Happy Birthday Sheila Hancock!

Many happy returns to the wonderful Sheila Hancock who celebrates her birthday today. Sheila is well known and often celebrated for her long and illustrious career on stage, film and television. 

Sheila has also become a successful author in more recent years, publishing two memoirs - one about her life with her late husband, the actor John Thaw and another on her life after his sad death in 2002. She has also written her first novel, Miss Carter's War and I was lucky enough to attend a Q&A on this back in 2014.

Sheila has featured in many classic films and television shows over the years but is mainly known to Carry On fans for her definitive performance as Senna Pod, wife of Hengist, inventor of the square wheel, in Carry On Cleo. Sheila was on wonderful form opposite Kenneth Connor. She also worked with Carry On favourite Esma Cannon in the early 1960s sitcom, The Rag Trade and several years later, alongside her life long friend Dilys Laye in My Digby Darling. 

In the early 1960s Sheila co-starred with Kenneth Williams in the West End revue, One Over The Eight. Unlike many of Kenneth's other leading ladies, Hancock took very little of his usual pranks and nonsense, stood up to Kenny and the two became close friends. Sheila even appeared on Just A Minute alongside Kenneth in the late 1960s. It wasn't until recently that I realised Sheila also shares a birthday with the great man.

So whatever Sheila is up to today, I hope she has a wonderful birthday!


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan

Butterworth Carries On … As Bidet

A couple of years back I started a regular series of blogs which profiled each of Joan Sims' fabulous 24 Carry On roles. I enjoyed giving each performance a turn in the spotlight so once I completed the mammoth task of writing about everything from Nurse Stella Dawson to Mrs Dangle, I went on to blog about all of Hattie Jacques' roles in the series and then those portrayed by Dame Barbara Windsor.

More recently I have carried out the same task for two of Carry Ons' unsung heroes - Kenneth Connor and Bernard Bresslaw. Now I will turn my attentions to all sixteen of Peter Butterworth's delightful supporting turns in the Carry On series. Peter, along with Sid James and Joan Sims, has long been one of my very favourite comedy actors and favourite members of the Carry On troupe. Sadly, Peter has received scant attention from the wider press, with only diehard fans really giving his acting talent the praise it so rightly deserves.

Peter joined the Carry On team in 1965 for Carry On Cowboy and remained a loyal servant to the series pretty much right through until the end of the original series in 1978. He was also a frequent contributor to many of the team's small screen outings and appeared alongside Sid James, Barbara Windsor and several others in the Carry On London stage farce in the early 1970s. He never put a foot wrong and was the master scene stealer. 2019 marks not only one hundred years since Peter's birth but also, sadly, forty years since he passed away. It therefore seems fitting to devote some blogging time to his wonderful performances.

Follow on from my first two blogs in this series on Peter's roles in Carry On Cowboy and Screaming, today I'm looking at his performance as the conniving if slightly slow-witted CItizen Bidet in the 1966 film, Don't Lose Your Head. This French Revolution romp was an important picture for Peter Rogers Productions as it was the transition film in many ways. After parting company with Anglo Amalgamated earlier that year, Peter signed on with The Rank Organisation as the Carry On films' distributor. However Rank were not keen on using the Carry On moniker as it linked the series too much with their rival, Anglo. Hence why the film was released in the first instance simply as Don't Lose Your Head. After this entry and the next in the series performed less well at the box office, they were both re-released with the Carry On title and took off up the charts! Given that the films were made by the same crew, written by the same writer and starred many of the same faces, it was surely only a matter of time.

Don't Lose Your Head is another costume heavy, period comedy parody, sending up films like The Scarlet Pimpernel. The film pitches goodies versus baddies and English versus French as landed gentry Sir Rodney Ffing and Lord Darcy (Sid James and Jim Dale) head to France and the guillotine to rescue their French aristocratic counterparts, including the foppish Duke de Pommefrite (Charles Hawtrey). Much of the film sees the enraged and increasingly deranged revolutionary leader Citizen Camembert attempting to unfrock the English Master of Disguise and this cat and mouse game is very funny when it's Sid pitched against the high camp of Kenneth Williams. It's a glorious film full of delicious performances, brilliant sets and locations, cracking costumes and plenty of action. 

So what about Peter Butterworth's role in proceedings? Peter grabs one of his most substantial supporting turns in Don't Lose Your Head. As with his other roles to date, Peter is playing second in command as part of a hugely successful double act. This time he's partnering Kenneth Williams and as the toadying CItizen Bidet, Butterworth excels. Kenneth always wrote very fondly of Peter in his diaries and it's clear there was a great deal of affection between the two actors. No mean feat really, given how picky Williams could be. As Bidet, Peter is on fine comedic form as the snivelling, grovelling Bidet, constantly muttering on about 'the glorious new French Republic'. The timing and exchanges between the two actors is consistently sublime and really makes the film.

