Читать книгу The Complete A–Z of Everything Carry On - Richard Webber - Страница 15

INT. EXAMINATION ROOM. DAY

The doors open and another YOUNG WOMAN comes in.

PRODD: Ah, Mrs Bentley, isn’t it?

WOMAN: That’s right.

PRODD: Well, Mrs Bentley. (He now has her card.) Our suspicions have been confirmed. You are definitely and there’s no doubt about it, you are definitely a teeny, weeny bit pregnant.

WOMAN: Oh, dear.

PRODD: Aren’t you pleased?

WOMAN: I don’t know.

PRODD: It’s nothing to worry about, you know. And you don’t need to feel alone. We’re all with you, you know. We’re all in the same boat in this place. Like peas in a pod. All in the same pod, as you might say.

WOMAN: It’s not that. You’re all very kind, I’m sure. But …

PRODD: Why, if it will make you feel better you can have the father with you during the birth.

WOMAN: Oh, I don’t think that would be very wise.

PRODD: Why not?

WOMAN: I don’t think my husband would like him to be there.

PRODD: What? Oh.

WOMAN: Well thank you, Doctor. When do you want to see me again?

PRODD: Some time next week suit you?

WOMAN: Yes, fine.

PRODD: See you then. And … good luck.

WOMAN: Thanks.

(She goes. PRODD again speaks to the intercom.)

PRODD: Next, please.

BERKELEY NURSING HOME

Mentioned in Again Doctor, the wealthy Mrs Moore, a private patient of Dr Carver’s, convalesces at the nursing home after having her appendix removed.

BERKELEY NURSING HOME MATRON

Played by Faith Kent

Seen briefly in Again Doctor, the Matron employed at the Berkeley Nursing Home ushers Dr Carver along to Ellen Moore’s private room.

BERNARD, BROTHER

Played by Bernard Bresslaw

In Abroad, Bernard has just joined an Order, which was founded by St Cecilia, when he heads off to the Mediterranean resort of Elsbels with Wundatours. The Order he belongs to comprises missionaries, travelling the world doing good deeds, but Bernard realises it’s not the life for him when he falls in love with Marge while on the trip.

BESPECTACLED BUSINESS MAN

Played by Norman Mitchell

Seen in Cabby preparing to jump into a Speedee Taxi until a Glamcab pulls up nearby and he opts for the leggy lovely driver instead, leaving a disgruntled Speedee driver without a fare.

BEST, GLORIA

Roles: Funhouse Girl in Spying, Hand Maiden in Cleo and Bridget in Cowboy.

BEST, PETER

Dubbing Editor on Matron, Dick and Emmannuelle

Other films that the late Peter Best worked on include Kidnapped, Diamonds on Wheels, Tomorrow Never Comes, Nate and Hayes and Second Best.

BETTINA

Played by Barbara Windsor

When Henry VIII first sets eyes on the blonde Bettina at a do he’s arranged, he’s soon drooling over her. He’s in the middle of arrangements to annul his wedding to Queen Marie of Normandy and has his sights set on making Bettina his next bride. When he can’t wait any longer, he performs the marriage ceremony himself and prepares for his wedding night, but while he’s out of the bedroom Bettina, who’s the daughter of Charles, the Earl of Bristol, consults Balls Book of English Law to check the legitimacy of their marriage; Henry tries convincing her it’s all above board as he climbs into bed but she later learns the truth; it’s just as well she resisted his advances because she ends up being whisked off across the channel by Francis, the King of France, to become the country’s Queen. Seen in Henry.

BETTY

Played by Jackie Poole

In Camping, Betty is one of the girls from Chayste Place Finishing School who head for a summer break at the Paradise Camp in Devon.

BEVIS, FRANK

Production Manager on Sergeant, Nurse, Teacher, Constable, Cabby, Jack, Spying, Cleo and Cowboy. Associate producer on Screaming!

Born in Gosport, Hampshire, in 1907, into a naval family, Bevis was educated on HMS Conway, the cadet-training ship, before serving two years in the Royal Navy. After returning to civvy street, he was soon back at sea, working as a navigating officer for Canadian Pacific Steamships. He left the ocean wave behind in his early twenties and found work with a tin-canning company as a trainee production manager until being made redundant when the company was taken over.

He followed friends involved in crowd work in films and gradually forged a new career in the industry. Eventually switching to behind the camera, he gained experience via a host of jobs, including production manager on, among others, The October Man, Odd Man Out and The Way To The Stars. He progressed to associate producer and worked on several films in this capacity, including Cromwell and Nicholas and Alexandra, before retiring in 1980. He died in 2003.

BIDDLE, KEN

Played by Bernard Bresslaw

A patient in Fosdick Ward at the Borough County Hospital, Mr Biddle is seen in Doctor. He was originally admitted to have his appendix removed but fell off the operating table and hurt his leg, prolonging his stay. Falls in love with Mavis Winkle, a patient in Caffin Ward, while he’s hospitalised.

BIDE-A-WEE REST HOME

The home of Dr Olando Watt and his sister, Virula, is seen in Screaming!. It’s situated on Avery Avenue, in the middle of Hocombe Woods.

BIDET

Played by Gertan Klauber

One of the soldiers who arrives in England with Francis, the King of France. Seen in Henry.

CARRY ON BEHIND

A Peter Rogers production

Distributed through Fox / Rank Distribution Ltd

Released as an A certificate in 1975 in colour

Running time: 90 mins

CAST

Kenneth Williams	Professor Roland Crump
Elke Sommer	Professor Anna Vooshka
Bernard Bresslaw	Arthur Upmore
Kenneth Connor	Major Leep
Joan Sims	Daphne Barnes
Windsor Davies	Fred Ramsden
Jack Douglas	Ernie Bragg
Peter Butterworth	Henry Barnes
Carol Hawkins	Sandra
Sherrie Hewson	Carol
Liz Fraser	Sylvia Ramsden
Patsy Rowlands	Linda Upmore
Ian Lavender	Joe Baxter
Adrienne Posta	Norma Baxter
Patricia Franklin	Vera Bragg
David Lodge	Landlord
Marianne Stone	Mrs Rowan
George Layton	Doctor
Brian Osborne	Bob
Larry Dann	Clive
Georgina Moon	Sally
Diana Darvey	Maureen
Jenny Cox	Veronica
Larry Martyn	Electrician
Linda Hooks	Nurse
Kenneth Waller	Barman
Billy Cornelius	Man with Salad
Melita Manger	Woman with Salad
Hugh Futcher	Painter
Helli Louise Jacobson	Nudist
Jeremy Connor	Student with Ice-cream
Alexandra Dane	Lady in Low-cut Dress
Sam Kelly	Projectionist
Johnny Briggs	Plasterer
Lucy Griffiths	Lady with Hat
Stanley McGeagh	Short-sighted Man
Brenda Cowling	Wife
Sidney Johnson	Man in Glasses
Drina Pavlovic	Courting Girl
Caroline Whitaker	Student
Ray Edwards	Man with Water
Donald Hewlett	Dean

