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30-415: Carry On Girls is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). The film features regulars Sid James , Barbara Windsor , Joan Sims , Kenneth Connor , Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth . This Carry On featured neither Kenneth Williams nor Charles Hawtrey ; Williams was unavailable because of stage commitments and Hawtrey had been dropped from

60-596: A "pretty" puppet play being performed in Covent Garden, London . The various episodes of Punch and Judy are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Satire has been a major feature of comedy in the British Isles for centuries. The pictorial satire of William Hogarth was a precursor to the development of political cartoons in 18th-century England. The medium developed under the direction of James Gillray from London, who has been referred to as

90-510: A Clue (1972–), and The News Quiz (1977–), which often broadcast a dozen of so episodes a year. Following the success of Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son , sitcoms became a part of some television schedules. The BBC has generally been dominant in television comedy , but the commercial stations have also had some successes. Other formats have also been popular, such as with sketch shows , stand-up comedy , impressionists , and puppet shows . Notable satirical comedies are

120-556: A form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the young comedians who worked for him as part of "Fred Karno's Army". Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively the preserve of the BBC . In the 1940s and 1950s, variety dominated the schedules, and popular series included It's That Man Again and Much Binding in the Marsh . In the 1950s,

150-417: A local hotel and soon her residents—including the eccentric Mrs Dukes and the randy old Admiral – are outnumbered by putative models, including diminutive biker Hope Springs and tall, buxom Dawn Brakes. A catfight orchestrated by Hope after thinking Dawn has stolen her bikini provides better newspaper copy than bringing a donkey off the beach which, despite the bucket and spade of hotel porter, William, ruins

180-495: A marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain - a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons." — Punch and Judy showman Glyn Edwards British comedy history is measured in centuries. Shakespeare incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play The Comedy of Errors . Punch and Judy made their first recorded appearance in Britain in 1662, when Samuel Pepys noted

210-479: Is Sid's brassy and lascivious co-worker Chloe Moore. Chloe contends with the endless strikes and with her crude husband, travelling salesman Fred, who neglects her and leaves her dissatisfied. Chloe and Sid enjoy a flirtatious relationship and are sorely tempted to stray . Unusually for Sid James, his character is a faithful husband, albeit a cheeky and borderline-lecherous one. Sid and Beattie find that Joey can correctly predict winners of horseraces – he tweets when

240-518: Is a deal that could save the struggling firm, which W.C. has to admit is in debt to the banks. Vic's dim stooge Bernie Hulke provides bumbling assistance in both his union machinations and his attempts to woo Sid's daughter, factory canteen worker Myrtle. She is torn between Vic and Lewis Boggs, who is something of a playboy but insists he loves her. Sid's wife is Beattie, a lazy housewife who does little but fuss over her pet budgie , Joey, which refuses to talk despite her intense efforts. Their neighbour

270-517: Is facing a crisis – it is always raining and there is nothing for the tourists to do. Councillor Sidney Fiddler hits on the notion of holding a beauty contest. The mayor, Frederick Bumble, is taken with the idea but feminist councillor Augusta Prodworthy is outraged and storms out of the meeting. The motion is carried in Augusta's absence, and Sidney contacts publicist Peter Potter to help with the organisation. Sidney's girlfriend, Connie Philpotts, runs

300-453: Is had by all with barriers coming down between workers and management, thanks largely to that great social lubricant, alcohol. W.C. becomes intoxicated and spends the day – and, it appears, the night – with his faithful, adoring secretary, Miss Hortense Withering. Lewis Boggs manages to win Myrtle from Vic Spanner, giving his rival a beating, and the couple elope . After arriving home late after

330-410: Is the site foreman bridging the gap between workers and management, shrewdly keeping the place going amid the unrest. Prissy floral-shirt-wearing product designer Charles Coote has included a bidet in his latest range of designs, but W.C. objects to the manufacture of such "dubious" items. W.C. will not change his stance even after his son, Lewis Boggs, secures a large overseas order for the bidets. It

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360-961: The Slough Town Hall , in Slough , Berkshire ; and the Marylebone Railway Station in London. Valerie Leon's voice for the film was dubbed by co-star June Whitfield. In a 2018 retrospective on the series, the British Film Institute named Carry On Girls as one of the series' five worst films, alongside Carry On England (1976), That's Carry On! (1977), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), and Carry On Columbus (1992). British comedy "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism . We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from

390-465: The 1960s series That Was The Week That Was , the 1980s series Not the Nine O'Clock News , and ITV 's puppet show Spitting Image . The show of the 1980s and early 1990s, Spitting Image , was a satire of politics, entertainment, sport, and British culture of the era, and at its peak, it was watched by 15 million people. British satire has also gone over into quiz shows ; popular examples include

420-537: The BBC was running Hancock's Half Hour starring Tony Hancock . Hancock's Half Hour was later transferred to television. One of the notable radio shows was the double entendre -laden Round the Horne (1965–1968), a sequel to the earlier series Beyond Our Ken , which ran from 1959 to 1964. Later radio shows made use of the panel game format, including the long-running Just a Minute (1967–), I'm Sorry I Haven't

450-530: The Bend outside the UK) is a 1971 British comedy film, directed by Gerald Thomas and starring regulars Sid James , Kenneth Williams , Charles Hawtrey , Joan Sims , Hattie Jacques and Bernard Bresslaw and Kenneth Cope in the first of his two Carry On appearances. It was written by Talbot Rothwell and produced by Peter Rogers . It was the 22nd release in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992) and