When Camembert and Bidet are joined by their third wheel, the pretty but ditzy, high pitched Desiree Dubarry (Joan Sims), we're all set for a delicious romp. Joan's first scene is pure high camp with comedic misunderstandings and Peter's drooling underling unable to keep his eyes off her. When the three French baddies go rather unconvincingly undercover in England in a bid to trap Sid's 'Black Fingernail' we are treated to some rather lavish (for a Carry On) scene at Sir Rodney's ball (yes, 'you've always had magnificent balls…and I wouldn't miss one of them'). With Bidet sent to trap the Fingernail in action we are treated to Peter's brilliantly inspired range of funny faces and delightful sight gags. He never misses a trick or an opportunity to pull a face in the background, upstaging his co-stars. When those stars are Sid, Joan and Kenneth Williams, you can understand that it takes a supremely talented comedy actor to achieve this! And that's what Peter was. 

Being a true professional, Peter throws himself into all manner of scrapes, being bashed over the head, falling into mucky ponds and basically enduring whatever the script demanded. One of my favourite scenes sees Bidet fooled by Sir Rodney into thinking Robespierre (Peter Gilmore) has instructed that Camembert is actually the Black Fingernail in disguise. This set up sees Butterworth and Williams in a wonderful comedy of misunderstandings, bickering and slapstick which defines them as the closest the Carry Ons ever got to the work of Laurel and Hardy. Yes, I think as a double act they are that good. Kenneth and Peter imbue their characters with so much comedic charm that the audience loves to hate them. We may even feel a touch of sympathy for the pathetic Bidet and all he endures at the hands of the nasal, camp Cammy. 

The climax of Don't Lose Your Head, and as all fans know, every Carry On needs a big climatic sequence, sees Camembert's country pad in lockdown as Sir Rodney attempts to rescue the lovely Jacqueline (French actress Dany Robin) from Camembert's fiendish clutches. While you could argue this final scene goes on a tad too long, it does provide plenty of spectacular action, stunts and set pieces as Sid, Jim and Charles Hawtrey takes on Kenneth's men and destroy his precious home and priceless artefacts in the process. Even Kenneth Williams struggles to maintain the momentum as he flings himself about the place clutches smashed porcelain and slashed chairs. He does have one lovely moment though when he runs nostrils first in a harp! 

Peter has a running gag (literally) throughout this sequence as he continually fails to come to Camembert's aid. First of all he's pretty much blown up by an exploding front door, then he's continuously pushed behind said heavy door and squashed by a variety of opponents. Peter really did have a gift for physical comedy and in his safe hands he provides several big laughs which act as a counterpoint to some of Kenneth's overacting. Right at the end of the sequence, just when you think Bidet is coming good for his nasty boss, sadly he goes awry once again and single handedly demolishes the palace. As Sid leads the rest of them to safety, Camembert and Bidet run up the stairs clutching bits of furniture for protection!

All is well in Carry On Land as Sid and Jim win the day. Sadly though for Camembert and Bidet there is an unpleasant final twist as the two snivelling wretches go to the guillotine. In a final flourish the executioner is revealed to be none other than Sid James as the Black Fingernail. With his characteristic chuckle he pulls the leaver and it's goodnight Vienna! A fairly gruesome end really, for a comedy at least if you think about it. Don't Lose Your Head is always up there as a favourite for me. I think it's production values raise it up to a different level, much like Screaming or Cleo. A lot of that is down to it's period costume setting. Several key players are missing - there's no Bernard Bresslaw, Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Connor or Hattie Jacques - but the handpicked cast of favourites do a sterling job and Peter puts in one of the most consistently funny performances. He really did work terribly hard for his laughs in so many of his Carry On roles. Lots of physical comedy, face pulling and inspired reactions to other lines and funny situations. Always a true pro.

So there we have it, my take on Peter Butterworth's glorious turn as Citizen Bidet in Don't Lose Your Head. Coming up next is my blog on Peter's role as Simpson, manservant to Bo West in the Foreign Legion Carry On caper, Follow That Camel.



You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

The Star of … Carry On Nurse

I have decided to dedicate a new series of blogs to what I consider to be the very best performances in each of the thirty original Carry On films. As ever, it's a purely personal take on these films from yours truly and of course you are welcome to agree or disagree as you see fit! 

Since I started the blog in 2015 I have often championed the underdog or the under appreciated. The Carry On series employed hundreds of cracking comedy actors during their twenty year lifespan and while I've done my best to celebrate as many of them as possible, there is still much to do to preserve their legacy. Some of the actors featured in this new series will be household names and leading lights, others perhaps not so well known. Whoever they are, I hope you enjoy reading about my chosen few.

