Jacki Piper was born in Birmingham in 1946. She mainly worked in rep in the earlier part of her career. In her early acting career she was billed as Jackie Crump, however this name was not considered 'sophisticated enough' for the north of England theatres & so she became Jacki Piper.

Her 'Carry On' story started in1969. Jacki was cast as June in 'Carry On Up the Jungle' (1970). She became an instant success in the 'Carry On' films & her status in the films is certainly secure forever.
Jacki was asked back on three other separate occasions & was cast in roles to replace popular actress Angela Douglas who had left the team. Jacki was put under an exclusive contract during the early 1970s & went onto feature in main roles in another three 'Carry On' films. She is a self-confessed fan on 'Carry On'.  She left the 'Carry On's' after 'Carry On Matron' in 1972 as, quite ironically, she discovered that she was in fact pregnant herself with her first son, Tim.

In 2015 she took part in the ITV mini-series about the 'Carry On's' called 'Carry On Forever alongside other 'Carry On' stars such as June Whitfield, Angela Douglas, Bernard Cribbins & Jim Dale.

CP: What have you been up to?
JP: I took part in a ‘Carry On’ cruise last summer, in June 2017 with Anita (Harris), Richard (O’Callaghan) & Valerie Leon. It was great fun. We cruised down the Seine & Antwerp from Tilbury.
CP: That sounds like great fun!
JP: It was wonderful. We took part in various Q&A sessions on stage each day with around 800 passengers.

CP: What are your main memories of your time on the ‘Carry On’s’?
JP: Definitely the people I was working with. I just remember laughing so much in the breaks & lunch hour. I was nervous to begin with on the first one as I didn’t know anyone but after a couple of years I got to know everyone & they were a lovely cast. The team spirit was great. I’ve had a charmed life; I had been in rep for four years & it was the same team ethic & spirit on the ‘Carry On’s’.

CP: Which was your favourite?
JP: The first – ‘Up the Jungle’. Terry Scott had a bit of a reputation for being tricky, he was a hard task master, but he was absolutely lovely with me.

CP: You worked with Frankie Howerd on ‘Up the Jungle’ & he only did two ‘Carry On’s’, what was he like?
JP: Frankie was very sweet. He used to chat to me about how he used to suffer from depression. He lived with his sister & he told me how the porter of where they lived once said to his sister ‘It must be fun to be with Frankie all the time!’, she just rolled her eyes at him.

CP: What was Kenneth Williams like?
JP: He LOVED telling stories! He was like a one-man cabaret act. I remember when I first met Douglas, my now husband, I took him onto the set of ‘Matron’. He was quite a handsome man & Kenneth never left his side all day! (laughs). Kenneth used to point at me on set and shout ‘Oh, the bloom of youth!’.

CP: What are your interests?
JP: Both my husband & I love art, we always have. I remember years ago we used to go to at galleries and would put a little ‘spot’ on pictures that we were interested in (as you do if you are considering buying a piece). Then we would often get home & a gas bill would land or something & so that was that! (laughs). It is a good job Douglas was more sensible otherwise I would have spent all our money on art! Although some pieces that we were considering by certain artists would have been a great investment as they then went onto become very popular!

CP: So, no more ‘Carry On’s’ for you after ‘Matron’?
JP: No, I was in a West End show at the same time as ‘Matron’ & I found out that I was pregnant.
CP: You were doing the film during the day & the theatre in the evenings?!
JP: I was! I remember when we were doing ‘Loving’ Richard (O’Callaghan) & I were both doing shows in the evenings then as well. After filming on ‘Loving’ we used to drive in Richard’s car to the West End & then we would both go our separate ways to the theatres where we were performing. After my first child was born I never went back to the ‘Carry On’s’. I went onto do TV after that.
CP: Were you never asked back?
JP: No, I wasn’t asked to go back. I think the series had moved on too by then though. I was very lucky though as I worked all the time. I didn’t have a day off in six years. In fact, I used to joke that giving birth was the only ‘rest’ I had! (laughs).