Listen Again: Play it Cool

If you are looking for a diversion this weekend and can't find anything on the telly (apart from all the Carry Ons on ITV£3 that is) then why not check out this vintage comedy series on the always excellent BBC Radio 4 Extra?

There are currently several episodes available to listen again to online and as the series stars a certain Joan Sims, it must be worth checking out. First broadcast in July 1964 on the Light Programme, Play it Cool was produced by that master of radio comedy, John Simmonds. Starring alongside Joan are those two wonderful comedy actors Ian Carmichael and Hugh Paddick.

Ian shot to fame thanks to starring roles in films such as Private's Progress, I'm All Right Jack and Double Bunk, while Hugh is of course much loved for his appearances as part of the regular cast in radio's Beyond Our Ken, Round The Horne and Stop Messing About. Joan of course needs no introduction.

Play it Cool was Ian's first radio comedy series and promised fast moving sketches, a plethora of comedy characters and a variety of 'potty and pompous' situations. It's written by the brilliant Eric Merriman and as was often the case at the time, musical interludes are provided by the likes of Rosemary Squires, The Mike Sammes Singers and The Ken Thorne Orchestra.

If you want to have a listen you can find it here.

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Wogan's Radio Fun: Julian and Sandy!

Every Christmas I post a series of special blogs on the run up to the big day. This year I posted a different festive image from the Carry Ons every day up until Christmas Day. In addition to this, I've also found some wonderful old clips to share this festive season.

The wonderful, late great Terry Wogan hosted his famous chat show on the BBC for several years during the 1980s and early 1990s. Those were the days of great guests, intelligent conversation, wit and warmth. Well, most of the time. Until the BBC rather unwisely pulled the plug to make way for the soap Eldorado (remember that?) Terry was the best possible replacement for Parky. 

This Christmas marks thirty years since a very special festive show which celebrated the very best of radio comedy. Terry reunited many classic stars from a bygone era and sadly, for some, it would be the last time we would see them perform. Amongst these big names were several actors with Carry On connections, so over the next few days I'm going to share some great clips from "Wogan's Radio Fun", originally broadcast back in December 1987.

We start today with the brilliant Julian and Sandy from Round the Horne. The camp, outrageous duo got away with all sorts of filth and innuendo when they took to the airwaves back in the mid-1960s and they were of course brought to life by the irreplaceable Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Williams:

Kenneth recounted the preparation, rehearsal and performance in his extraordinary diaries and although he always held Paddick in huge affection, I'm not sure he really enjoyed the experience!

Stay tuned for more in this series coming up soon!

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Carry On Casanova

 

Leslie Phillips is a favourite actor to many. His career spans decades and includes everything from Carry On and Doctor comedies to high drama and tragedy. He is a real trouper and although we don't see much of him these days, it is always worth remembering what a wonderful career he has had.

Leslie has frequently talked about his reasons for moving away from the Carry On series in the early 1960s, afraid of being too typecast as the upper crust lothario. While this persona may have stuck, it certainly didn't seem to harm his career in the slightest. While I am a big fan of a lot of Leslie's work, some aspects leave me cold (any film involving Brian Rix or Ray Cooney for example). There was another curio from Phillips' lengthy career that I had often heard about but never actually seen. That is until yesterday.

In 1973, Leslie made a television series called Casanova '73. It's pedigree was good. It was a BBC comedy series written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. Masters of their craft who wrote some of the best scripts imaginable for the likes of Tony Hancock and Steptoe and Son. However, I can't help but think they all came a cropper on Casanova '73. It's all fine with the benefit of hindsight, sitting here in the enlightened 21st century, however the content of this comedy series really does raise a few eyebrows.

 

The basic premise is that Henry Newhouse, a successful middle aged businessman, is continually attracted to and becomes involved with a succession of lovely young ladies, despite Newhouse being supposedly happily married. The series really did take the Carry On type comedy to a whole new level (!) Despite the obviously morality issues at play here, the whole thing feels particularly tired and it probably did even in 1973. Leslie Phillips puts on his usual polished performance and does a good job at carrying the show and it does raise a few laughs but the episode I saw really was a painful experience, focusing as it did on a beauty contest. Shades of Carry On Girls I'm afraid.

The series did feature some interesting names in supporting roles - none other than Maureen Lipman appeared in one episode as a character called Gloria. Hugh Paddick, a legend from the radio series Round The Horne also appears, as a beauty contest compere. Some of Leslie's glamorous lady friends are played by the likes of Madeline Smith and Gail Grainger. Henry's wife is brought to life by actress Jan Holden (who went on to play Lipman's boss in the series Agony). 

It just doesn't work though. Well not for me anyway. I don't want to appear on the same side as legendary campaigner Mary Whitehouse here (she hated the series) but I can't help but wonder what the BBC were thinking. The series was heavily criticised by Whitehouse and many of the episodes were eventually broadcast at a later time slot. This move helped boost the popularity of a little quiz show called Mastermind. I wonder what happened to it? After the initial seven episodes were broadcast, Casanova '73 was quietly dropped.

So am I being too hard on this programme? Do any of you remember it with great fondness and wish more series had been made?  

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

Celebrating 50 Years of Round The Horne

One of my all time favourite radio shows is the classic comedy sketch series Round The Horne. Originally broadcast between 1965 and 1968, the series starred Kenneths Horne and Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Douglas Smith. And now the classic scripts are being revived at the Museum of Comedy for the show's 50th anniversary.

Here are more details about the show from the Museum of Comedy's website:


From 1965 to 1968 there wasn’t a bigger radio programme in Britain than the ground-breaking Round the Horne.  For half an hour every Sunday afternoon, audiences of up to 15 million people would gather around the wireless to listen to Kenneth Horne and his merry crew get up to all sorts of mischief.

With its infamous movie spoofs and hilarious regular characters such as Rambling Sid Rumpo, Charles and Fiona, J. Peasemold Gruntfuttock, and Julian and Sandy, Round the Horne was one of the biggest and best radio comedy shows of all time, and still endures today, 50 years on.

So come and take a step back in time to the BBC’s Paris Studios and experience this comedy classic live.

Original scripts by Barry Took and Marty Feldman

Compiled and directed by Tim Astley

“a superb evening’s entertainment and I left the theatre wanting more” – British Theatre Guide

“everyone on stage seems to be having great fun and so does the audience” – Spencer Media

“does a splendid job of recreating this extraordinary show… sterling performances from all” – Do More Mag

“Colin Elmer's Kenneth Williams was hilarious and endearing" - Reading Chronicle

“Jonathan Hansler does a truly remarkable job of emulating Hugh Paddick” – Get West London

“I laughed so much… I was in danger of being led out of the theatre” – Scene One

This sounds like a fantastic show, a great tribute to the original stars and a chance to wallow in some good old fashioned nostalgia. I will definitely be getting along to the Museum of Comedy to check this out for myself. The show is running now and is playing until 12 March.

For more information and tickets, you can visit the Museum of Comedy Website

 

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Let's Go Round the Horne!

Some classic Kenny for a Friday morning! I love Kenneth's radio performances in Round The Horne. He really was a master of the medium and I still can't believe quite how much they got away with given it was the mid-1960s!

Here, first of all for your delectation is Kenneth giving his all as Rambling Syd Rumpo: 

And if that wasn't enough to get you tittering, here's a bit of my own personal favourites. Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick as the truly outrageous Julian and Sandy. This still makes me laugh today. The use of Polari might be rather lost of modern listeners but I absolutely adore this:

British radio comedy just doesn't get any better than this. Such a shame that the show was brought to an abrupt end by Kenneth Horne's sad death in 1969. It came at a time when Carry On favourite Joan Sims was just about to join the team following Betty Marsden's decision to leave. How interesting that might have been.

Thankfully we still have these wonderful recordings! BBC Radio 4 Extra regularly repeat classic episodes.

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

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