Happy Birthday Kenneth Cope!

Happy birthday to the great actor Kenneth Cope who celebrates his 88th birthday today. Kenneth has enjoyed a long and hugely successful acting career dating back to the 1950s which has taken in many high profile roles in popular British television series and films. 

Kenneth first rose to fame in the part of Jed Stone in Coronation Street, a part he played between 1961 and 1966. He starred alongside some of the great original actors in the Granada soap, including Pat Phoenix, Bill Roache, Doris Speed and Violet Carson. Cope returned to the role many years later in 2008 for another stint lasting several months, which proved to be his last acting assignment to date. 

Kenneth went on to appear in the hugely successful BBC series That Was The Week That Was, for David Frost before finding lasting fame as Marty Hopkirk in the cult Sixties series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Playing the dead half of a private detective partnership with Mike Pratt's Randall, the series lasted two years. Soon after, Kenneth was recruited by Peter Rogers for two starring roles in the Carry On series.

First up, Kenneth played irritating union leader Vic Spanner in the 1971 film Carry On At Your Convenience. Blessed with a side kick in Bernard Bresslaw, a love rival in Richard O'Callaghan and a love interest in Jacki Piper, Cope excelled in quite a challenging role. Later that year he was back for a more sympathetic role as Cyril Carter, son of Sid James' character, a small time criminal who sends Cyril under cover, in drag as a student nurse to a local maternity hospital. Kenneth's character falls for Nurse Susan Ball played by Barbara Windsor. 

Sadly Kenneth didn't return to the Carry Ons, but his later career included the films Rentadick and George and Mildred. On the small screen he has played regular character Ray Hilton in Brookside and guest appearances in the likes of Casualty, A Touch of Frost, Doctor Who, Minder, Waking the Dead and The Bill.

Kenneth has been married to actress Reny Lister since they met on the set of Coronation Street in 1961. Together they have three children. 

Whatever Kenneth is up to today, I hope he has a great birthday!


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Guest Blog: Rich & Craig from Sitcom Delights!

I'm delighted to bring yet another guest blog to Carry On Blogging. Rich and Craig are behind the 'Sitcom Delights' Twitter feed and organise events celebrating the very best of classic British comedy. Rich and Craig have both written about what the Carry On films mean to them.

One way or another, "Carry On" has a daily impact on my life. It could be a friend sending me a voice recording of a line from a film which when opened if strolling along in public receive some odd looks when the likes of "I tried it once and didn't like it", "Poor Old Pratt" or "Not the Cross Voice,The Daddy Voice" come roaring out the speaker! It's always a welcome chuckle.Then it could be something completely at the other end of the spectrum, at the moment we are working with the wonderful David Kernan who played Nicholas in Carry On Abroad, David is putting the finishing touches to his autobiography and news of the release date will be coming soon.

I'm sure many will agree that one of the toughest questions a Carry On Fan can be asked is "What is your favourite Carry On Film?" It is pretty much impossible to pick one selection from that amazing franchise. 

So I'll make it easier and give you a top five ( in no particular order! )

Convenience,Abroad,Matron,Dick & Behind.

Matron has become quite special to me as I was privileged to represent the late, great Bill Maynard in the final year of his life. I had some memorable conversations with Bill regarding his time in the Carry Ons. He especially enjoyed playing poker with Sid during breaks in filming!

In "Matron" the performance of the group of crooks - Sid James, Bernard Bresslaw, Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope is truly outstanding along with that sinister piece of music which plays in prelude to some of their scenes. One particular scene, at the table discussing Bus routes is priceless.

Bill was always baffled as to why his name wasn't on the Carry On Matron poster, especially as it was a big supporting role. Unfortunately there's probably nobody around to shed light on that.

Someone who always deserves a special mention is Peter Butterworth. Whether he had a major or minor role in the film he always stood out. The facial expressions, the body language, the delivery of his one liners and I have to single out his performance as Barnes in "Behind". It is so believable that he is an odd job man and hasn't washed in god knows when!!

There is nothing like Carry On. It has captured the hearts of generations. Here we are sixty years later and still absolutely mad about it. On that fact, you have to tip your hat to the writers and cast. We are still hooked.

