Carry On Faces in Different Places: Yield to the Night

Here we go with another in my series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii and the brilliant John Gregson and Diana Dors vehicle, Value for Money.
  
More recently I blogged about the Sid James and Kenneth Connor comedy horror What A Carve Up! and the the Gordon Jackson drama, Floodtide. 

And last week I looked at the Carry On links with the wonderful film I'm All Right Jack

Today I'm going to blog about the 1956 prison drama, Yield to the Night.

 

What's it about?

Yield to the Night is a 1956 British crime drama film starring Diana Dors. It was directed by J Lee Thompson. The film is based on the novel of the same title published in 1954 by Joan Henry. Dors plays Mary Price Hilton, a woman who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, and she spends her last days in the condemned cell in a British women's prison.The storyline bears a superficial resemblance to the Ruth Ellis case, which had occurred the previous year. The film received much positive critical attention, particularly for the unexpectedly skilled acting of Dors, who had previously been cast solely as a British version of the typical "blonde bombshell.

 

Who's in it?

The undoubted star of the film in the superb Diana Dors, playing a very different role from what we'd usually expect. Casting aside her usual glamorous persona, Dors shows real acting skill in this downbeat, often traumatic role. She shines throughout. Co-starring with Diana are Yvonne Mitchell as prison matron Hilda MacFarlane, Michael Craig as Jim Lancaster and reliable character actor Geoffrey Keen playing the Prison Chaplain.

 

Carry On Faces?

Quite a few reliable British character actors appear, however fleetingly in the film. Of those who went on to grace the Carry Ons, special mention must go to the brilliant Harry Locke, who plays Fred Hilton. Harry co-starred in three of the medical Carry Ons - Nurse, Doctor and Again Doctor.

Carry On Doctor guest star Dandy Nichols also appears in the film as Mrs Price, while semi-regular Carry On face, the ever-reliable Marianne Stone crops up in the role of Matron Richardson.

And of course, leading man Michael Craig worked several times for either Peter Rogers or his wife Betty Box, with credits including Doctor in Love, The Iron Maiden and Upstairs and Downstairs. The wonderful Athene Seyler also adds support here as Miss Bligh. Athene played a supporting role in the 1963 district nurse comedy, Nurse On Wheels.

Did you know?

Diana Dors remained intensely proud of her association with this film. It would remain one of her favourite screen performances.

The film was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.


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Passport to Fame: The Diana Dors Story

Although not strictly Carry On-related, I couldn't resist sharing the news that a new biography of the late, great British actress Diana Dors has been published by Book Guild Publishing. I've long been a fan of Diana Dors and her rich and varied acting career in some of the best of British film and television is equally as enthralling as her fascinating private life.

Huw Prall explores the fascinating career of the late Diana Dors in this enchanting biography

“Britain’s answer to Marilyn Monroe”, this tag was to hang around Diana Dors’ neck during the 1950s. However, as she would often point out, she had been working professionally a lot longer than Monroe. Her first appearance was in 1946 in The Shop at Sly Corner, while still a student at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Diana, like Marilyn, was blonde, curvy and sexy, but that’s where the comparison ended. Her range as an actress was broad – from comedy blondes to evil old hags, and even Greek tragedy in theatre.

She had a prolific career encompassing theatre, cabaret, film and TV. She was also a talented writer, compiling two autobiographies and three A–Z books.

With exclusive images and anecdotes, Passport to Fame is a comprehensive study of Diana’s work across her 40 years of filmmaking. Delving into her personal life, it is a must-read for fans of Diana, as well as those interested in the changing face of the film industry.

Huw Prall trained as a classical dancer before going on to study allied dance forms, acting and singing. He has worked in both classical and musical theatre, as well as in film and television. He teaches at several London Drama Schools and is Head of Dance for the Education Department at Shakespeare’s Globe. He is a member of the Royal Academy of Dance and is a Fellow and Life Member of the International Dance Teachers’ Association, to name a few.

You can find out more and buy the book here

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

 

Carry On Blogging Interview: Ty Jeffries

I'm thrilled to bring this wonderful interview to Carry On Blogging. Ty Jeffries is the son of the late actor, writer and director Lionel Jeffries. I grew up loving Lionel's performances in films like Two Way Stretch and The Wrong Arm of the Law. He also directed one of my all-time favourite films, The Railway Children. 

