A Carry On Adventure…

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Carry On films

I’ve been looking forward to today for what seems like months.

My mum turns 60 this year, and to celebrate my sisters and I, along with our partners, were planning on going away for a few days. Unfortunately, we left it a little too late to book, and most of the spaces have gone.

However, I came up with a plan…

My mum is the world’s biggest fan of the Carry On films, and indeed all British comedy sitcoms from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. While I was born in 1981, I was raised on re-runs of things like Bless This House, George and Mildred, On The Buses, Terry and June and Robin’s Nest to name a few. While I’m not a particularly huge fan of most of them, my affection for the Carry On films rivals my mother’s, and it isn’t uncommon for a visit to her house to be accompanied by at least one of the films in the background, particularly around Christmas time. We have different tastes – my favourite is Carry On Don’t Lose Your Head, while hers is Carry On At Your Convenience, but we’re both quite content watching most of them (aside from Carry On Emmanuelle and Carry On Columbus – we both refuse to acknowledge their existence).

So, I’ve spent ages researching the locations, blue plaques and grave sites of the films and cast, and have planned a three day Carry On tour. I’ve even managed to get a guided tour of one of the main cemetery’s where several of the cast are buried. As it is for her birthday, my sisters have helped me to pay for the travel and hotel, have driven mum to the station and are dog-sitting for her while she’s away, but aren’t coming with us as they would undoubtedly get bored and start complaining.

It was initially supposed to be a surprise – I told her we were going to London and that was all – but I misjudged the level of her knowledge and she figured it out pretty quickly when I told her we would be taking a short trip to Maidenhead (Maidenhead Town Hall was used as the location of several of the Carry On Doctor films). Dammit.

So, I’m sitting on a fairly packed and noisy train, armed with a rucksack full of undoubtedly pointless things that I won’t need but have brought ‘just in case’ and a full itinerary of locations, tube directions and maps. Despite the fact that she is 25 years older than me, I know for a fact that I’m going to have difficulty keeping up with her – the woman is a machine – so I’m expecting to be absolutely shattered by the end of the trip.

Therefore, I’m going to be away from the blog for the next few days… Wish me luck!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

41 thoughts on “A Carry On Adventure…”

  6. Yay! That sounds like awesome fun, and what a wonderfully thoughtful thing to arrange for your mum on her birthday 🙂 Hope you both have a great time xx

  9. I watched the carry on films when I was younger – Sid James’s laugh is an icon, among other things! Have a great time! 🙂

  11. Look at you, Ms Creativity! What a wonderful birthday you’ve planned for your Mum! She is so lucky to have you as one of her daughters. I’m always impressed when people come up with creative ways to celebrate. My creative impulses tend to extend to two colors of birthday candles, and then I think, how did they come up with such a fabulous idea? Happy birthday to your Mum!
    Enjoy this special weekend – in the meantime, I’ll have to find out a bit about the films.

      • Not yet. But here is my reply to your post What a Carry On – “It” – whatever “it” is – wouldn’t let me post the comment on that post, so I’m going to try to post it here. If this doesn’t work either, I guess you won’t know anyway. So here goes:

        What a thoughtful gift. Your mum will remember it forever. And it sounds like it was really fun. I guess the closest thing we have in the US is the Hollywood Walk of Fame, sidewalks implanted with stars of famous radio, TV, theater, and film folks. Not the same panache.

  12. I hope you both have a lovely time. My favourite is “Carry on Screaming” and I can almost say the script along with the cast. “Frying tonight” is probably my favourite Carry On line, although I do have a soft spot for “Infamy, Infamy, they’ve all got it in for me” (Carry on Cleo).

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