Hooked so much that we head out to filming locations in the middle of nowhere. Everyone who has done this will tell you how much of a buzz it is,t o walk the same ground those legendary cast members walked. When you're there you feel the goosebumps.

I've a picture somewhere running out the gates of St Mary's Church in Hitcham, Buckinghamshire, a la "Reverend Flasher".

Bonkers? Of Course!

A huge thanks to Graeme for having us as guest bloggers. The work he does keeping the memory of Carry On alive is amazing and everyone appreciates it.

Rich @sitcomdelights 

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Carry On films are like a member of the family. They have been around all of my life. I grew up watching the exploits of comedy legends such as Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Barbara Windsor. 

The franchise was a brainchild of film producer Peter Rogers and he, along with director Gerald Thomas created something very special. A series of films stretching over five decades laced with double entendres, innuendo and saucy postcard humour that today are sadly frowned upon in a politically correct age we live in. However, they still have a cult following across the globe. 

As for which Carry On is my personal favourite, that has changed over the years. Carry On Camping is the one that made its mark on me as a youngster and brought home to me how much I love the films. However one has grown on me to a degree that I would now call it my favourite and that film is Carry On At Your Convenience. It upset many at the time due to it being a direct dig at the unions at a time when trade unions were at their strongest and it bombed at the box office but today it is widely regarded as one of the very best. 

My favourite Carry On moment is a close call with Peter Butterworth as Brother Belcher in Up The Khyber when he loses the plot saying 'Strawberry Mousse' as the residence is under siege in the film's fabulous finale. Also the great delivery of Kenneth Connor in Carry On Abroad as the Spanish police officer makes a gesture to which he replies dryly: 'Damned filth.'

I have now adopted that line in every day life. The Carry Ons continue to make me laugh and always will until I take my last breath. Thank you Graeme for this opportunity to share my love of this great film franchise.

Craig @sitcomdelights

A big thank you to both Rich and Craig for taking the time to write this brilliant guest blog for me. If you would like to have a go, please do get in touch via Twitter or by emailing me at carryonfan15@gmail.com. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Bernie Carries On … As Ernie Bragg

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 continuing 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 Ernie Bragg, a part of Sid James' criminal gang in the 1971 medical comedy cum crime caper, Carry On Matron. 

 

The basic premise of Carry On Matron is an update of previous medical entries (Matron!) The saucy Seventies allowed even more near the knuckle humour and Talbot Rothwell takes full advantage with a script that is part hospital knock about farce and part crime caper. Sid James and his gang of Bernard Bresslaw, Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope plan a Too Many Crooks like heist on Finisham Maternity Hospital to steal a load of morning after pills. To do this, Sid's screen son Cope goes under cover in drag as a student nurse, attracting the dodgy attentions of Terry Scott's amorous Dr Prodd in the process. Scott is at his most lascivious here in his final Carry On role and he plays the part extremely well. 

Away from the crime caper element, the rest of the film sees three Carry On stalwarts camp about the hospital with innuendo-encrusted delight. Joining Jacques is an on form and over the top Kenneth Williams as Sir Bernard Cutting and Charles Hawtrey in his penultimate role as Dr F.A Goode (!). Although Charles is criminally underused in the film, he does have some priceless moments with Williams during the "newts" sequence and again with Hattie with all the comic misunderstandings as they sit down to watch television together in her room. The appearance of Hawtrey, however brief, could lift any script and this would be proved again and again once he had left the series in 1972.

So what about Bernard's role in the film? Once again Bernie is very much a supporting player but his acting prowess and flair for comedy keep him front and centre. While the medical mayhem of Williams, Hawtrey and Jacques take centre stage and Kenneth Cope's brilliantly innocent criminal in drag proves wonderfully eye-catching and sympathetic, we mustn't overlook Bresslaw's superlative turn as the ultimate dim-witted crook. In many ways Bernie is playing an updated version of the character he played in the already mentioned Too Many Crooks, a classic of its kind. He blends elements of that performance with his stock in trade Army Game simpleton and Ernie Bragg is always one step behind the rest of the gang.

