Interview with Bill Maynard (2018)
Bill starred in five Carry On's; Carry On Loving (1970), Carry On Henry (1971), Carry On At Your Convenience (1971), Carry On Matron (1972) & Carry On Dick (1974). His roles gradually became larger as the years went on. Bill has been 'in the business' for 81 years & in TV, Film & Radio for 65 years.
He has the ability to remember full poems that he first recited when he was 9 years old (in drag as he fondly recalls!).
He has done it all; acting, singing, dancing, politics, playing for Leicester City Football Club & has toured the world entertaining the troops.
He has the ability to remember full poems that he first recited when he was 9 years old (in drag as he fondly recalls!).
He has done it all; acting, singing, dancing, politics, playing for Leicester City Football Club & has toured the world entertaining the troops.
In January 2018, I caught up with Bill to chat with him about his career &, of course, the 'Carry On's':
CP: Do you have any special memories of working on the ‘Carry On’s’?
BM: I’ve actually just had a picture given to me that I have never seen before. It is a picture of Sid and I playing poker on set. You can see Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques in the background learning their lines.
CP: How lovely! I’ve been told Sid used to like playing poker and liked his gambling?
BM: Sid taught me to play poker actually. Oh yes, he was always having a bet on something. He would bet on anything! I did five of the ‘Carry On’s’ but the strange thing is that I was rarely billed! I have no idea why. I think that the production people had something against me.
CP: You were billed in many? Do you mean a higher billing?
BM: Yes. Considering the work I had done leading up to them and my history and experience in the business. I had toured entertaining the troops with the Army in Germany after the war. I also did tours of Korea during the Korean War and travelled the world entertaining off the back of as lorry in deserts, you name it.
CP: You have had quite a career?
BM: I have. 65 years in television and radio, 81 years in the business and 31 films in the cinema under my belt. I have recorded songs under the EMI and Decker labels too you know? All this and I never been offered an honour!
CP: Not yet.
BM: Well recently I was speaking with Sir Greg Knight MP and I know he has sent a request off requesting a peerage for me.
CP: Well, fingers crossed!
BM: The thing is I have always been the same all my life; I don’t give a shit if people like me or not!
CP: That isn’t a bad approach to life!
BM: Well, it’s like with ‘Heartbeat’. I was approached for it and they asked me to bring some humour to it. Then they went and stuck it on at Sunday night when most people were down the pub! Fortunately, though when the ratings came in they were all surprised and it was like ‘fucking hell, we’ve got a hit on our hands!’.
BM: I’ve actually just had a picture given to me that I have never seen before. It is a picture of Sid and I playing poker on set. You can see Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques in the background learning their lines.
CP: How lovely! I’ve been told Sid used to like playing poker and liked his gambling?
BM: Sid taught me to play poker actually. Oh yes, he was always having a bet on something. He would bet on anything! I did five of the ‘Carry On’s’ but the strange thing is that I was rarely billed! I have no idea why. I think that the production people had something against me.
CP: You were billed in many? Do you mean a higher billing?
BM: Yes. Considering the work I had done leading up to them and my history and experience in the business. I had toured entertaining the troops with the Army in Germany after the war. I also did tours of Korea during the Korean War and travelled the world entertaining off the back of as lorry in deserts, you name it.
CP: You have had quite a career?
BM: I have. 65 years in television and radio, 81 years in the business and 31 films in the cinema under my belt. I have recorded songs under the EMI and Decker labels too you know? All this and I never been offered an honour!
CP: Not yet.
BM: Well recently I was speaking with Sir Greg Knight MP and I know he has sent a request off requesting a peerage for me.
CP: Well, fingers crossed!
BM: The thing is I have always been the same all my life; I don’t give a shit if people like me or not!
CP: That isn’t a bad approach to life!
BM: Well, it’s like with ‘Heartbeat’. I was approached for it and they asked me to bring some humour to it. Then they went and stuck it on at Sunday night when most people were down the pub! Fortunately, though when the ratings came in they were all surprised and it was like ‘fucking hell, we’ve got a hit on our hands!’.
Above (Top): Bill as 'Guy Fawkes' in 'Carry On Henry' alongside Kenneth Williams & Kenneth Connor; Above (Bottom): Bill as 'Bodkin' in 'Carry On Dick'.
CP: Absolutely. I imagine that it was quite a lucrative series for you then?
BM: Yes, we get residuals. We don’t get any for the ‘Carry On’s’ of course as that was the deal then and how it was agreed.
CP: If you had, considering all the ongoing repeats, you would be quite a rich chap?