PRODUCTION TEAM

Screenplay by Dave Freeman

Music composed and conducted by Eric Rogers

Production Manager: Roy Goddard

Art Director: Lionel Couch

Editor: Alfred Roome

Director of Photography: Ernest Steward BSC

Camera Operator: Neil Binney

Assistant Director: David Bracknell

Make-up: Geoffrey Rodway

Continuity: Marjorie Lavelly

Sound Recordists: Danny Daniel and Ken Barker

Hairdresser: Stella Rivers

Costume Design: Courtenay Elliott

Set Dresser: Charles Bishop

Dubbing Editor: Pat Foster

Titles: G.S.E. Ltd

Processed by Rank Film Laboratories

Assistant Editor: Jack Gardner

Caravans supplied by C I Caravans Limited

Producer: Peter Rogers

Director: Gerald Thomas

Elke Sommer and Gerald Thomas chat before filming

Let the cameras roll

The esteemed archaeologist, Professor Crump, is off on an archaeological dig to Templeton where a Roman encampment has been unearthed next to a caravan site. Assisting him on his dig are a group of eager students from the University of Kidburn and Professor Vooshka, an attractive woman whose mispronunciations of the English language are in danger of landing her in all sorts of trouble, especially when she greets everyone with the phrase, ‘How are your doings?’

Other people heading to this quiet corner of England include Fred Ramsden and his mate, Ernie Bragg, two middle-aged men who tell their wives they’re off on a fishing trip, but it’s birds – and not the feathery kind – rather than fish that Fred’s hoping to catch. Arthur Upmore, meanwhile, is looking forward to a break with his wife, Linda, until he discovers his nagging mother-in-law is joining them. But it’s not the mother-in-law who’ll be causing problems in the Baxters’ caravan, but their enormous dog.

Two late arrivals at the Riverside Caravan Site, which is normally restricted to caravans, are Sandra and Carol, two leggy girls who are hoping to camp. Although Major Leep, the site owner, points out no tents are allowed, he’s quick to bend the rules when Sandra shows a bit of thigh, claims she’s got a bad leg and will need it massaged later. Their cunning gets them through the gates and they pitch their tent next to Fred and Ernie’s caravan, who are soon eyeing them up.

In the Lipmores’ van, Arthur is already fed up to the back teeth with the moaning Daphne Barnes, his mother-in-law; he’s soon getting the blame for the expletives pouring out of the beak of Daphne’s myna bird, and is somewhat relieved when it later escapes from its cage. But Daphne becomes a changed woman when she stumbles across her ex-husband, Henry, who’s working at the site as an odd-job man. Now with nearly £20,000 in the bank, thanks to a win on the Pools, they rekindle their love after ten years apart.

A lack of progress on the girl front sees Fred and Ernie head for a pint at the local where they learn from the landlord that the caravan site is riddled with holes caused by Roman mining; they take little notice but their ignorace comes back to haunt them later.

To liven up the site, Major Leep is planning a cabaret evening and contacts a theatrical agent for a singer. When he interrupts the conversation to talk to his caretaker about paint stripper, the agent gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks he’s after a stripper. Everyone is shocked when the dancer arrives and starts her erotic act, but while the men are lapping it up, the women aren’t so pleased. When some decide to leave they find they’re stuck to the recently painted chairs, tearing their trousers and skirts in the process.

Before the holiday is over, the old Roman mines reveal themselves, swallowing the caravans, just as it’s time to go home.

MEMORIES

‘Some times I would dress the sets and other times just be on the floor as a standby, ready to do whatever was needed. I remember working on Behind and in the scene where Kenneth Williams and Elke Sommer are in a caravan that is leaking, I controlled the drips with the use of intravenous drip feeds, like you have in hospitals. We made little holes in the ceiling of the caravan and had the drips coming through.

‘In another film, I remember having to drop ice-cream down one of the actress’s cleavage. While standing on a lamp stand, hanging over her breasts with a pair of tongs holding a dollop of ice-cream, I waited for Gerald [Thomas] to say: “Action with the cornet”, at which point I dropped it straight down into her breasts. Working on the Carry Ons was certainly great fun.’

WALLY HILL – Standby Chargehand

BIDET, CITIZEN

Played by Peter Butterworth

Seen in Don’t Lose Your Head, Citizen Bidet is the assistant of Citizen Camembert, chief of the secret police. His incompetence drives Camembert mad at times as they set out to stop the Black Fingernail, alias Sir Rodney Ffing, from rescuing the aristocracy from the guillotine.

BIG HEAP

Played by Charles Hawtrey

Chief of a tribe of Indians in Cowboy, Big Heap is an accommodating, well-spoken man who agrees to help Rumpo Kid prevent the new marshal arriving at Stodge City by attacking the stagecoach he’s travelling in. The attack fails, though, when sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who’s also travelling in the coach, puts up strong resistance, shooting several Indians in the process.

BIGGER, FRANCIS

Played by Frankie Howerd

A charlatan spiritualist, Francis Bigger is a firm believer in positive thinking and preaches his message around the country. With his motto, ‘Learn to think the Bigger way’, he tries teaching the power of thinking is the way to health and happiness. Accompanied by his lifeless assistant, Chloe Gibson, he’s telling everyone that nothing will happen to them if they think positive, then falls off a stage and ends up in the Borough County Hospital with a bruised coccyx. When he mishears Dr Tinkle talking to Miss Gibson he thinks he’s only got days to live and deciding to make his loyal assistant happy for the last few days of his life, marries her, only to discover later, to his horror, that his days aren’t numbered at all. Seen in Doctor.

BILIUS

Played by David Davenport

Seen in Cleo, Bilius stands alongside Julius Caesar, acting as his bodyguard. Champion gladiator of Rome, he’s soon ousted from his position by Hengist Pod who’s classed as a hero after inadvertently stumbling across Bilius’s attempts to dispose of the Roman leader.

BILKINGTON RESEARCH ESTABLISHMENT

The top secret base in Spying where Professor Stark was developing a secret formula before being blown up while carrying out his duty.

BIND, CHARLIE

Played by Charles Hawtrey

One of the rather green agents who are sent to recover the top secret formula stolen by Milchmann for the detestable Dr Crow in Spying. His codename is Yellow Peril and his agent’s number, 00 – 0.

BINDER, LADY

Played by Elspeth March

Seen in Don’t Lose Your Head, Lady Binder congratulates Sir Rodney Ffing on the charity ball he’s organised at his home, Ffing Hall.

BINN, DR ARTHUR

Played by Kenneth Connor

Binn is the new ship’s doctor on the Happy Wanderer. Seen in Cruising, he joined the vessel from Consolidated Marmalade where he worked as the factory’s medical officer. Falls in love with Flo Castle, one of the passengers, and although his early advances are spurned, finally ties the knot with the blonde, despite his timidity.

BINNEY, NEIL

Camera Operator for Khyber location work on Up The Khyber, and Behind

Born in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, in 1931, Neil Binney followed his parents into the film industry (his father was a projectionist at Pinewood, his mother a wardrobe mistress) by working as a clapperboy on the 1946 Sydney Box-produced The Years Between.