The first in this series saw me write about my love for Kenneth Connor's role as Horace Strong in Carry On Sergeant and today, moving forward to later in 1958, we focus on another Kenneth. Kenneth Williams, along with Connor and Joan SIms, was one of the true stalwarts of the Carry Ons and his memorable appearances spanned the entire original run of films. Kenneth was one of the core team members from the off and while some of his later turns in the series were wildly camp and full of obvious innuendo, Williams earlier roles, scripted by Norman Hudis, offered something a little bit different. Always recognisably Kenneth and always hilariously funny, but these early roles offered depth and a touch of pathos.

Carry On Nurse takes much from the success of Sergeant and follows a similar story pattern. Hudis, buoyed by his previous tale of national service recruits, plonked several familiar faces in not an army barracks but a hospital ward. There are much the same high jinks and low comedy but this time around the film gently targets the National Health Service and not the army. The film also benefits from a greater number of female characters bolstering the returning Hattie Jacques, playing her formidable Matron for the very first time. The addition of nurses in the shape of Shirley Eaton, Joan Sims, Susan Stephen and Ann Firbank and visitors such as Marianne Stone, Jill Ireland and June Whitfield takes the film in a refreshing new direction.

It's another case of the everyman against authority as the film pokes fun at some of the potentially ridiculous aspects of staying in hospital. In amongst a cast of actors which boasts Bill Owen, Charles Hawtrey, Terence Longdon, Leslie Phillips, Brian Oulton, Cyril Chamberlain and Kenneth Connor, Williams shines as the most interesting character and also possibly the funniest. As the bookish intellectual Oliver Reckitt, Kenneth is not quite the effete loner Hawtrey plays, but is definitely a stand alone character who looks down both on many of his fellow 'inmates' but also many of the bureaucratic medical men (and women). Upper class, fussy and sneering, Oliver takes pleasure in pushing back against regulation and regularly takes on Hattie's fearsome Matron. Seeing these two pros come face to face for the first time in a Carry On is an absolute joy to behold.

I love the interaction between the two Kenneths in Carry On Nurse. Connor is the working class, easygoing and down to earth boxing champ Bernie Bishop in the next bed. The two neighbours couldn't be any different in character. Bernie constantly misunderstands Oliver's highfaluting command of the English language and cannot understand why he's so stuck up, serious and removed from real life. In turn, Williams' Reckitt is curious about Bernie but clearly views his occupation as 'savage' and does not understand many aspects of his way of life. There is an earthy, if occasionally coy sexual awareness about Connor's character - happily married with a child and interested in the young nurses who tend to him. Oliver on the other hand is completely unaware of the various charms of Susan Stephen or Shirley Eaton. Which brings me to the most interesting part of the film where Kenneth's character is concerned.

Oliver is visited several times by Jill Ireland's character Jill. The sister of one of his friends, Jill takes an obvious interest in Oliver although it's all very coy and cosy 1950s romantics. Oliver meanwhile is totally oblivious and is merely interested with the books she has brought in for him. Connor's boxer in the next bed spots Jill and her clear fondness for Oliver which leaves the academic in a delightful fluster. What makes the scenes between Kenneth and Jill Ireland so charming is that in amongst the usual frothy Carry On comedy, their scenes are genuine and played for real. There is lovely chemistry between Kenneth and Jill and it's rather a unique experience to see Williams playing it straight (no pun intended) and developing an on screen romantic relationship. Compare these scenes with Hattie Jacques forcing her way into Kenneth's tent ten years on in Carry On Camping and it's light and shade. There is a place in the Carry On cannon for both but I have such an affection for these early scenes.

One of my favourite scenes from Nurse involves Kenneth taking on Hattie's Matron. During one of her rather tense, authoritative rounds of the ward with Joan Hickson's chastened Sister bowing and scraping behind her, Kenneth dares to question Matron's rule that male patients shouldn't lie on top of the bedclothes! Bruce Montgomery's music swells to a dramatic climax as these two legendary actors square off in the hushed ward! Williams wins through as he cuts Matron dead, returns his spectacles to his face and reclines on his made up bed to read one of his lofty tomes. It's a brilliant set piece which balances comedy, reaction shots, a cracking script and real proper acting! 

Kenneth also excels in the climatic scenes of Carry On Nurse. After downing a fair quantity of champagne with his fellow male patients, Kenneth boldly claims that he could easily operate of Leslie Phillips' troublesome bunion, therefore allowing him to go off for a naughty weekend with girlfriend Meg. With the help of a book of practical surgery, the tipsy Kenneth leads his band of men through the sleeping hospital to one of the gleaming operating theatres for rather a dramatic and beautifully lit scenes. As Leslie's Jack Bell (Ding Dong) sobers up and changes his mind, his mates use brute strength to hold him down as Surgeon Williams scrubs up and camps up! 

