Robin Askwith: Live, Dangerous and Uncut!

Robin Askwith will be back at the Darlington Film Club next month for a special screening of one of his many classic movies, followed by the latest incarnation of the legendary one man show!

Entitled "Live, Dangerous and Uncut"…ahem…Robin will be present for a screening of the 1970 film Cool It, Carol. Following the film, the man himself will take to the stage with hilarious anecdotes from his impressively diverse 50 year career on stage and screen.

Robin entered the film industry in 1968 making his debut in Lindsay Anderson's If... He then went onto work with the likes of Pier Paulo Pasolini, Franco Zeffirelli, Pete Walker, Franklin Schaffer, Clive Donner, Dick Clement and Antony Balch, before he made the controversially successful Confessions of... series of films.

At the height of his career Robin worked with the likes of Nigel Davenport, Pamela Stephenson, Rula Lenska, Leonard Rossiter, Alan Lake and Darth Vader! Come and hear the stories first hand by the cheeky chappie himself as he takes us on a history of his theatre, film and TV career. Dubbed the King of Elstree Studios in the 1970s, Robin was asked back there last year with his sell-out one man show, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the studios.

Recently he has been seen in Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Benidorm and Casualty, but it is as Timmy Lea in the Confessions of... films that he is best remembered.

Robin Askwith: Live, Dangerous and Uncut is at the Darlington Film Club @ The Forum at 7pm on 1st April (no joke!) Tickets cost £10 and you can buy yours here.


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Catch Bless This House this evening on Talking Pictures TV!

This evening Talking Pictures TV are showing yet another comedy classic from the golden age of British film comedy. Possibly the closest any other film got to being an official part of the Carry On team without actually gaining the Carry On title, Bless This House was yet another quickly made, cheaply made picture from Peter Rogers Productions. A big screen version of the hit Thames Television domestic sitcom, bringing Bless This House to the cinema was just another part of the very 1970s trend of transferring TV comedy favourites to film. This had varying results with some performing better than others. I think we can agree Bless This House is probably one of the most successful.

Part of its success is down to the Carry On-like quality the film has, mainly down to the personnel employed both in front of and behind the camera. Bless This House remains a hugely popular film, 47 years after it was first released. It's easy going, has bags of charm, remains completely light, frothy, undemanding and innocent and in modern, more cynical times its special brand of escapism is very appealing. Nothing really happens across its 80 odd minutes and basically writer Dave Freeman, who would go on to pen Carry On Behind and Columbus, stitches together three potential small screen half hours into one film. 

There's the traditional suburban new neighbours move in and don't get on with those around them strand. So what you say? Well when the main opponents are Sid James and an extremely pompous pre-Terry and June Terry Scott, you have comedy magic. Then there's the farcical wedding strand which sees the offspring of Sid and Terry (Robin Askwith and Carol Hawkins) hitch up and get hitched. Of course nothing goes to plan but all's well in the end. In between all this there are several small plots of little consequence such as Sally Geeson's naive 1970s environmental activism, Diana Coupland and Patsy Rowlands hoarding junk for a future antiques business and best of all, Sid and best mate Peter Butterworth attempting to make their own alcohol in the garden shed, with startling results! 

In the hands of lesser actors, all of this would have fallen flat and this little film would be a very distant memory. As with the main Carry On series, the secret of this films' success is the casting. The film is mainly made up of instantly recognisable Carry On faces with only leading lady Diana Coupland failing to Carry On elsewhere (a great pity I think I as you can read here: Should Diana Coupland have carried on? Leading team members Sid James, Peter Butterworth and Patsy Rowlands are joined by Carry On supporting players Terry Scott, June Whitfield, Marianne Stone, Bill Maynard, Patricia Franklin, Julian Orchard, Molly Weir, Wendy Richard and Johnny Briggs. Phew! It seems to modern viewers that Peter Rogers basically arranged for the cast of the early 1970s Carry Ons to decamp to suburban Windsor for six weeks. Recent Carry On starlets Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson also grab leading roles while rising star Robin Askwith, soon to appear in Carry On Girls and then the Confessions series, plays Sid's son Mike. Quite an ensemble!

