Carrying On with ... The Bill

There has been a bit of publicity around the ITV police drama series The Bill recently. The Drama Channel are, from today, showing the entire series from the very beginning again. Following a successful pilot with "Woodentop" in 1983, a full series was commissioned and began broadcasting in weekly hour long episodes from October 1984. The Bill would become and remains one of the most successful home grown, long running drama series, lasting until 2010 even if it had gone through many changes in the intervening years. 

Over 2000 episodes were produced and the actors who appeared became household names. The show also featured many familiar faces before they were famous with the likes of David Tenant, Keira Knightley and Sean Bean making early appearances. However for the purpose of this blog, I'm not interested in those that became Hollywood stars or big names in current television. Given that The Bill ran during the 1980s and 90s, it's almost a certainty that it featured many a familiar Carry On face. So let's take a look back at some of the well-known Carry On actors who turned up in Sun Hill over the years. 

I must start with the most prominent of all The Bill actors to have starred in the Carry Ons. Larry Dann was a series regular as Alec Peters from the very first episode in 1984 through until 1992. Larry appeared in four Carry Ons during his career - an early part as a school boy in Carry On Teacher, followed by roles in Behind, England and most (in)famously Emmannuelle, playing Theodore Valentine. 

Carry On favourite Carol Hawkins has made four separate appearances in The Bill during the 1990s as characters Mrs Giles in 1991, Mrs Sterry in 1995, Mrs Rose in the 1997 episode Downfall and finally a character called Lynn Archer in the 1999 episode Foreign Body. Carol is known to Carry On fans for her starring roles in Abroad and Behind as well as two episodes of the ATV Carry On Laughing series. Linda Regan, who appeared in Carry On Again Christmas for Thames Television and then the 1976 film, Carry On England, played no less than five different characters in The Bill over a decade between 1988, when she played Burnside's girlfriend and a barmaid in 1998.

Another actor to appear on five separate occasions is Don McCorkindale. Don was a recruit in the very first film, Carry on Sergeant in 1958 and then played Tubby, one of Peter Gilmore's gang in Carry On Cabby. In The Bill, Don played Potter in a 1990 episode called Angles, Sergeant Masters in the 1992 episode A Friend in Need and also guest starred in 1996, 1998 and 1999. In the series five episode N.F.A (1989), acclaimed character comedienne Betty Marsden played Mrs Foster-Adams. Betty, best known for being part of the Round The Horne team on radio, played Mata Hari in Carry On Regardless and Terry Scott's wife Harriet Potter in Carry On Camping.

Patricia Franklin, who played roles in Carry On Camping, Loving, Girls, Behind and England, also cropped up in The Bill no less than five times. First appearing as a Neighbour in the 1990 episode Lies, Patricia would go on to appear in two episodes in 1993, play a Cafe Owner in the 1997 episode Confidence and Mrs King in Bad Chemistry the following year. Legendary actor and personality Peter Jones appeared in The Bill as Mr Greg Montieth in the 1998 episode S.A.D. It would be one of his last acting roles. Peter, a longtime panel member with Kenneth Williams on Just A Minute played cameo roles as the Chaplain in Carry On Doctor and the Brigadier in 1976's Carry On England.

Another actor to be invited back to The Bill more than once was Liz Fraser. Liz is well-remembered for starring roles in Carry On Regardless, Cruising and Cabby as well as a cameo role in Carry On Behind. In The Bill she played Mrs Lister in 1989 in the episode Suffocation Job and then five years later was back in Sun Hill for the part of Grace Walsh in Good Days. Fellow veteran Kenneth Cope first appeared in The Bill in 1992 for one episode playing P.C Derton. Over a decade later he was back for a special two part story in 2006 in which he played Jimmy Hastings. Cope is best known for roles in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Coronation Street and two Carry Ons - At Your Convenience and Matron.

