Butterworth Carries On … as Simpson!

A couple of years back I started a regular series of blogs which profiled each of Joan Sims' fabulous 24 Carry On roles. I enjoyed giving each performance a turn in the spotlight so once I completed the mammoth task of writing about everything from Nurse Stella Dawson to Mrs Dangle, I went on to blog about all of Hattie Jacques' roles in the series and then those portrayed by Dame Barbara Windsor.

More recently I have carried out the same task for two of Carry Ons' unsung heroes - Kenneth Connor and Bernard Bresslaw. Now I will turn my attentions to all sixteen of Peter Butterworth's delightful supporting turns in the Carry On series. Peter, along with Sid James and Joan Sims, has long been one of my very favourite comedy actors and favourite members of the Carry On troupe. Sadly, Peter has received scant attention from the wider press, with only diehard fans really giving his acting talent the praise it so rightly deserves.

Peter joined the Carry On team in 1965 for Carry On Cowboy and remained a loyal servant to the series pretty much right through until the end of the original series in 1978. He was also a frequent contributor to many of the team's small screen outings and appeared alongside Sid James, Barbara Windsor and several others in the Carry On London stage farce in the early 1970s. He never put a foot wrong and was the master scene stealer. 2019 marks not only one hundred years since Peter's birth but also, sadly, forty years since he passed away. It therefore seems fitting to devote some blogging time to his wonderful performances.

Follow on from my first blogs in this series on Peter's roles in Carry On Cowboy, Screaming and Don't Lose Your Head today I'm looking at his performance as the supportive butler and perpetual scene stealer (once again) in Carry On … Follow That Camel.

Follow That Camel was the second film in a row in the series to be released originally without the Carry On … suffix. The Rank Organisation, while keen to release Peter Rogers' successful comedies, were still less than enthused with being linked to a series so associated with another distributor. This foreign legion comedy saw other changes too. Leading man Sid James was out of the series following a heart attack and with Rank keen to boost ticket sales in the United States, international guest star Phil Silvers was drafted in to play Sergeant Nocker. The legendary star of Bilko created much publicity however the jury is out as to just how successful his brand of comedy jelled with the Carry Ons.

Elsewhere it was business as usual, with regulars Jim Dale, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey all taking major roles in the film. Angela Douglas has probably her best part in the series as Lady Jane Ponsonby; Anita Harris makes her series debut as Cork Tip and Joan Sims pops up for an eye catching cameo as bar owner Zig Zig. Although limited in screen time, Joan makes quite an impression as the busty, earthy character! So what of Peter Butterworth?

Well Peter is quite simply one of the highlights of the film. Camel is a workhorse of a Carry On picture, it's neither a classic or a total write off, but the absence of Sid James and the out of place performance by international guest star Phil Silvers takes things in the wrong direction. I love Phil Silvers as Bilko but it just doesn't work surrounded by the most English of English eccentrics, the Carry On team. Everyone else gives it their best but the film misses  the usual down to earth tour de force only Sid could provide. For me, the partnership of Jim Dale and Peter Butterworth is the driving force of Follow That Camel, the pair are simply superb together. As with nearly all of his outings in the series, Peter excels as second in command, the funny man in a double act and the irrepressible scene stealer. 

While Jim is on fine form as the handsome hero Bo West, Peter is his ever loyal butler Simpson, refusing to let his Lord and Master suffer through life in the Foreign Legion by himself. After Bo apparently disgraces himself on the cricket pitch, he takes off from England's green and pleasant land, leaving his love Lady Jane behind. Once signed up, West and Simpson's English ways clash bitterly with the French Foreign Legion and Silvers' Sergeant Knocker! Peter is the perfect English gentleman, ably supporting Jim's upper class hero and the pair make for a deliciously comic duo - typical English eccentrics abroad.