Ty is an accomplished entertainer in his own right, with a long career as a musician and more recently as his fabulous alter-ego, Miss Hope Springs. It was delight to find out more about Ty's life and career.

First of all, I'd love to know what it was like to grow up with Lionel Jeffries as your dad?

It was certainly not your average childhood. I was often plucked out of school and whisked off to live for a year in Hollywood, or 3 months in the South of France or 2 in Spain when dad was shooting. He liked to take us all with him. I went from my prep school in Buckinghamshire with cricket bats and earthworms to school in LA with fruit bats and earthquakes! Dad really lit the passion I have for film and photography and movie musicals. And he taught me all about the great stars back in the day when there was a double bill every Saturday and Sunday on TV. We were spoilt for choice back in the day. We would watch Garbo and Bette Davis movies and he would explain all about camera angles and why certain actors and actresses were stars, their technique, the difference between stagecraft and movie acting…I learned a great deal at his knee. 

Can you tell a little about how your dad became an actor in the first place. I know he also wrote and directed - do you know which aspect of his career he preferred?

He was in the Coldstream Guards in his late teens, lying about his age to get in and fought in Burma in the Second World War. I believe, like a lot of actors of that era, he found his calling entertaining the other soldiers in plays and concert parties. He came back from the Far East and went to The RADA, where he met my mother Eileen who was also an aspiring actress with the comic timing of Lucille Ball and the looks of Hedy Lamar (her great pal Diana Dors offered to be her agent but she chose to give up acting to be a mum and wife). He went on to Rep and started making movies in his 20s. Acting in 144 one way or another.

I've read that the family home played host to many well known actors and celebrities. What kind of people did you get to know during that period?

I would sit doing my homework at the kitchen table (my mother had a bright orange Hygena kitchen…all the rage at the time) and I would see Shelly Winters or Shirley MacLaine or Lee Remick or Anouk Aimee pass by in the hallway…they would always pop their head in to say hi. Nanette Newman and Bryan Forbes, John Mills and his wife Mary Hayley Bell the playwright were great family friends. Fred Astaire would often stay the weekend. His wonderful daughter Ava is my Godmother. I remember Morecambe and Wise, Dick Emery and Bernard Cribbins as well as Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl coming to my parents summer evening garden parties. And Sid James! He came over to the house for dinner and I was awe at meeting him…I was an still am often very star struck.It was idyllic in many ways. 

I know that one family friend when you were younger was the legendary Diana Dors, someone who has always fascinated me. What was she like?

She was always in my life as a child. She was my Aunty Di. She was warm and funny and kind and of course super glam - a lot of people see Diana in Hope- she and my mother were great pals. When Diana and Alan Lake decided to convert to Catholicism they asked my parents to be their Godparents…So Diana would my Godsister, if there was such a thing. She is still very much missed.

I think my favourite film role your dad ever played was in Two Way Stretch. Do you know if your dad had a favourite film or performance from his long career? And do you have your own favourite?

I loved those British comedies of the 40s 50s and 60s. Dad did so many. Two Way Stretch, Wrong Arm of the Law, You Must Be Joking even Rocket to the Moon with Terry-Thomas and First Men in the Moon with Edward Judd. All great Sunday afternoon TV fare these days on channels like Talking Pictures TV which I love to watch. The Trials of Oscar Wilde probably was one of my favourites and his performance and also King Pelinore in Camelot. He was extremely versatile. He could play high comedy and high drama, and of course he wrote screenplays and directed with great success too, The Railway Children, The Amazing Mr Blunden...Quite a career.

What was it that made you want to become a performer yourself?

Well, I started writing songs at the age of about 5 years old. American friends left their Steinway grand in our enormous shed for a year or two when they went back to The States. It really was a gift from the gods…I sat at it and found I could play. I was writing melodies and songs almost immediately. Although I have always felt that I don’t actually write my work…that I channel it. But that’s another story. I am a composer and lyricist. I studied piano, violin, voice and composition from the age of 16 at The Purcell School of Music. That was a pretty good foundation. Although being a bit of a maverick I didn’t go through the normal channels. I had something different I wanted to express - so I started doing small theatre projects and found that one man pieces worked best for me. It wasn’t until 2010 that I really ‘came out’ as a drag artist. Not that what I do is traditional drag because I play Hope as a real person. She IS a real person to many. But it certainly draws on the work of the great Danny La Rue and America’s late Jim Bailey.  I write all Miss Hope Springs songs and dialogue and make her costumes…She’s very demanding and keeps me very busy!