Of course several of these actors transferred across from the television version of Bless This House. Alongside Sid, Sally Geeson played daughter Sally in all 65 episodes of the sitcom alongside Diana Coupland. Patsy Rowlands too was a semi-regular in the sitcom as neighbour Betty. However the actors playing Trevor and Mike did not appear in the film. I don't really know why Anthony Jackson and Robin Stewart were replaced by Peter Butterworth and Robin Askwith but I can't fault either of the actors who stepped into the film. To complicate matters further, the likes of June Whitfield and Marianne Stone also appeared in the television series, albeit in very different roles!

Many of the core Carry On crew also appeared behind the camera on Bless This House. Pinewood stalwart Alan Hume was in charge of photography, Eric Rogers did the music while even the hair and make up team moved across in the familiar guise of Stella Rivers and Geoff Rodway. It really was a team effort and a film family and us fans take great comfort from seeing all these names scrolling across the screen once again. 

So make a date to catch up with your favourite comedy character actors in an undemanding hour and half of slapstick, gentle humour and family fun. 

Bless This House is on Talking Pictures TV tonight at 7.10pm. Find out more here: https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carrying On with … Confessions of a Pop Performer!

I've written before about the Confessions series of bawdy comedy films from the 1970s but really only from the perspective of the effect they had on the slightly more innocent Carry On films we all cherish. The Confessions films have suffered the same fate as the Carry Ons in that they have frequently been looked down on, written off or just plain criticised.

However these films all featured a superb range of actors and provided entertainment to the masses during years when perhaps the country sometimes didn't have that much to laugh about. What interests me a great deal about these films is how they represent the changing face of British society. By the time Confessions of a Window Cleaner burst onto cinema screens up and down the land in 1974, censorship had been relaxed and a whole new generation were much more liberally minded. 

Last time, I focussed on the hugely popular Confessions of a Window Cleaner, the sexy comedy film which burst onto cinema screens across the country back in 1974 and catapulted leading man Robin Askwith to lasting fame. Today I thought I would move on to the following year and another big hit, Confessions of a Pop Performer. Many of the same original team from Window Cleaner returned for this second outing with recurring actors Bill Maynard, Sheila White and Tony Booth appearing again as the traditional sitcom style family around Robin's Timmy Lea. They provide the grounding and the basis for much of the comedy in between the racier material. Sadly Dandy Nichols did not return to play Mrs Lea after the previous film but she was ably replaced by fellow sitcom legend Doris Hare. Doris would go on to appear in both further Confessions films. 

Val Guest, that legendary British film director, chose not to make another Confessions film, allegedly because his wife wasn't keen on him being on set with so many scantily clad nubile young actresses! Columbia Pictures, the big name backer of these low budget comedies and clearly cleaned up with Window Cleaner (as it were) and were keen for more antics. And Mr Askwith was only too happy to oblige! Pop Performer sees Booth's wheeler dealer character become manager to a dubious pop group called Kipper and Timmy gets involved too. The usual slapstick and naughtiness follows as I'm sure you'll already know.

There are several Carry On links to this film and not just in front of the camera. The brilliant cinematographer Alan Hume, who worked on countless Carry Ons as well as big budget pictures in the Star Wars and James Bond franchises, worked on Pop Performer. Frank Bevis, Production Manager on this film, was also involved in many Carry Ons. Frank was Production Manager on Carry On Sergeant, Nurse, Teacher and Constable and later worked as an Associate Producer on Cabby, Jack, Spying, Cleo, Cowboy and Screaming!

In front of the camera, we've of course got the brilliant Robin Askwith, who had already made a name for himself as Larry in Carry On Girls and as Sid's son Mike in the film of Bless This House. And Bill Maynard, there once again as Mr Lea, appeared in supporting roles in five 1970s Carry Ons. Playing a major supporting role in Pop Performer is the lovely Carol Hawkins as the rather proper journalist, Jill Brown, object of Timmy's affections. Carol had already appeared in Carry On Abroad by this stage, playing Marge and the same year worked with Robin in Bless This House. 1975, the year Pop Performer was made, also saw Carol return to Carry On for a major supporting role as glamorous camper Sandra in Carry On Behind as well as co-starring in two episodes of the ATV series Carry On Laughing. Despite the raunchier material in the Confessions film, Carol maintains her dignity throughout, I hasten to add!

