Showing posts with label Brighton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brighton. Show all posts

Thursday, 18 April 2013

Absolute Beginners: How Kenneth Williams Turned Me On To Jazz


Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell tried to sell me the concept of jazz. I was not buying. Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk. Charles Mingus and Miles Davis may have had talents that struck us like a lighting bolt in our later years, but as a callow youth of fourteen, I was all for dodging what I deemed the unlistenable bullet.

Davis' ‘Kind Of Blue would often sneak snake-like out of Tolly's study. Plus, the Carry On scriptwriter had an ally.

Kenneth Williams was not up on the names and styles from the world of jazz, but he knew what he liked, and he liked a bit of Mingus.

It would take Colin MacInnes’ book ‘Absolute Beginners’ to educate, inform and take me into the bosom of modern jazz. MacInnes' fictional world was one of youth, and of creative and personal ambition

Kenneth Williams liked it for different reasons. Jazz was unpredictable. At its best it gave the impression of having no set form or agenda. It could veer off at the least expected moment and take on new forms from old.



Kenneth Williams was the living embodiment of jazz. I liked Kenny, and, even at fourteen I should have trusted his judgement.

But Tolly was old school and proud. Even though Mingus and Davis were hip with the city kids, he played them purely for their soothing qualities .. and at a volume you’d have to strain to hear.

His Davis of preference was the artist’s early more mellow and subdued style of jazz which would retain the complexities of bebop yet would also convey a more vocal and expressive mood. This came to be known as ‘Cool Jazz’.



Kenneth Williams’ would favour Mingus for his fearsome temperament, which earned him the nickname ‘The Angry Man of Jazz’. 

His refusal to compromise his musical integrity led to many on-stage eruptions, exhortations to musicians, and dismissals. Kenneth approved of a bit of boat rocking.

But now I get it. The Carry On duo of Tolly Rothwell and Kenneth Williams still have an influence on my listening habits. I bit the bullet and did a bit of self healing to the sounds that can still nourish the soul and inform the mind.




A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications

Available now via iTunes



Monday, 4 March 2013

A Write Carry On: Titbits, Insights & Untold Tales!

 
How did A Write Carry On come to be? The idea for the book first appeared light bulb like in 2002. I'd recently taken a walk from the Devil’s Dyke in Brighton down to Fulking, the one-time home of Carry On scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

The village had changed little. Many of the memories of my formative years spent with Tolly came flooding back.

I sat on the very hill that overlooked his driveway, the one I’d been perched on when many of the Carry On regulars emerged from Tolly’s house after a long afternoon of laughs and booze.

What I witnessed (included in A Write Carry On) gave a unique insight into the actors.

From there I wandered down to the village pub, The Shepherd and Dog. I took a seat by the stream and could almost hear the chatter and laughter coming from the main bar as Tolly – as he had so many times – talked cricket, women and wickedly tall tales.

I’d also been reading up on the Carry Ons and was saddened by the lack of column inches given to Tolly. He had been so central to the series’ success. His double entendres and saucy seaside humour had given the series both its working class popularity and credibility.


Plus, when he did get a mention, it seemed to be the same few paragraphs repeated ad infinitum. I was sitting on a book worth of untold tales, ones that rightly painted a picture of Tolly as a talented, much loved and professionally respected treasure.

Here’s an insight into a few tales contained within the pages of A Write Carry On:



The Right-Wing 'Carry On' That Shed The Most Pounds


A little bit of politics in a mainstream comedy film can stem the flow of cash at the Box Office. Take ‘Carry On At Your Convenience’; the twenty-second film in the series.

With ‘Convenience’ a lot of audience goodwill went out the window. In a time of bitter industrial disputes, scriptwriter Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell explored the political themes of the trade union movement.

The script had a noticeable right-wing slant; both mocking and sending-up the unions of the day. In doing so, Tolly alienated the traditional working-class audience of the series.



The Dark Side Of The 'Carry On' Funny Man: Tolly's time in the Palestine Police Force.


