In the late 1970s Fenella Fielding, Queen of Carry On Screaming, was appearing in a play in Edinburgh. What an opportunity thought the Cumbernauld Development Corporation! What followed could probably have only happened in the 1970s...
Cumbernauld was one of a spate of "New Towns" developing in Scotland in the 60s and 70s. They were a dream for imaginative town planners and an answer to traditional overcrowding and poor housing stock in Scotland's built up areas. Many decades on, the towns are still flourishing even if the penchant for concrete isn't quite to the taste of everyone.
Fenella was asked to star in a film which basically showed off the sparkling new town of Cumbernauld. The bonkers plot of the film sees Miss Fielding play an evil Bond type villain intent on taking control of Cumbernauld. It's glorious but probably for all the wrong reasons!
I first became aware of this strange turn of events when reading an interview with Fenella in a national newspaper. Although she spoke fondly of the experience she did confess she's never been back to Cumbernauld. What a shame, I'm sure she would be given a very warm welcome!
The Scottish Screen Archive have thankfully made this gem available online. You can view it here
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