Carry On Originals: Jack Smethurst

This is part of a new series of blogs looking back at the stars of the original Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant. 2018 marks 60 years since Sergeant was made and released so what better time to turn the focus on all those brilliant actors who brought our favourite series of comedy films to life? 

I'm continuing today with an actor who became a household name in the 1970s for a legendary situation comedy, Jack Smethurst.

Role in Carry On Sergeant: First Recruit

Other Carry On roles: Sergeant was Jack's very first film role. Sadly he didn't appear in any further Carry Ons although he did play a Sailor in Watch Your Stern in 1960, produced by Peter Rogers and directed by Gerald Thomas.

Other notable film performances: Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) as a Waiter; A Kind of Loving (1962) as Conroy; Please Sir! (1971) as Bus Driver; For the Love of Ada (1972) as Leslie Pollitt; Man About The House (1974) as himself and Chariots of Fire (1981) as a Sleeping Car Attendant.

Best remembered for: Jack Smethurst is best remembered for his long running role as "socialist bigot" Eddie Booth in the Thames Television comedy series Love Thy Neighbour. The show ran to 54 episodes a feature film between 1972 and 1976.

Did you know?: Jack appeared in four different roles in ITV soap Coronation Street between 1961 and 2001. He played a drayman in 1961; an out of work man who conned Elsie Tanner in 1967; a bin man friend of Eddie Yeats who appeared for three years in the early 1980s and finally as an allotment keeper during the summer of 2001.

What happened to him?: Jack is thankfully still with us at the age of 86. 

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