Also appearing is that wonderful comedy character actor Peter Jones. Playing a rather obvious send up of a notorious television host, Peter rather over eggs it as Maxy Naus. Another recruit from the world of television comedy is the great Ian Lavender in a cameo turn as Rodney, which involves a lot of funny business with a pantomime horse! Say no more. Ian  was still appearing as Private Pike in Dad's Army at the time and also in 1975 he cropped up in Carry On Behind as Adrienne Posta's husband. Clearly in the Jim Dale persona, sadly Ian suffered from a lack of screen time. Ian's Dad's Army co-star, the late great Bill Pertwee also pops in for a brief cameo in Pop Performer as the stereotypical angry husband who chases Robin's Timmy off with the help of a javelin! 

Two future Carry On girls made quite an impact in Pop Performer as the aptly named Climax Sisters, a truly awful singing double act! Giving a rather spirited performance are Diane Langton and Linda Regan as Ruby and Brenda Climax. Diane would go on to appear in Carry On Laughing on television the same year and in 1976 would take on the Barbara Windsor persona in the awful Carry On England. Joining Diane in England was Linda Regan who several years before had a small part in one of the Carry On Christmas television specials.

Playing Augustus is that instantly recognisable character actor Robert Dorning. Robert would join what was left of the Carry On team three years later to play The Prime Minister in Carry On Emmannuelle. Also look out for Darth Vader himself, Dave Prowse in a brief cameo as a Man in the Cinema. Dave had played a small role as a Bearded Torturer in Carry On Henry five years earlier. Playing Mr Barnwell is the small screen comedy actor Bob Todd, who had already played two small Carry On roles. He had a wordless cameo as a patient in Again Doctor on the big screen and played two small parts in Carry On Again Christmas in 1970. And finally Carry On Behind cameo player, the Danish born actress Helli Louise, plays Eva, one of Timmy's conquests. We see rather a lot of her here, as did Peter Butterworth in yet another shocking Carry On shower scene also in 1975 when she popped up and out in Carry On Behind. 

Pop Performer clearly cashed in on the very best of British comedy talent from both the big and small screen and followed the pattern started with Window Cleaner in casting a mix of 'interesting' young starlets alongside some instantly recognisable and well respected comedy performers. The content might have dated and may not be for everyone but it's all lighthearted fun and exists today as a fascinating time capsule of a Britain in tumult undergoing great social and cultural change. Watch out for a small cameo from future leading lady Rula Lenska as a rather harrassed receptionist and even a fairly major supporting turn from a pre-The Gentle Touch Jill Gascoine, revealing rather a lot as Mrs Barnwell. 

If the sight of legendary character actress Rita Webb running about a freezing cold Borehamwood housing estate screaming "Have you seen my Fanny?" gives you the giggles, Confessions of a Pop Performer is definitely for you!! As far as I'm concerned, anything that gives us plenty of Bill Maynard, Carol Hawkins and Peter Jones is fine by me. And Robin does what only Robin could. And he does it with aplomb! 

Compared to some of the content we see on our screens these days, Pop Performer is relatively tame but watching it again, it's clear times have certainly changed! It's quite possibly the most gloriously Seventies film I've ever seen. And that's a compliment! 


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Robin Askwith 69!

Robin Askwith is back! Yes the legendary actor and star of countless classic films and television shows is bringing his one man show to the Phoenix Artist Club in London's West End. 

Expect the unexpected as Mr Askwith shares outrageous stories from his eventful and eclectic career on stage and screen. We all know him from the Confessions films, Bless This House and Carry On Girls, but Robin's got more strings to his bow than that! Prepare yourself for stories on the likes of Sid James, Ray Cooney, Frank Bruno, Pasolini and even Jimi Hendrix. 

The Phoenix is a great, intimate venue for Robin's show so prepare to get up close and personal with this screen legend! After many years playing a whole range of characters, Robin is finally playing with himself, as it were.

You can read the first part of my interview with Robin here: Carry On Blogging Interview: Robin Askwith (Part 1)

And you can read my recent blog on Confessions of a Window Cleaner here: Carry On Blogging: Confessions Time

Misty Moon Presents Robin Askwith 69! is at the Phoenix Artists Club on Tuesday 19 March 2019, from 8pm. You can buy tickets here


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Confessions Time...

I've written before about the Confessions series of bawdy comedy films from the 1970s but really only from the perspective of the effect they had on the slightly more innocent Carry On films we all cherish. The Confessions films have suffered the same fate as the Carry Ons in that they have frequently been looked down on, written off or just plain criticised.

However these films all featured a superb range of actors and provided entertainment to the masses during years when perhaps the country sometimes didn't have that much to laugh about. What interests me a great deal about these films is how they represent the changing face of British society. By the time Confessions of a Window Cleaner burst onto cinema screens up and down the land in 1974, censorship had been relaxed and a whole new generation were much more liberally minded. 