From reading about you, I know that you moved to New York in the late 1970s. What are your memories of starting a new life in that great city back in those days? 

In the 70s I was still in school…it was the 80s I went to USA and caught the tail end of the Studio 54 Andy Warhol scene. Andy became a friend. I have one of the screen prints he did of Hope! its worth millions obviously!

Where did the idea for Miss Hope Springs come from and can you describe what your show is like for those unlucky not to have seen you live?

It’s very simple. I was inspired by Victor Borge and Blossom Dearie. Hope sits at the piano and tells stories about her life and plays the piano and sings songs to illustrate those stories. Talking about her life…from the Ritz to the pits her disastrous love life (falling for Liberace was a big mistake) and all those career wrong turnings and dead ends. I love Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton…So there is an element of physical comedy…also Lucille Ball and Martha Raye. Broad comedians or comedians who were broads. But there is an element of Dietrich and Piaf in Hope too and a lot of Peggy Lee. She has a fully formed back story populated by her gay husband Irving his hairdresser boyfriend Carlos and her mother Rusty (Rusty Springs) a one time strip…I mean exotic dancer. They all live together in a camper van in Dungeness…a long way from her heyday headlining at the Pink Pelican Casino in Vegas in the 60s.

What do you think your dad would have made of the path your career has taken?

Although I’ve been writing songs since I was 5 and had my first publishing deal at the age of 16 my path to the stage has been a tortuous one…there was the modelling and playing the piano at Langan’s to earn a crust but I also tried property development and landscape gardening. However, in the end, sequins and show tunes won out! I’ve been very lucky. Since starting Hope in 2010 I have not stopped working. I moved back to London from Brighton and Jeremy King of Corbin and King the hugely successful restaurateurs kindly asked me to open his new cabaret room Crazy Coqs in Brasserie Zedel in the West End and I’ve been resident there one way or another ever since. 

Last year I toured the USA and this year the UK. Some telly would be nice…but it seems a very closed shop these days and no matter one’s success as a live entertainer you have to be flogging a big new record or a movie to get on a sofa - let alone do a number. I do a lot of radio ‘appearances’ which I do in character as Hope. It’s hysterical really being a 7 ft glamazon ex showgirl blonde on the airwaves. Much of the effect is obviously lost. Like being a radio contortionist. Hope has been referred to as a blonde bombshell but also as a blonde bombsite which I think is a hoot. My mother and father were both great friends of Danny La Rue’s and dad played Horace Vandergelder at The Comedy Theatre to Danny's Dolly in Hello Dolly back in the 80s.
 

Do you have a favourite venue you like to perform in and where would you love to take your show next? 

Well Crazy Coqs or Live as Zedel is it is known currently in Piccadilly has been my home from home for 5 years now it’s London’s best kept secret. Magical Wilton’s Music Hall in Whitechapel I do a couple of shows there every year. The magnificent Wigmore Hall was a joy to play. I was amazed to sell out there in June during what was a very challenging week for everyone in London, the London Bridge terrorist attack and awful Grenfell tower tragedy had just happened. But people need entertaining at dark times. Someone very cleverly wrote that I was continuing the war-time spirit and in fact the great Joyce Grenfell (by a strange twist of moniker synchronicity) had played Wigmore Hall during the blitz…I like to think I was doing my bit too.

Do you have more shows as your alter ego Miss Hope Springs coming up and if so where can we see you?

I have several Christmas A Gogo shows coming up. That’s my all original festive musical evening with songs and stories from Hope’s lost 1971 Granada TV special. She reminisces about Harry Belafonte and Mama Cass…oh and Shari Lewis and Lambchop were in it too of course. I have a run of shows at the charming theatre in The Museum of Comedy in Bloomsbury. It’s nestled beyond the little Victorian bar and quaint museum where there are vitrines of original vintage comedy paraphernalia such as Little Titch’s shoes and Charlie Drakes toupee…it’s hysterical. There’s a lovely photo of my father and Danny La Rue there too in Hello Dolly…so I hope they will both be smiling down on me when I’m on.

Finally, what would you like to do next in your career? 