480-647: The big order to save the firm. Interiors : Exteriors : After Sid James's character was criticised for leering at some girls in Carry On Henry (1971), here his character was changed to the put-upon family man similar to the character he portrayed in the TV sitcom Bless This House . In the next film Carry On Matron (1972), his character was preoccupied with thieving, but made odd suggestive comments to nurses (including one played by Jacki Piper, who played his daughter in this film). James's girl-chasing persona

510-604: The father of the political cartoon. In early 19th-century England, pantomime acquired its present form, which includes slapstick comedy and featured the first mainstream clown, Joseph Grimaldi , while comedy routines also featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in the 1850s. British comedians who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin , Stan Laurel , George Formby , and Dan Leno . The English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed

540-424: The film to gain the more commercially acceptable A certificate (open to families) than the more restrictive AA certificate, barring entry to the under-fourteens. An early version of the script featured Kenneth Williams in the role of Mayor Bumble which would ultimately be played by Kenneth Connor in the finished film. Williams was appearing in a West End play, My Fat Friend . The role of Cecil Gaybody

570-558: The final contest with water, mud and itching powder. With an angry mob after his blood, Sidney makes his escape on a go-kart, finds Connie has taken all the money and then speeds away with Hope on her motorcycle. The film marked a slightly more risqué treatment of the topic with more nudity and openly sexual jokes than previous films. Discreet cuts by the BBFC (mainly to saucy dialogue and the hotel fight sequence between bikini-clad contestants played by Barbara Windsor and Margaret Nolan) enabled

600-534: The first Carry On , Carry On Sergeant . The hotel was previously used (also exterior only) in the 1971 film Carry On at Your Convenience . Another filming location these two movies have in common is Brighton's West Pier (the Palace Pier had been used a couple of years earlier in Carry On at Your Convenience ). Brighton Beach was another Brighton location for this movie. Other filming locations include

630-424: The first box office failure of the series. This failure has been attributed to the film's attempt at exploring the political themes of the trade union movement, crucially portraying the union activists as idle, pedantic buffoons which, apparently, alienated the traditional working-class audience of the series. The film did not return full production costs until 1976 after several international and television sales. It

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660-423: The horse's name is read out. Sid bets on Joey's tips and achieves several large wins – including a vital £1,000 loaned to W.C. when the banks refuse a bridging loan – before Benny, Sid's bookie , fed up with having made these payouts, refuses to accept further bets, larger than £5, from him. The strikers finally return to work, but it is only to attend the annual works outing, a coach trip to Brighton . A good time

690-486: The news quiz Have I Got News for You , 8 out of 10 cats , and Shooting Stars . In the 1980s, alternative comedy was spearheaded by Ben Elton and The Comic Strip group, which included Alexei Sayle , Rik Mayall , and French and Saunders . The 1990s and 2000s also have those that have used editing , surreal humour , and cultural references to great effect. Carry On at Your Convenience Carry On at Your Convenience (also known as Carry On Round

720-403: The outing and with Fred away, Chloe invites Sid in for a cup of tea. They fight their desires and ultimately decide not to have the tea, fearing that neighbours might see Sid enter Chloe's home and get the wrong idea. At the picket lines the next day, Vic gets his comeuppance – partly at the hands of his mother, who spanks him in public – and the workers and management all pull together to produce

750-548: The plush carpets. Augusta's son, press photographer Larry, is hired to document the donkey stunt and snaps the catfight that has the Mayor losing his trousers, then gulps his way through a nude photo shoot with Dawn. The Mayor's wife, Mildred, joins Prodworthy's bra-burning movement and plots the downfall of the Miss Fircombe contest on the pier. Peter Potter reluctantly becomes a man in a frock for another publicity gimmick for

780-478: The series. Patsy Rowlands makes her seventh appearance in the series. Robin Askwith makes his only appearance in the series. Jack Douglas makes his third appearance, this time upgraded to a main role. This is the final of six Carry On films for Valerie Leon and Jimmy Logan makes the second of his two Carry On appearances. The film was followed by Carry On Dick in 1974. The seaside town of Fircombe

810-416: The television show Women's Things , presented by Cecil Gaybody and produced by Debra. Prodworthy and butch feminist Rosemary call in the police to investigate the male pageant contestant but Peter's previously prim girlfriend, Paula, has a makeover and turns out to be very buxom and glamorous and steps into the breach as the mysterious girl. Prodworthy's gang put "Operation Spoilsport" into action, sabotaging

840-435: Was followed by Carry On Matron in 1972. In bathroom ceramics factory W.C. Boggs & Son, the traditionalist owner W.C. Boggs is having no end of trouble. Bolshy and lazy union representative Vic Spanner continually stirs up trouble in the works, to the irritation of his co-workers and management. He calls a strike for almost any minor incident – or because he wants time off to attend a local football match. Sid Plummer

870-452: Was fully reinstated for subsequent films. The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Twenty one Carry On... films have understandably exhausted the supply of lavatorial puns, and though the twenty-second does not scruple about re-using several of them, Talbot Rothwell tends generally to neglect his W.C. factory (a thinly disguised Pinewood Studios) for a series of irrelevant sketches ranging from farce (the works outing) to domestic comedy (Sid and

900-626: Was written for Charles Hawtrey, however he had been dropped due to his unreliability. It was then offered to Kenneth Williams, who turned it down because of stage commitments. The movie was shot from 16th April to 25th May, 1973. All the interiors were shot in Pinewood Studios , in Buckinghamshire. The Clarges Hotel in Brighton (the exterior of which was used in the film) was then-owned by actress Dora Bryan who had appeared in

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