Tolly then smiled as he recalled that it hadn’t taken long for him to ingratiate himself into the very separate communities of the stallholders and shopkeepers from the city’s Moslem, Jewish and Christian Quarters. He said his natural way of being courteous and respectful had made him feel welcomed and seemingly above suspicion.

But one thing he didn’t’ take to was the chilly climate of the uplands of Jerusalem. He much preferred the more dependable summer and autumn seasons to be enjoyed in Tel Aviv.

Whilst on routine company patrols and manoeuvres Tolly recalled how he was a witness to the inner-workings and social-struggles of local families. Some mothers were raising as many as eight or nine children on an income of what Tolly classed as a pittance.


This Is Your Life: Coming Out From Behind The Sofa With Kenneth Williams


At Tolly’s that winter’s evening, it was Kenneth Williams who was able to chop his producer down to my size. Of all the Carry On regulars who were there to raise a glass to Tolly’s success, it seemed that it was Kenneth alone who had the strength of personality to strip Peter Rogers of his apparent air of superiority.

Kenneth would not back down on any topic raised by his employer. As Rogers spouted forth on all manner of topics, Kenneth would respond with a witty anecdote that would show he knew more about the topic than its instigator.

I gradually uncurled from the back of the sofa and was soon joining in the chorus of hilarity being raised from the battle of two such great minds. Rogers was soon crying with laughter, and Kenneth had his nose raised as he drew in the air of victory. 




A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows

By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications

Available now via iTunes



Saturday, 23 February 2013

War Of The Carry Ons: Kenneth Williams vs Sid James

Sid James was wandering the perimeter of the small paddock that sat at the rear of Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell's house. Tolly was, at the time, deep into his stint of being screenwriter to twenty-two of the iconic Carry On films series.

Sid was alone and looking somewhat haggard as I slipped out into the midday summer's sun and sat on a small bench at the side of the paddock.

He was dressed in khaki coloured slacks and an open lose fitting untucked check shirt. His sandals, like much of what he was wearing, looked very much on their last legs.

For at least ten minutes Sid kept his distance and remained deep in thought. From inside Tolly's house the sound of Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor holding court was clearly one of the reasons Sid was braving the direct intensity of the sun's rays. Kenny Williams wasn’t his cup of tea – that was common knowledge.

Later we were joined by Tolly. He patted me on the head and smiled and then ambled over to Sid and gave the actor a hearty pat on the back.



‘All right, old chap?’

‘That bloody Williams is getting on my tits, Tolly. I know I shouldn’t rise to it, but the way he looks down his nose at me and talks over the end of my sentences, drives me mad.’

‘He means well, Sid. Anyway, food's up and we are all about to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jim (Dale). Join us, come on.’

With that Sid wandered over, grabbed me by the arm and said: ‘If I ain’t getting out of this neither are you.’ We entered the house, painted on our smiles, opened our mouths and sang ‘happy birthday’ to a rather squiffy looking Jim Dale.


To read more on Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Sid James, Barbara Windsor and the rest of the Carry On cast and crew .. buy a copy of A Write Carry On .. Just CLICK HERE





A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows


By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications


Saturday, 9 February 2013

Kenneth Williams: Amateur Hour With A True Professional

Watching an actor learn his lines is tantamount to watching paint dry. Even when said actor is Kenneth Williams and said lines will only be witnessed by the lucky few who squeeze into an unremarkable village hall.

It was a few days shy of Christmas and Kenneth had arrived at Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell's (Carry On scriptwriter), house with just three hours to learn his lines, rehearse his scenes and partake in a dress rehearsal.

So, with time short .. Kenneth did none of the above three. Instead he put on a show there and then, to an audience of just three.

Tolly, my dad and myself sat enraptured, though a little intimidated, as Kenneth delivered uncensored anecdotes on the behind the scenes going-ons of his fellow Carry On stars.



