Summer 2023. A brief conversation between myself and The Whippit Inn, still both rather buzzing from the ‘Carry On At 60’ event a few weeks earlier in June. Despite some immortal words being uttered by myself after the event in June (no, not “Infamy, Infamy…”, but rather “I need a rest!”) we discuss the ‘potential’ for another 'Carry On' event.
Unfortunately, as the years pass, the task of securing new guests becomes harder and harder. Yes, there are the stalwarts and circuit regulars who are always a joy to meet but finding ‘new’ or ‘rare’ faces is no easy task. Yet, we put the feelers out. Over the years I have been very lucky in that I have got to know and meet a lot of the more 'obscure' and rarer names from ‘Carry On’ and so my ‘little orange book’ came out again and calls were made, and letters sent.
As has previously been said by me and the event’s co-hosts and co-producers at ‘The Whippit Inn’, we all have day jobs, commitments and lives outside ‘Carry On fandom’ and it is a huge commitment and undertaking. But we do it because we LOVE it! I adore seeing all the old and new faces of other fans who come along to support the events. For many it is the social aspect they like, others like a selfie or 12 and an autograph. It is always a joy to see so many familiar and friendly faces and it is always very much appreciated that they spend their hard earned cash on a ticket to join us.
Although both organisations are non-commercial, we both aim to make the events as professional and as fresh as we can. There is a team behind us who strive to keep the cogs turning and are running around out of sight making sure things are running as they should be. When things do go a bit wobbly, well, we improvise and carry on!
So, after a few more conversations ‘Carry On Up the Avenue’ is born, ETA – Spring 2024. We now have the task of securing a worthy cast!
A London location isn’t without its challenges, as some of our star guests of interest live far and wide of the capital. As non-commercial events every penny goes towards the running of the events; travel, refreshments, professional fees, printing, marketing and so on. To that end, it is a tightly run ship, something ‘Captain Fearless’ would be proud of. Our primary objective is simply that our star guest and the fans have a fantastic afternoon, and we help keep the flag flying for British comedy.
There were some very special moments at the event and so, without further delay, and waffle, let’s....
What a Carry On! ... and what a line up!
Pictured left to right: (back row) Su Douglas, Sally Geeson, Dean Barker (co-producer & co-host) & Paul Stephen (co-producer & co-host), (middle row) Larry Dann, Morris Bright MBE & Callum Phoenix, (front row) Peter Jesson, Dominique Don, Jenny Cox, Amanda Barrie & Vivienne Johnson.
(Image: John Heffernan)
We were delighted to welcome the following star guests: Su Douglas (formerly married to Carry On regular Jack Douglas and star of ‘Carry On Columbus’ (1992)), Amanda Barrie (‘Cleo’ in the flesh!), Jenny Cox (her and her daughter are dear friends and I am so pleased that Jenny could make it, having challenging family commitments), Peter Jesson (who still maintained until arriving on the day that he cannot understand why anyone would want to meet him!), Dominique Don (a wonderful rare addition to the line up who I am pleased we were able to finally convince to join us with her lovely daughter!), Larry Dann one of the nicest and most sincere gents I have ever met), Sally Geeson (who has always supported the events and is always a very welcome guest) & the fabulous Vivienne Johnson (who actually made it a considerable distance to join us on the day despite having ongoing mobility issues due to a broken neck! So next time you think about calling in sick with a sniffle you might want to think again!).
We were also delighted to welcome back Morris Bright MBE, the guy who was behind the original ‘Carry On’ events at Pinewood Studios and who knew Peter Rogers well (he even witnessed Peter’s Will!). Morris provided some rare footage from his archive of the late ‘Carry On’ writer Norman Hudis as well as announcing a closely guarded secret of a new book that is being co-authored and produced by yours truly (quite by chance, we actually signed the book deal on the day, talk about stars aligning). We will be announcing more details about this project over the coming months, and I am both thrilled and excited to be working with Morris, a personal friend of many years, on the project which I hope will bring something new and fresh to the genre.
Morris also brought along some very rare and special items from his own collection to sell on the day, including an original project information folder from ‘Carry On Cruising’ (1962), an original script from ‘Carry On Abroad’ (1972), a rare print of the core ‘Carry On’ team from ‘Carry On Again Doctor’ (1969) as well as a treasure trove of other goodies destined to be very collectible and sough after in years to come. I’d like to thank Morris for all his support and contributions for the event, however, my bank balance doesn’t!
Another wonderful chum who joined us is dear Charles Waples, scribe, artist and overall top gent! He provided some wonderful caricatures for fans of them alongside their favourite ‘Carry On’ stars.
I am eternally grateful to Charles for not only supporting the event but also for his unwavering friendship over the years and for providing some of the wonderful graphics for this website. If you are after a commission, you can find Charles on Facebook at scribeslikeus.co.uk.
After kicking proceedings off with a quiz with a twist we started the day by introducing the event and our star guests with a montage of clips of our star guests in their iconic roles. This was followed by a Q&A panel discussion, led by myself, to chat with our guests about their careers and roles within the series. Afterwards fans had the opportunity for a 'meet and greet' with our star guests, including pictures and autographs. We also held a raffle for The Theatrical Guild charity, a leading industry related UK charity supporting Backstage and Front of House staff, with over 125 years’ experience helping people. A significant amount was raised so our thanks to everyone who purchased raffle tickets and took part, it is supporting a great cause!
One thing that is obvious from the countless photographs taken on the day is the sheer joy of our star guests who had smiles for everyone all afternoon. Each star guest played their own special part in the day, and it is of paramount importance to me, and the other organisers, that they are properly looked after and that we support any personal needs to make sure everyone is well looked after and is comfortable.
This is a huge team effort, and my thanks go out to all those supporting team members who helped us to achieve this. It was both humbling and appreciated to speak privately with our star guests after the event and to receive such positive and wonderful feedback!
Pictured (left): Me with Amanda Barrie who played 'Cleo' in 'Carry On Cleo' (1964). Pictured (right): Me with Jenny Cox who played 'Veronica' in 'Carry On Behind' (1975).
My thanks to Ciaran Brown and John Heffernan for their photographic skills throughout the afternoon, and to Sam Bessant for his wonderful graphics!
If you are reading this having never ventured to one of the events, but would like to join any future events, please keep an eye on this website and the Facebook pages for RETROBOY and The Whippit Inn for future announcements.
For now, I put the clip board back in the bag and close the door on the ‘Carry On’ event office… but for how long? Watch this space for some very exciting and new projects coming later this year from
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