After completing National Service – he served two years as a photographer in the RAF – he joined the London Studios of Technicolor, as assistant cameraman, and stayed ten years. Among the many films he worked on were Hollywood classics such as The Man Who Knew Too Much; he also spent time working in Italy.

He left Technicolor in the 1960s and turned freelance, clocking up numerous credits as a camera operator, including Billy Liar, This Sporting Life, The Vampire Lovers, On the Buses, Conan the Destroyer, Shanghai Surprise and A Fish Called Wanda. On television he was behind the camera for, among others, Minder and Space Precinct.

Charlie Bind (Charles Hawtrey) dons his cycling gear (Spying)

His final job was on the 1997 picture, Fierce Creatures, after which he retired from the profession.

BINNING, TANYA

Role: Virginia in Cleo

Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in 1946, Tanya Binning was a successful model and television personality by the time she arrived in the UK. Although her early ambition was to be a florist, she was chosen for a part in the controversial 1962 film, Mondo Cane, leading to her rapid rise to top cover-girl for Australian magazines. A handful of other films followed, all produced in New Zealand, including Runaway, Don’t Let It Get You and Funny Things Happen Down Under.

BIRD, HARRY

Played by Roy Hines

In Teacher, Bird is one of the main culprits among the school kids who set out to cause havoc when a school inspector and a child psychiatrist visit Maudlin Street Secondary Modern School. He’s also interviewed by Mr Wakefield when he’s found out of bounds in the school’s storeroom.

BIRD OWNER

Played by Molly Weir

Seen in Regardless, the woman calls Helping Hands when she wants someone to look after her collection of birds. However, a mix-up sees Mike Weston, who was expecting to be working as a bouncer at a strip club, turn up by mistake.

‘BIRDS OF PARADISE, THE’

Played by Laraine Humphrys, Linda Hooks, Penny Irving and Eva Reuber-Staier

The girls entertain the patrons of the Old Cock Inn in Dick. The group is run by Madame Desiree, a Cockney by birth who’s adopted a French accent over the years.

BISHOP

Played by Derek Francis

Shares a train compartment with Terence Philpot in Loving. He can’t believe his ears when Philpot tells his friend, with whom he’s been staying, that his wife makes love beautifully. When he broaches the subject with Philpot, he’s much relieved to hear that Philpot was only thinking of his friend’s best interests because to tell him the truth, that he didn’t enjoy bedding his wife, might offend.

BISHOP, BERNIE

Played by Kenneth Connor

In the fourth round of an eliminating contest, boxer Bernie Bishop breaks his hand. He’s admitted to Haven Hospital in Nurse and faces the prospect of never fighting again. It looks as if his son, Jeremy, will be following in his father’s footsteps, though, because he’s already practising on the family cat.

BISHOP, CHARLES

Set Dresser on Dick and Behind

Charles Bishop, who’s now an art director, has built up a lengthy list of film and television credits. His television work covers productions such as Interpol Calling, The Persuaders! and The Champions, while his film credits include Nearly A Nasty Accident, Mystery Submarine, The Eagle Has Landed, Moonraker, Superman II, Supergirl, Return to Oz and Empire of the Sun.

BISHOP, JANE

Played by Susan Shaw

Boxer Bernie Bishop’s attractive wife is seen in Nurse, visiting her husband at Haven Hospital.

BISHOP, JEREMY

Played by Jeremy Connor

Seen in Nurse, Jeremy is Bernie Bishop’s little boy. He arrives at Haven Hospital the day his father is discharged, greeting him with a slap across the face.

BISSET, DONALD

Role: Patient in Again Doctor

Donald Bisset, born in London in 1911, was a veteran of stage and screen. His television work included appearances in Crane, Doctor Who, Doctor in the House, The Professionals, Pollyanna, Love for Lydia and The Old Curiosity Shop during the 1960s and ’70s. By this time, he’d already cut his teeth in films, having been cast in productions such as Murder in the Cathedral, Little Red Monkey, The Brain Machine, Up the Creek and The Headless Ghost.

He remained busy in the profession until his death in 1995, with later assignments seeing him play Mr Morgan in 1993’s The Black Velvet Gown, a manservant in The Hound of the Baskervilles and Trafford Simcox in Paradise Postponed. He was also a published children’s writer.

BLACK FINGERNAIL, THE

For ‘The Black Fingernail’ in Don’t Lose Your Head, see ‘Ffing, Sir Rodney’.

BLACKLER, GEORGE

Make-up designer on Nurse, Teacher, Constable, Regardless and Cruising

George Blackler began working as a make-up artist in the 1940s with such classics as The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale and A Matter of Life and Death. He remained busy throughout the ’50s and ’60s, notching up a host of credits, ranging from The Long Memory, Above Us the Waves and A Town Like Alice to Follow A Star, Raising the Wind and A Pair of Briefs. His television work, meanwhile, included various episodes of The Avengers and The Saint.

He was still working in the industry during the 1970s on such films as Lust for a Vampire, Twins of Evil, The Satanic Rites of Dracula and Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers.

BLACKSMITH

Played by Tom Clegg

When the incompetent Marshall P. Knutt locks himself in his own cell in Cowboy, the blacksmith uses a crowbar to break open the door.

BLAIN, JOSEPHINE

Role: Hospitality Girl in Up The Khyber.

BLAKE, DENIS

Role: Rubbatiti in Screaming!

The late Denis Blake worked on various film and television productions during his career, including Casino Royale.

BLASTED OAK, THE

A local landmark on the London Road in the parish of Upper Dencher, it’s where Harriett tells Captain Fancey and Sergeant Strapp, of the Bow Street Runners, to meet Dick Turpin. Seen in Dick.

BLEZARD, JOHN

Art Director on Again Doctor

Born in Kendal in 1927, John Blezard graduated from the Old Vic Theatre School and initially worked in television. During the 1960s he started in films as art director on such pictures as The City of the Dead, Mary Had A Little, Reach for Glory, That Riviera Touch, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and Hoffman.

As a production designer his films include Firepower, The Wicked Lady and Bullseye!. Among the television productions he worked on in this capacity are The Adventures of Black Beauty, Peter the Great, Heidi and The Whipping Boy.

Most recently, he was assistant producer on Michael Winner’s 1999 production, Parting Shots.

BLISS, SIDNEY

Played by Sidney James

Co-owns the Wedded Bliss Agency with Sophie Bliss. Seen in Loving, Sidney and Sophie claim they’ve been happily married ten years but it’s all a front; their lies are for the benefit of the company – how can they run a successful marriage agency having never tied the knot themselves? The trouble is, Sidney Bliss is one for the girls and continually dismisses talk of getting married when Sophie raises the subject. The love of his life is Esme Crowfoot but she drops out of circulation when she becomes engaged to Gripper Burke. It’s only when a frustrated Sophie plans to leave the Wedded Bliss Agency for good that Sidney comes to his senses and realises he can’t manage without his long-term partner.