The air was blue, Tolly and my dad were blushing and fidgeting awkwardly in their chairs .. while I was in seventh heaven. Kenneth noted my youthful abandon and delivered many of his cutting/killer punchlines down his long nose and directly to my lugholes.

With an hour till showtime he tired of us and was whisked away to the local village hall. By all accounts, he adlibbed the local amateur dramatic society off of the stage, endeared himself to few of those in attendance, and loved every minute of the unforgettable and outrageous scene had he created.



My dad dined-out on the story for years to come. As time passed he somewhat elevated his part in that night’s proceedings. He really should have known better. There was only one performer that night, and he played a blinder!  


To read more on Kenneth Williams and the rest of the Carry On cast and crew .. buy a copy of A Write Carry On .. Just CLICK HERE




A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows


By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications


Thursday, 7 February 2013

A Write Carry On - A Screenwriting Bestseller



Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows
by Mike Cobley
 
Imagine growing up with the Carry Ons. Getting to hobnob on a regular basis with the likes of Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Frankie Howerd, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Kenneth Williams. Well, I was that lucky guy. The catalyst for my meetings with the cream of saucy British comedy was Talbot‘Tolly’ Rothwell.

Tolly wrote the scripts for twenty-two of the big-screen Carry Ons, and was a close family friend for all of those glorious mega-grossing box office years.
 
A Write Carry On catalogues not only his eleven years with the Carry Ons, but also Tolly’s time as a Second World War captive at the notorious POW camp, Stalag Luft III (best known for two famous prisoner escapes that took place there by tunnelling, which were depicted in the films The Great Escape (1963) and The Wooden Horse (1950), and the books by former prisoners Paul Brickhill and Eric Williams from which these films were adapted).

Along the way you will get a behind-the-scenes peek at the lives and personalities of all the major Carry On stars. There were a lot of laughs but also a few tears. Oh, and the odd illicit affair too!


I really enjoyed reading about the real people that i only knew from the carry on films.
It was so interesting finding out about the man behind the scripts, a true genius.
Funny, sad and informative from an unusual perspective.
Would recommend this to all.
(Verified Amazon Buyer Review)

‘The spine of the book lists his name. The title looks familiar. Even the dust jacket speaks of ideas that had once come so easily to him. But here, in this now unfamiliar room, his past belongs to another and the present holds few clues to his self. Fear takes a grip.’ ('A Write Carry On')


This was the moment when one of the great unsung heroes of British comedy writing knew the game was up. Having been responsible for a rollercoaster half-decade of screenwriting twenty Carry On films, as well as Up Pompeii and The Crazy Gang, Talbot ’Tolly’ Rothwell could no longer recognise the keys on his typewriter. His past had caught up with him.
 
Talbot went on to receive an OBE - yet still managed to be 'A Man In The Shadows’.
 
Featuring the likes of Kenneth Williams, Sid James, Frankie Howerd, Hattie Jacques et al, this gripping tale takes the reader deep into the complex characters who have, even after their passing, become a mainstay of British comedy.
 
‘A Write Carry On’ also take the reader behind enemy lines during the Second World War, when Talbot was incarcerated in the notorious Stalag Luft III. There he teamed up with Peter Butterworth to produce camp concerts which aided tunnelling escape efforts.

"Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" - Kenneth Williams (Julius Caesar) Carry On Cleo (1964)

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Monday, 19 November 2012

Crisis? What Crisis?: The Carry On Crown Was Slipping

Supertramp may not be the name that trips off of the tongue when discussing the Carry Ons, but back in 1975 I was forced to flee a somewhat numbers depleted cast and crew get together to celebrate my fourteenth birthday at Brighton Dome in the company of that very band.
 
As a present from my brother Martyn, I had been invited to join his very own 'crew’, and head in to the centre of Brighton to catch the band Supertramp, who had just released their fourth album, 'Crisis? What Crisis?'

Among my fellow group of gig-goers there was much talk of poppers (alkyl nitrites), of which I happily concluded would mean end of evening balloons. I was to be both confused and disappointed by naivety!