Looking back at Window Cleaner now, sure it's dated but a lot of that is due to the time in which it was made. The 1970s haven't aged well in many ways! Is the film more innocent from the perspective of 2019, given what we see on our screens every evening in terms of sex, violence and everything in between? Well, possibly. A lot of it can be put down to good old fashioned fun and most of the naughty bits are played for laughs. However part of me struggles to forgive the rise of the Confessions films for what they did to the Carry Ons over at Pinewood. That is quite unfair I know, as X rated cinema was booming out all over the place at the time and the Confessions films were merely the most commercially successful chain amongst many. British society was moving forward apace in the mid 1970s anyway, so clearly Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas thought it best to move with the times or die a slow death. Sadly the latter happened, probably because of Carry On England and Emmannuelle's boobs and bums rather as a result of anything else.

Back to Confessions of a Window Cleaner. For a start I don't think Robin Askwith has ever received the credit he's due either as a leading man or as an actor. Having spoken to him at length on the phone a year or so ago, there's much more to Mr Askwith than meets the eye, and quite a lot did meet our collective eye during the making of these films! Before the Confessions films, Robin was making his way in a huge array of different productions and had already established himself as a favourite of the legendary director Lindsay Anderson. The Confessions films changed his life, gave him mass appeal and most definitely changed the course of his career. It's probably true that not many other rising stars at the time would have had the bare-faced cheek (as it were) to take on such a role but Robin grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Frequently.

Window Cleaner, the first in the series of four Confessions films came from a novel of the same name, written by Christopher Wood. This was a common theme in cinema at the time with many big screen outings coming from this form of adaptation. Confessions of a Window Cleaner broke the mold in British comedy by capitalising on many elements of a more traditional era of entertainment. Confessions cleverly blended aspects of traditional sitcoms and other big screen comedy adaptations, also a popular trend at the time. With the likes of Dad's Army, Please Sir and Bless This House all heading to the big screen, Confessions clearly looked to capitalise on the success of all this. 

In many ways Confessions of a Window Cleaner was the domestic sitcom with a bit of a naughty twist. The family home at the centre of the film could have come from any number of domestic comedies on the BBC or ITV at that time. The family ups and downs and the cliched characters the actors portrayed also fit that mold. And casting the likes of Bill Maynard and Dandy Nicholls as the parents in Window Cleaner was clear signposting to another, more traditional form of entertainment. The film also reached out to a wider audience by starting a trend which went across all four Confessions films - casting big name, well-respected actors in guest starring roles. These actors never really engaged in any of the saucy goings on, in fact I'm sure their scenes were shot on different days from Robin Askwith romping around naked in a load of bubbles. 

In Window Cleaner, the peerless Joan Hickson and John Le Mesurier had major supporting turns as the upper crust parents of Timmy's love interest Elizabeth, played by Linda Hayden. Joan was no stranger to bawdy comedies, having played supporting roles in five Carry Ons, most recently Carry On Girls the previous year, however a sex comedy is not exactly how we imagine the future Miss Marple. Le Mesurier was a much respected actor who had been seen in countless classic British films by the mid 1970s and was still a main part of the eternally popular Dad's Army cast on the BBC. Also involved, albeit briefly, is the superb Richard Wattis, probably best known for his ongoing role in the BBC sitcom Sykes and a recurring part in the St Trinian's films. 

These actors added class to proceedings and given some of the other content, it was probably needed to reassure some of the films' backers and the audience at large. It clearly worked as Confessions of a Window Cleaner was a huge success across the country, playing in cinemas endlessly and making a huge profit, especially given how cheaply the films were made. Window Cleaner was, as I'm sure you'd expect, reviewed pretty harshly by the vast majority of proper critics in the posh press at the time. And while the stigma of these films as cheaply made, sexploitation comedies persists to the present day, modern day and much respected academics are reappraising the Confessions films and their content. It is clear to many that these films offer up much more than meets the eye. 

Window Cleaner creates the template for the all the films that followed. A cheeky, geeky young man, the average guy in the street if you like, gets embroiled in all sorts of exploits with the entirely female range of customers he meets on his job. The endless sexy set pieces are spliced with domestic comedy situations to give the whole thing more of a grounding but I'm pretty sure that's not really want the audience of the day paid their money to see. While Window Cleaner was pretty explicit, at least when it came to what the young actresses were asked to reveal time and time again, it's all so very British. Compare Window Cleaner to some of the films released in continental Europe at the time and it's probably all very tame. The fact remains that audiences and society were much more comfortable with the emphasis being on the young women than any of the men. That might be a topic for another time though!