Once you get past the ridiculous sight of Bernard's long flowing wig (!) it's straight down to business as he plants himself in the back of Sid's car alongside Bill Maynard as they survey the object of their criminal affections - the Finisham Maternity Hospital. One wonders why Ernie is part of Sid's gang as he contributes very little and sticks out a country mile but as always, Bernard's height is used to great advantage, particularly in a prolonged appearance in drag towards the end of the film. I love Bernard's reaction to Kenneth Cope's first appearance in nurses' uniform and trendy 70s lady wig. He quite naturally falls under Cyrile Carter's spell, despite the fact Cyril has his trousers on under his skirt and boasts a couple of rather unconvincing fake boobs!

Without a doubt one of the finest sequences in Matron sees Sid, Bernie and Bill Maynard sit down to discuss their plans to break into the hospital. For no specific reason, the whole scene is dominated by a rambling tale about London bus routes that would not have been out of place in a West End revue. It's inspired, slightly surreal stuff and provides a wonderful breather from the madcap farce in the hospital wards. The dialogue between Sid, Bernie and Bill is so natural, so effortless it just raises the entire film up to a different level. My only problem is that we didn't get more of it! 

Bernard's own high point in the film must be his turn in drag as an extremely unconvincing expectant mother who Sid uses to get into Finisham Hospital late at night to steal the birth control pills. Somehow fooling Arthur the security guard, Sid and Bill guide Bernie's dragged up mother to be to the lift, but the only big bang that follows is a load of dynamite which wakes up half the hospital and brings on Mrs Tidey's much delayed labour! What follows is the much anticipated Carry On film finale which sees the entire hospital chase Sid, Bernie and the gang around the hospital corridors. The sight of Bernie, still in drag, a little straw hat atop his female wig and him caringly shielding his fake baby is a joy! 

In the end, Sid's gang are released without charge and with Cyril settling down with Barbara Windsor's Nurse Ball, Sid plans the next big raid for the remnants of his gang. The idea of going undercover in a nudist camp is step too far though and the last shot of the film sees a speeded up Bernie and Bill taking flight and running for the hills! 


So those are my thoughts on Bernard's role in Carry On Matron. Stay tuned for my next blog in this series, as I look back at Bernard's role in the classic Carry On Abroad!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Two Classic Carry Ons on TV this week!

You'll be pleased to know the schedulers have popped two classic Carry Ons into the televisual line up for the week ahead. So without further ado, set your videos (or whatever it is you have these days) for these two wonderful British comedy films.

Wednesday 5 September, 16.50, Film 4:

Carry On Spying (1964)

One of the most under-appreciated of all the Carry Ons (in my view) Carry On Spying was the last in the series to be shot in black and white and the first to star none other than Barbara Windsor. The black and white film makes everything look gorgeous and the film is in part a tribute to The Third Man, a classic Gerald Thomas worked on as an editor. The main subject of Spying however is a pastiche of the James Bond films. Spying was released the same year as the mega-hit Goldfinger and while both series shared Pinewood Studios, they couldn't have been more different. Brilliant performances from Barbara, Bernard Cribbins, Charles Hawtrey and Kenneth Williams in full on Snide mode. Jim Dale proves himself as a suave spy while the bickering Eric Barker and Richard Wattis provide peerless character actor support. Also look out for the gorgeous Dilys Laye in a wonderful supporting role as a glamorous double crossing spy who can't half sing a bit! Lovely stuff.

Saturday 8 September, 15.10, ITV3:

Carry On Matron (1971)

The last film in the series with a medical theme, Matron is pretty much a homage to Hattie Jacques and her wonderful character. This film, set in a maternity hospital - naturally, presents a softer, kinder Matron and Hattie looks splendid throughout. Much of the film feels like a tribute to the earlier classic Too Many Crooks, a crime caper which also stars Bernard Bresslaw and Sid James. Matron sees Sid and Bernard team up with Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope to rob the Finisham Maternity Hospital of its stash of the pill. Mayhem ensues with Cope going undercover in drag as a student nurse. Lovely supporting turns from Joan Sims as an expectant mother and Kenneth Connor as the ever-anxious father to be. With the hospital staff including Charles Hawtrey, Terry Scott and Kenneth Williams, what could possibly go wrong?

Hope you enjoy these classic treats in the week ahead! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Happy Birthday Madeline Smith!

 

Many happy returns to the delightful Madeline Smith who celebrates her birthday today. Madeline is probably best remembered for her roles in the James Bond film, Live and Let Die and Carry On Matron although she has a wide, diverse career dating back to the late 1960s.