Rewind back to lunchtime and I was sat in the kitchen of ex-Carry On scriptwriter Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell's house, quietly observing the coming, goings and conversations of the few Carry Oners who had accepted the invitation to Tolly's farewell shindig in honour of his uprooting from his beloved secluded bolt hole in the picturesque village of Fulking, to the rather more urban soundtrack of the bustling coastal town of Worthing.
 
 

The move had been necessitated after Tolly's breakdown following scripting twenty-two of the highly successful and lucrative Carry On films.

Sadly, it was glaringly obvious from the turn out of cast and crew that the famous Carry On brotherhood counted for little once talent had flown the nest.

But Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Jim Dale and producer Peter Rogers were the 'a-listers' who mingled at Tolly’s along with a sprinkling of those who worked behind the Carry On scenes.

Conversation was unusually muted, and the expected ribbing and backbiting was absent. All-in-all, and not surprisingly due to the circumstances, it was a party that had the air of a wake.

Meanwhile, I was clock watching. I still had to get out of Fulking and back to Brighton by 7pm to meet my brother and his cast of merry misfits.

My attendance at my first ever gig was imminent, and I was almost breathless with anticipation. Supertramp meant nothing to me. I hadn't heard their music and didn't even know they were American and at the peak of their prog/pop powers.



Upon entering the Dome I tried to act in a nonplussed and laid-back manner. Most of the longhairs milling around the venue were sporting the band's current album title, 'Crisis? What Crisis?' on their t-shirts.

The memory of the gig itself is a bit of a blur. I remember being highly impressed by both the personality and musicianship of John Helliwell (woodwinds, keyboards, backing vocals), as well as the swearing heavily featured on the band's closing number, 'Bloody Well Right'.

Once back outside and engulfed by the town's ice cold air, I discovered poppers had nothing to do with balloons! But I went home happy and a few years wiser to the world.

The next morning my brother presented me with a second present, a copy of Supertramp's break through third album 'Crime of the Century'.

For me, much like for those involved in the ongoing Carry On franchise, the times they were a changin'.



Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows
by Mike Cobley

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

Beyond The Carry Ons: ‘Intimate Insights’ Coming To Wholepoint Publications

A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) is not the whole story, it just marks the halfway point in my collection of reminisces about growing up with the Carry Ons.

The first ebook focused on my family's friendship with the big screen series long-term scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

The final part of the tale, Intimate Insights, is currently at the first draft stage and will be available for download (via Amazon/Kob/iTunes) before the year's end.
 
Like A Write Carry On, the new ebook has been picked up by Wholepoint Publications.



Intimate Insights will focus on my meetings with many of the regular Carry On cast. The majority of those off screen stumble-upons took place in Fulking (Sussex), at the home of 'Tolly' Rothwell.

A few of them, like my chance meeting with Julian Clary (Carry On Columbus), are worthy of their inclusion in Intimate Insights.
 
Julian was fine company; a thoughtful, engaging and open interviewee – despite being caught somewhat off guard.
 
 
As for the featured Carry On regulars (Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Barbara Windsor, Jim Dale, Hattie Jacques, Joan Sims and Jim Dale), separately they were great company. Together, in certain combinations, they could be a nightmare. I had the (mis)-fortune to witness both!
 
Intimate Insights will also feature the illustrations of Mandy Hills. Mandy drew the cover for A Write Carry On, and has teamed-up with me in the past where she has supplied illustrations for poetry anthologies and magazines .. as well as drawing a mean Virginia Woolf!   




Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows
by Mike Cobley

Sunday, 19 August 2012

'Intimate Insights' - A Peek Behind The Carry Ons!


The forthcoming free mini-ebook 'Intimate Insights' will bring to a close the final chapter on my unique tale of growing up with the Carry Ons. In A Write Carry On (Wholepoint Publications) I offered a glimpse into the life and times of the longtime series scriptwriter, Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell.

'Intimate Insights' delves a little deeper into the household names who were so universally loved and respected; those icons of British comedy who included Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor, Frankie Howerd and Jim Dale.