Kenneth is in full on toffee-nosed intellectual mode as he larges it over the rest of the men but unfortunately the laughing gas has been left on and slowly but surely the men all begin to feel the effects! Kenneth Connor's giggles are pretty infectious to the audience but it's the unmistakable campy cackle of Kenneth Williams which rules the scene as, nostrils flaring, he almost takes the turn into Hammer Horror. Scalpel in hand, he refuses to let go of Leslie's foot! It's one of the few times in the film that Kenneth loses grip of the subtle acting I so enjoy in the film. However given these moments are few and far between the instances of high camp and almost 'snide' character are refreshing, hilarious and an utter joy. Sadly as the films found their footing, Kenneth's 'snide' began to grow legs and take over. But for now, there's plenty to enjoy in his excellent performances.

Kenneth's character gets a happy ending as Nurse concludes. Discharged from hospital, Jill's character is there to meet him and the pair walk off, arm in arm. There aren't many other instances of this kind of thing in a Carry On, at least where Kenneth Williams is concerned. Yes, he joyously camped about down Brighton Pier with Patsy Rowlands, crushed Gail Grainger's itinerary in Carry On Abroad and dug up all kind of artefacts with Elke Sommer in Carry On Behind, but the screen partnership with Ireland is one of Kenneth's finest moments in a Carry On. So Kenneth Williams is my star performer in Carry On Nurse … stay tuned for my next blog in this series, looking at the star turn from Carry On Teacher.


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram 

Butterworth Carries On … As Slobotham!

A couple of years back I started a regular series of blogs which profiled each of Joan Sims' fabulous 24 Carry On roles. I enjoyed giving each performance a turn in the spotlight so once I completed the mammoth task of writing about everything from Nurse Stella Dawson to Mrs Dangle, I went on to blog about all of Hattie Jacques' roles in the series and then those portrayed by Dame Barbara Windsor.

More recently I have carried out the same task for two of Carry Ons' unsung heroes - Kenneth Connor and Bernard Bresslaw. Now I will turn my attentions to all sixteen of Peter Butterworth's delightful supporting turns in the Carry On series. Peter, along with Sid James and Joan Sims, has long been one of my very favourite comedy actors and favourite members of the Carry On troupe. Sadly, Peter has received scant attention from the wider press, with only diehard fans really giving his acting talent the praise it so rightly deserves.

Peter joined the Carry On team in 1965 for Carry On Cowboy and remained a loyal servant to the series pretty much right through until the end of the original series in 1978. He was also a frequent contributor to many of the team's small screen outings and appeared alongside Sid James, Barbara Windsor and several others in the Carry On London stage farce in the early 1970s. He never put a foot wrong and was the master scene stealer. 2019 marks not only one hundred years since Peter's birth but also, sadly, forty years since he passed away. It therefore seems fitting to devote some blogging time to his wonderful performances.

After my first blog in the series last week on Peter's debut in Carry On Cowboy, today we're moving on to the film which started production at Pinewood the following January, over fifty years ago. Carry On Screaming has gone down in British cinema history as not just one of the finest Carry Ons ever made but one of the best horror comedies ever produced in the UK. A pastiche of the wildly popular Hammer Horror films, then at their peak, Screaming sends up these scary classics as only the team could. The production values are superb, from costumes to set dressing and even the appearance of a couple of classic motorcars. The script is one of Rothwell's finest and the performances from the team are second to none. Throw in a couple of excellent guest actors in Harry H Corbett and the superb late lamented Fenella Fielding and you surely have one of the best Carry Ons ever made.

Screaming tells the story of a mysterious and creepy brother and sister who send their towering monster Oddbod into the local woods to kidnap young ladies who are then vitrified into tailor shop dummies! One such unfortunate is Doris Mann, out courting with Albert Potter. When Potter takes the disappearance of his girlfriend to the local police, police detectives Bung and Slobotham decide to investigate. As always the plot takes second place to the comedy situations and performances and Screaming doesn't disappoint. With Corbett, Fielding and Williams grabbing most of the screen time and Jim Dale once again int he role of romantic hero, Screaming also excels with its supporting cast of typical rogues gallery favourites. Joan Sims is on fine form as Corbett's nagging wife Emily while Bernard Bresslaw and a certain Peter Butterworth both return for their second outings with the gang. With the action focussed so much on the aforementioned stars, the likes of Charles Hawtrey and Angela Douglas have smaller parts than usual but as ever the more familiar faces involved the better.

So what about Peter's performance as Slobotham? Quite frankly I think it's one of Peter's greatest Carry On appearances. Still hovering down the cast list with the focus on Dale, Williams and Fielding, Peter still manages to grab more screen time than some of his other Carry On roles and he never misses an opportunity to make the most of it. First of all, I think Peter and Harry H Corbett are a revelation together. Given that the role was pretty much written for Sid James, who in the end couldn't join the film, Harry plays the part of Sidney Bung to perfection and the double act with Peter is a complete and utter joy. Much comedy fumbling and idiocy ensues as the ineffective policemen fail to spot obvious clues. Despite this and of course because we have great affection for these actors and their characters, the audience still roots for them right to the very end.