Starting out as a model at the Lucie Clayton School of Modelling, Madeline worked at the legendary Biba fashion boutique in Kensington before being spotted for her first film part. Several starring roles in Hammer Horror films followed before Madeline found her niche in comedy. Over the years she has appeared with the likes of Frankie Howerd, The Two Ronnies and Leslie Phillips. On stage and in film Madeline has worked with legends such as Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Sir Alec Guinness.   

These days Madeline is a very welcome presence at fan conventions and special screenings of some of her wonderful films. An engaging, warm and friendly person, I had the great pleasure of meeting Maddie at a talk she gave about her career last year. You can read about that here 

 

I also interviewed Madeline last year - you can read that again here 

Whatever Maddie is up to today, I hope she has a lovely birthday. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carry On Nurse! Celebrating 70 years of the NHS

It's been all over the news for a while and rightly so. Today marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the National Health Service. Normally you can't mention the NHS without the conversation turning achingly political but we're going to keep it nice and light on the blog as we commemorate this wonderful milestone.

I listened to a discussion on the radio not long ago about a special BFI season of films looking at how television and film has portrayed the NHS. Well for me, you need look no further than the Carry On films. The Carry Ons have become synonymous with the National Health Service and some of the most famous, best loved films in the series have been set in hospitals. Peter Rogers, lauded producer of the series, once said the hospital comedies were so popular as everyone knows what it's like to be in hospital and it really does help to have a jolly good laugh.

Even now, more than half a century after Hattie Jacques first donned the famous Matron uniform, most newspapers can't resist using an image of the actress alongside articles calling for the return of Matron's discipline. Such is the strength of the Carry On brand and the imagery of Hattie, Kenneth, Barbara and that daffodil. The Carry Ons went behind the scenes and provided a humorous, touching and affectionate take on the health service which was never cruel or mocking. Thankfully they didn't go down to the gory Casualty route and medical procedures were relatively few and far between, apart from Leslie Phillips' pesky bunion! 

It was writer Norman Hudis who first brought the idea of a medical comedy to the attentions of Peter Rogers. Norman was to produce a script as a follow up to his national service comedy Carry On Sergeant, so why not focus on yet another great British institution? The authentic feel to Carry On Nurse was provided by Norman's wife who was a nurse at the time. She provided some of the best set pieces and Norman gagged it all up gently. 

That first medical Carry On gave us some deliciously seductive nurses in Shirley Eaton, Ann Firbank and Susan Beaumont; Joan Sims as the accident prone junior nurse; fearsome authority in Hattie Jacques and Joan Hickson; a wide range of sneaky, awkward, down to earth patients in the likes of Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Cyril Chamberlain and Charles Hawtrey and some delightful hospital visitors in June Whitfield, Marianne Stone, Jill Ireland and Irene Handl. What a cast!

Almost ten years later Talbot Rothwell brought us a wonderful tribute to Norman's iconic Carry On when Carry On Doctor was released in 1967. A swinging sixties follow up to Nurse, all the familiar stereotypes are present and correct - Kenneth Williams' big headed surgeon, Hattie's bombastic Matron and Jim Dale's kindly, human and put upon doctor. Doctor also gave us Barbara Windsor's iconic Nurse Sandra May, wiggling her bottom and fancying a bit of Peter GIlmore's pear. The patients enjoying or enduring a stay in hospital eventually revolt against the hierarchy, headed by Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Butterworth, Sid James and the amazing guest star Frankie Howerd. It is Frankie's Francis Bigger who is subjected to the resurrection of the delicious Carry On Nurse sight gag involving that infamous daffodil. This time it's not Joan Sims and Wilfrid Hyde White, it's Frankie and the gorgeous nurse Valerie Van Ost. What confidence the series had to be so self-referential!

Two years later, we were Carrying On Again Doctor, which focussed less on the NHS, throwing in a trip to a tropical medical mission and a private weight loss clinic. Despite this, all the familiar characters are there - Jim Dale's handsome yet accident prone doctor (yes, that hospital trolley); Hattie Jacques' as a slightly more kindly Matron and Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey as rather conniving senior doctors. By now the Carry Ons were forever interlinked with the NHS, doctors and nurses. 