Some of the mini-ebook’s insights have featured on this blog, others will be unique and previously unpublished.

‘Intimate Insights’ will be free to download from Scribd and this blog from 20th October. Check back regularly for updates.

A Write Carry On is available now via AmazonKobo and iTunes .. click here for more details.





Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows
by Mike Cobley

Wednesday, 8 August 2012

Sid James & The Girl From The Evening Standard

Sidney ‘Sid’ James sat in his trailer sipping on a wisky and glancing absent mindedly at the new script he’d found awaiting him in a sealed brown envelope.

Sid had arrived mid-afternoon, having stopped off on the way for quick livener and a flutter on the Gee-Gees.


To do a full read through was too much like hard work, he decided. So he gave the script the quick once over before doing much the same to a passing Barbara Windsor. He watched her run to catch Kenneth Williams and wondered to himself what a nice girl like her was doing with a prat like him?

Sid was cold and wrapped himself in a blanket just as a light knock at the door sounded. He ignored it, but soon there came another, and then another. ‘Come in, why don’t you.’

The door opened and hesitantly a young blonde eased her way in, dusted herself down and turned to face Sid. ‘Kathy, Evening Standard, Mr Williams said it would be ok to talk to you.’



‘Did he now? The little fucker,’ smiled Sid. He patted the space next to him and Kathy nervously approached and brushed her skirt flat as she sat down.

‘Now, what can I do for you?’

‘Really, what I’m after is a few words on how you think the Carry On films have changed since Mr Hudis left and Mr Rothwell took over?’

‘Well, that’s different at least,’ cackled Sid. ‘Fancy a drink?’

You could say Sid was more than an average red blooded male. He worshipped the female form, and along with that came a deep respect for the love and support they could give him.

His much publicised affair with Barbara Windsor went beyond the simple attraction of an older man for a younger female. As Windsor has said on many occasions, what for her was a bit of a fling, was for him much more.

To find out what transpired when ‘Kathy, from the Evening Standard’, entered Sid James’ life .. read the bestselling ebook ..

Available Now!

To purchase a copy CLICK HERE

Contact the author at editor@brighton.co.uk

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Beating Up The Carry Ons! All Aboard The Good Ship Windsor

Barbara ‘Babs’ Windsor adored a bit of Motown and was more than a little partial to the sounds that emanated from the Stax label.

But thanks to fellow Carry Oners Sid James and Peter Butterworth, Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell’s turntable spun to the antiquated dreariness of the crooners (Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Bing Crosby).

As the Carry On scriptwriter, Tolly wasn’t high on the pecking order when it came to selecting the aural ambience of his abode, especially on those rare weekends when the stars came out and illuminated the sleepy little Sussex village of Fulking.

But Babs was no shrinking violet, and often once the whisky and wine was in full flow, Tolly’s wall mounted speakers would throb to the wah-wah guitars and hard driving beat of The Temptations ‘Cloud Nine’. That’s when things got interesting .. especially if Kenneth Williams was in residence!


At first Kenneth would moan and bemoan the sudden competition for the room’s attention. He may have told his anecdotes many times over, but there was always an audience hanging on his every word.  

It wouldn’t be long before young Ken would note Sid James’ disdain at the ongoing racket, and that’s when, without a second thought, Kenneth would jump raft and come down on the side of the good ship, Windsor.


‘Turn it up, Barb’, he would scream. ‘Come on everyone, are we the only ones ‘ere with a pulse?’ Babs would love it, I loved it .. and Tolly would just give that ‘wink’ of his and retire graciously to the rear garden. 

The battle had been won. Soon, the likes of Marvin Gaye, The Isley Brothers, Martha and the Vandellas, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett would drive Sid and his compatriots out of both the house and the party spirit. Kenneth may have been left with a much diminished audience, but it was an audience all the same!


Available now at Amazon - iBookstore - Kobo

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows
by Mike Cobley


Thursday, 19 July 2012

Julian Clary Had His Part In Carry On Columbus!