In March next year I am presenting a musical version based on the making of Joan Crawford’s last movie Trog. It’s all about a 45,000 year old stone age man encased in ice who Joan falls in love with. After she’s thawed him out of course, otherwise it would just be silly! The songs are all earworms I am told. Be warned once you’ve heard the song Trog you’ll never get it out of your mind…’He’s short and fat and hairy and he’s very very scary…He’s a Trog!’ Don’t say I didn’t warn you...

Miss Hope Springs is appearing at The 2 Brewers in Clapham on Dec 8th, The Chapel Arts Centre in Bath on the Dec 16th and at The Museum of Comedy theatre in Bloomsbury from Dec 19th 23rd and she is appearing with her special guest Rula Lenska at Live at Zedel in Piccadilly from the 28th to the 30th Dec.

All tickets available from www.misshopesprings.com/concerts

Finally, I'd just like to thank Ty very much for taking the time out of his busy schedule to do this interview. I found it fascinating and thoroughly entertaining and I hope you do too!

You can follow Ty on Twitter @TyJeffriesMusic 

And Miss Hope Springs is on Twitter @followmisshope


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

Carry On Faces in Different Places: Value For Money

Here we go with a brand new series of blogs looking at some of the cream of British comedy film making from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Although this blog is all about the Carry Ons, believe it or not, there were some other joyous comedy films made away from Peter Rogers Productions. However, given the quality of the actors Peter employed to make his series, it's no wonder that most of them popped up elsewhere.

So far I've looked at the wonderful 1959 crime caper Too Many Crooks , the 1954 domestic comedy starring Dirk Bogarde, For Better For Worse , the big screen spin off Please Sir! and the wonderful Up Pompeii 

Today we're going to cover another classic British comedy film, this time from way back in the mid 1950s - Value For Money. I must admit I wasn't familiar with this film until it popped up one day on Talking Pictures TV. I sat down to watch it, loved it so I'm including it in this series of blogs.

Who's in it?

The film stars John Gregson, then at the peak of his fame following his leading role in the hugely successful film Genevieve. Gregson plays Charley Broadbent and he's joined by a host of familiar British film faces - Diana Dors as good time girl Ruthine west, Derek Farr as Duke Popplewell and Donald Pleasance as Limpy.

Carry On Faces?
Future Carry On Nurse actress Susan Stephen plays Ethel, Broadbent's long suffering intended who provides a great contrast to the brassy Ruthine. Watch out for a young pre moustache wearing Leslie Phillips as Ethel's newspaper photographer Robjohns and the ever reliable Joan Hickson as the brusque Mrs Perkins. Carry On Constable supporting actress Jill Adams also pops up as Ruthine's flatmate Joy. 

What's it about?

A young man from Yorkshire inherits a sizeable legacy from his millionaire father. He decides to try the nightlife of London and meets a young girl performing in a nightclub. She intends to take him for all he's got and he's quite happy to be taken.

Best Bit?

I love the scene in the nightclub when Gregson's character attempts to charm the worldly Diana Dors. He shows up his penny pinching ways and lack of understanding of the wider world and the scene is played to great comic effect with various snobbish waiting staff coming and going with excellent comic expressions. The unlikely pairing of Dors and Gregson is a joy and although their characters are poles apart and there is much humour in that, there's also a sense that Dors' character becomes increasingly fond of Broadbent as the scene goes on.

Did you know?

One of the writers of this film was R.F Delderfield. This name might be familiar to Carry On fans as his play The Bull Boys became the very first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant, adapted by Norman Hudis in 1958.



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Carry On Blogging Interview: Francoise Pascal

 

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing the wonderful actor Francoise Pascal about her career in film, television and theatre. It was fascinating to learn more about Francoise's life in acting and to hear her thoughts on some of her co-stars over the years. So if you like classic British film and comedy and want to hear more about the likes of Diana Dors, Yootha Joyce and a rather hilarious encounter with the infamous Violet Carson, Carry On Reading...

First of all I'd love to hear more about what made you want to become an actor?

I was an actress ever since I was born, my father remarked one day. I use to rehearse in front of a mirror. I use to watch the film Sissi with Romy Schneider, which made me want to be an actress even more. That was a very strong dream for me. I had to fulfill it one way or the other. I did, my dream did come true at an early age of 12 playing Cosette in Les Miserable to Jean Louis Barrault's Jean Valjean in Paris and I was nearly 13, don't confuse with the musical it was a straight play. The fever started then on stage and continued but my parents did not feel that it was suitable for a very young girl. That dream was still in me and I wanted to carry on. School was far from my mind.  I resumed my acting career in 1966 at the age of 16 and then went back to France to study at La Sorbonne and came back again resuming my acting career with my first film in England and the rest is history as they say.