Kenneth's co-star in Carry On At Your Convenience, Jacki Piper, has made two appearances in The Bill. She first played Mrs Leston in the 1991 episode Turning Back The Clock and then six years later turned up again as Mrs Cox in Accomplice. We all remember Jacki for her four Carry Ons. As well as Convenience in which she played Myrtle Plummer, Jacki also played June in Up The Jungle, Sally Martin in Loving and Sister in Matron. And last but not least is one of my favourites, the late great Patsy Rowlands. Patsy guest starred in just the one episode back in 1995 but it's actually one I remember from original broadcast. I was so used to seeing Patsy playing comedy that it was quite a shock to see her in what was actually a really serious, sad story. The story centres around a family of hermit barricaded into their own home with Patsy playing Rachel Armfield and Annette Badland playing Pearl. 

One final Carry On connection before i go. Peter Butterworth's son Tyler Butterworth has appeared in four episodes of The Bill between 1995 and 2004, including a two part episode in 2002 in which he played a character called Kelly. I'm sure his dad would have been very proud.

I loved The Bill when I was younger, although after writing this piece I can't get the bloody theme tune out of my head! While the series was great, the coppers of Sun Hill will never match those new recruits from Carry On Constable in my eyes...

Do check out my interview with the lovely Ben Peyton who played PC Ben Hayward. You can read that here

And while I'm at it, The Misty Moon Film Society will be hosting a special The Bill Reunion event on Saturday 9 September at the Cinema Museum in London. You can find out more about that here.

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

Carry On Faces of 1978

This is part of a new series of blogs on Carry On Blogging. I plan to blog each year of Carry On, featuring photos of the most prolific actors for each year. Hopefully it will provide an interesting overview of the changing face of Carry On during the series' original mammoth twenty year run. 

It will turn the spotlight on the familiar faces who endured over the decades as well as those artists who came and went along the way. We are continuing today with 1978. No original feature film was produced in 1977, instead the cinema going public were treated to a compilation film, That's Carry On, featuring linking scenes with Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor. Only one film was produced this year, Carry On Emmannuelle. This was the last original film to be produced before the twenty year run of Carry Ons came to a close. It would be fourteen years before another Carry On would be produced, the infamous Columbus in 1992.

Pictured above we have the most prolific actors to appear in 1978. They are as follows: Kenneth Williams as Emile Prevert; Suzanne Danielle as Emannuelle Prevert; Kenneth Connor pictured above as Leyland; Joan Sims as Mrs Dangle; Jack Douglas as Lyons; Peter Butterworth pictured as Richmond; Beryl Reid as Mrs Valentine; Larry Dann as Theodore Valentine and finally, Eric Barker as the Ancient General.

Of those featured above, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Eric Barker were original cast members from the very first film, Carry On Sergeant in 1958. Carry On Emmannuelle proved the last gasp of the original run of films. It attempted a new style and failed dramatically at the box office. It featured more regular actors than the previous film, Carry On England, but none of them feel particularly comfortable with the material.

Suzanne Danielle joined the team for her only role in the series. Despite being just 21 at the time, she turns in an assured performance in what must have been a challenging role. Eric Barker, an original cast member from Sergeant, returns to the Carry Ons having last appeared in Spying back in 1964. Larry Dann also returns to the series for his four featured role. He had previously appeared as a school boy in Carry On Teacher, then supporting turns in Behind and England. Legendary comedy actress Beryl Reid provides some great scenes in a brief cameo as Mrs Valentine.

This brings this series of blogs to an end. I hope you have enjoyed my run through the most popular Carry On actors for each year of the original run of films. I think it certainly shows the changing face of the series and provides an interesting summary of Carry On actors over the years.

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

Carry On Audio Commentaries

Several people recently have commented on my love of the audio commentaries that accompany all of the Carry On DVD releases. Many of you have mentioned that although you own all of these DVDs you have never listened to the commentaries. Well I think you are missing out on several lovely treats!

