Today
we wish the suave, evergreen actor Patrick Mower a very happy 79th
birthday! Patrick, a real Seventies heartthrob if ever there was one, is
now best known for his long running role as Rodney Blackstock in the
ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Patrick has played the part since the year
2000.
Patrick
has been a fixture on television and cinema screens since the 1960s
with his most memorable roles coming from a variety of gritty, small
screen detective shows in the 1970s. As well as roles in The Sweeney,
The Avengers and Jason King, he took lead roles in both Callan and
Special Branch. To Carry On fans, Patrick is best remembered for his
role as Len Able in the less than successful 1976 film Carry On England,
in which he played love interest to Judy Geeson.
Patrick
took part in the 2015 ITV tribute show, Carry On Forever, and
remains proud of his involvement with the Carry Ons. A further Carry On
link comes in the shapely shape of Emmannuelle actress Suzanne Danielle,
who was Patrick's real life partner for seven years.
Whatever Patrick is up to today, I hope he has an excellent birthday!
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook
The festive season is peak time viewing for many British soap operas. Love them or loathe them, they are still some of the most popular programmes on television these days. I have a passion for Coronation Street but one must recognise that other soaps do exist!
There are plenty of Carry On connections with the main soaps. Less so these days sadly, as Carry On actors become increasingly thin on the ground, but here are some of the most famous links.
Let's start off with Corrie. Although there aren't any connections left these days, there was a period in the 1990s when the Manchester drama boasted three Carry On actors in the regular cast. Amanda Barrie spent well over a decade as cafe owner Alma Sedgwick, while Johnny Briggs played her on screen husband Mike Baldwin for thirty years. Sherrie Hewson also appeared, as Maureen Naylor for four years before moving on to other soap roles in both Crossroads and Emmerdale.
Other Carry On actors to pop up in Weatherfield have included: Bernard Cribbins, Kenneth Cope, Dilys Laye, Bill Maynard, Noel Dyson, Angela Douglas, June Whitfield, Brian Oulton, Brian Capron, Rosalind Knight and Bill Kenwright.
Let's head down south now to the BBC drama EastEnders. Again during the 1990s, the Albert Square soap opera featured three Carry On actors in its cast. Of course Carry On blonde bombshell Barbara Windsor played Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell for sixteen years during the 1990s and 2000s. Wendy Richard, who appeared in two Carry On films and a Christmas television special was an original EastEnders cast member, appearing as Pauline Fowler from 1985 until 2006. Dilys Laye, already mentioned as having a role in Corrie, played a recurring role as Maxine Palmer in Walford between 1994 and 1995.
What about Emmerdale? The late actress Shirley Stelfox appeared briefly in Carry On At Your Convenience. She would spend the last fifteen years of her career as Edna Birch. Carry On England star Patrick Mower is still a regular cast member in Emmerdale today, having played Rodney Blackstock since 2000.
Over in Hollyoaks, despite it being a youth-oriented soap opera, it has still got a Carry On actress in its cast. Diane Langton, who played Private Alice Easy in Carry On England has been playing Nana McQueen on and off for several years now. Back in 1996, semi-regular Carry On actress Carol Hawkins appeared in a one off role.
So do you know of any other Carry On connections with the best of British soap operas? If you do, get in touch!
Read more about Corrie's Carry On Connections .
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan
Very sad news just coming through this morning that the actress Shirley Stelfox has passed away at the age of 74. She had been suffering from cancer.
Shirley, best known to television viewers these days as Edna Birch in Emmerdale, had a long career on stage, in film and on television. She had been a permanent cast member on Emmerdale since 2000.
Carry On fans will remember her for a brief supporting role as a waitress in 1971's Carry On At Your Convenience. She also starred in the films 1984 with John Hurt and Personal Services alongside Julie Walters.
Shirley made her first screen appearance in David Lean's film Hobson's Choice at the age of 12. She went on to appear in the likes of Keeping Up Appearances, Juliet Bravo, EastEnders, The Bill, Bergerac, Inspector Morse, Brookside and Crossroads. She also famously played the role of the Video Dating Agency owner Jack Duckworth used as "Vince St Clair" in Coronation Street in 1983.
Shirley Stelfox married actor Don Henderson in 1979. They were together until his death in 1997.
She will be much missed.
You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan
