Happy Birthday Johnny Briggs!

Today we wish the actor Johnny Briggs a very happy birthday! Johnny, best known as wheeler dealer Cockney factory boss Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street, turns 83 today. 

Johnny Briggs is best known for his thirty year stint in the Manchester soap, starring as Mike between 1976 and 2006. During that time his character was probably most associated with his ongoing feud with Ken Barlow and his many, many wives! One of his longest running on-screen relationships was with the actress Amanda Barrie, who played Alma Sedgewick for over twenty years. Of course Amanda also starred in Carry On Cabby and Cleo amongst countless other things.

And Johnny himself is not without Carry On links. He first appeared in the series in 1968 in the small role of a soldier who is shot in the sporran in the climatic moments of Carry On Up The Khyber. Following another brief role in the film of Bless This House in 1972, Briggs returned for two further Carry Ons - as a painter in Carry On Behind and finally as Captain Melly's driver in Carry On England in 1976, the same year he started in Corrie. Johnny also played Norman in the Carry On Laughing episode 'The Case of the Coughing Parrot' in 1975 for ATV.

Johnny's other film roles include a medical student in Doctor in Distress (1963 - which also featured Amanda Barrie); The Leather Boys; the Norman Wisdom films A Stitch in Time and The Bulldog Breed (which also saw a certain William Roache play a small role). Briggs was also in Cosh Boy; HMS Defiant and the Morecambe and Wise film The Intelligence Men. On the small screen Johnny has popped up in everything from Crossroads, The Saint and No Hiding Place to Holby City and Miss Marple.

Whatever Johnny is up to today, I hope he has a very happy birthday!

And you can read more about Johnny Briggs here.

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Carrying On with Norman: A Stitch in Time

This is part of a brand new series of blogs looking back at some of my favourite Norman Wisdom films. Although never as fruity or innuendo-laden as the Carry Ons, Sir Norman's films share a similiar feel to many of the early Carry Ons. Indeed they quite often shared the same production base - Pinewood Studios - and Wisdom's films often co-starred some very familiar Carry On faces. 

Norman Wisdom was one of the most bankable British film stars in the 1950s and early 1960s. His stardom lasted long after his peak at the box office too. He appealed to a cross section of society and young and old loved him in equal measure. His cheeky, child-like charm, excellent comic timing and sheer energy catapulted him to fame and he's very clearly one of our most talented comedy stars full stop. 

I've already blogged about the films Trouble in Store from 1953, Just My Luck from 1957, Follow A Star from 1959 and On The Beat from 1962. We're continuing this series of blogs with a look at one of Norman's 1960s film hits - A Stitch in Time from 1963.

What's it about?

Norman Pitkin is the apprentice to Mr Grimsdale an old fashioned butcher. When the store is raided by a young thug, Mr Grimsdale (at Norman's suggestion) puts his gold watch in his mouth for safe keeping. The result of which leads to Mr Grimsdale accidentally swallowing the watch and sent to hospital. Whilst visiting Mr Grimsdale, Norman (in his usual way) accidentally causes chaos around the hospital and meets a girl called Lindy who hasn't spoken since her parents were killed in an aeroplane accident. After Norman is unable to visit Lindy as he is banned from hospital he and Mr. Grimsdale join the St John's Ambulance Brigade which gives him the excuse to visit her, as the usual chaos ensues. In the end Lindy visits him at a charity ball where the St. John Ambulance Brigade Band are performing. The ball descends into the inevitable shambles, caused entirely by Norman. However, Norman redeems himself (and the reputation of the Brigade) as he addresses those attending the ball and everyone donates money for the charity.

Who's in it?

Norman's regular co-stars Edward Chapman (Grimsdale) and Jerry Desmonde (here playing Sir Hector) are joined by his leading lady Jeanette Starke, Glyn Houston, Vera Day and Jill Melford.

Carry On faces?

Future Carry On favourite Patsy Rowlands appears in much of the early part of the film in the eye-catching role of Amy, the assistant in Grimsdale's shop. Also appearing in these scenes is future Carry On and Coronation Street actor Johnny Briggs playing a young thug who holds them up at gun point! 

Watch out also for comedy great Peter Jones who appears as Divisional Officer Russell of the St John's Ambulance Brigade. Peter went on to play cameo roles in both Carry On Doctor and Carry On England. And the future Father, Dear Father star Patrick Cargill also co-stars as Dr Meadows. Patrick appeared briefly in Carry On Regardless and a few years later, in Carry On Jack. And Norman's regular stooge Jerry Desmonde also popped up in Regardless as the lecherous actor Martin Paul. 

There are also several uncredited appearances from Carry On faces including: Wanda Ventham, Cyril Chamberlain, Fred Griffiths, Pat Coombs, Cardew Robinson, Marianne Stone, Julian Orchard and Ronnie Brody. See if you can spot them!

Did you know? 

This was the last film Norman Wisdom made in black and white.

The entire film was shot at Pinewood Studios, with very limited location work. You can spot many very familiar buildings used frequently in the Carry On films.
 

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Before Baldwin

 

I grew up watching the actor Johnny Briggs bring the Cockney factory boss lothario Mike Baldwin to life in Coronation Street. As a child I often got confused as at the time there was also a children's television show called "Johnny Briggs" - how could there be two? Anyway, for many of us, Johnny *was* Michael Vernon Baldwin, a fish out of water up North who brought capitalism to the back streets of Weatherfield and tried to take Deirdre from Ken.

As the role of Baldwin was so prominent and became incredibly iconic, it is difficult to believe Johnny Briggs did anything else. After all he played Mike for thirty years from 1976 until the character's death in the spring of 2006. However Briggs had an acting career stretching back to the post-war period, when, as a child actor he began appearing in small parts in various films. At the age of 12, Johnny won a scholarship to the famous Italia Conti stage school and from there, started earning a living as an actor. For many years he slaved away in small, often uncredited roles. His very first film was called Hue and Cry, made way back in 1947. Directed by the legendary Charles Crichton, it starred the wonderful Alastair Sim.

 

More films followed, among them Oliver Twist, The Lavender Hill Mob and Sink the Bismarck! - all small roles but Briggs kept going. Despite being known for drama, Johnny also appeared in countless classic comedy roles, mainly on the big screen. In 1960 he played Johnny Nolan in the Norman Wisdom comedy The Bulldog Breed. Coincidentally, another young actor who would become forever linked to Briggs also appeared in that film. Playing an uncredited role was William Roache, soon to be catapulted to fame as Coronation Street's Ken Barlow, Baldwin's greatest foe. Three years later, Johnny would have his first brush with the world of Rogers, Thomas and the like when he played one of the young medical students in the Betty Box/Ralph Thomas comedy, Doctor in Distress. He was in good company: his fellow students were played by Christopher Beeny, Derek Fowlds and Richard Briers. Although they didn't cross paths in the film, Johnny's future Corrie wife Amanda Barrie also pops up in Distress playing Rona. 

Also in 1963, Johnny Briggs was back working with Norman Wisdom. In the film Stitch in Time, Johnny plays a small time gangster who holds up Mr Grimsdale's butcher's shop at the start of the film, in a very funny scene featuring Norman and future Carry On legend Patsy Rowlands. Johnny went on to play small roles in the Morecambe and Wise film, The Intelligence Men in 1965, the character of Millet in the Reg Varney/Diana Coupland comedy drama The Best Pair of Legs in the Business (1973) and the part of a milkman in the 1974 big screen spin off Man About The House.

 

In between all that however, Johnny Briggs made his first appearance in the Carry On series. In 1968 he played the small role of "Sporran Soldier" in the classic Carry On Up The Khyber. Watch out for him sharing a few words with Terry Scott during the climactic battle sequence towards the end of the film. Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas were always loyal to actors they found easy to work with and true enough, Johnny did return to Pinewood to work with them again. Four years later, in 1972, Briggs was cast as a delivery driver in their big screen version of the classic Sid James sitcom, Bless This House. Johnny returned to the Carry Ons again in 1975 when he played one of the painters in the Clubhouse in Carry On Behind. That same year he also guest starred in one episode of the ATV Carry On Laughing series. In "The Case of the Coughing Parrot" Briggs played Norman in a cast which also starred Jack Douglas, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor and Johnny's future Corrie co-star Sherrie Hewson.

Johnny was given his biggest Carry On role the following year when he played Melly's driver in Carry On England. He shared a couple of decent scenes at the start of the film with its star, Kenneth Connor. This would be one of Johnny's last roles before taking on the life-changing part of Mike Baldwin up at Granada. Johnny turned Mike Baldwin into one of Coronation Street's most legendary characters and I loved following his ups and downs over the years. As I've written about in this blog, it's still worth remembering just what a varied career Briggs had before being cast in his most famous and long-lasting role.

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From the Archive: The Carry On Soap Bubble

As Dame Barbara Windsor has recently taken her leave from Albert Square for the very last time, here's another chance to read my blog on the cross over stars who took a little bit of Carry On magic to some of our best loved television programmes.

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

The A - Z of Carry On Supporting Actors: Johnny Briggs

This is the latest in a brand new series for Carry On Blogging. It might be slightly ambitious, but I'm going to attempt to do a run through the alphabet of some of the more interesting Carry On supporting actors. One of the reasons I set up this blog was to turn the spotlight on some of the lesser known Carry On actors who nevertheless played an important role in the success of the film series. 

Today we continue with the next letter in the alphabet, B and B is for Johnny Briggs.

Carry On films: Appeared in small parts in several series entries. Briggs made his first appearance as "Sporran Soldier" in the classic Carry On Up The Khyber in 1968. Two further roles followed in the 1970s - first as a painter in Behind in 1975 and then his biggest role in the series the following year, as Melly's Driver in Carry On England.

Also appeared in: Johnny Briggs also appeared in the Rogers and Thomas big screen version of Bless This House in 1972 as a lorry driver. In 1975 he played Norman "The Case of the Coughing Parrot" an episode of the ATV Carry On Laughing series.

 

Best known for: His thirty year stint (1976 - 2006) as Cockney lothario and factory boss Mike Baldwin in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. This role saw him team up successfully with another member of the Carry On alumni - Amanda Barrie.

Did you know: Before his mammoth stint in Corrie, Briggs also starred in two other long running television series - first of all No Hiding Place, as Detective Sergeant Russell between 1964 and 1966 and then as Clifford Leyton in the infamous ATV soap Crossroads between 1973 and 1974.

What are they up to now: Following his departure from Coronation Street in 2006, Briggs went on to appear in Miss Marple, Holby City and Echo Beach. His most recent television appearance was in Doctors in 2009. 

 

Stay tuned for the next entry in my A - Z of Carry On Supporting Actors! 

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Corrie's Carry On Connections

Although I love all things Carry On, one of my other blogging passions in life is Coronation Street. For the past two and a half years I have been a regular contributor to the fantastic Coronation Street Blog, simply the best place to go on the internet for Corrie news and original comment.

So in honour of my links with Corrie, I thought I would cobble together (do you see what I did there?!) a blog on Coronation Street's Carry On links. When I started thinking about actors who had appeared in both long-running British institutions there were a few who immediately came to mind, so we'll start with them.

One of the most famous and popular of them all must be the gorgeous Amanda Barrie. Amanda, best known for playing Cafe owner and all round good egg Alma Sedgewick on and off for twenty years also starred in two Carry Ons in the early 1960s. She first of all appeared as Glam Cab driver Anthea in Cabby and then returned in 1964 to play Cleopatra in the classic Carry On Cleo. Amanda's Corrie character has always been one of my favourites and I love her link to the Carry Ons too.

For most of her time in Corrie, Amanda was partnered with another actor who appeared in several Carry Ons. Johnny Briggs, who played cockney wide boy, factory boss and general love rat Mike Baldwin for 30 years, had a long career in British film and telly before he even arrived in Weatherfield. He took three small roles in Carry On films, starting with "Sporran Soldier' (!) in the classic Carry On Up The Khyber in 1968. He then returned for further cameos in Carry On Behind (1975) playing a painter and again in Carry On England the following year playing Captain Melly's driver. Briggs also cropped up in the film version of Bless This House in 1972, which came from the Rogers and Thomas stable and featured several Carry On actors.

The lovely Sherrie Hewson, now starring in Benidorm on ITV began her career with the Carry On films. The actress, who played Maureen Naylor (Holdsworth) in Corrie for four years in the 1990s, played Carol opposite Carol Hawkins' Sandra in Carry On Behind. Sherrie also appeared in several episodes of Carry On Laughing, a less successful attempt to take the Carry On films into television in 1975.

Those were the three actors who immediately came to mind, but the more I thought about it the more links sprang up. Bernard Cribbins, a wonderful star in many classic British films and television, played Blanche Hunt's boyfriend Wally Bannister in Corrie back in 2003. Bernard was also a star of three Carry On films, Jack in 1963, Spying (opposite Barbara Windsor) in 1964 and then the truly dreadful Columbus in 1992. Another Carry On actor who appeared in a Corrie cameo was comedy legend June Whitfield. June appeared in a few episodes back in 2010 when her character arrived in Weatherfield to tell the Barlow family that Blanche had passed away. This storyline was created to pay tribute to actress Maggie Jones who had sadly died the year before. June famously appeared in four Carry Ons, Nurse, Abroad, Girls (as the gloriously named Augusta Prodworthy) and finally Columbus.

Going back further into the mists of time, the wonderful actor Kenneth Cope, probably most famous for is role in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), played Jed Stone in Coronation Street for several years in the 1960s, returning for a short stint in 2008. Kenneth was smashing in two Carry On films made in the early 1970s - At Your Convenience as union rep Vic Spanner and then later that year as Cyril Carter in Carry On Matron. Also from this period in Corrie history, but sadly an appearance I've never seen, popular Carry On leading lady Angela Douglas is said to have appeared in Corrie for just one episode as a stripper romantically involved with Dennis Tanner. If anyone can verify this I'd be grateful!

I adored Betty Driver who played barmaid Betty Turpin in Corrie for over forty years. Did you know that Bill Kenwright, who played her on-screen son Gordon Clegg, also cropped up in a Carry On film? Kenwright, now more well known for being Chairman of Everton football club and a highly successful theatre impresario, played a newspaper reporter in Carry On Matron. This appearance would have come after his original stint in Corrie. 

Now we are starting to stretch the links a bit, but did you know that infamous Corrie killer Richard Hillman has a Carry On connection? Although never appearing in a Carry On film, actor Brian Capron appeared in the minor role of a Trumpeter in two episodes of Carry On Laughing, broadcast in 1975. Apparently actress Rosalind Knight, who played Nurse Nightingale in Carry On Nurse and Felicity Wheeler in Teacher has also appeared in Corrie in the early 1980s, but again I've not seen this performance.

Finally, who can forget Maureen Lipman playing temporary Rovers Return landlady in 2002? Maureen was cast after Julie Goodyear's much heralded return hit some problems. Maureen of course, appeared in the dire Carry On Columbus in 1992. A tenuous link to Carry On, but a link nonetheless!

One final Carry On Corrie link of sorts. On reading Liz Fraser's excellent autobiography a couple of years back, I was interested to hear that she had been offered a part in Coronation Street back in the 1970s. Now I have no idea how far this went or what part could have been offered to her but wouldn't it have been interesting to see the former Carry On star appear in Weatherfield?

So there you go, a few interesting links between two of my all time favourite British institutions. I'm bound to have missed some out, so if you can think of any do get in touch!


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