Of course the Carry On film franchise didn't come to an end when its long-term scriptwriter Talbot 'Tolly' Rothwell’s contract came to an end with ‘Dick’, in 1974.

After stuttering on for another four films, there would be a break of some fourteen years until what, so far, has become the series finale, Columbus’.

The ‘big four’ from the past to join the project were Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Leslie Phillips and June Whitfield.

The reviews were as disappointing as the film itself, but what of the thoughts of the cast? The closest I came to an answer was having the opportunity to quiz Julian Clary.

The unplanned meeting was a few years back at the Sussex Arts Club, a private members establishment in Brighton.


At the time Julian was looking to retire to the country and write books. He'd had enough of the endless touring and showbiz glitz.

It was a sedentary lifestyle he was to soon to tire of, and it wasn't long - five years to be precise - before his next tour.

At the time of 'Columbus,' Julian told me, he would delight in 'shocking people'. That some people 'deserved to be shocked.' And ‘wasn't upsetting the apple cart what the Carry Ons were all about anyway?'

Julian believed, quite rightly, that his suggestive and middle-England bothering style of humour was very much of the Tolly Rothwell genre. Julian adored the double entendres packed Tolly scripts.

He also loved Tolly’s many great comedy moments that brought the very best out of Frankie Howerd, in Up Pompeii.


And it was with Frankie that he seemingly identified the most. Julian admitted to the same self-doubts and anxieties, as well as the promiscuous early years as a blossoming gay man.

So when the call came with an offer of a part of in ‘Columbus’ the fact that Frankie was to be on board was a big plus point. Sadly the great man passed away just two days before filming got underway.

Julian wouldn’t be drawn on the negative sides of the experience, just that it had been an honour to be asked and subsequently involved.

If he’d been born twenty years earlier, no-doubt Julian would have stood side-by-side with Frankie, Sid James, Kenneth Williams et al. As it was, the true Carry On spirit was pensioned off at the same time Tolly called it a day.





A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows


By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications







Friday, 13 July 2012

The Times They Were A Changing For The Carry Ons

The South Downs has a life all of its own. Running from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east; and I have walked its hundred-plus miles on more than one occasion.

Whatever time of the year you set off along its mainly chalk encrusted paths it’s best to remember that the seasons are never to be trusted.

Sometimes it's as though they conspire to lay-in-wait for the passing traveler, before unleashing their armory upon their unsuspecting gargoyle-wearing prey as they innocently wander the nooks and crannies of the supposed sleeping giant.

Twice the elements have forced me from the hills and down into the sparsely populated and welcoming valleys.

On both occasions I found myself in Fulking, the home of Carry On scriptwriter, Talbot ‘Tolly’ Rothwell. And on the second occasion it was he who gave me refuge.


I turned up at his door wet, tired, hungry and unannounced. He cured me on all of the first three accounts. At the time Tolly was working on his final Carry On script, ‘Dick’, and he wasn’t in the best of physical or mental health.

His study door was open and screwed up pieces of paper were littered across its floor. I was, for that night, to be his sounding board.

Tolly felt that it wasn’t just him who was feeling his age. The Carry On series itself was, with ‘Dick’, about to ring in some unwanted changes.

For a start it was to be the last appearances of Sid James (after 19 entries in the series) and Hattie Jacques (after 14 entries).



Then, of course, the film also brought down the curtain on Tolly’s eleven year reign as scriptwriter for the Carry Ons.

Plus, it was also to be Barbara Windsor's final acting role in a Carry On film. The times they were a changing!

Tolly could read the changes of the South Downs weather much better than I could, and early the next morning I was on my way.

I left a troubled, but much loved, man alone with his demons and failing health. The Carry Ons were in terminal decline also.

To read more on Sid James, Barbara Windsor and the rest of the Carry On cast and crew .. buy a copy of A Write Carry On .. Just CLICK HERE







A Write Carry On

The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows


By Mike Cobley


Wholepoint Publications