BLISS, SOPHIE

Played by Hattie Jacques

One half of the Wedded Bliss Agency, a marriage bureau run with her partner of ten years, Sidney Bliss. Seen in Loving, Sophie – whose real name is Sophie Plummet – and Sidney claim they’ve been happily married for a decade but it’s all a lie for the benefit of the company. The neglected Sophie Bliss ends up doing most of the donkey work around the office whilst Sidney goes off vetting all the attractive females who happen to walk through the door of their fourth-floor office.

When she can’t take any more, Sophie tries her luck with Mr Snooper, a bachelor working as a marriage guidance counsellor who’s told by his boss to find a wife if he wants to save his job, but it doesn’t work out; fortunately for her, Sidney realises how much he actually needs her in his business and personal life and they tie the knot in front of all the happy – or not so happy in most cases – couples they’ve united over the years.

BLOGGS, MURIEL

Played by Barbara Windsor

For Muriel Bloggs in Girls, see ‘Springs, Hope’.

BLONDE IN PUB

Played by Claire Davenport

Known as the Closet Queen of Camden Town because she can only make love standing up inside a closet, the corpulent blonde is seen in Emmannuelle during Leyland’s flashback sequence. She takes the chauffeur back to her flat in Mayfair and it isn’t long before they’re undressed and heading for the closet; even the return of the blonde’s drunk husband doesn’t deter them.

BLOOMER, SERGEANT MAJOR ‘TIGER’

Played by Windsor Davies

The loud-mouthed sergeant major, christened Tiger by his admirer, Private Ffoukes-Sharpe, shouts his way through England in a vain attempt to inject some order and discipline into experimental 1313 anti-aircraft battery.

BLUNT, EVELYN

Played by June Whitfield

Evelyn, who’s seen in Abroad, is a member of the party which travels to the Mediterranean resort of Elsbels with Wundatours Limited. It’s certainly a holiday to remember because she goes through a complete transformation, thanks to Georgio, the hotel barman, who makes her realise what she’s been missing over the years in her sexless marriage. Her constant henpecking and whinging disappear, much to the delight of her sexually frustrated hubby, Stanley. The Blunts have one daughter, though we learn nothing about her other than that she has many of her mother’s traits.

BLUNT, STANLEY

Played by Kenneth Connor

A member of the party which travels to Elsbels with Wundatours Limited in Abroad, Mr Blunt is henpecked and denied the carnal pleasures he expects from his marriage by a wife who thinks even the word ‘sex’ is vulgar let alone the actual activity. While away, he sees in Cora Flange everything he’d like his wife to be, but by the time the holiday comes to an end, he finds his own wife, Evelyn, is a changed woman, thanks to a little help from Georgio, the hotel barman.

BLUTHAL, JOHN

Roles: The Headwaiter in Spying, Corporal Clotski in Follow That Camel and the Royal Tailor in Henry

John Bluthal, born in Galicja, southeast Poland, in 1929, emigrated to Australia with his family in 1938, where he later studied at Melbourne University. He came to England in the mid-1950s, worked initially in theatre before television and film offers came his way.

Since the 1960s he’s been a regular on the screen. His film credits include The Mouse on the Moon; Doctor in Distress; Father Came Too!; Help!; Casino Royale; Doctor in Trouble; Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World; The Return of the Pink Panther; Superman III and, most recently, Love’s Brother.

On television, Bluthal, who frequently works in Australia, has been seen in, among others, Sykes, The Saint, The Goodies, Bergerac, Inspector Morse, It’s A Square World, Q5, The Pathfinders and Vicar of Dibley, playing Frank Pickle.

BOA, BRUCE

Role: US Ambassador in Emmannuelle

Forever remembered as Mr Hamilton, the American guest in classic sitcom Fawlty Towers, Bruce Boa was born in England in 1930 but raised in Calgary, Canada, where he later played professional football.

After moving to England in the 1950s he was soon appearing on television and screen, with television credits including Out of this World, The Avengers, Special Branch, The Champions, Dempsey and Makepeace and Kavanagh QC. In 1969 he had a running part in The Troubleshooters, playing Bill Douglas.

He appeared in various films, such as Man in the Moon, The Cherry Picker, The Omen, Superman, The Empire Strikes Back, Octopussy, Riders of the Storm, Full Metal Jacket and Screamers.

He died in 2004, aged seventy-three.

BOB

Played by Brian Osborne

A student from the University of Kidburn’s archaeological department who helps Professor Crump at the dig in Behind. While staying at the Riverside Caravan Site, next-door to where they’re digging, Bob and his mate befriend two girls, Carol and Sandra, who are camping.

BODDEY, MARTIN

Roles: 6th Specialist in Sergeant and Perkins in Nurse

Born in the Scottish town of Stirling in 1907, Martin Boddey was a busy character actor in film, television and theatre. On the big screen, where he was often seen playing policemen, his lengthy list of credits included Cage of Gold, Seven Days to Noon, The Franchise Affair, Laughter in Paradise, The Magic Box, Chain of Events, Girl in the Headlines and Tales from the Crypt.

On television, he was seen in shows such as The Troubleshooters, Brett, The Cheaters, The Champions, Dr Who, Ivanhoe and The Naked Civil Servant, his final job.

He died in 1975, aged sixty-eight.

BODKIN

Played by Bill Maynard

The barman at the Old Cock Inn, which is regularly frequented by local criminals, is seen in Dick.

BOGGINS, MAUDE

Played by Barbara Windsor

Maude Boggins is the real name of Goldie Locks, alias Melody Madder, the actress-cum-model who sets Dr Nookey’s pulse racing in Again Doctor.

BOGGLE AND LUGG

A firm of plumbing and sanitation engineers, whose company van is a grey Vauxhall, registration FVB 352D. The vehicle and the partners, Sid Boggle and Bernie Lugg, are seen in Camping.

BOGGLE, SID

Played by Sidney James

Seen in Camping, Sid Boggle is one half of Boggle and Lugg, plumbing and sanitation engineers. As well as workmates, Sid and Bernie Lugg are best friends; they date Joan Fussey and Anthea Meeks respectively but are frustrated at the progress they’re making towards the bedroom, so Sid suggests they visit a nudist camp, featured in a film at the local cinema. Unfortunately for Sid and Bernie, they pick the wrong site and end up in a mudpit in Devon. Possessing an eye for the girls, Sid becomes interested in the nubile Babs, who’s camping with other girls from the Chayste Place Finishing School, before eventually realising that Joan is the one for him.

BOGGS, LEWIS

Played by Richard O’Callaghan

William Boggs’s son who works at the family firm, W.C. Boggs and Son, manufacturers of quality toilet ware since 1870. Lewis, who’s impatient at times, feels that the company’s business philosophy is stuck in the nineteenth century. He’s desperate to modernise not just the company’s product range, such as selling bidets like its competitors, but attitudes of those working for the company, including his father’s. His approach, however, occasionally leaves much to be desired; still inexperienced in the field of work relations, he antagonises the union representative, Vic Plummer, and is to blame for some of the industrial disputes that have blighted the company for years.

Away from work, the sports-car-driving young executive (car registration VOP 436J) is smitten with Myrtle Plummer, the canteen girl who happens to be daughter of the works foreman; his determination in the race to secure a place in Myrtle’s heart eventually pays off when he buys a special marriage licence and they tie the knot.