It can be an odd experience to get used to, listening to people talk over a film. Sometimes it works better than others I admit, but there are some real gems out there and I encourage you to listen. There is also a poignancy to some of them now as sadly since the recordings in the early 2000s, several of those involved have passed away. I must admit that there are a few I'd also avoid like the plague. I wouldn't suggest starting out with anything involving Peter Rogers! His commentaries for Up The Khyber and That's Carry On are particularly gruff and monosyllabic and I've not completed either of them.

As a general rule, the commentaries which feature more than one actor are the best. Poor JIm Dale provides commentaries for four of his Carry On films and eventually it does feel like he's running out of things to say. Robert Ross does a great job as moderator/interviewer although he sometimes struggles with less forthcoming guests!

So here, in no particular order are my favourites:

Carry On Spying: Putting Bernard Cribbins and Dilys Laye together in a recording booth for 90 minutes was an act of genius. These two old pros go at the task at hand with complete and utter relish for the duration of Carry On Spying, sending each other up, reminiscing with great affection and laughing at the corny old gags. There is a real warmth here with these two and I never tire of hearing them. Wonderful stuff.

Carry On Abroad: Reuniting the younger cast of Carry On Abroad was a wonderful idea. Apart from this recording, we haven't heard nearly enough from Sally Geeson, Carol Hawkins, David Kernan and John Clive over the years. They reunite with great warmth and good humour and clearly love going back over the years to the making of the film. They also don't stop to take themselves too seriously which is a joy. Carol in particular roars with laughter throughout which is completely infectious! 

Carry On Cabby: One of the few solo commentaries which works well is this offering, which sees legendary actress Liz Fraser chat with Robert about everything and anything almost without drawing breath! Liz is a real force of nature and never shy of voicing an opinion or two, which is exactly what you need to liven these things up! She speaks with a great deal of warmth and affection about the likes of Hattie, Sid and Kenneth Connor which is lovely to hear. She also sends both herself and Robert Ross up hilariously throughout. She's a cracker!

Carry On Teacher: This is riotous good fun from the off. It's a joy to reunite Richard O'Sullivan, Larry Dann and Paul Cole, three of the mischievous saboteurs from Teacher. All three came from the Corona Academy so it's fascinating to hear tales from their careers as child actors in the 1950s and 1960s. They are quite simply having a ball and entertaining from the word go. 

Carry On Screaming: This commentary brings together two wonderful Carry On leading ladies. Fenella Fielding is always wonderful to hear from and she shares many memories from the making of this Carry On classic. She is paired with the delightful Angela Douglas for this commentary and it's great to hear the two stars back together again forty years after making the film. 

Of course there are many others to choose from. Other commentaries come from the likes of Dora Bryan, Shirley Eaton, Amanda Barrie, June Whitfield, Leslie Phillips, Jack Douglas, Patsy Rowlands, Valerie Leon, Alan Hume, Richard O'Callaghan and Jacki Piper.

So why not pick out one of these classics, stick in on tonight and give the audio commentary a try. It's well worth it! 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Clicking on the adverts helps to keep this blog going.

Whatever Happened To ... The Saboteurs?

I've been blogging about some of the less well known but nevertheless still significant actors involved in the Carry On films. When we think of Carry On actors we think of the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James or Barbara Windsor. However the films always boasted a wide range of top quality British supporting players who were instantly recognisable but often never got the recognition they deserved. 

So far I've written about Marianne Stone, Esma Cannon, Carol Hawkins, June Jago and Peter Gilmore. Today I'm following the same theme but approaching it in a slightly different way. Perhaps rather ambitiously I'm going to look at what happened to the young actors who made up the "saboteurs" in that classic early Carry On, Carry On Teacher.

The first film Rogers and Thomas made together was a Children's Film Foundation picture called Circus Friends, in 1956. The film makers quickly demonstrated their ability to coax great performances from young actors and this was evident again three years later when Teacher was released. Carry On Teacher was much more like an Ealing comedy or a St Trinian's film than a Carry On but I love it. It features a top notch cast of regular Carry On stars and a terrific guest star in Ted Ray. So what happened to the child actors who starred in this film?