As with many of his other roles, Peter is the everyman character in Screaming. He's often in the background and is constantly reacting to events and the performances of other actors. And this is where Butterworth excels as a visual comedy performer. That face! I mean really. It's a face created for this kind of comedy. I'm sure there were plenty of ad-libs from Peter in this film, despite so many stories that Gerald Thomas didn't allow them. With an actor like Peter, he just couldn't help himself. He was firing on all cylinders in this film and clearly having a ball. The sheer skill of the man is proved time and time again as no matter who is on screen with him and no matter what they are doing, you end up watching Peter's classic reactions, be they very physical business with the old car in the woods or just the merest flicker of an eye. He never misses a trick and that's why he's worth his weight in comedy gold.

The scene where Harry and Peter deliberate over clues with the blackboard and chalk in the police station is pure nursery humour. In the hands of others it would fall completely flat, but with Butterworth in particular on board, it's hilarious and a classic Carry On moment. I also love his reaction when he, together with Harry and JIm turn up at the Watt mansion for the first time and are greeted by the menacing sight of Bernard Bresslaw's butler. He doesn't need to do very much to achieve instant laughter from the audience, and in saying that he's competing with two outstanding comedy performers in the form of Harry H Corbett and Jim Dale. This scene leads into the wonderful exchange with Kenneth Williams' twitching Orlando with some excellent fast, revue-like word play as Bung and Slobotham look for evidence. Expertly played by a collection of handpicked, hugely experienced performers. Actors like Peter really do make it look so effortless and easy and therein lies the skill of the man.

I think the climax of Peter's role in Carry On Screaming is his wonderful drag sequence as he and Sergeant Bung attempt to catch the mysterious monster in the woods. With Peter's Slobotham dolled up like "a bag of nutty slack"! the pair make their way to woods to pretend to be a courting couple. With Jim Dale also in situ on the hunt of the creature and Joan Sims' suspicious wife also on their trail, what could possibly go wrong?! Unlike some actors, Peter clearly revels in being done up in drag, possibly reminiscent of so many of his great roles in pantomime. Butterworth makes the perfect drag act for a Carry On as he's so obviously a man it just makes it completely hilarious, much like Bernard Bresslaw in Carry On Girls. When Slobotham is kidnapped and taken back for vitrification the whole story comes to a climax as Bung and Potter come to his rescue. As the trio fend off the gruesome monsters, Peter once again indulges in some inspired horseplay, still in his corsets and unconvincing wig! 

Of course all ends well as it must do in Carry On land. Kenneth Williams' evil Dr Watt is himself vitrified, Jim Dale's handsome hero is reunited with his girlfriend, 'that man Doris' and Harry's Sidney Bung gets his wife back, although perhaps she's just not the woman she once was. And Fenella's Valeria takes on a new role as Bung's sexy housekeeper! Who knows what happened to Peter's Slobotham as he isn't present in the final scene which is a shame. 

Despite that, Peter's role in Carry On Screaming remains a triumph and no doubt solidified his position as the go-to man for priceless supporting turns. He fitted in so well with the established Carry On team and very quickly became such a fan favourite. Peter would be back in another significant supporting role in the very next film in the series, as the unforgettable Citizen Bidet opposite Kenneth Williams' Camembert in Don't Lose Your Head. My blog on that role and that film coming up next! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

An Alternative Auld Lang Syne … with Kenneth Williams!

I posted this clip last year but as it's both completely wonderful and very suitable for 31st December, I'm sharing it again this year. As the year draws to a close, it seems fitting to make my final blog post of 2018, a Carry On take on a classic tradition. Being a proud Scotsman, I'm a big fan of the work of Robert Burns. I'm an even greater fan of the work of Kenneth Williams, and in this clip we see the two worlds collide, with a little help from one of my fellow countrymen, the late great Gordon Jackson.

I love Kenneth's Audience With show, filmed towards the end of 1982. It is Williams at his finest - a sublime raconteur holding a celebrity audience in rapture with a series of beautifully delivered anecdotes and tales from his colourful life and career. It's a real classic. One of the highlights is this musical diversion that wrapped the whole show up at the end. Kenneth had performed this reworking of Auld Lang Syne on other shows but I think this is the definitive version. He credits Gordon Jackson for helping create this mini masterpiece but I'm not sure if that's true or not!

It doesn't matter, it's just a hilarious comedy number packed full of wonderful Kenneth Williams touches and brilliant comic timing. It may not be the traditional Scottish song, but Kenny's version entertains me a great deal more than the original!

So take it away Kenneth and a Happy New Year to you all!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan

Comedy Greats Feature in Sky Arts Christmas Line Up

I quite often tune in to Sky Arts for a bit of documentary action and I really like what the channel does, so I was pleased to see some classic comedy heroes featuring in their festive line up this year. 