BOGGS, WILLIAM C.

Played by Kenneth Williams

The managing director of W.C. Boggs and Son, makers of fine toilet ware. The company has been in the family since it was established in 1870, and heading it nowadays is William, supported by his son, Lewis. Their views on how the company should operate differ considerably, causing friction from time to time. While the forward-thinking Lewis wants the firm to keep up with the times, William prefers the cautious approach, sticking with the tried and tested styles and designs that have served the company well for years. Lewis eventually gets his way, though, over the long-disputed issue of whether Boggs should sell bidets in its range; but even with customers queueing up to order, William takes some convincing that it’s right for the firm’s image.

While he’s ably assisted in the office by the devoted Miss Withering, he conducts his personal life without the support of his wife, whom he refers to while testing a newly designed loo. He tells others attending the meeting during At Your Convenience how she had a terrible experience of what happens when a toilet cracks because it can’t take the weight.

BOITA, PETER

Editor on Sergeant and Emmannuelle

Born in London in 1924, Peter Boita completed his education at the Westminster City School and worked in a factory before joining the RAF in 1942. During his five years’ service he was posted to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Back on civvy street, a friend of his father’s landed Boita a job at Islington Studios, assisting the dubbing editor. When the studio closed, he moved to Shepherd’s Bush Studio and assisted film editor, Jimmy Needs, on a host of pictures, such as Jassy and Snowbound. He later followed Needs to Pinewood and continued working as his assistant until eventually branching out and working for other editors, including Gerald Thomas, who was responsible for giving Boita his big break.

When commissioned to direct a film, Circus Friends, for the Children’s Film Foundation, Boita was offered the chance to edit the picture, the first of many in a long and distinguished career. His credits include The Horsemasters and Third Man On the Mountain for Disney, The Duke Wore Jeans, The Traitors, Jane Eyre, Doctor in Trouble and The Jewel of the Nile. For television, he edited such productions as The Far Pavilions and Lace.

He died in 1997.

BOLTON, PETER

Assistant Director on Cabby, Spying, Cleo, Cowboy and Screaming!

Born in Bradford in 1914, Peter Bolton spent the lion’s share of his career as an assistant director, working variously on comedies, documentaries and dramas, primarily for the big screen. His credits in this medium include Hungry Hill, Sleeping Car to Trieste, Tottie True, A Day to Remember, Saint Joan, Left Right and Centre, The Big Job, A Severed Head and, in 1972, Pope Joan.

BOOKS

See here.

BOON, ERIC

Roles: Shorty in Constable and Second in Regardless

Born in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, in 1920, Eric Boon reigned as British lightweight boxing champion between 1938–44. Just eighteen when crowned champion, Boon served in the RAF during the war and went on to box in Canada, Australia and America before retiring from the ring.

He made a handful of television and film appearances, including playing Clinker in 1944’s Champagne Charlie. He died in 1981, aged sixty-one.

BOOSEY, BILL

Played by Sid James

Bill ‘Rattlesnake’ Boosey leads the expedition into the African jungle in Up the Jungle. Not the bravest of men: upon hearing the drums of the infamous Nosha tribe reverberating around the jungle, he wants to head back, but Lady Bagley’s and Professor Tinkle’s insistence leaves him little option but to continue. When he later finds himself in the hands of the all-female Lubidubies tribe, he’s soon glad he continued with the expedition.

BOROUGH COUNTY HOSPITAL

The setting for Doctor, where the likes of Doctor Tinkle and Doctor Kilmore are employed.

BOROUGH COUNTY TIMES

A newspaper in Again Doctor carrying news of the mayhem Dr Nookey causes at the Long Hampton Hospital.

BORTHWICK HECK

A firm of estate agents based in Chiswick, London, whose ‘For Sale’ board is seen in Constable outside a property in Church Road where the criminals involved in a wages snatch dump their car.

BOTTOMLEY, MRS

An unseen character in Constable, Mrs Bottomley, who’s referred to as living at number twenty-four, asks the police to call around because she’s concerned about suspicious activities in the rear of her premises. Mentioned by Sergeant Wilkins, who asks one of the policemen to investigate.

BOURNE AND JONES

A milliner’s shop in Screaming!.

BOWLER

Played by Edmund Pegge

Seen in the opening scenes of Follow That Camel bowling to Captain Bagshaw at the cricket match.

BOY

Played by Larry Dann

In Teacher the bespectacled, sallow-faced boy puts his hand up in class because he’s desperate to use the loo, just when Alistair Grigg and Felicity Wheeler, two important visitors at the school, have popped in to the class to observe. He’s later seen pounding away at the drum in the school play.

BOY LOVER

Played by Mike Grady

For the ‘Boy Lover’ in Loving, see ‘Girl Lover’.

BRACKNELL, DAVID

Assistant Director on Follow That Camel, Loving, Henry, At Your Convenience, Abroad and Dick

David Bracknell has been working as an assistant director since the early 1960s, with credits including The Boys, Serena, A Shot in the Dark, Funeral in Berlin, Lust for a Vampire, Bless This House, Swallows and Amazons, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Murrow.

BRADLEY, C.

The unseen Second Assistant Purser on the Happy Wanderer in Cruising. His name is seen on the crew list.

BRADLEY, JOSIE

Role: Pianist in Loving

Josie Bradley’s other work includes an appearance as Freda in the 1947 film, The Mysterious Mr Nicholson, and Mildred Knottage in a 1969 episode of the television series Detective.

BRAGG, ERNIE

Played by Bernard Bresslaw

One of Sid Carter’s gang in Matron, the gormless Ernie Bragg was born on top of the number seventy-three bus in the middle of Brixton High Street.

BRAGG, ERNIE

Played by Jack Douglas

An electrician who holidays with his friend, Fred Ramsden, in Behind. When their respective wives decide on a break in a health farm, Fred persuades the easily-led Ernie to accompany him to the Riverside Caravan Site under the guise of a fishing trip. What Fred hopes they will catch, though, is a couple of birds – and not the feathery kind! They’re out of luck, although not through lack of trying, which is just as well because their wives eventually turn up at the camp site. Although they’d sent a telegram to inform their husbands of their arrival, the message never reached Fred and Ernie.

BRAGG, VERA

Played by Patricia Franklin

When her husband, Ernie, heads off in a caravan to the Riverside Caravan Site with his close friend, Fred Ramsden, Vera opts for a health farm with Fred’s wife, Sylvia. They eventually surprise their husbands by turning up at the caravan site unannounced. They had sent a telegram informing their husbands of their impending arrival, but the message never reached Fred and Ernie.

BRAKES, DAWN

Played by Margaret Nolan

The former Miss Dairy Queen is one of the contestants in the Miss Fircombe beauty contest in Girls. First seen sharing the same train compartment as Peter Potter, who’s also travelling to Fircombe to organise publicity for the event; just before the train moves out of the station the carriage jolts forward and Peter accidentally rips Dawn’s skimpy top, revealing her ample bosom, much to his fiancée’s disgust. A model by profession, she poses for dirty mags, and asks Lawrence, the rather green local photographer, to take some snaps of her naked on the beach.