There is plenty of opportunity for Peter to exploit the comedy in each situation to the max. The scenes at Joan Sims' Cafe Zig Zig are a joy, particularly once Anita Harris appears as the sultry Cork Tip. As she dances and cavorts, Peter's reaction shots are sublime. He really does make the most of every opportunity. Jim and Peter obviously got on splendidly well and it amazes me that they both managed to keep a straight face. Of course, this being a Carry On, someone ends up in drag and once again it's Butterworth. Following on from his super turn in woman's attire in Carry On Screaming, Peter drags up rather unconvincingly again here in Camel as one of Abdul's harem girls! 

The resultant scene of Abdul chasing Simpson around the tent is all shadows and hilarious commentary from Peter. A total professional and veteran of countless pantos and reviews, Peter embraced these scenes for all they were worth and really relished the comedy in dragging up so preposterously. While a good deal of Camel leaves a lot to be desired, the action immediately picks up when Peter and Jim appear together on screen. Once again hovering down the cast list and not even grabbing a 'starring' role, Peter steals so many scenes and four films into his run, clearly makes himself indispensable to Peter Rogers Productions. 

So far Peter had only appeared in historical, costume Carry On epics. The next film would see him in a much more contemporary setting as the series returned to the hospital wards for Carry On Doctor. In a cast bulging with series regulars and a big name guest star, Peter received less screen time than in previous films but still made his mark as we'll see in my next blog.

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Remembering John Bluthal

As reported yesterday, the actor John Bluthal very sadly passed away at the age of 89 on 15 November. John was a very interesting actor who lived a very interesting life and appeared in all manner of productions during a long and successful career. Probably best remembered  to modern audiences as Frank Pickle in the Dawn French BBC comedy, The Vicar of Dibley from the 1990s, Bluthal had a career on stage and screen dating back to the 1950s and he was still working earlier this year.

I remember being somewhat surprised to see a familiar British comedy face in the 2016 big budget Hollywood film, Hail Caesar, which starred none other than George Clooney. Yes, John was there, aged 85, playing Professor Marcuse in the Coen Brothers' epic. I shouldn't have been surprised as John's career included working with the very best, wherever they happened to be. Born in Poland in August 1929, the young John relocated to Australia in 1938, as Europe stood on the ominous brink of war. Growing up in Australia, it was here John made his first steps towards life as an actor. He would continue to appear on stage, television and film in Australia throughout his career and spent much of his time there.

Indeed one of his earliest links to Britain was founded in Australia when he first worked with Spike Milligan, who would become a regular co-star, on the 1958 television special The Gladys Half Hour. Once settled in Britain, John would go on to work with Spike on television and radio, probably most famously on Spike's show, Q. 

On stage, John Bluthal was active as soon as he arrived in the UK. He played Fagin in Oliver!, replacing Ron Moody in 1960. He also worked a great deal at the National Theatre in London. John appeared in such productions as The Taming of the Shrew, The Winter's Tale,  The Tempest and Peter Hall's Antony and Cleopatra, which starred Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench. 

Of course John also became a familiar face on the big screen as I've already mentioned. There were three supporting roles in the Carry Ons of course - he first joined the series in 1964 when he played the Head Waiter at the Cafe Mozart in Carry On Spying. John, known for his amazing range of voices, also dubbed Judith Furse's performance as the fiendish Dr Crow. Three years later John played Corporal Clotski, second in command to Phil Silvers in Follow That Camel. And finally, Bluthal had an uncredited cameo as the Royal Tailor in the 1970 film Carry On Henry. Bluthal also made small appearances in two of Betty Box's Doctor films - see if you can spot him in Doctor in Distress (1963) and Doctor in Trouble (1970). 

John teamed up with his Camel co-star Phil Silvers once more, in the 1967 musical comedy film, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, which also featured Peter Butterworth. And in 1973 he played Jerry in the Jim Dale/Angela Douglas children's film adventure, Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World. Other films included The Beatles' film Help (1965), Casino Royale (1967), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), Superman III (1983), Labyrinth (1987), The Fifth Element (1997) and Love's Brother (2004). 

