The completely updated story of Carry On, Britain’s largest film franchise, all the way from the gentle capers of the 1950s, through the raucous golden age of the 1960s, to its struggles in the decades (not plural) that followed. We take a happy walk down memory lane to enjoy again Sid James’s cheeky chuckle, Kenneth Williams’ elongated vowels, Charles Hawtrey’s bespectacled bashfulness and Barbara Windsor’s naughty wiggle. It all seemed effortless, but exclusive interviews with the series’ remaining stars including Bernard Cribbins, Angela Douglas and Kenneth Cope shed new light on just how much talent and hard work went into creating the laughs. For the first time, the loved ones of some of the franchise’s biggest names - on and off screen - share their personal memories from this unique era. Was Carry On really as sexist, racist and bigoted as critics claim? Three of the films’ female stars explain why they never felt remotely exploited, plus we take a fresh look at some of the series’ biggest titles and discover that, in reality, they were far more progressive than their detractors would have you believe. Finally, with constant talk about new films, fresh productions and tantalising speculation about a brand new era of Carry On, we ask - does this unique series still have legs? AUTHOR: Caroline Frost is a bestselling author, broadcaster and lifelong fan of the Carry On films. One of her earliest memories is of visiting Barbara Windsor backstage after the Christmas pantomime at Richmond Theatre, where the star sweetly let her try on her stage wig. Caroline lives in Ealing, West London where, almost every day, she passes the blue plaque marking Sid James’s family home. In researching this book, she has once again laughed her way through all the films in the series.
32 b/w illustrations