There is a three part strand looking at three of Britain's best loved comedy actors. Titled "The Undiscovered…" the series, presented by Victor Lewis-Smith, will devote three hours to Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock and Kenneth Williams. Little is known about what will feature, however Lewis-Smith has apparently said viewers will see lots of previously unseen diary entries, letters and photographs as well as a superb range of classic clips from their lives and careers.

The idea for the series came from a previous documentary Lewis-Smith made on Peter Cook for BBC4 back in 2016. After seeing material for the Sellers programme, Sky Arts signed the film maker up to make the series of three. Sounds like the perfect way to relax over the festive period to me! 

Also, look out for a special programme - Comedy Legends - going out on the same channel. It focusses on the wonderful Frankie Howerd and is hosted by none other than Barry Cryer.

The Undiscovered Peter Sellers airs on Sky Arts on Tuesday 18 December at 10pm, with the programme on Kenneth Williams following on Wednesday 19 December at 10pm while Tony Hancock is the subject of the show going out on Thursday 20 December, also at 10.

Meanwhile, Comedy Legends - Frankie Howerd, airs on Wednesday 19 December at 11pm, also on Sky Arts.


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Joe, Kenneth and Mrs Edna Welthorpe

This Friday I am attending a very special event at London's Postal Museum. As part of the Bloomsbury Festival, I managed to grab a couple of tickets for Yours Faithfully Edna Welthorpe (Mrs) - Joe Orton's Prank Letters. 

I've been a fan of the late playwright Joe Orton since I first discovered him through Kenneth Williams' diaries. Kenneth and Joe were friends in the mid 1960s and although they shared some common attributes they were in many ways complete opposites. Both gay and from working class backgrounds, while Kenneth's private life was monk-like and the modern swinging sixties world around him both excited and repulsed him, Joe went for it and enjoyed being the glamorous toast of London. Joe became hugely famous thanks to two notorious plays - Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane. Both plays shocked and intrigued contemporary audiences and have endured, becoming classics of their kind still often performed today.

Kenneth and Joe first met when Williams was cast in the first version of Joe's play Loot. Although the production was a disaster, the friendship endured and the pair even enjoyed trips abroad to more liberal environments. Having read both diaries and taken in these two famous, iconic men and their opinions of each other, we really can view them from a unique perspective. Kenneth was deeply shocked and affected by Joe's untimely death at the hands of Kenneth Halliwell in August 1967. It's worth reading his diary from around this time although it's pretty sober stuff. 

Joe was well known for producing deliciously camp, funny prank letters under the name of Mrs Edna Welthorpe and Kenneth was a regular receiver of these missives. The event on Friday will celebrate this aspect of Joe's creative outpouring in the company of several experts and Joe's sister, Leonie Orton. There will also be some new Edna letters, written by some well known comedy writers of today and a screening of a brand new animation on Edna, voiced by Alison Steadman. I'm particularly keen to hear what Leonie has to say as I've recently read her deeply touching, affecting and sometimes (darkly) hilarious memoir, I Had it in Me. I believe Joe would have loved the double meaning of this title. The memoir is as much about Leonie's own journey through life as it is about Joe and her thoughts about his life, his career and his untimely passing. 

I thoroughly recommend it to you and you can find it here

And you can read more about Kenneth and Joe in my blog from last year here 

And if you want more, here's a video of Kenneth Williams discussing Joe from the BBC Arena documentary A Genius Like Us: A Portrait of Joe Orton from 1982:

And finally, here's Leonie talking about her brother back in 2012:

I can't wait for Friday night to hear more about the brilliant Joe Orton, his life and work.

More on the Bloomsbury Festival can be found here: bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Guest Blog: An alternative Top 20 Favourite Carry On Actors

The other week I reached the end of my countdown of Top 20 favourite Carry On actors, something which sparked some debate on Twitter. If you are interested in seeing who I chose, you can read it all over here. Anyway, regular blog reader Chris Stephenson has sent me in his own wonderful list of favourites and here it is:


Just outside the Top 20 are Julian Holloway, Peter Gilmore, Harry H Corbett, Margaret Nolan and Phil Silvers! I know Harry and Phil only appeared in one film each but they were starring roles an each was carried off superbly! To be honest, I don't think I dislike any Carry On actor/actress as they all bring something to the screen while you are watching.

20. Fenella Fielding - Need I say more than Carry On Screaming!? For her performance in this alone (never mind her role in Regardless) she deserves to be on this list!

19. Patsy Rowlands -  Patsy deserves to be in this list but I never quite bonded with any of her characters. The dowdy, frustrated women she played were never my favourites. Maybe it was just her great acting!

18. Terry Scott - I'm surprised Terry is not further up my list as I love his performances especially as the put upon husband in Camping and his Tarzan in Up The Jungle!