The final Carry On with a medical theme came along in 1971 when Talbot Rothwell scripted a tribute to Hattie's iconic character - Carry On Matron. Based around a Too Many Crooks attempt to rob vast quantities of the pill from Finisham Maternity Hospital, much of the action centres around the hospital misfits of Hattie, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey (playing Dr F. A Goode!) Patients are few and far between this time apart from an ongoing side story of Joan Sims' never-ending pregnancy and never-satisfied appetites! Kenneth Connor is amazing as the put upon nervy father to be while the nursing staff are glamorously represented by Jacki Piper, Barbara Windsor again and Kenneth Cope in drag (it's a long story). And who can forget Terry Scott's rather grim, grotty Dr Prodd. An aptly named character if ever there was one.

Hospitals did feature in other Carry Ons, albeit to a lesser degree. In 1960 there was an extended sequence set in a hospital during Carry On Regardless. This involved Helping Hands boss Bert Handy (Sid James) being involved in a case of mistaken identity which caused much chaos in the wards. In a throwback to Nurse, Joan Hickson and Hattie Jacques were both present although this time Joan was the Matron and Hattie the Sister. June Jago is also there as a nurse, six years before she played Hattie's rather duplicitous Sister in Carry On Doctor. And in Carry On Loving ten years on from Regardless (indeed Loving was a modern tribute to the content and form of Regardless) we again return to the wards as Richard O'Callaghan's Bertie is knocked on the bonce by Bernard Bresslaw's Gripper Burke. When Jacki Piper goes hospital visiting Eric Rogers even resurrects his incidental music from Carry On Doctor. I just loved when the Carry Ons provided nods to the past.

The Carry Ons have become a part of British life. In many ways they presented a view of a Britain which never really existed. It was an inflated, stereotypical version of our beloved country, packed full of eccentrics. The series' treatment of the National Health Service was also far from reality - all jolly high jinks, sexy nurses and outlandish Matrons. True some of the stories stemmed from real events but us fans are happy with the Carry Ons staying clear of proper reality. I think we should be ever so proud of the Carry Ons' regular NHS tributes as that's what they were - affectionate, warm and full of appreciation. 

Happy 70th birthday to the NHS. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Classic Horror Nights with Madeline Smith!

The delightful Madeline Smith, a good friend to this blog, will be appearing at a special screening of one of best remembered horror films next June. The Colchester Arts Centre will be showing the 1974 film Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell on 7th June.

Starring the legendary Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Shane Briant as Dr Simon Helder, Madeline co-stars in the role of Sarah "Angel" Klauss. There are reliable supporting turns from the likes of Norman Mitchell, Sydney Bromley and Michael Ward, all familiar Carry On faces. Also look out for David Prowse, playing the monster for the second time on screen. The film was directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Roy Skeggs for Hammer films.

The film will be followed by a special Question and Answer session with Madeline herself, as she discusses the making of the film, her co-stars and her wider career. I know from experience just what a warm, delightful and eloquent person Madeline is so it is bound to be a lively and thoroughly entertaining evening. 

Madeline is best known to comedy fans for her appearances alongside the late great Frankie Howerd on film and television as well as her role as Mrs Pullitt in Carry On Matron. Other film roles have included Theatre of Blood, The Vampire Lovers and the James Bond epic, Live and Let Die. On the small screen Madeline has appeared in the likes of The Persuaders, The Two Ronnies and All Creatures Great and Small. 

Doors open at 7pm with the film beginning at 7.30. And the rule at the door is "pay what you can afford" which I think is lovely. 

I interviewed Madeline for the blog back in September 2016 and you can read that here

And last June I attended a special illustrated talk from Madeline on her life and career and you can read all about that here

Find out more about this special evening and about the Colchester Arts Centre here



You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Connor Carries On ... As Mr Tidey!

 

Next June will mark Kenneth Connor's centenary. This feels like the right time to celebrate the man's legacy and what better a legacy that his seventeen glorious performances in the Carry On films. As I've already done with the three main leading ladies of the series, I plan to embark on a series of blogs profiling each of Kenneth's roles in the Carry Ons, giving my own take on his contributions.