On the small screen, one of Bluthal's earliest roles in the UK was in the 1960 series CItizen James. He appeared in five episodes as Charlie, alongside Sid James and Liz Fraser. He went on to appear with Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques in their BBC sitcom, Sykes And A … in 1961, starring in the episode Sykes And A … Bath. He returned the same year for Sykes And A …Mission and also appeared in the colour series in 1974. Also in 1961, John appeared alongside Tony Hancock in The Radio Ham in the TV series, Hancock. Other appearances included guest spots on a whole host of series such as The Avengers, Bergerac, The Saint, 'Allo 'Allo, Minder and Inspector Morse. Probably his best remembered role from his early television work was as Manny Cohen, the Jewish tailor in the long running ITV sitcom Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width. A total of 40 episodes were made between 1967 and 1971. It even led to a film spin off in 1973. 

Bluthal found a new level of fame as Frank Pickle in the Dawn French ensemble comedy The Vicar of Dibley, which ran on BBC1 between 1994 and 1998, returning for a whole host of specials right up to 2013. The cast featured the likes of Gary Waldhorn, Trevor Peacock and Liz Smith. Bluthal appeared in all twenty episodes. French paid a warm, loving tribute to John on Twitter yesterday, remembering all their happy times together on set. John continued to act until earlier this year, with recent appearances including the already mentioned Hail, Caesar, a film called Jungle, starring Daniel Radcliffe, released last year and his final work, a short film called By Any Other Name.

Rather touchingly, John's final appearance saw him working with his daughter, Lisa. By Any Other Name is a whimsical take on an old man's life with Alzheimer's Disease, and how his daughter copes with his illness, by singing songs from musical theatre. John plays Bernie Berman and his daughter Lisa plays his screen daughter Rose. Lisa also wrote and directed the film. 

We have seen several well loved actors with Carry On connections leave the stage this year, from Bill Maynard and Peter Byrne to Liz Fraser, Fenella Fielding and now John Bluthal. It's always extremely sad to lose another link to past glories and we all cherish their many fantastic performances over the years. The one comforting thing about all these names is that they lived, without exception, long and full lives. Yes, we are sad they are gone, but thankfully we have many wonderful films and television shows to remember them by.

Rest in peace John Bluthal. 

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Watch: Phil Silvers Rare Interview from 1974

I have been trawling the BBC South Today archives of late and they have turned up quite a number of classic, little seen interviews with some of our favourite Carry On favourites. So far I have brought you clips of Kenneth Williams, Terry Scott, Harry H Corbett, Jack Douglas and Warren Mitchell. And today it's the turn of that most American of Carry On guest stars, Phil Silvers.

The clip comes from an interview Phil gave back in 1974, several years after his one and only Carry On appearance. The actor and comedian, best known for his 1950s success in American television as Sergeant Bilko, spent six weeks in the Spring of 1967 working with the Carry On team at Pinewood Studios. His role as Sergeant Knocker in Follow That Camel saw Phil appear alongside series favourites such as Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey and Bernard Bresslaw. 

Phil also, along with Elke Sommer, remains the highest paid actor ever to appear in a Carry On. While I love his Sergeant Bilko and think he gives a fun performance in Camel, I'm not quite sure the addition of Silvers really did set the Carry On team on fire on the other side of the Atlantic, as the Rank Organisation had hoped.


Anyway the clip, which hasn't been seen since it was recorded back in 1974, can be viewed right here 

I hope you enjoy it! 

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Bernie Carries On … As Abdul Abulbul

Over the past year I have written a series of blogs covering each of the roles of some of our favourite Carry On stars. I began my looking back at each film role played by the three leading ladies in the series - Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor - and most recently I've written about all of Kenneth Connor's Carry On performances in the run up to the great man's centenary. 