 

In 1976 you starred in the British comedy film Keep it Up Downstairs, alongside many familiar faces from that era. What was that film like to work on?

It was a fun film and I absolutely loved it. There was Aimi McDonald, the very shy Jack Wild, the very beautiful and the lovely Diana Dors, then there were the other actors like Sally Harrison who did The Professionals, the fabulous Neil Hallett who played the Butler and Simon Brent who I co-starred in my first film in the UK, Loving Feeling, directed by Norman Cohen. There was also Willy Rushton who was a great friend if mine who I had worked with on Celebrity Squares in several episodes. Carmen Silvera who I absolutely adored, whose laughter when she told a joke was infectious.  Finally the formidable Julian Orchard, lovely man and very tall, such a story teller. 

The film was produced by Hazel Adair and Mark Forstater. They were on the set daily because I refused to appear nude.  They wanted to persuade me to do some nudity and I said no. They got Mary Millington in the film to do just what I would not do. They did not pay me enough to appear nude besides I was so fed up with nude scenes in films that I decided not to do it again. My agent was asking me why I did not do it and I told her why. I had such fun making that film and travelling to Knebworth House from central London at 5.30am, where there were no traffic and I felt at that time I was in a happy place. Yes definitely a very happy movie to be on and great actors to work with and enjoyed their company and their laughter very much. I miss those days!

One of your co-stars on that film was the legendary actress Diana Dors. What are your memories of Diana?

I loved Diana Dors, we also did the Pyramid Game together. She was a lovely and a very kind woman. I remember watching her play her part in a scene that we were all together in, the party where I was serving the drinks with Mary Millington. I watched her professionalism, her togetherness as she said her lines. I was mesmerised by her. She was very lovely to me and Mary. I was very at ease with both her and Alan Lake. They adored Mary Millington and I think they looked after her, Poor Mary, I wish she was alive now she would have loved it or hated it. Mind you, you have to be super strong minded to survive this business today. It has changed so much. I did not have many scenes with Diana so there is not much I can say about us working together. 

You appeared in the classic ITV comedy series Mind Your Language for three series. What was it like to be a part of that show?

It was fantastic being part of a show that was a hit show. We were all still dreaming when we were told that we had a hit on our hands and every time a season finished we wondered whether we would be back and yes we were back for 3 series. When I knew that we were not going to be back after the third series, I knew deep down that I was fed up with it and Barry Evans was also fed up as well as Kevork Malikyan and Dino Shafeek. Yet they made another series in 1986, I watched one episode of it. It was so awful I cringed and was happy that I never did the new series. We were a close family in the first series, the big mistake they did was to bring new people into it and it changed the whole atmosphere, I did not like it but the Producers and Writer knew better so I had to accept it.  To be very truthful, it was one of the happiest and well balance series that I have ever worked on.

One of your co-stars in Mind Your Language was the late Barry Evans. What was he liked to work with?

Barry Evans was an absolute angel and a dream to work with as his response to me on the set was absolutely professional. At times Barry was moody but that was his prerogative. We all have moments like that and Barry had his. The professional that he was would actually hide in his dressing room when he was in a mood so that no one would bother him and we didn't. He was an actor that gave his all and let you shine at the same time. he was the star of the show and yet it was more important to him that we should be the stars of the show. Barry was a timid guy and loved having a joke or two on the set but always stayed a pro at all times. I simply adored the guy. I miss him!

 

As well as being a fan of classic British comedy, I also love Coronation Street. I understand you appeared in The Street early on in your career. What are your memories of working on such a famous and popular show?

Hahahaha! Yes that was in late 1971. The year before I was filming Burke & Hare and in that film I went through a fire and unfortunately for me I actually was in a fire in real life at around that time. The publicity was enormous as I had dropped down from the 3rd floor of a house in Belgravia onto the railings, where my arm was practically impaled and broke it in 6-8 places. As I said the publicity was enormous it even reached the USA. "Actress impaled on Railings" The headlines shouted in the UK and the USA. My name was now recognised. 