Kenneth is another one of those actors who worked steadily, prolifically and across all mediums throughout his career. From his very early days in film before the outbreak of World War Two, through the 1950s which saw him become an integral part of British radio comedy to the Carry Ons and his unforgettable roles in several 1980s sitcoms, Connor was an incredibly gifted actor. He worked right up until his death at the age of 75 in November 1993. However unlike Sid, Kenneth Williams or Barbara Windsor, I feel that Connor never really got the credit he deserved. He didn't have an outrageous private life, no scandals to be told. He shunned the limelight and his many performances as the ordinary man in the street mirrored his own life away from the cameras. 


Kenneth was also one of the precious few actors who's career spanned pretty much the entire run of the Carry Ons. He was there at the very beginning in Carry On Sergeant and, a five year gap in the mind 1960s aside, remained loyal to the films until the very end of the original run in 1978. Connor, along with Williams and Eric Barker were the only actors to appear in the very first and the very last of the series. Kenneth was still around when Columbus was made in 1992 but declined to take part, probably very wisely. This new series of blogs will be a celebration of all those wonderful comedy performances in the Carry Ons - from bumbling romantic lead through to crumbling character parts, Kenneth could play them all.

So let's continue with Kenneth's eleventh role in the series, as Mr Tidey in the 1971 film, Carry On Matron!

 

The basic premise of Carry On Matron is an update of previous medical entries (Matron!) The saucy Seventies allowed even more near the knuckle humour and Talbot Rothwell takes full advantage with a script that is part hospital knock about farce and part crime caper. Sid James and his gang of Bernard Bresslaw, Bill Maynard and Kenneth Cope plan a Too Many Crooks like heist on Finisham Maternity Hospital to steal a load of morning after pills. To do this, Sid's screen son Cope goes under cover in drag as a student nurse, attracting the dodgy attentions of Terry Scott's amorous Dr Prodd in the process. Scott is at his most lascivious here in his final Carry On role and he plays the part extremely well. 


Away from the crime caper element, the rest of the film sees three Carry On stalwarts camp about the hospital with innuendo-encrusted delight. Joining Jacques is an on form and over the top Kenneth Williams as Sir Bernard Cutting and Charles Hawtrey in his penultimate role as Dr F.A Goode (!). Although Charles is criminally underused in the film, he does have some priceless moments with Williams during the "newts" sequence and again with Hattie with all the comic misunderstandings as they sit down to watch television together in her room. The appearance of Hawtrey, however brief, could lift any script and this would be proved again and again once he had left the series in 1972.

 

Kenneth Connor gets bottom billing for Carry On Matron although the film is an important one for Kenneth as it seems him properly move over to the kind of middle-aged, slightly crumbling character parts that would dominate the rest of his Carry On contributions. As Mr Tidey, Connor is generally outside the main action of the film. Tidey is an increasingly desperate expectant father, forever being called to the hospital for false alarms and seen in the waiting room with the other fathers to be. Connor is blessed with Joan Sims as his screen wife and it's a lovely little running gag which sees Sims enjoying the hospital experience, the constant food and the chance to put her feet up. She's in no hurry to give birth despite her husband's fretting. Unfortunately Connor and Sims don't actually share any scenes in the film which I think is a great shame. As they are playing husband and wife, it seems rather strange!

Connor is mainly seen with Hattie Jacques' softer Matron in the film. She is constantly hectored by Mr Tidey for news on the arrival of his little bundle of joy. His job as a train conductor for British Rail also provides much comedy with Hattie making a very funny crack about the problems with the trains at the time! I also love Kenneth's interaction with Sid's character, who is only in the waiting room to check the hospital out before carrying out his heist. Sid is brilliantly droll and plays up to Kenneth's twitching, nervous, innocent character to perfection. The gag about chickens is a fine example of the more near the knuckle brand of Carry On comedy Talbot Rothwell was producing in the early 1970s. 

 

As with some of Kenneth Connor's later Carry On performances, his screen time is quite limited but the skill of the actor means he always makes the most of the scenes and the material he is given. In many ways Mr Tidey is simply an older version of Kenneth's early Hudis era creations - the befuddled, tentative little man that we all know and love. The characterisation would become more grotesque as the films progressed, notably in the likes of Carry On Girls and Dick. The crumbling, frustrated every man became Connor's calling card and we loved him for it.

Stay tuned for my blog on Kenneth Connor's next role in the series, in the 1972 film Carry On Abroad.

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