Today I am beginning a new strand of this series by turning the spotlight on that gentle giant of British comedy, the late Bernard Bresslaw. Probably one of the most under-rated actors in the main team, Bernard was a part of the series for ten years and fourteen films, tackling a superb range of crumbling villains and delightfully dimwitted foils to the likes of Sid James and Kenneth Cope. Bernard enjoyed a long career away from the Carry Ons and spent much of his later life wowing audiences in legitimate theatre. However he will forever to remembered for his clutch of hilarious Carry On supporting turns. 

Bernard joined the Carry On team in the mid 1960s and along with Peter Butterworth was the last main team member to join the gang. Along with Butterworth, Bernard played a series of smaller, supporting roles to begin with before graduating to major roles towards the end of the decade. Bernard fitted in effortlessly with the rest of the team and he's the kind of actor who is working hard but making it look oh so easy. A quiet, erudite, thoughtful family man away from the film studios, I often think Bresslaw has never received the credit he's due as like Connor and Butterworth, he didn't ever seek the limelight or splash his life over the front pages.

So today, we'll continue this new series looking at Bernard's role as Sheikh Abdul Abulbul in his third Carry On, the period costume epic, Follow That Camel in 1967.

Follow That Camel was the second film in a row in the series to be released originally without the Carry On … suffix. The Rank Organisation, while keen to release Peter Rogers' successful comedies, were still less than enthused with being linked to a series so associated with another distributor. This foreign legion comedy saw other changes too. Leading man Sid James was out of the series following a heart attack and with Rank keen to boost ticket sales in the United States, international guest star Phil Silvers was drafted in to play Sergeant Nocker. The legendary star of Bilko created much publicity however the jury is out as to just how successful his brand of comedy jelled with the Carry Ons.

Elsewhere it was business as usual, with regulars Jim Dale, Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey all taking major roles in the film. Angela Douglas has probably her best part in the series as Lady Jane Ponsonby; Anita Harris makes her series debut as Cork Tip and Joan Sims pops up for an eye catching cameo as bar owner Zig Zig. Although limited in screen time, Joan makes quite an impression as the busty, earthy character! So what of Bernard Bresslaw?

As Abdul, Bresslaw tackles his first in a run of towering, fearsome villain parts in the series. Bernard pops up throughout the action and is the major thorn in the side of the legion. In league with the beguiling Cork Tip, he plots to drive the soldiers out of town and will apparently stop at nothing to do so! Abdul comes across Lady Jane, who has travelled from England to make amends with Jim Dale's Bo West. Quickly falling for her innocent charms, Abdul kidnaps Lady Jane and adds her to his bulging harem out in the middle of the desert and plans to marry her. 

Silvers and Dale are also kidnapped by Abdul after being lured to the home of Cork Tip. Peter Butterworth comes into his own here, following them all out to Abdul's camp. There are wonderful scenes of Bresslaw duelling funny lines opposite Silvers and Dale here and the script really comes alive. Bernard really does show that being a comedy villain is one of the best parts an actor could hope for and this performance comes straight out of pantomime!

Even though Abdul is defeated in the end by the plucky Brits (Dale, Butterworth and Douglas) he does get the last laugh right at the end of the film. Back in Blighty, Bo and Lady Jane and enjoying a game of cricket on the lawn and up pops Abdul with a classic last line, his flowing robes replaced with cricket whites! While Follow That Camel may not have been the best film in the series, there's no doubt that it helped establish Bernard Bresslaw as a vital component of the team.

So that's my thoughts on Bernard's fearsome performance in Follow That Camel. Stay tuned for my next blog in this series, as I look back at Bernard's lovestruck Ken Biddle as the Carry Ons return to the hospital wards in Carry On Doctor! 

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On This Day ... 23 June 1967

 

On this day in 1967 filming was completed on the fourteenth Carry On film, Follow That Camel. An epic production filmed both at Pinewood Studios and the glamorous location of, erm, Camber Sands, this foreign legion comedy divided fans then and now as it was released without the Carry On title and featured an unusual and high profile American guest star.

While never in my top ten of favourite Carry Ons, it still has it's moments. To celebrate 49 years since filming wrapped, here are five reasons why I love Carry On Follow That Camel!

