Carry On Christmas '73

9.00pm - 24th December 1973

"Last night when I got in to bed, I made one reasonable request"

"Put that wretched thing away!"

"How did you know?"

DVD UK

50 min Colour

The Stars
	Sidney James Joan Sims Barbara Windsor Kenneth Connor Peter Butterworth Bernard Bresslaw Jack Douglas Julian Holloway Loraine Humphrey	Santa Claus, Seed Pod, Sir Henry, Sgt Ball, Robin Hood Bishop’s Wife, Adele, Virginia’s Mum, Salvation Army Lady, Traffic Warden, Maid Marian, Ballet Dancer, Senna Pod Virginia, Crompet the Pit Cave Girl, FiFi, Lady Fanny, Ballet Dancer, Lady Francis of Bristol Mr Sibley the Store Manager, Bishop, Anthro Pod, Pte Parkin, Will Scarlet, Ballet Dancer Cave Man Carol Singer, Ancient Gent, Dart Player, German Soldier, Friar Tuck, Ballet Dancer Bean Podkin, Cpt Ffing Burr, Dart Player, Merry Man, Police Officer, Ballet Dancer Cave Man Carol Singer, Crapper the Butler, German Soldier, Alan-a-Dale, Ballet Dancer Angle Leader, Cpt Rhodes Bed Customer

The Crew
Screenplay Producer Director	Talbot Rothwell Gerald Thomas Ronald Fouracre

Synopsis

A welcome return to form sees the whisky-dipped voice of Sid James playing a department store Santa Claus leading into a collection of comedy sketches. His performance is full of leers and knowing winks and he guides you through a bizarre collection of Christmases past. With the return of writer Talbot Rothwell’s health, the plots of the sketches borrow heavily from some of the popular Carry On films which he wrote; just take a look at some of the Character Names.

Our first stroll backwards in time takes us back to prehistoric times with the resurrection of Cleo with a variation on Senna and Hengist Pod and Barbara Windsor skinning up for a sexy cave girl. It’s all smut, innuendo and looks-to-the-camera – pure joy.

In a very funny tribute to the First World War troops, Sid James, Kenneth Connor and Bernard Bresslaw play for sentiment and comedy with a collection of Rothwellian banter and barrel-scraping innuendo.

A plum role for Sid is that of Robin Hood where the show is rounded off with a rip-roaring crusade of gags and priceless comic turns. Sid, as an aged Robin, continually explaining that: “There’s plenty of twang left in my bow”.
Barbara Windsor pops up as the Lady Francis of Bristol (As Sid says: “Where else!”) and also pops out of her clothes to get to grips with Robin and his Merry Men.

It’s an echo back to the time when Carry Ons were about action gags and Sid embodies the Spirit of Christmas with guffawing style.