17. Jon Pertwee - My favourite Doctor Who and his cameos in the Carry On films were a pleasure to behold! I met Jon once and asked him about his Carry On roles and he said when he was told of the characters he was about to play he said to Gerald and Peter 'well can he have this, can he have that' and they said 'If they make us laugh, yes!' and so he did have a bit of input in his parts!

16. Esma Cannon - Esma, again is one of those actresses who you think made more Carry Ons but she made just four. However her role in one of my top five films (Cruising) is enough for her to be here! To quote the book What a Carry On, "Esma Cannon steals every scene in which she appears as a twittering, bird-like little passenger (a mad pixie according to the captain) happily entering into the spirit of the fun and games." I rest my case!

15. Bernard Bresslaw - Some of my choices (especially of the regulars) may be lower down than they would be in other people's lists but that's the beauty of making your own choices. If we were all the same life would be awkward so change sparks debate! I'm surprised Bernard isn't higher up my list as his range of acting in the Carry Ons is far reaching from the aggression of Abdul and Gripper Burke to the calmness of Ken Biddle and Brother Bernard, not forgetting his female impersonations in Girls, Doctor and Up The Jungle!

14. Peter Butterworth - Although never in a starring role Peter always left his mark in every Carry On he appeared in. His characters were mostly the shy, retiring type and very nervous, often as a side-kick. Although he made 16 Carry Ons, my top 3 Peter characters have to be Pepe (Abroad), Slowbotham (Screaming!) and Mr Fiddler (Camping) who this time is anything but shy when it comes to getting money out of Sid!

13. Dilys Laye - Absolutely love her characters and the way she plays them! The beautiful double agent in Spying; the shy husband searching good time girl in Cruising; the slightly nervous girlfriend of Bernard Bresslaw in Camping and the female who Bernard falls for in Doctor!

12. Frankie Howerd - His two appearances in the Carry Ons (Doctor and Up The Jungle) were more or less starring roles and he played them with his usual comical genius and presence! Always plays parts like he's ad-libbing but it's just great acting!

11. Liz Fraser - Another lady who you think has been in more than four films! Like Dilys, lived Liz in the Carry Ons but my favourite was when she was with Dilys in Carry On Cruising. One of my top five and with little Esma these three help the film cruise along nicely! 

10. Hattie Jacques - With 14 films to her name her large frame was only matched by a bigger heart! Mostly remembered for a battle axe hospital staff character but there were gentler roles and Hattie played them all with aplomb!!

9. Barbara Windsor - Bubbly Babs' portrayal of Daphne in Spying meant she hit the ground running and with her Cockney charm and shapely figure (which often led to her being scantily dressed) she breezed through nine films. Again Barbara was one of those that you thought had made more.

8. Charles Hawtrey - Love his characters in the Carry On films as you always feel a bit sorry for him! He tries his hardest but his child-like characters make him desperate to please but in the end trouble is also in store! With 23 films under his belt the public liked him too!

7. Joan Sims - 'Wonderfully talented - one of the best comediennes in the country' was Peter Rogers' description of Joan. Her 24 appearances speak for themselves as they are all different yet feel the same and that is credit to Joan for putting her unique stamp on the characters!

6. Jacki Piper - A lot of people will be wondering how Jacki (and my no. 3) are above Hattie and Joan and I think it stems back to old I was when I got into the Carry Ons. I was about 13/14 and when I really got into them Jacki was one of my teenage fantasies (along with Katy Manning and Elisabeth Sladen). Only four films but definitely made a lasting impression on me! 

5. Kenneth Connor - A bumbling, nervous-type character is generally Ken's role and he plays them so well he lights up nearly all the scenes he appears in. My three favourites of his are the Sam Twist sequence aboard the train in Regardless, the brilliant portrayal of Hengist Pod in Cleo and the love struck doctor Arthur Binn in Cruising!

4. Kenneth Williams - With his flared nostrils, gaping eyes and nasal voice Kenneth is to some Mr Carry On! With 25 films to his credit (plus the That's Carry On compilation with Barbara Windsor), Kenneth has appeared in the most Carry Ons. Most of his appearances are as bosses where is he very conceited and abrupt!

3. Angela Douglas - Only four to her name but like Jacki Piper as I was growing up and my libido was racing, they were my dream girls! My favourite of her roles is Annie Oakley in Cowboy, only narrowly beating Doris Mann in Screaming! into second place.

2. Sid James - What can you say about Sid that hasn't been said already? One of my favourite comedy actors (not just in Carry On but I'm also a massive fan of Hancock and Bless This House). Sid compared his face to a 'bed that has been slept in with the sheets left rumpled'! Who could forget that gravelly cockney voice and the yahk yahk yahk laugh. At 19 movies, Sid truly left his mark on the Carry Ons. 'They bung a beard on me' says Sid on the set of Carry On Henry 'give me plumes and things and dress me up in ruddy heavy costumes - but I'm still me'. And that's why we love him!!