Robin Askwith writes and speaks of his time making Window Cleaner with great affection and to his credit, has never tried to shy away from the films or what they did for his career. He's a charming, erudite and fascinating man and a great presence in the flesh (!) having seen his one-man show. He carries these films so well and I can only really imagine him in the lead as Timmy Lea however for me, it's also a shame they did so well. I'm sure playing Timmy across four films meant that other parts were suddenly out of his reach (again, no pun intended).

So do I have affection for Confessions of a Window Cleaner? Yes I guess I do. Some of it makes me uncomfortable, viewing it from a modern vantage point, however it remains far less shocking to me now than many mainstream productions released on us today. An interesting moment in time and a snapshot of Britain during a very interesting era. 

I'm going to use this blog as a springboard to write in more detail about each of the four Confessions films, talking more about the plots, the actors involved and my thoughts on everything in between. So I hope you'll check back for those in the days ahead.


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Robin Askwith stars in Aladdin this Christmas!

It's almost that time of year again, oh yes it is! Now's the time to book your tickets if you want to see some of your favourite actors treading the boards this festive season.The legend that is Robin Askwith is back in panto this Christmas! The star of the Confessions films, Carry On Girls and Bless This House to name but a few, will be back in the UK to entertain audiences.

With over 40,000 theatregoers attending pantomime at Darlington Hippodrome each festive season, it's never too early to book for this year's show starring television personality, presenter and choreographer Louie Spence alongside last year's returning stars, Zoe Birkett, Eric Potts and Liam Mellor, and Robin Askwith who completes the line-up as evil villain Abanazar. 

Packed with all of the traditional pantomime ingredients audiences expect, Aladdin features laugh out loud comedy, stunning scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses. Follow Aladdin, his brother Wishee Washee and of course his mother Widow Twankey, on a spectacular adventure. Expect flying carpets, a wish-granting genie, an evil sorcerer and a lamp-full of laughs, so book your magic carpet ride to old Peking to the magical pantomime Aladdin! 

With generous discounts for groups, concessions and special rates for schools available for selected performances, book your seats today to ensure you get the best seats.

Aladdin will play at the Darlington Hippodrome from Saturday 8th December until Sunday 6th January, with both matinee and evening performances. 

You can book your tickets here: Darlington Hippodrome Website

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Happy Birthday Robin Askwith!

 

Many happy returns to star of stage and screen Robin Askwith, who turns 68 years young today! Robin, still a prolific and rather vibrant presence on television and at fan conventions and events, has had a long and varied career in British entertainment.

Getting his big break in the film If in the late 1960s, Robin quickly made a name for himself in the usual range of cult horror and comedies that were the backbone of the British film industry during the 1970s. He first came to the attention of Carry On fans with his role as Mike Abbott, son of Sidney in the big screen version of the sitcom Bless This House, in 1972. Working for Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas on this film, packed with familiar Carry On faces, meant an appearance in the series was only a matter of time.

The following year, Robin played Larry Prodworthy, photographer son of June Whitfield's legendary Augusta, in Carry On Girls. Robin enjoyed a memorable scene with Margaret Nolan on Brighton beach (!) More Carry Ons would surely have followed had the Confessions films not come calling in 1974. The Confessions series took Carry On innuendo to a whole new level with a much more relaxed attitude to sex and nudity, while still peppering the cast with legends of film comedy. 

Robin continues to act today, with recent appearances including television shows such as Casualty, Emmerdale and two stints in Coronation Street. Although he has lived on the island of Gozo for many years, he makes regular trips back to the UK and has struck up a regular working relationship with the lovely people at The Misty Moon Film Society.

 

And long may it all continue! Whatever Robin is up to today, I hope he has an excellent birthday!  

You can read the first part of my interview with Robin here

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan 

What a Carry On at Darkfest 2!

If you are a fan of horror or comedy or comedy horrors then you might like this. The Darkfest film festival is returning for a second year this November at the Genesis Cinema in London. As well as screening a range of classic films, there will also be an opportunity to meet several iconic film stars too.

