l_rawjalaurence Produced to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the release of the first CARRY ON film, WHAT A CARRY ON! celebrates the long-running series of comedy capers, including interviews with stars who are no longer with us such as Joan Sims, Jack Douglas, Wendy Richard, Peter Gilmore, and producer Peter Rogers. The only people left of the original team at the time of writing are Leslie Phillips, Barbara Windsor, and Jim Dale.Viewers will not learn much about the series that they do already know from this program: there are some off-color jokes including one about Kenneth Williams's modesty; as well as an interview with James Ferman, once the chief of the British Board of Film Censors, who tells us a lot about the struggles he endured with the Carry On team about the extent of nudity and innuendo in the films. By the time CARRY ON ENGLAND was released (1976), the series had lost a lost of its luster; the director Gerald Thomas was even prepared to include a sequence with four bare-breasted women, but thankfully it was cut before release.The last CARRY ON film, CARRY ON COLUMBUS (1992) is widely regarded as an artistic and critical disaster: many of the younger comedians who tried to recreate the unique atmosphere of the earlier episodes (Julian Clary, Alexei Sayle) lacked the timing characteristic of the older cast (June Whitfield, Phillips). This failing had little or nothing to do with the actors' capabilities (or lack of them); by 1992 Gerald Thomas and Peter Rogers were clearly past it as director and producer, and should never have been commissioned to complete the project.Aficionadoes of the series will enjoy a wallow in cinematic nostalgia.

Leofwine_draca WHAT'S A CARRY ON? is a straightforward documentary exploring the popularity and success of the Carry On series, filmed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the series. This is a light, fluffy piece for the most part, heavy on the clips and light on background detail, but there is at least one good reason to tune in.This documentary is notable for featuring filmed interview clips with a number of surviving Carry On stars. A lot of these have subsequently passed away, so seeing the (all too brief) input of the likes of Joan Sims and Jack Douglas is a delight. Others like Jim Dale and Barbara Windsor add to the experience, and it seems that everybody has an anecdote to share, some of which I hadn't heard previously.I also enjoyed the way that the featured stars aren't afraid to criticise some of the lesser productions; CARRY ON COLUMBUS notably comes in for a bit of stick, even from Jim Dale who starred in it. You won't learn much new from watching WHAT'S A CARRY ON?, but for fans of the series it's pretty much unmissable viewing.

leegray I was lucky enough to go to the 40th anniversary at pinewood studios in 1998 and seeing some of the footage included in this documentary made it a joy to watch, i am even in it for a few seconds :) Some great interviews with the remaining stars and they pack a lot into it, it was a very fitting tribute to the carry on teamThere's plenty of footage of Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor, Terry Scott, Joan Sims, Jim Dale, Bernard Bresslaw and Charles Hawtrey as well as Frankie Howerd, Jack Douglas, Peter Butterworth and Kenneth Connor, it is a must see and is included in the UK DVD special edition of carry on Emmannuel