By the Autumn of 1971, I had recovered and was asked by my agent if I would like to do a television role. Work is work and I have never turned down the chance to work. It turned out to be Coronation Street. The day that I arrived for rehearsals, I was to be photographed by a group of photographers, well it wasn't a group it was a hoard of photographers.  I was whisked onto that famous cobbled street, photos were taken and I thought it was great! But then, Miss Violet Carson (Ena Sharples) decided to dislike me and called me 'That bloody French Woman', which of course I found very funny and she got even more mad because I was laughing instead of getting mad or upset.

I made great friends with the girl who played Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss). I adored her but not many people liked her because she had been into drugs and it was a well known fact in the press.  Nevertheless I really liked her and we became firm friends for a long while after I finished Corrie. I was only there for a week. I started the trend of famous outsiders appearing Corrie. Of course Joanna Lumley followed me and she got to stay longer than I would have liked. They don't like outsiders soaps, the actors have their own niche and they gather together in defence of their place in the soap. Fair enough I understood that even as young as I was. The men were lovely to me - I really liked Bill Roache, he was a darling to get to know.  All in all I had a very good time except for Violet Carson, and I still laugh by the way when I think of her face looking at me saying those words. 'That Bloody French Woman'! Hahahaha!

In the 1972 film Burke and Hare, you worked alongside the wonderful Yootha Joyce. What was she like to work with?

I loved meeting Yootha, she was a joy to meet and make her acquaintance. She made me laugh a lot along with Derren Nesbitt. Unfortunately, I didn't have any scenes with her in the film. I wish I had as she must have been a joy to work with. I did see her a couple of times years later when she was playing Mrs Roper in George and Mildred. I was sad when she passed away. We lost a great  Comedian and a great actress as well as a great lady.

You also guest starred in an episode of the BBC comedy Happy Ever After starring the legendary duo of Terry Scott and June Whitfield. What were they like to work with?

Well Terry was my mentor in comedy, he taught me a lot about comedy. Both Terry and Peter Sellers taught me the art of timing in a comedy. I was mesmerised by both June and Terry. June, because she was like a little porcelain doll with porcelain skin and admired her delivery with Terry and Terry for making his role his own without making it too domineering. I admired both of them.  Many years later when I was living in Godalming, I received a call from Terry saying that he was around the corner and would I like to come to tea. It was great. Unfortunately,  he was not looking too good when I saw him. I was devastated when he died. Again we lost a great Actor and Comedian.

 

As an actor do you prefer working in theatre, television and film, and why?

Theatre all the time! When you work on TV or films, there is not an audience that you can feed on and receive feedback from. When you work in the theatre that is what you get. It's live performance and anything can happen, which makes it so much more interesting and exciting!  In films or TV shows, when an actor goes wrong, they can just edit it or shoot the scene again. Performers on stage have so much more pressure put on them to get it right first time, but they get more of a reward for all their efforts - a huge round of applause from hundreds of audience members who paid and came especially to see them! That is what theatre is all about.

What projects are you working on at the moment?

At the moment, I am producing a film and a TV mini series. Hard work in front of me but that is my calling these days.  I am not acting in them just being the Executive Producer. Enjoying that role immensely!

Are there any roles out there that would still love to play?

No. I think I am too old now to play Cleopatra or Hedda Gabler or too old to play Camille. So no I stick to producing -  it is much more fun and has so much more to offer. I keep busy and that is the main thing!

I started my blog partly as a tribute to the late actress Joan Sims. Why do you think actors like Joan are still so popular today?
Her comedic instinct. She was a natural, sensitive, that is why she is so popular today.  I guess she endured a lot for her craft. They played so many jokes on her and the audience will always feel sorry for the downtrodden. She played it with great dignity. I bet she must have had a fork tongue when it was needed. She seemed also to have suffered from depression, I don't know but her eyes hinted this in her later years. She will always last because any actors who did what she did and endure the banter of Kenneth Williams and Sid James deserve a medal. I loved watching Joan Sims and she will always, no, forever last in my memory.

 

Finally, who is your favourite Carry On actor?

Kenneth Williams and Sid James, there you go I named two instead of one!

Thanks so much to Francoise for answering my questions, I thoroughly enjoyed being in touch with her and hearing more about her really interesting career. You can follow Francoise on Twitter @Fpascal 

And you can visit her website here: http://francoisepascal.co.uk/


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