The organisers are promising a line up of screenings including Dracula (1965); Horror Hospital (1973), Witchfinder General (1968) plus a certain comedy classic from 1966 called Carry On Screaming! I understand it was planned that the star of Screaming, the wonderful, much missed Fenella Fielding would be in attendance however sadly this now won't happen. I'm glad Screaming will still be shown in tribute to the great actress.

Three friends of the blog will be in attendance on the day. The gorgeous Judy Matheson, who has always been so encouraging with all my blogging endeavours, will be there to meet  fans as will her Confessions of a Window Cleaner co-star, Mr Robin Askwith. There's a reunion not to be missed! The absolutely lovely Madeline Smith will also be at Darkfest, and as well as her comedy roles in the likes of Up Pompeii and Carry On Matron, Maddie did of course make several Hammer Horror films, perhaps chief amongst them, The Vampire Lovers. 

As well as all of this, there will be a range of film memorabilia, posters, stills and DVDs for sale. 

Darkfest 2 will be held on Saturday 24 November, from 12 noon at the Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Road, London E1 4UJ. 

And you can buy tickets for the event right here


You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

My Carry On Blogging Cast Interviews

Following on from my recent chat with the delightful Julian Holloway earlier in the week I thought I would bring together all the interviews I've done for the blog in one place. I've had the great good fortune to speak to a wide range of actors, writers and fans over the past three and a bit years and I can't thank all those who have contributed to the blog enough for their time, energy and enthusiasm. 

I've had the pleasure of blogging interviews with quite a few actors who were directly involved in the Carry On series and here they all are for your reading pleasure:

My interview with Julian Holloway can be found here and here

My interview with Elke Sommer can be found here

My interview with Fenella Fielding is right here  

My interview with the actress and author Josephine Bailey, who appeared as a child actor in Carry On Teacher can be found here

My interview with Jacki Piper is here 

My interview with Angela Douglas can be read here 

Click here for my interview with Valerie Leon

And click here for my chat with Madeline Smith

You can read my interview with Amanda Barrie here

My interview with Patricia Franklin can be found here and here

And my interview with Robin Askwith is here and  here  

Click here for my interview with Sally Geeson

Click here and here for my interview with Hugh Futcher

 

And follow this link here for my interview with Christine Ozanne

And last but certainly not least, my interview with Anita Harris is here

My thanks once again to everyone who has taken time to speak to me. It's been an absolute treat. 

You can follow me on Twitter @CarryOnJoan and on Instagram

Carrying On with Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)

Scrolling through the countless television channels the other evening in a desperate search for something to watch, I stumbled upon an episode of the 1960s series Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). I watched repeats of this series avidly as a child but haven't seen the show for at least twenty years now. As with other classics like The Saint and The Avengers, it has a wonderful charm and quality that sets it apart from many others which means it's still very watchable today.

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) was a private detective series starring the late Mike Pratt and the brilliant Kenneth Cope, fresh from his fame in Coronation Street (as Jed Stone). The series was created by Dennis Spooner and was first broadcast in 1969 and 1970. Interestingly, when broadcast in the United States the show was renamed My Partner the Ghost. I wonder if American audiences were a tad squeamish back then?

In the very first episode Hopkirk (Cope) is murdered during an investigation but returns as a ghost. Randall is the only character who is ever able to see or hear him, although certain minor guest characters did so during the series. A single set of 26 episodes were produced by ITC between 1968 and 1969 and the first episode went out in the September of 1969. As I was now reacquainted with the marvellous series from days gone by, I wondered if I could write a blog on any Carry On connections with the show. As with so many other classics of the era, many familiar character actors appeared throughout the run, so without further ado, let's take a closer look at some of them.

I have to start with the wonderful Kenneth Cope who excels in the pivotal role of Marty Hopkirk. Appearing in all 26 episodes, Kenneth is amazing throughout, always seen in his ghostly white suit. It was not long after this major starring role that Kenneth joined up with the Carry On team for two madcap adventures. First of all, as shop steward Vic Spanner in Carry On At Your Convenience and then later in 1971 as the softer character, Cyril Carter in Carry On Matron. 

Playing a supposed reincarnation of Marty in the 1969 episode "The Man from Nowhere" was Carry On Abroad guest actor Ray Brooks. Ray of course played Peter and Hattie's son Georgio, who romances June Whitfield's Evelyn Blunt, in the Elsbells adventure. Another instantly recognisable face to appear, this time in the episode "The House on Haunted Hill" was Peter Jones. Peter played a character called Frederick P Waller. Peter Jones popped in for two Carry On cameos during the original run of films. In 1967, two years before he shot Randall and Hopkirk, Peter played the hilarious tone-deaf vicar in Carry On Doctor. And nearly a decade later he returned to play the dreadfully unfunny Brigadier in the 1976 series entry Carry On England.