 

1. Follow That Camel sees a delightful comedy partnership develop between two of my favourite Carry On stars - Jim Dale and Peter Butterworth. Jim was a main player in the team by 1967 and this film provides another excellent showcase for his brilliant comic timing and masterful physicality. As a bonus, Camel also gives Peter Butterworth some of his best screen time in the series, bagging a major role and providing Jim with some terrific and scene stealing support.

2. Angela Douglas. Always a high point in these 1960s costume Carry On capers, her role as Lady Jane Ponsonby is one of her best. I love her cut glass upper class accent and her timing is perfect. She is wonderful as the archetypal English rose and as usual, her chemistry with Jim Dale is sublime.

 

3. The wonderful cafe owner Zig Zig provides Joan Sims with a tremendously earthy, raunchy cameo. Sadly restricted to just a few scenes, Joan grabs every opportunity to make her mark and does a terrific job. "I have a good ass, no?"

4. Follow That Camel saw the Carry On debut of valuable supporting actor Julian Holloway. Julian pops up as a very cheeky train inspector who offers to punch Lady Jane's ticket! This brief cameo would lead to seven further appearances in the series for Julian, who at one point looked like taking over from Jim Dale as the series' romantic lead.

5.  Another Carry On debut in this film came from singer and star of countless musicals, Anita Harris. Anita played the gloriously named duplicitous belly dancer Cork Tip (!) and delivered a terrific performance as the sultry Egyptian! I can easily see why Anita was asked back for a bigger role in the next film, Carry On Doctor.

 

So there you have it, five reasons why I love Follow That Camel. To celebrate 49 years since the film was finished, why not pop on the DVD tonight and enjoy some top quality comedy performances from Jim, Peter and the rest of the gang.

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Joan carries on ... as Zig Zig

 

This blog is part of a new regular series on Carry On Blogging. I'm going to attempt to blog about each of Joan Sims' wonderful roles in the Carry On films. Joan was the most prolific of all the actresses involved in the series, clocking up 24 films. Indeed, only Kenneth Williams made more Carry Ons. 

Today I am going to write about one of Joan's smallest roles in a Carry On film, but one of my very favourites. In the spring of 1967 Joan filmed what pretty much amounted to a cameo role in Carry On Follow That Camel, that of bar owner Zig ZIg. This role is an absolute joy and so unlike many of Joan's other roles in the series. The actress herself commented in her autobiography how much she enjoyed playing the sultry character but at the same time felt a bit left out of the fun as she was restricted to just a few scenes and didn't get to go on location to Camber Sands with the rest of the team.

Nevertheless, what she achieves with such little screen time is remarkable. Joan is sexy, dangerous, knowing and all-powerful. She is complete control and obviously dominates all the men she comes into contact with. It is terrific stuff and she oozes sex appeal. We first meet Zig Zig when Jim Dale and Peter Butterworth come looking for the foreign legion camp. She is entertaining Phil Silvers' Sergeant Knocker at the time and the pair exchange delightfully ribald dialogue.

 

We next see Zig Zig as she accompanies Knocker back to his barracks. As she leaves him, walking her donkey away, Joan is given the immortal line "I have a good ass, no?" Perfectly delivered, Joan squeezes every last drop of comedy out of the situation and it is sublime. She really does steal scenes from the likes of Phil Silvers and it is a joy to watch. Zig Zig is very much a man's woman which becomes evident when Anita Harris comes on the scene as exotic belly dancer Cork Tip. Zig Zig is obviously put out by her younger, nubile rival and spits her animosity from the bar. Cracking stuff!

Sadly we don't get much more of Joan in this film. She does however have one final, brilliant scene opposite the wonderful Kenneth Williams as Commandant Burger. Zig Zig has been called in to give evidence on the whereabouts of Sergeant Knocker who is absent without leave. During a brief scene, Joan dazzles with her raunchy, raw performance culminating in a rather lewd proposition for Williams' Burger! It doesn't get much better than this!

