sims' part in the success of On The Up. Today I'm going to write about Sid James.

The trouble is that Sid starred in so many situation comedies over the years that it's impossible to condense them all down into one blog. There will be more to come, however today I am going to start with his last and probably best remembered series, Bless This House.

Bless This House ran for six series on ITV from early 1971 right up until Sid's sad death in 1976. So popular was the series that a seventh lot of thirteen episodes was already in the pipeline before the current series had come to an end. Broadcast on Monday nights, it was regularly the most popular show in the time slot and even spawned a feature film, produced and directed by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas and co-starring the likes of Terry Scott, Peter Butterworth and June Whitfield.

The sitcom format of Bless This House was nothing particularly original, however the main casting was. By the early 1970s, Sid the character actor had become Sid the star and Sid was primarily the star of the bawdy Carry On films. Sid's persona was one of a lecherous wide boy, forever chasing younger, glamorous women. As Sidney Abbott, he was allowed to play away from all those on screen antics and settle down with his television family. For the first time, the younger generation (in the form of Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson as his teenage children)  are running rings around him and are often more worldly wise than their dad.

Sid plays it respectable as the suburban father, occasionally henpecked by his wife Jean (Diana Coupland) and stressed out by his life as a salesman. Yes, he still likes the odd drink and a smoke down the pub with his best mate Trevor, but it's still far removed from his big screen womanising personality. The role of Sidney Abbott fitted James like a glove - it was probably the one role that most closely represented the man himself. Interestingly, as Bless This House became increasingly popular, the family man pipe and cardigan image began to appear in the Carry Ons - Sid Plummer may have spent the entire film chasing Chloe Moore but at heart he was a family man in At Your Convenience. 

Bless This House was very much of its time. It was light, frothy and farcical. It also replicated what was no doubt happening across Britain at the time. The older, post-war generation were now struggling to understand their teenage children who were very obviously benefiting from the liberal 1960s. Sid's character runs the gamut of free love, birth control and adventurous fashions, struggling to take it all in and keep up. Interestingly, Jean, although from the same generation as her husband, has no such trouble with the changing face and quickening pace of the 1970s youth. 

At the heart of Bless This House was a wonderfully warm, funny and believable husband and wife double act between Sid and Diana Coupland. Diana was a brilliant foil for Sid, always coming out on top. You could tell they got on and enjoyed working together. Sid also had terrific chemistry with Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson and his friendship with Anthony Jackson as Trevor was on the money too. Throw in a semi-regular role for Carry On favourite Patsy Rowlands and you have one hell of a show! Incidentally, apparently Sid recommended Patsy for the role as his neighbour Betty in Bless This House as he had enjoyed working with her in the Carry On series.

The series also had some excellent writers, including Harry Driver, Vince Powell, Dave Freeman, Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. Driver was a regular contributor to Coronation Street while Dave Freeman worked with the likes of Benny Hill and later wrote Carry On Behind. Lane worked on Bless This House years before her hit comedies Butterflies and Bread. 

So there you have it. Bless This House is a wonderful example of the classic 1970s sitcom that British television used to do so well. It is also a fitting legacy for the tremendous Sidney James. It brought out a side of Sid audiences may have found unfamiliar at the time but it showed once again just what a gifted comedy actor our Sidney was.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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Not Quite A Carry On: Bless This House

I have decided to write about some of the other films Rogers and Thomas made during their prolific careers. Apart from their 31 Carry Ons together, the famous producer/director team also made many other films, particularly during their peak in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I have already blogged about one of my favourites, the sprightly Nurse On Wheels. Now I am going to look at one of their later efforts, Bless This House.

Bless This House, released in 1972, was a big screen spin off feature film of the incredibly popular Thames Television sitcom, starring Sidney James as the family man desperately trying to keep up with his wife and teenage children as the 1970s took hold. Co-starring Diana Coupland, Robin Stewart and Sally Geeson, the series was a ratings smash and probably Sid's most successful small screen outing. It tapped into a more domesticated, relaxed image for Sid and was probably the role most closely aligned to the man himself.

The 1970s saw many sitcoms get the big screen treatment, from Dad's Army and Steptoe and Son to On The Buses and Please Sir, they were all at it. Rogers and Thomas were signed up to capitalise on the immediate success of Bless This House and a film was quickly shot and released in between two Carry Ons, Abroad and Girls. This being the case, Bless This House features a hybrid cast from both these official Carry Ons. It is also interesting as it blends two well known sitcoms together, for moving in next door to Sidney Abbott and family are Terry Scott and June Whitfield, playing the Baines. Scott and Whitfield were already working together on television, however they would begin their own sitcom, Happy Ever After, two years later.