BRAMBELL, WILFRID

Role: Mr Pullen in Again Doctor

Wilfrid Brambell, born in Dublin in 1912, will forever be remembered for his fine portrayal of Albert Steptoe in fifty-nine episodes of BBC’s classic sitcom. Brambell’s father worked in a brewery while his mother was an opera singer. His first performance was as a two-year-old entertaining wounded troops during the Great War.

Upon leaving school he worked as a cub reporter for The Irish Times during the day and part-time actor at the Abbey Theatre in the evenings. He later took the plunge and turned professional after securing a job at Dublin’s Gate Theatre.

During the Second World War he toured with ENSA, and afterwards appeared in numerous reps including Bristol, Bromley and Chesterfield, before working in the West End and on Broadway.

His television work included Life with the Lyons, the 1950s sci-fi series, The Quatermass Experiment and No Fixed Abode, while his film credits include The 39 Steps, The Three Lives of Thomasina, A Hard Day’s Night, Where the Bullets Fly and Holiday on the Buses.

He died in 1985.

BRAY, HENRY

Played by Brian Oulton

Bray is rather ostentatious with his claims of grandeur. During his stay at the Haven Hospital in Nurse, he tells fellow patients a pack of lies, such as owning a house on the expensive west side of the Common. It’s only when his wife, Rhoda, visits that we learn the truth, although Henry is constantly trying to shut her up in case she’s overheard.

BRAY, KEN

Stills Cameraman on England and Emmannuelle

Ken Bray’s other credits as a stills cameraman include the 1978 film, The Playbirds.

BRAY, RHODA

Played by Hilda Fenemore

Seen in Nurse, Rhoda visits her husband, Henry, while he’s recuperating at Haven Hospital, but spends the entire visiting period embarrassing her beloved who’s trying to make out he’s something he isn’t.

BRAYSHAW, DEBORAH

Role: French Buxom Blonde in Emmannuelle

An occasional actress during the 1970s, she was seen playing a technician in an episode of Doctor Who, as well as an episode of Special Branch. On the big screen, she appeared as a go-cart girl in Confessions from a Holiday Camp.

BREGONZI, ALEC

Role: 1st Storeman in Sergeant. (Note: Also played a Beach Photographer in At Your Convenience but the scene was cut.)

London-born Alec Bregonzi’s professional acting career began, like many of his contemporaries’, in repertory theatre in the mid-1950s. In venues at Farnham, York, Bromley and Leatherhead he learnt the ropes of the profession before West End opportunities came his way, including parts in Camino Real and understudying Ronnie Barker.

While his theatre career progressed, offers to appear on television came his way, including parts in the small-screen version of Hancock’s Half Hour. During the 1970s and ’80s, he worked with a host of comedians, including Cannon and Ball, Kenny Everett and Little and Large. Other credits during this period range from The Two Ronnies, Filthy Rich and Catflap and London’s Burning to The Barchester Chronicles, Great Expectations and The Recruiting Officer. For four years he read viewers’ letters on BBC’s Points of View, presented by Barry Took, which spawned a radio series, Joke by Joke. More recently, he supplied many voices for the 1990s animated children’s series, The Treacle People.

Bregonzi has also appeared in a handful of films, such as Face of a Stranger, Ricochet, Downfall from the Edgar Wallace series, and Revenge of the Pink Panther. Sadly, one of his best parts was in a French film, L’Etincelle, which has never been screened in Britain. He’s also done a lot of theatre work, including several plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

BRENNAN, J.

The unseen Second Officer on the Happy Wanderer in Cruising. His name is seen on the crew list.

MEMORIES

‘Alas, my memories of Carry On Sergeant are few and not happy ones. I was one of the storemen who had a little scene with most of the principals. Mine was with Gerald Campion, with whom I’d worked in a stage version of Billy Bunter at the Victoria Palace.

‘We rehearsed the scene in Sergeant, which was a two-shot, and as the director walked away Gerry told me to change position slightly, which would have meant he would be favoured more by the camera and my ear and nose would be more prominent than my face. Gerald Thomas overheard this and said: “We’ll do it exactly as rehearsed!” So we did. The scene was cut, though, probably at the last minute because my billing in the credits is much too good for an – ultimately – non-speaking character. I was very disappointed, as you can imagine, especially after the good credit and then just a glorified walk-on part.

‘Later, I played a beach photographer, where people put their heads through funny cut-outs, at Brighton in At Your Convenience. This time all of me ended on the cutting-room floor. I asked Peter Rogers at a Carry On do once why I was always cut and he said Eleanor Summerfield had suffered the same fate, only more so!’

ALEC BREGONZI

BRESSLAW, BERNARD

Roles: Little Heap in Cowboy, Sockett in Screaming!, Sheikh Abdul Abulbul in Follow That Camel, Ken Biddle in Doctor, Bunghit Din in Up The Khyber, Bernie Lugg in Camping, Upsidasi in Up the Jungle, Gripper Burke in Loving, Bernie Hulke in At Your Convenience, Ernie Bragg in Matron, Brother Bernard in Abroad, Peter Potter in Girls, Sir Roger Daley in Dick and Arthur Upmore in Behind

TV: Christmas (69), Christmas (70), What a Carry On!, Christmas (73), Under the Round Table, Short Knight, Long Daze, And In My Lady’s Chamber, Who Needs Kitchener? and Lamp Posts of the Empire

STAGE: London! and Wot a Carry On in Blackpool

Bernard Bresslaw was born in London in 1934. His mother, who was fascinated by the theatre, was keen for her son to become a tap dancer and enrolled him at local dancing classes, which didn’t last long.

While at school – he attended Coopers School, Mile End – his English master recognised Bresslaw’s love and talent for English Literature and drama and coached him ready for his drama entrance exam. He studied at RADA after winning one of two annual London County Council Awards, and was awarded the respected Emile Littler Award for Most Promising Actor.

After graduating, one of his first jobs was appearing as an Irish wrestler in MacRoary Whirl, a production staged by Laurence Olivier. He later asked Bresslaw to replace him in Home and Beauty, when Olivier was in need of a break.

Bresslaw was gaining valuable experience at various repertory theatres and as part of a touring company playing RAF camps, Borstals and even mental institutions, and before long he received offers to appear on television and in films. Credits on the big screen included Men of Sherwood Forest, Up in the World, Blood of the Vampire, Too Many Crooks, It’s All Happening, Up Pompeii and Krull, while on television he was seen in, among others, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Vise, Danger Man, Arthur of the Britons, The Goodies, Sykes and, what he’s best remembered for on television, The Army Game. National Service as a driver-clerk in the Royal Army Service Corps had provided an insight into life in the services and he used it to good effect in the long-running series.

