Carry On Matron

The 23rd Carry On film produced by Peter Rodgers and Gerald Thomas is one of the strangest yet most famous films in the whole series. It also has the highest number of Carry On regulars with the only two exceptions being Jim Dale (who was [until Columbus], pretty much done with the Carry On’s) and Peter Butterworth who dropped out because of other work commitments. This film follows a bunch of dim-witted yet sinister thief’s lead by Sid Carter, (Sid James), who want to steal medicine from a hospital and to sell it abroad, where they’d make a massive profit. But in order to do so Sid’s son Cyril (Kenneth Cope), has to go undercover as a nurse in order to get the prescribed medication which leads to a clash with the Matron of the title (Hattie Jacques) and a hypochondriac registrar Bernard Cutting, (Kenneth Williams), who are less than convinced of the legitimacy of their new nurse.

As I’ve already said even though this one of the most famous Carry On’s, it is also unfortunately one of the most underwhelming films of the whole series. Even though there are some funny performances from the huge line-up of famous regulars including Kenneth Connor as a paranoid railway conductor waiting day and night for his wife (Joan Sims) to have their umpteenth baby and Barbra Windsor as Nurse Susan Ball. This film isn’t awful or tasteless like a couple of other movies in the series, but it just feels like Carry On Doctor 3 with a banal heist plot. If you’re looking for a Carry-On set in a hospital. It’s best to start off with Doctor and Nurse and to come to this one later.

4/10 – Calum Roberts