 

Perhaps the character of Zig Zig was so strong that she couldn't feature any more prominently in Follow That Camel. It is still one of my favourite performances from Joan and the actress clearly relishes it. When you consider how different this part is from the likes of the shrewish Emily Bung in Screaming and the mousy, hard of hearing Chloe Gibson in the next film, Carry On Doctor, it demonstrates just what an accomplished and versatile comedy actress Joan Sims was. 

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Carry On Faces of 1967

This is part of a new series of blogs on Carry On Blogging. I plan to blog each year of Carry On, featuring photos of the most prolific actors for each year. Hopefully it will provide an interesting overview of the changing face of Carry On during the series' original mammoth twenty year run. 

It will turn the spotlight on the familiar faces who endured over the decades as well as those artists who came and went along the way. We are continuing today with 1967. Two films were produced that year, first of all Follow That Camel, a foreign legion romp in the spring and then it was back to medical matters for Carry On Doctor in the autumn of the same year.

Pictured above we have the most prolific actors to appear in 1967. They are as follows: Kenneth Williams as Dr Tinkle in Doctor; Jim Dale as Dr Kilmore in Doctor; Bernard Bresslaw pictured above as Abdul Abulbul in Follow That Camel; Joan Sims as Zig Zig in Follow That Camel; Peter Butterworth as Simpson in Follow That Camel; Anita Harris pictured as Nurse Clarke in Doctor; Charles Hawtrey as Mr Baron in Doctor; Frankie Howerd as Francis Bigger in Doctor and finally, Phil Silvers as Sergeant Knocker in Follow That Camel.

Of those featured above, only two actors (Williams and Hawtrey) were original cast members from the very first film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958. Original cast member Hattie Jacques returned to the series after four years to play Matron in Doctor but does not feature here. Williams, Sims, Hawtrey, Dale, Butterworth, Harris and Bresslaw all appeared in both films produced in 1967.

Following the success of Harry H Corbett's guest starring role in Screaming the previous year, 1967 saw the Carry Ons recruit two iconic comedians. Frankie Howerd made the first of two Carry On appearances as the dubious faith healer Francis Bigger in Doctor while American star Phil Silvers gave us a variation of his classic character Bilko in Follow That Camel.

Following several absences, regular Carry On faces Sid James, Hattie Jacques and Barbara Windsor all returned to the films in 1967. As mentioned, Hattie took on the role of Matron in Doctor after Joan Sims turned in down in favour of her lifelong friend. Sid James returned for a supporting role spent mainly in bed in Doctor. The actor had suffered a heart attack and although still recovering, was keen to be involved in the film. Barbara Windsor returned to the Carry Ons three years after her debut in Spying for her iconic role as Nurse May in Doctor. 

Stay tuned for the Carry On Faces of 1968 coming up soon!

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My Favourite Scene: Carry On Follow That Camel

I have been running a series of blogs which aim to find my favourite scenes in each of the original thirty Carry On films. Today I am going to write about the Foreign Legion comedy from 1967, Carry On Follow That Camel.

Follow That Camel is an odd one. It's never been one of my favourites although it still has a lot going for it. I adore Angela Douglas in full English rose mode as Lady Jane Ponsonby. Peter Butterworth and Jim Dale make a great double act - a good amount of screen time for Peter and Jim is at his dynamic, physical best throughout. Bernard Bresslaw turns in a terrific performance as the villain of the piece while Anita Harris dazzles as the belly dancing Cork Tip. 

Unfortunately though, guest starring Phil Silvers just doesn't fit in. Whatever the reason for his appearance in this film (probably Rank trying to sell the film to the Americans) his style just jars with the rest of this very British film. I love Silvers' classic role as Sergeant Bilko on American television but somehow it doesn't translate to the world of Pinewood Studios and Camber Sands.