The 1970 episode entitled "It's Supposed to be Thicker than Water", which sees members of the Crackan family gather to find out which one will be the heir, stars a very familiar Carry On face indeed. First broadcast on 13 February 1970, the sublime Liz Fraser guest stars as Fay Crackan. Liz is best known for her many comedy film roles which include parts in Carry On Regardless (as Delia King); Carry On Cruising (as Glad Trimble), Carry On Cabby (as Sally) and Carry On Behind (as Sylvia Ramsden). 

Appearing in the very first episode of the series, "My Late Lamented Friend and Partner", as a Night Porter, is reliable character actor Harry Locke. Harry played similar working class roles in three medical Carry Ons - Nurse in 1959 in which he played orderly Mick; Doctor in 1967 which saw him appear as ambulance driver Sam and finally as the porter in Again Doctor in 1969. Also appearing in that very first episode is another familiar supporting player, Anthony Sagar. Playing a hotel proprietor, Sagar cropped up in several Carry Ons - Sergeant, Nurse, Constable, Regardless, Cruising, Screaming and finally Loving in 1970.

Playing Calvin P Bream in the 1970 episode "When the Spirit Moves You" was sitcom star in the making Anton Rodgers. Anton would go on to star in Fresh Fields, French Fields and May to December, but before all that he appeared in small roles in two Carry Ons. In 1962 he played a young man opposite Dilys Laye in Carry On Cruising and the following year he was  Hardy in the very first scene of Carry On Jack. The episode which aired on 21 December 1969, "Who Killed Cock Robin?" featured another very familiar Carry On face. David Lodge, who must have appeared in nearly every series at around this time, played the character of Beeches. David made his first appearance in the Carry Ons as a wine tasting patron in 1961's Carry On Regardless. After a lengthy gap he returned for a run of four more films with the team, starting with Carry On Girls in 1973, playing the Police Inspector. Further roles followed in Carry On Dick, Carry On Behind and Carry On England as well as several starring roles in the 1975 ATV Carry On Laughing series.

The 1970 episode entitled "A Sentimental Journey" features not one Carry On face but four. The superb Victor Maddern (Constable, Regardless, Spying, Cleo, Emmannuelle) plays Det. Sergeant Watts while Billy Cornelius (best known as Oddbod Junior in Carry On Screaming) plays Albert. Larry Taylor, who played tough guys in Follow That Camel, Up The Khyber and Carry On Dick also appears in the role of a Man in a Phone Booth. Finally, the actor Anthony Baird, who played a Guard in Carry On Spying, turns up playing a character called Hamilton. Baird was also, for a time, the boyfriend of a certain Joan Sims.

The rather bizarrely titled "That's How Murder Snowballs" which originally aired on 19 October 1969 co-starred a young actress who had already made four Carry On appearances. Playing Kay was the gorgeous Valerie Leon. Another glamorous presence in the series was Carry On Cowboy and The Big Job star Edina Ronay. Edina played Sandra in "Never Trust a Ghost". That same episode featured the super character actor Brian Oulton, playing Dr Plevitt. Brian appeared in Carry On Nurse, Constable, Cleo and Camping. 

Future Carry On At Your Convenience and Coronation Street actor Geoffrey Hughes co-stars as Harper in the 1970 episode, "Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave". At the end of January 1970 the episode "Money to Burn" was broadcast. Co-starring in that story was the actress Olga Lowe. Olga made a brief appearance as Madame Fifi, the brothel owner in 1972's Carry On Abroad. South African born Olga was one of the first people a certain Sidney James looked up on his arrival in London after the war. In a bizarre twist of fate, Olga was also on stage with Sid in The Mating Game the night he very sadly died in 1976.

And finally, if the internet is correct, a certain Robin Askwith made a very early television appearance in the same episode of Randall and Hopkirk as future Carry On Girls co-star Valerie Leon. Robin had a small part (if you pardon the expression) as an Act Pageboy. 

So if you haven't seen Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) before or if it's just been a while since you last caught it, I hope this blog has been a bit of a nostalgic trip back in time. Next time you see it in the schedules, give it a watch! 

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