Site Updates-

Added 8 new Articles (amongst others, Did Kenneth Williams Kill His Father, Peter Roger/Patsy Rowlands & Jack Douglas Obit's) and a new interview with Anita Harris about her recent play G&I.

Carryoons Resurface

It looks like after many years of production limbo the The Carryoons are finally coming to fruition.
If you are unaware of what the Carryoons are all about; they are cartoon characterisations of the Carry On stars. Producer Ken Burns says, "Our creative team at the LTS studios have been working very hard to get the look & feel of the cartoon true to the original characters in the films & I think they've got the caricatures bang-on."

More details to come when more is known, but you can whet your appetite for more at Carry On Gold.

Stop Messing About

A Kenneth Williams extravaganza, opened at the the Leicester Square Theatre 22 April 2009, following previews from 15 Apr - running to 24 May 2009.

It is written by by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, directed by Michael Kingsbury, designed by Liz Cooke, sound by Rod Anderson, lighting by Tony Simpson.

The cast includes Robin Sebastian (Kenneth Williams), Emma Atkins (Joan Sims) , Charles Armstrong (Douglas Smith) Nigel Harrison (Hugh Paddick), Keith Wickham (Sound Effects Man).

Stop Messing About is set during a live BBC studio recording. This new revue is packed with outrageously funny sketches, parodies and songs. It revels in the outstanding talents of Kenneth Williams, his Carry On co-star Joan Sims, his long time colleague and friend Hugh Paddick and a talented BBC announcer Douglas Smith who plays all the parts nobody else wants.

More information here.

(Sorry, I noticed this a bit late, but some dates are still available)

Jim Dale Awards Nomination

Jim has been nominated for a Grammy and an Audie for a recording of The Shoebird, written by Eudora Welty, music and songs by Samuel Jones. Music performed by The Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and the voices of the Northwest Boyschoir and Girls of Vocalpoint, Seattle, Conducted by Gerard Schwarz.

You can also purchase the recording of this musical from the Carry On Buying section.

What a Carry On Forum

The What a Carry On forum is now up and running. I was having to move the main site to new servers and so made the decision to bring the forum back. Pop over and join in the discussions, its all very informal.

Carry On Forum

Carry On Pinewood

In the 50th year of the Carry On's, this years Carry On Pinewood event is sure to be memorable! Ken Burns the organiser has promised to provide a 'very special guest', but he keeping it a secret until the tickets go on sale on Friday 8th May 09.

The event will cost £30, and is on on Sunday 12th July 09.

Peter Rogers Dies

Peter Rogers, the driving force behind the Carry Ons, died on Tue 14th April 09 at 4pm. For 50 years (and more) he has driven the Carry On's along the funny bones of the nation, and he will be sadly missed.

Peter left instructions that his funeral is to be a private affair and did not want a memorial service.

Jack Douglas Dies

On the 18th December 2008 Jack Douglas died from complications of pneumonia, he was 81. Jack had lived on the Isle of Wight with partner Vivian Howell for some time now and had been ill for some years now.

Phil Dale, who was Douglas's agent, described him as "one of those lovely people who came from the world of comedy and understood comedy timing in the sense of the old British tradition of farce". This was an art that was "seldom done these days", Mr Dale added.

Douglas, who was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, was seen with The Goodies and on The Benny Hill Show and of course our beloved Carry Ons.

As well as his acting career, he wrote a musical, a cookery book and an autobiography, entitled A Twitch in Time.

Recording of Monkey Released

Kenneth Williams reading of the famous Wu Ch’êng-ên’s Monkey, this 13th century Chinese fairy story translated from the original by Arthur Waley’s and read with inevitable style by Williams, is now available on MP3 disk from Nimbus Records.

Monkey (sometimes called Monkey Magic) was made famous in the west by the Nippon TV version dubbed in to English by English speaking Chinese actors. The BBC dubbed 39 of the original series and showed them in 1979 on BBC2.

More recently the Monkey theme was used in the Beijiing Olympics as the BBC`s continuety animations.

Wendy Richard "Dying of Cancer"

Former Carry On Glamour girl Wendy Richard Has said that she is dying of cancer. The 65-year-old, who played Pauline Fowler in the BBC One soap Eastenders, said she would marry her long-term partner before starting chemotherapy.

Richard has fought off breast cancer twice but in January was diagnosed with an aggressive form of the disease which has spread to a kidney and her bones.

Read more here

Our thoughts are with her and her family.

Carry On Christmas Party Cancelled

The party that was scheduled for 15th December 2008 has been cancelled.

Think No Evil Of Us : My Life With Kenneth Williams

Between the 1st and 19th of October 2008 Glasgow will be hosting the second Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. This exploration of mental health includes FILM | THEATRE | MUSIC | EXHIBITIONS | LITERATURE | COMEDY.

Events will be held across Scotland in major arts and community venues in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh, West lothian, Renfrewshire, Dundee, Perth. A network of festivals are springing up in Europe & US as the festival develops international partners.

As part of this, David Benson is performing his award winning show Think No Evil Of Us:My Life With Kenneth Williams, his classic one-man show unlocks the character of one of Britain's best-loved and most-missed entertainers. In this thrilling and hilarious tour de force we see Kenneth Williams at his funniest - and at his most badly behaved. This brilliantly performed semi-autobiographical show also reveals how David's unusual childhood led to an extraordinary connection with the Carry On star.

More information can be had here.

Kenneth Williams Unseen

To mark the 20th anniversary of Kenneth Williams' death, a beautiful coffee table book celebrating his life, including never-before-seen photographs, sketches and personal testimony from Williams' closest friends, for the very first time.

2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the death of legendary comic actor and broadcaster Kenneth Williams. Among the actor's bequests, in a will which itself was controversial enough to require re-examination, was a large cache of private papers and memorabilia inherited by his godson, Robert Chiddell, and subsequently acquired by the broadcaster and Williams fanatic, Wesley Butters. This material, none of which has been seen before, includes scripts and drafts by Williams, lectures and speeches delivered by him (to an audience of policemen, in a couple of cases), a large number of superb photographs from all phases of his career, and creative writing which even extends to a fictional recreation of his own turbulent Cockney childhood.

Without ever arranging it formally Williams had unwittingly assembled a brilliant scrapbook of his life.Kenneth Williams Unseen is that scrapbook, enlarged and emboldened by contributions from those who knew and loved him and is a must for every fan of the great man himself.

It is available from the Carry On Buying section with a nice discount of £8. It is published on 20th October 2008.

Comedy Classics Art Exhibition

Steve Lily is holding an exhibition in collaboration with the Birmingham Comedy Festival at the Old Joint Stock Theater, in Temple Row in Birmingham. It runs from the 1st October to the 17th 2008.

Amongst other things that are on display are a selection of art from the award winning artist Steve Lily, touching on comedy figures past and present.

For more details go to http://www.freewebs.com/stevelilart

Carry On Charity Event in Hull

As posted previously, the Carry On Film Fun Charity Event held by the Hull Comedy Collective is now set for October 20th at the Octagon Theater, Walker Street, Hull (2pm)

Items they have planned include book signings, Carry-On-Oake, Carry On Shorts, Live Laughes and much more.

More information can be had at http://www.hullcomedycollective.com