Playing Private Popplewell in the highly successful comedy series, The Army Game, propelled him to national prominence but saw him typecast in goofy roles, which continued throughout his time with the Carry On series. But Bernard, who was proud of his classical training, possessed the talent to turn his hand to any job he was offered, and was particularly proud of his time in, among others, Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona and Much Ado About Nothing. It was whilst appearing at Regent’s Park in Taming of the Shrew, in 1993, that he collapsed and died, aged fifty-nine, after suffering a heart attack.

Although people will always remember him for his screen work, Bernard’s preferred medium was the theatre, and he never declined the chance to return to the stage.

MEMORIES

‘Bernard was such a gentle giant of a man. Very sweet-natured, very calm and everybody that knew him loved him. I met him at the London Palladium, just after he’d left The Army Game. I was dancing in the Royal Variety Show at the Palladium with the George Sanders Dancers, while Bernard was appearing in a sketch.

‘Like most actors he had periods of unemployment but, thank God, not many. There would only be a couple of weeks between jobs and he enjoyed a nice, steady career.

‘It was while he was performing in Taming of the Shrew at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park that he died. It had been quite a stormy day and Bernard was sitting in the dressing room, enjoying a cup of tea, awaiting the weather reports. He suddenly turned to one of the cast and asked for a couple of Aspirin because he had a terrible headache – that was unusual for him. When the person turned round to give him the tablets, Bernard suddenly fell forward, the cup of tea falling out of his hand. That was it. By the time he arrived at the hospital he was dead. Only three months before he’d been declared perfectly fit, having had a thorough examination.

‘His first Carry On was Cowboy and he had a joke played on him. Bernie was scared of heights. He’d always say: “Considering I’m so tall myself, it’s a ridiculous thing to admit, but I do hate heights.” In Cowboy he played an Indian and had to go up a tree. Apparently it took quite a time to coax him up the tree. He said to Gerald Thomas: “You’re not going to leave me up there long, are you?” Gerald reassured him that they’d get him down as quickly as possible. He eventually perched himself on a high branch at which point Gerald said: “OK everybody, break for lunch.”

‘He enjoyed the Carry Ons. The roles that he played were many and varied. For example, Follow That Camel gave him the opportunity to get his teeth into a good character part.

‘When he came home from the studios he’d give me a blow-by-blow account of what had gone on and we’d sit there giggling. Joan Sims was the greatest giggler of the lot. When they were actually filming the television series, they were heading out to a location and Bernie was sitting next to Joan on the coach. She was reading the paper and there was a photograph of Tony Greig, the cricketer. She said to Bernie: “I love Tony Greig, he’s such a hunk.” Bernie replied: “Really, people tell me I look like Tony Greig.” Joan nearly wet herself laughing because he was the exact opposite.

‘When he came home he told me about it and said: “Tomorrow morning, get the cricket gear out because I’m going to turn up as a cricketer.” And he did, wearing a boy’s school cap and whites and carrying a bat. He’d agreed with the others that he’d arrive late for maximum impact. Everyone was sitting there when Bernie walked in and went straight up to Joan, saying: “Now can you see the resemblance?” She nearly fell off her chair.’

LIZ BRESSLAW – Bernard’s widow

BRIDE

Played by Marian Collins

Celebrates her honeymoon with a cruise on the Happy Wanderer. Seen in Cruising, occupying room 309.

BRIDE

Played by Marian Collins

Seen in Cabby, Charlie Hawkins takes newlyweds to the airport; by the time he arrives, they’re hugging and kissing in the back seat.

BRIDEGROOM

Played by Evan David

In Cruising, he’s seen celebrating his honeymoon with a cruise on the Happy Wanderer. Occupies room 309.

BRIDEGROOM

Played by Peter Byrne

Seen in Cabby, Charlie Hawkins takes newlyweds to the airport; by the time he arrives, they’re hugging and kissing in the back seat.

BRIDGET

Played by Gloria Best

One of the saloon girls seen at Rumpo’s Place in Cowboy.

BRIGADIER

Played by Peter Jones

The wisecracking brigadier is seen in England. After assigning Captain Melly the task of trying to instil some discipline into the experimental 1313 anti-aircraft battery, he later heads down to the base to see how Melly is managing.

BRIGGS, JOHNNY

Roles: Sporran Soldier in Up The Khyber, Plasterer in Behind and Melly’s Driver in England

TV: The Case of the Coughing Parrot

Johnny Briggs, born in London in 1935, is best known as Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street, a role he’s been playing since 1976, but his career stretches back to 1947 when, as a boy soprano, he was engaged at the Cambridge Theatre.

Aged twelve, he won a scholarship to the Italia Conti Stage School and, four years later, began working in rep before completing National Service. Returning to civvy street, his career took off and he became a regular screen actor, whose films have included Quartet, Helter Skelter, The Bulldog Breed, A Stitch in Time, 633 Squadron, Au Pair Girls and The Office Party.

Other television roles include playing Detective Sergeant Russell for two years in the long-running series, No Hiding Place.

BRINTON, TIM

Role: BBC Newscaster in Emmannuelle

Tim Brinton, born in London in 1929, left school and completed National Service in the army before training for the stage at the Central School of Drama where he gained the London University Diploma of Dramatic Art. Before finishing his course he was offered a post at the BBC as a general trainee, starting as a radio news reader/announcer but, later, progressing to become a television director/producer.

In the late 1950s he was seconded by the BBC to Radio Hong Kong as head of English programmes, followed by a spell as one of the early BBC television newsreaders at Alexandra Palace in 1959. He later transferred to ITN as a senior newscaster/reporter and presented other ITV shows, including the sports programme Let’s Go and ITN’s Roving Report.

He’s presented many commercials and was also the voice of short cinema films, such as Pathé Pictorial and Look At Life. Other work saw him host BBC Radio 2’s Roundabout and he was, briefly, a DJ on Radio Luxembourg. He’s coached executives of business and industry for TV and radio, and during the 1970s was media consultant to Conservative Central Office.

In 1979 he was elected MP for Gravesend, Kent, and became a member of the House of Commons Select Committee for Education, Science and the Arts. He left Parliament in 1987 to return to presentation and media coaching for business executives.

During the 1960s and ’70s he played newsreaders and interviewers in several films and television programmes, including The Avengers, Doctor in Charge and Dixon of Dock Green for the small screen and Information Received, Bunny Lake Is Missing and Man At The Top in films.

He retired from full-time work in 1998.

MEMORIES

‘I was but a small-bit player in Carry On Emmannuelle, going to the studios for an hour or so to film a piece of about twenty seconds in the role of a TV newscaster, which in reality I’d been between 1959 and 1962. To save on the budget, the director, Gerald Thomas, filmed me looking through the frame of a TV screen. Nowadays they do it electronically – or should I write digitally?’

TIM BRINTON

BRISTOL’S BOUNCING BABY FOOD

The model Goldie Locks was filming a commercial for the baby food company when she slipped at the Advertising Film Studios and badly bruised herself. Mentioned in Again Doctor.

BRODY, RONNIE

Roles: Little Man in Don’t Lose Your Head and Henry in Loving. (Note: was also cast to play the pier photographer in At Your Convenience but released from his contract. Alec Bregonzi was his replacement but scene eventually cut.)