BM: Oh God yes! Do you know, I did a commercial in the 1950’s or 60’s for Hovis. I was paid £700 for it. The lad with the bike got about £40. Then years later they brought it back and it made me a fortune!
CP: Did you know many of the regular team on ‘Carry On’?
BM: I knew Barbara from panto. She has always been like a sister to me.
CP: You mentioned to me the last time we met that you had been working on a new idea for ‘Greengrass’? can you tell me more about that?
BM: I came up with an idea for Greengrass set after he leaves The Royal, the spin-off from Heartbeat. I came up with all the storylines and I had it written up by scriptwriters. But, ITV don’t want it. I don’t know why. It was set in Aidensfield. Greengrass finds out that after leaving The Royal that his old house has been out up for auction. Greengrass tries to buy it as he had hidden a load of Krugerrands (South African gold coins) in his staircase. However, unbeknown to Greengrass the person who owned the property after him had been doing some DIY and had found the loose floorboard and had found the coins. He gives one to his wife who has it made into a brooch and the rest end up being donated to the Police Benevolent Fund! (laughs).
Above: Bill adds his autograph to my 'Carry On Dick' & 'Carry On At Your Convenience' DVD sleeves.
Above: Bill's Autobiography 'Stand Up & Be Counted'; Below: Bill & I at his home in 2016.
CP: It sounds like a great storyline! Talking of Greengrass, is Greengrass Bill Maynard? Is it you playing ‘you’?
BM: Well there is a lot of me in him but obviously he doesn’t talk like me, no we aren’t the same person. You see he talks like… (Bill proceeds to burst into full Greengrass mode at this point in the conversation which is hysterical!).
CP: You have had quite a career.
BM: I’ve also been a musician, dancer and singer. I’ve recorded at Abbey Road at the same time that The Beatles were in the studio next door recording!
CP: That is quite something!
BM: I only finished with Radio Leicester about 5 years ago. We had very high ratings.
CP: Why do you think that the Carry On’s were so popular?
BM: They were simple to understand & typical saucy postcard humour full of ‘tits and bum’ jokes.
CP: What are your thoughts on the planned ‘resurrection’ of the Carry On’s that seems is constantly planned?
BM: They can’t. Look, if you analyse everyone that was in them, they can’t do that again. Most of them are dead now anyway. You just can’t replace those people.
My thanks & gratitude to Bill Maynard for taking the time to share his memories & talking to me for this feature for the website.
Below: Bill adds his autograph to my 'Carry On Henry', 'Carry On Loving' & 'Carry On Matron' DVD sleeves.
BM: Well there is a lot of me in him but obviously he doesn’t talk like me, no we aren’t the same person. You see he talks like… (Bill proceeds to burst into full Greengrass mode at this point in the conversation which is hysterical!).
CP: You have had quite a career.
BM: I’ve also been a musician, dancer and singer. I’ve recorded at Abbey Road at the same time that The Beatles were in the studio next door recording!
CP: That is quite something!
BM: I only finished with Radio Leicester about 5 years ago. We had very high ratings.
CP: Why do you think that the Carry On’s were so popular?
BM: They were simple to understand & typical saucy postcard humour full of ‘tits and bum’ jokes.
CP: What are your thoughts on the planned ‘resurrection’ of the Carry On’s that seems is constantly planned?
BM: They can’t. Look, if you analyse everyone that was in them, they can’t do that again. Most of them are dead now anyway. You just can’t replace those people.
My thanks & gratitude to Bill Maynard for taking the time to share his memories & talking to me for this feature for the website.
Below: Bill adds his autograph to my 'Carry On Henry', 'Carry On Loving' & 'Carry On Matron' DVD sleeves.
Above (Top): Bill with Kenneth Williams & Gail Grainger in his only scene in 'Carry On Abroad' that never made it to the final cut, signed by Bill to me;
Above (Bottom): A rare photograph that Bill gave to me showing him playing poker with Sid James on the set of 'Carry On Matron' with Kenneth Williams & Hattie Jacques in the background discussing the script.
Above (Bottom): A rare photograph that Bill gave to me showing him playing poker with Sid James on the set of 'Carry On Matron' with Kenneth Williams & Hattie Jacques in the background discussing the script.
It is with great sadness to report that Bill passed away only a few weeks after speaking and meeting with me for his contribution to the website.
I would therefore like to dedicate this section of the website to Bill for all his kindness and hospitality to a young fan who was fortunate to chat with him over the past couple of years all about his wonderful life and career.
Bill Maynard 1928 - 2018
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