Carry On Abroad

The 24th Carry On film produced by Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas has, (along with the previous instalment [Matron]), the biggest ensemble of well known regulars of any film in the whole series. This time round it follows pub landlord Vic Flange (Sid James) who decides to go on a solo holiday to Spain, although his wife and pub-landlady Cora (Joan Sims) doesn’t trust his flirtatious friendship with Sadie (Barbra Windsor) so she decides to go with him. When they arrive in Spain, they find themselves, (along with a series of other quarrelsome couples), at the doorstep of a half unfinished hotel. The resort is run by a cranky, ill-tempered Spaniard Pepe (Peter Butterworth), which leads to a series of insane slapstick sub-plots, that felt a bit like ‘Holiday on the Buses’, but set in Spain and a lot funnier.

For me this one of the best Carry On films in the whole the entire series and probably the last Carry On that you could properly call a comedy-classic, (not least because it was Charles Hawtry’s final part in the series). Carry On Abroad is not only absolutely hilarious, but it is wonderfully politically incorrect as well, which subconsciously is why we still revel in these films, as they couldn’t possibly be made today, (least of all in Britain).

The accents are pure Manuel from Fawlty Towers, whilst the witty double entrees and cheerful escapist feel of Carry On Abroad, makes this a very original and brilliant film. If you are not familiar with Carry On films, then Abroad is a great place to start. Always remember, if you decide to watch any film series, always watch the best stuff first and the not so good stuff later, it is far more enjoyable that way.

9/10 – Calum Roberts