Synopsis

This is the story of Henry VIII as told by William Cobbler, and so can quite rightly be described as Cobblers.  King Henry (Sid James) is at the altar with Queen Marie (Joan Sims) after just beheading his previous wife (Patsy Rowlands) and wants the service hurried so that he can bed her.  But once there he discovers she smells of garlic and so he wants ‘her ‘ed off’. 

This is not easy, however, as she is the sister to the King of France.  His eye starts to rove and lands upon the lovely Bettina (Barbara Windsor), daughter of the Earl (Peter Butterworth) of Bristol (where else!) and he starts his plot to get rid of his French Queen.

This is another one of the top Carry Ons which is helped by a witty script and exotic looking locations.   Kenneth Williams as Thomas Cromwell is not as camp as usual but plays off well against Terry Scott’s Cardinal Wolsey.  Sid James plays Henry larger than life and nobody else could have filled his breeches.  Joan Sims is left out of the laughs more than the regular Carry Oners but her characterization of Marie is not out of place. 

Charles Hawtrey as Roger De Lodgerly steps in to Henry’s shoes in the bedroom department which is quite unusual for Hawtrey’s Carry On character as he usually plays either the loner or the mummy’s boy.  Barbara Windsor as the buxom Bettina shows real chemistry with Sid, but there may have been an underlying reason for this – their relationship.