My favourite scene was difficult to choose as nothing really stood out when I thought about it. However I decided it simply must feature one of the true stars of the film - Joan Sims. Joan has a relatively minor supporting turn in Camel, restricted to a few scenes and never really becoming involved in the main action. Sims plays ZIg Zig, the local cafe owner who is having an affair with Phil's Sergeant Nocker. It is a stunning character performance from Sims, once again showing her amazing versatility. It's a wonderfully earthy, sexy role for an actress who had most recently played the nagging Emily Bung in Screaming and the screechy cockney-voiced Madame Desiree in Don't Lose Your Head. 

I love her last scene in Camel. ZIg Zig is being questioned by Kenneth Williams' character about Nocker's whereabouts. She gives him the runaround throughout, spitting and throwing away classic lines and earthy looks. As she gets up to leave she makes Williams' an indecent proposal and one he looks like he wants to follow up on! It's true skill for an actress like Sims to make so much out of such a small part. It leaves you wanting more and I wish she'd had a bigger part in the film.

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Anita Harris: The Art of Artists

Thanks to @70sStreetFan on Twitter for drawing my attention to this. Much-loved singer, actress and all-round entertainer Anita Harris will be appearing on the BBC Radio Two show The Art of Artists this evening.

Anita of course starred in two classic 1960s Carry On films, Follow That Camel and Doctor, both opposite Jim Dale. Away from the Carry Ons, Anita Harris has enjoyed a long career as a singer and star of many musicals and stage plays. This programme will see her interviewed about her long, diverse career as she reminisces about her friendships with the likes of Dusty Springfield, Morecambe and Wise and members of the Carry On team.

Anita will be interviewed by Russell Davies, who many of you will know as the editor of both the Kenneth Williams Diaries and Kenneth Williams Letters.

It's always lovely to hear from Anita so this will definitely be worth a listen. If you miss the original broadcast it will be available on BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards. You can visit the link to the programme here .

The Art of Artists: Anita Harris will be broadcast on BBC Radio Two this evening at 11pm. 

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What's your favourite Joan Sims Carry On character?

There are just so many roles to choose from. Joan Sims has long been my favourite Carry On actor and she is by far the most prolific actress to have been a part of the regular team. Only Kenneth Williams made more Carry Ons than Joan and compared to the other main actresses (Hattie Jacques - 14 appearances; Barbara Windsor - 9 appearances), Joan's mammoth 24 Carry On turns provide a variety and in some cases even depth (for a Carry On at least) that is quite unrivaled.

So which role is her finest? I think we can all agree Joan never turned in a dud performance but what is her definitive role? Her roles decreased in later years - Behind, England and Emmannuelle were pretty much cameos - and sometimes she was saddled with the nagging, shrewish wife part perhaps once too often. Probably my least favourite of Joan's roles was Connie in Carry On Girls - it really gave her nothing to work with but as always, she gave it her all.

So what was your favourite role? Maybe the fiery Zig ZIg in Follow That Camel? Or the bouncy young Miss Sarah Allcock in Carry On Teacher? Or what about Lady Joan Ruff Diamond in the classic Up The Khyber? And then there's Belle in Cowboy...

My own favourite performance from Joan came in 1972's Carry On Abroad. Yes Cora Flange was a nagging wife, but there was much more to the character than that. Sid and Joan were so believable as a middle-aged married couple, whose marriage was crumbling. There was so much shared chemistry on display it almost felt real. You could see Joan behind the bar with Sid - what a double act. Joan could often subtly tug at the heart strings in many of her performances and she does it again in Abroad.

Best of all though are the scenes of shared laughter between Sid and Joan. As i've commented before, it often goes way beyond an acting performance. You could tell they got on, they liked each other and were having a blast. 

So Cora is probably my favourite of Joan's Carry On roles. Her frustration at Sid's potential's philandering, her tentative dalliance with Kenneth Connor's Stanley Blunt and her final, glorious reunion with her husband. What a lady!

So get in touch and tell me what your favourite Joan SIms Carry On role is.

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