Let's start with the chief saboteur - Richard O'Sullivan, who played Robin Stevens. Richard had the biggest child role in the film and it was the beginning of big things for the young actor. Richard would go on to become one of the ultimate 70s heartthrobs, starring in hit sitcoms Man About The House and Robin's Nest. Earlier in his career he appeared in two Cliff Richard films, The Young Ones and Wonderful Life and also had a role in the opulent epic Cleopatra opposite Elizabeth Taylor, in 1963. Richard more or less retired from public life in 1996 and although he contributed to a DVD commentary for Teacher in 2006, has sadly suffered from ill health in recent years.

Carol White had a supporting role as Sheila Dale in Carry On Teacher. Having previously appeared in Circus Friends for Rogers and Thomas, Carol would become famous for her starring role in the classic Wednesday Play, Cathy Come Home in 1966. The documentary style drama, written by Ken Loach and co-starring Ray Brooks, tackled the issue of homelessness and led to the creation of the charity Shelter. Despite being seen as one of the most promising actors of her generation, White spent her later years in Hollywood battling addiction problems. She died in Florida at the young age of 48 in 1991. As a footnote, Carol's real life sister Jane also had a small role in the film, playing Irene. 

The actor Larry Dann had a minor role as a school boy in the film. He would later return to the Carry Ons for three supporting roles in Behind, England and with his most substantial role in Emmannuelle. Larry went on to play Sergeant Peters in The Bill from 1984 for eight years and still acts in theatre productions today. Paul Cole, who played Atkins, was a prolific child actor, appearing in the likes of Please Turn Over, The Mouse On The Moon and Billy Bunter. He took part, along with Larry Dann and Richard O'Sullivan, in the DVD commentary for Teacher.

Roy Hines played Harry Bird in Teacher. Sadly Roy died at the age of 40 in 1982 having suffered from lung cancer. Roy was the brother of Emmerdale actor Frazer Hines. George Howell appeared as Billy Haig. Howell found success acting in Scottish television productions including Garnock Way, High Road and Strathblair. Diana Beevers played Penelope Lee. Diana continued to act, appearing in the likes of Father Dear Father, Within These Walls and Rumpole of the Bailey. Her last acting credit came in 1990. Finally, Jacqueline Lewis played Pat Gordon. Very little is known about the rest of Jacqueline's career with only three other uncredited performances to her name.

While the majority of these former child actors are still around, it's a shame there's so little information to be found on what they did next. I'd love to find out what paths their lives have taken since their Carry On experience. 

What you may not have realised is that several other well known actors appeared in Teacher in non-speaking extra roles as school children. First up is future Star Wars actor Jeremy Bulloch. Jeremy went on to appear as Boba Fett but has had a long and varied career ranging from the film Summer Holiday to television in the likes of Agony, Doctor Who and The Professionals. He's still acting today. Future Carry On actor Diane Langton also appeared as an extra. Diane would later appear in several episodes of Carry On Laughing in 1975 and Carry On England the following year. A star of many musical theatre productions, Diane continues to act today, currently a regular in Channel Four soap opera, Hollyoaks. 

Also appearing in Teacher are two future Please Sir! actors, Peter Cleall and David Barry. Peter is still around today but gave up acting to run a theatrical agency. Barry meanwhile is now a successful author. Finally, did you know that the very successful actress Francesca Annis made an early screen appearance in Carry On Teacher? Apparently so! I've never spotted her in the film but according to reliable sources she is in some of the crowd scenes. As she began her training at the Corona Academy it is likely she was involved as that's where the production team found most of their young actors for Teacher. 

So there you go, quite a mammoth blog post but I hope you enjoyed it!

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and also Facebook

Clicking on the adverts helps to keep this blog going