1. Jim Dale - Although Jim only made 10 films, four of his Carry Ons are in my top 5! Although his first two Carry Ons were most bits parts, from then on he came into his own. His roles are a bit like Kenneth Connor's but Jim plays them almost slapstick style and his bashful, bumbling innocence became an essential ingredient in the Carry Ons!

So there you have it, an alternative top twenty! Thanks very much to Chris for taking the time to do this. So what do you think, do you agree with these choices?

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Bernie Carries On … As Bungdit Din!

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 beginning 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 another fearsome villain in one of the finest films of the entire series, and certainly one of the most popular - Bungdit Din in 1968's Carry On Up The Khyber!

Khyber is frequently quoted as the finest of all Carry Ons so it is therefore only fitting that the film provided stalwarts such as Sid, Kenneth, Joan and Bernard with some of their best roles. The film is a glorious send up of all those stiff upper lip British war films. The Carry Ons were indeed at their best when gently poking fun at an established institution. 

The film is focuses the Devil's In Skirts and the Khasi of Kalabar's (Kenneth Williams) attempts to prove that the British soldiers are not the fearsome opponents they claim to be. He does this with the help of Private Widdle (Charles Hawtrey) and the revelation that the Devils wear underwear under the dreaded kilts! Lady Ruff-Diamond, fed up with her good for nothing, womanising husband (who else but Sid James?) takes a photograph as proof and runs away to Jacksi (!) and into the arms of the Khasi. While soppy Joan thinks the Khasi has romantic intentions, the fiendish Khasi is just using her for his own ends! 

The film is beautifully written, Talbot Rothwell clearly relishing his subject matter and therefore firing on all cylinders. It's also fairly even handed, as the best Carry Ons were. Everyone comes in for ridicule, especially the British! Despite this it remains a pretty patriotic film, summed up best by the climatic dinner party sequence which sees the Brits continue with their fine dining experience while the Khasi and his men do their very best to blow up the residency and kill them all! Talk about keeping a stiff upper lip! 

Bernard Bresslaw is on tremendous form as Kenneth Williams' righthand man, Bungdit Din from Jacksi. He snarls, threatens and uses his extraordinary height to great advantage throughout and Bernard and Kenneth make for an excellent double act. Bernard is all butch machismo which clashes wonderfully well with Kenneth's camp Khasi! As with most excellent panto villains there is a heavy dollop of childish bickering between the pair as while they often have the upper hand over the British, they don't have Sir Sidney's unflappable phlegm. 

We first meet Bungdit Din at the Khyber Pass itself, well Snowdonia actually but no matter. Coming upon Charles Hawtrey's feeble Private Jimmy Widdle at the Pass, Bungdit Din soon realises the Devils in Skirts are nothing to be afraid of once he's seen under Widdle's kilt! This sets off a chain of comedic events that leads the Khasi to kidnap (not against her will) Lady Ruff Diamond and head for the hills. Bernard turns on the macho power as he dominates over his hareem girls (including Alexandra Dane as Busti and a debuting Valerie Leon in a non-speaking part). He almost uses force to part the girls as he greets his British visitors, such is his convincing power in the part. 

Bernard grabs two of his greatest Carry On lines in Up The Khyber. The first, during a dreadful performance from Cardew Robinson's Fakir, as he tells him to leave. Bernard's perfectly timed "Fakir…off!" managed to survive the censor's ire due to the length of time between the two words, however I've noticed in recent showings on television that the line is actually cut! Given what gets passed in modern films these days, I think that's a bit pathetic really, but what do I know?! Bernard also has a wonderful line as his men charge towards Sir Sidney's residency. "That'll teach 'em to ban turbans on the buses" is a rare real life political reference from the time, relating to a story ongoing in contemporary Britain as you can read about here -  Surely Tolly Rothwell at his most inspired?

Ultimately of course the Khasi and Bungdit Din are defeated, following a lengthy battle in the residency grounds which sees future Coronation legend Johnny Briggs get a bullet in his sporran. Sounds painful. Kenneth and Bernard flee the scene as they are given a flash of true British grit! 

Nobody else could have played Bernie's part in Carry On Up The Khyber. In other, less hands, it could easily have gone too far or been completely misjudged. Bresslaw was a quality actor, professional to his core and took each new part as seriously as the last, whether it be Shakespeare or camping about in costume with Kenneth and Charles up Mount Snowdon. They couldn't make a film like Carry On Up The Khyber in these ultra PC times and that's probably just as well. Anyone attempting it today couldn't manage such a representation of innocence or boast a cast full of such talented actors. And Bernard surely towers above them all.

So that's my thoughts on Bernard's role in Carry On Up The Khyber. Stay tuned for my next blog in this series, as I look back at Bernard's role in another extremely popular film from later in 1968 - Carry On Camping!

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