TV: The Prisoner of Spenda and Under the Round Table

Bristolian Ronnie Brody, born in 1918, was the son of music hall artistes Bourne and Lester. He joined the Merchant Navy at fifteen before serving with the RAF in North Africa during the Second World War.

After demob he spent several years in Variety and rep but by the 1950s, his career was dominated by both the big and small screen. Over the years he became one of the most instantly recognisable comedy character actors in the business.

During his career he worked with many top comedians in shows such as Dave Allen at Large, The Dick Emery Show, Rising Damp, Bless This House, Home James, The Lenny Henry Show and The 19th Hole. Among the films he appeared in were Help!, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Superman III. Although often cast in comedy roles, he did occasionally appear in television dramas.

He died of a heart attack in 1991.

BROMLEY, SYDNEY

Role: Sam Houston in Cowboy

The bearded Sydney Bromley was a character actor who ran the gamut of roles on stage and screen for decades without ever being the leading man. He played over one hundred Shakespearian roles for numerous companies, and performed in venues around the world, including Broadway.

Born in London in 1909, he was only twelve when he appeared in Quality Street. Three years later, he was part of the original production of St Joan, with Sybil Thorndike, the beginning of a fruitful stage career.

He was cast in many top television shows, usually one-off roles, including Z Cars, The Pallisers, No Hiding Place, Dixon of Dock Green, as well as films such as Brief Encounter, Dark Road, A Date With A Dream, Operation Third Form, Half a Sixpence and Crystalstone.

He died in 1987, aged seventy-eight.

BROOK, OLGA

Continuity on Cleo

Olga Brook began working in continuity from the mid-1930s and was assigned to some memorable films. During a career lasting more than three decades, her film credits included Sleeping Car to Trieste, Morning Departure, Private’s Progress, The Green Man, I’m All Right Jack and Smokescreen.

BROOKING, JOHN

Role: 3rd Sealord in Jack

Supporting artist John Brooking, born in London in 1911, began a steady film and television career in the 1950s, appearing in such pictures as Innocents in Paris, The Gift Horse, The Two-Headed Spy, An Honourable Murder and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner.

He was seen in various television programmes, such as The Vise, The Cheaters and Danger Man, and had a running part, Dr Stephen Brooks, in Emergency – Ward 10.

He died in 1966.

BROOKS, RAY

Role: Georgio in Abroad

Born in Brighton in 1939, Ray Brooks became an assistant stage manager at the age of sixteen and went on to appear many times in the West End in such productions as Snap and Absent Friends.

The voice behind the classic children’s character Mr Benn, Brooks’s other television work includes Gideon’s Way, Danger Man, Doomwatch, Coronation Street, Big Deal, Cathy Come Home, Growing Pains and the recent BBC series, Two Thousand Acres of Sky.

He began working in films in 1961’s Girl on a Roof, with other credits including The Last Grenade, Tiffany Jones and House of Whipcord.

BROOKS, SUSAN

Played by Zena Clifton

One of the beauty contestants eager to win the Miss Fircombe crown in Girls. A Scottish lass who embarrassingly slips on the catwalk when the event’s saboteurs, members of the Fircombe Women’s Lib Movement who are against the contest, pour slippery liquid over the stage.

BROWNE, DEREK

Camera Operator on Henry

Born in Kenton, Middlesex, in 1927, Derek Browne left school at fourteen and began his career in the film industry at Denham Studios, working as a clapper boy on 1944’s On Approval with Googie Withers and Clive Brook. Before he was called up for National Service, serving with the RAF in Palestine, he worked on and made an uncredited appearance in the 1940s classic, A Canterbury Tale.

He returned to civvy street and joined Pinewood in 1947, initially as a focus puller, but left after a year to work freelance, which he continued doing until retiring in the late 1990s after five decades in the business.

Promoted to camera operator in 1960, his first film in this capacity was Michael Powell’s The Queen’s Guards. Other credits include The Bedford Incident, Zeppelin, For the Love of Ada, Omen II, Trail of the Pink Panther, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Memphis Belle.

BROWN, HERBERT

Played by Norman Rossington

A dimwit in Sergeant who’s become part of the furniture around Heathercrest National Service Depot after failing to graduate from three different intakes. Just when it seems as if he’ll never have the aptitude to pass out, he receives additional tuition from James Bailey and steps in to replace a sick member of Able Platoon for their final day of tests. It may be a shock to everyone’s system but Brown joins up as a regular.

BROWN, MRS

Not seen at the Finisham Maternity Hospital in Matron but her specimen is! It’s collected by Nurse Ball from Dr Prodd’s consulting room.

BROWNING

Played by Brian Osborne

One of the Bow Street Runners in Dick.

BRUTUS

Played by Brian Oulton

Julius Caesar’s political ally is seen in the senate during Cleo.

BRYAN, DORA

Role: Norah in Sergeant

Born in Parbold, Lancashire, in 1923, Dora Bryan made her name playing character parts in British movies during the 1940s and ’50s, and for her long-running stage portrayal of Dolly Levi in the hit musical Hello, Dolly!, clocking up over 800 appearances in two years at Drury Lane.

Daughter of a director in a local cotton bobbin mill, she began her acting career at Oldham Repertory Theatre and by the time war was declared in 1939, she was leading lady. During hostilities, she joined ENSA, and made her West End debut shortly after.

By the 1950s she was a recognisable face on the screen, regularly cast as maids, waitresses, shop assistants and cooks in a host of films, including Once Upon A Dream, Adam and Evelyne, The Interrupted Journey, Something in the City, No Highway and The Fake. Excepting the role as Rita Tushingham’s sluttish mother in A Taste of Honey, which Bryan regarded as her most important and won her a BAFTA for Best Actress, typecasting meant the scope of screen roles offered was limited.

She continued to act on the stage in countless productions and has made frequent excursions onto the television screen, including roles in Last of the Summer Wine, Dinnerladies and Heartbeat. (Note: Bryan used to own the Clarges Hotel in Brighton, used as the location for the hotels in At Your Convenience and at Fircombe in Girls.)

BUCK, JANE

Continuity on Dick

Jane Buck began her career in continuity during the 1950s. Among the films she worked on over the years are Shadow of a Man, The Angry Hills, The Break, Clash By Night, Porridge, Chariots of Fire, Quartet and latterly, in 1983, Heat and Dust.

BULL, CAPTAIN

Played by David Lodge

The captain was unsuccessful in trying to instil discipline into the experimental mixed-sex anti-aircraft battery 1313 in England. He was eventually driven to the bottle by the antics of the rabble he tried in vain to lead, relinquishing command, much to his delight, to Captain Melly, who arrives with hopes and aspirations, many of which are quashed within days.

BULLOCK

Played by David Lodge

One of the Bow Street Runners in Dick.

BULSTRODE, MISS

An unseen patient mentioned in Again Doctor. She’s staying at Dr Nookey’s private clinic for the weight-loss treatment which has secured him fame and fortune.

BULSTRODE, MR

Played by Philip Stone

The bank manager in Convenience whom Boggs goes to see about a loan to fulfil the large bidet order. (Note: the scene was cut from the film.)