Bless This House fuses together three distinct storylines. One, is the arrival of Sid's new neighbours who he immediately falls out with. Two, the blossoming of a romance between Sid's son and Terry's daughter, causing all kinds of trouble. And three, Sid and Trevor's attempts to make their own booze. So basically what you've got is three sitcom half hours stitched together. Nothing wrong with that really, but for the most part it fails to ignite. I'm not saying it's a bad comedy film, it's just all a bit safe and predictable. Still not too bad for a Sunday afternoon viewing.

While the script might be a bit tired, the cast is terrific. Sid is joined by his television co-stars Diana Coupland, Sally Geeson and Patsy Rowlands (playing next door neighbour Betty). For some reason Betty's husband Trevor, while played by Anthony Jackson for the entire run on television, is played by Carry On regular Peter Butterworth in the film. Not quite sure why this is, but it's always good to see Peter Butterworth and he works well with Sid here. Also missing from the television series is Robin Stewart. For whatever reason, Robin Askwith came on board for the film to bring Sid's son Mike to cinematic life. Askwith would be cast in the next Carry On, Girls, the following year and then would be up and away with the Confessions films. Playing Terry and June's daughter is Carol Hawkins, fresh from Carry On Abroad. Carol of course would return to the Carry On fold three years later for Carry On Behind. 

The supporting cast is littered with familiar faces from the Rogers and Thomas extended Carry On family. We have great cameos from the likes of Bill Maynard, Marianne Stone, Patricia Franklin, Michael Nightingale, Wendy Richard, Molly Weir, Julian Orchard and Frank Thornton. Future Coronation Street regular Johnny Briggs also has a blink and you'll miss it appearance as a tradesman.

Interestingly, Peter Butterworth's real life wife, actress and impressionist Janet Brown, also has a supporting role although sadly I don't think Peter and Janet share any screen time. Also watch out for George A Cooper as a blunt and harassed cafe owner. Cooper would go on to play the janitor in Grange Hill for many years.

The film has loads of slapstick and all the usual cliches. There are domestic squabbles, food fights, and lots of Sid and Terry making fools of themselves while their wives know better. All ends well with a big wedding uniting the two families. If you like easy to watch, undemanding British comedy featuring a host of classy comic performers, Bless This House is definitely for you.

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Remembering Sid

Today marks 39 years since the death of comedy legend Sidney James. It seems unbelievable to me that almost forty years has passed since that sad day. I wasn't even born when Sid left us, but his presence still feels real and constant.

A lot of that feeling we can put down to how often we still enjoy him on television, radio and of course, on film. His incredible work ethic and output of quality work from the late 1940s right up until 1976 has helped a great deal to keep his memory alive. And rightly so.


Sid was a gifted comic actor. A lot of what he did on screen seemed so effortless and easy but achieving that kind of performance, charisma and comic timing was incredibly hard work. The fact he made it look easy just shows what a tremendously gifted actor he was. 

A lot of people today only know Sid for his nineteen starring roles in the Carry On films. Quite a legacy on its own. He was the linch pin of the series, holding everything together with a reassuring presence, turning in assured, confident performances again and again. He started off as the straight figure of authority for the likes of Williams and Connor to bumble around. He progressed to ladies man, a bit of a chancer always chasing characters played by Joan Sims or Barbara Windsor. Later on he brought in more of his family man image and that suited him well for that's what he was.

I loved all Sid's roles in the Carry Ons but he was at his best when partnered on screen with my comedy heroines Hattie Jacques and Joan Sims. It felt right and very believable when Sid and Hattie faced marital strife in Carry On Cabby or squabbled over their budgie in Convenience. Sid and Joan had an irresistible chemistry in so many of the films, sharing laughter that went way beyond performance. They are moments for us all to treasure.

Away from the Carry Ons, Sid starred in countless other brilliant British films from Ealing classics to knock about farces in the early 60s. He popped up in cameo roles up to ten times a year in his prime, quickly becoming an indispensable presence. He found great fame in radio and then television, as part of Tony Hancock's gang of comedy greats. He appeared in many television shows, nearly always as the star of the piece. 

From Citizen James with Liz Fraser and Taxi opposite Bill Owen and Ray Brooks to later successes in George and The Dragon with the formidable Peggy Mount, Two in Clover with Victor Spinetti and finally, Bless This House with the wonderful Diana Coupland. Sid was a constant draw on the small screen for decades. 

I don't want to dwell on the sad end to Sid's life. It, like so many other aspects of the Carry On actors' lives, has been raked over again and again. I want to remember all the happiness and joy he brought to us during his lifetime and has continued to do ever since. That cheeky expression, the twinkle in his eyes, his crinkly, unmistakable face and that laugh! The best laugh in the comedy world! 

So I'll be raising a glass to Sid tonight. A truly great comedy star, still shining bright. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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