The Sweeney: Contract Breaker

 "They've made up their mind it was me...."

Once again it's fun to see the world of half a century ago. Prison scenes straight out of Porridge. A retirement presentation at work where the booze flowsfreely and the air is clogged with tobacco smoke. Stock car racing. The clothes. The cars. And yes, people seemily did look much older then.

But this isa genuinely impressive episode, penned by one Robert Bank Stewart, whose work for Doctor Who is well known to me. The conceit is simple: Danny Keever, on day release before his release from prision, is framed for a bank job and it's up to Regan to prove his innocence when everyone else has made their mind up. We know from the start that Danny must be innocent, but the way this plays out, and how it resolves, is nicely done and very clever.

I particularly like the way the sub-plot with the aggrieved member of the gang with his posh car marries up with the rest of the plot. But it's not just the cleverness. As ever, it's the gritty realism of the acting, the dialogue, the direction. You feel utterly immersed in this world.

And wow... Warren Clarke certainly looks young here.

 

Batman: The Animated Series- Beware the Grey Ghost

 "So it wasn't all for nothing..."

Yet another masterpiece this time, and an inspired idea. A pulp style hero, shown in the monochrome past of movie serials and pulp magazines, with a catchphrase ("May those with evil hearts beware") which seems to evoke, if I remember correctly, the Shadow.

Naturally, Bruce was a huge fan. It may be a little overly sentimental to shoew Bruceas being such a massive fanboy that the Batcave itself is modelled off the Grey Ghost's lair... but I don't care. The whole conceit is utterly exquisite, with an old episode of the movie serial being imitated in order to commit exactly the same crimes.... and that's not even taking into account that the aging actor who played the Grey Ghost is played by none other than Adam West. 

Yes, the baddie is a fan and collector, whose villainy stems from his obsession and geekery, a bit of a dodge stereotype... but the whole episode is a thing of great beauty yet. One of the finest episodes yet, a sentiment I appear to expressing rather often at the moment.

Black Sabbath- Paranoid (1970)

It's extraordinary, looking back, how Sabbath could have released this second album so soon after the first. I suppose it was an era where rock band worked, toured and wrote much more quiickly. Killing themselves to live, so to speak.

Paranoid is, of course, brilliant. It must surely be the band's most well-known and popular album and, in "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and the titular track, contains some of the band's most iconic songs. Yet there's zero filler here- even deep cuts such as "Hand of Doom" are magnificent. 

There's still a similarity in style from the album's predecessor with the band's signature heavy riffs that evoke unease and horror. Yet this album branches off into different directions and is less dependent on this feel. There's a variation of styles in thos collection of songs, with the band's signature longer track with their superb transitions, but also shorter songs. Bill Ward's jazz sensibilities are allowed freer rein, lot least with his far from pretentious drum solo in "Rat Salad". The band are, by this point, fully formed- heavy, with their own sound, but announcing that they are by no means limiting themselves and reserve the right to explore.

Carry On Up the Khyber (1968)

 "For the last time, stop calling it a dangler!"

Sometimes conventional opinion is conventional for a reason, and I strongly suspect that's the case here. This is widely regarded as the best Carry On film. I've seen it a number of times during my youth, and always casually thought of it as the best. Having seen it again, now, as part of my slow journey through the Carry On films in order, that opinion is very much confirmed. Carry On Up the Khyber is absolutely superb, easily the best so far. Is this peak Carry On, then? Is it all downhill from here?

I should mention, of course, that there are things in this film- the brownface, the Indian and Afghan stereotypes- that, shall we say, have not aged well, and that there are certainly moments that make the viewer wince in 2025. The world of fifty-seven years ago now looks startlingly alien to our own... although, compared to MAGA morons, they seem positively progressive.

Those issues acknowledged, then, what makes this film so good? Well, firstly, the script is superb. The central conceit- that the security of British rule of the North-West frontier depends on the continued belief that the Third Foot and Mouth wear nothing beneath their kilts is inspired. The scene, towards the end, as Sir Sidney and the other senior British wallahs calmly eat dinner as the residency is attacked, is rightly acknowledged as perhaps the finest Carry On scene ever. But it's more than that. There's a lot of innuendo, and it's so witty. But the film is full of brilliant jokes, such as when the Khazi of Kalabar expresses annoyance at the beating of a gong- "Rank stupidity", indeed.

We also have the full core cast on top form here. Sid James and Kenneth Williams impress, of course. But Charles Hawtrey, too- having seemed to be sidelined in recent films, he's back, on top form, in a prominent role. Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw also stand out. But guest stars Roy Castle and Terry Scott are also superb.

I hope I'll see a better Carry On film as my marathon continues... but perhaps I should just hope to get as close as possible.

Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

 "Let's say it's a kind of magic..."

I'm not saying this film is any good, you understand. I'm just saying that I love it. I mean, how can one not love a film in which Ramirez is on a plane, flying over the Atlantic fresh from a bizarre tailoring montage, and he watches an air safety video which starts with talk of masks dropping from above and ends with stop motion footsge of the plane crashing and fully bursting into flames.

This film is bonkers, and gleefully owns its bonkersness. In 1999, the Earth was almost doomed from the ozone layer (ah, how retro- it wasn't always climate emergency, kids), but McLeod and his mates were able to save humanity by, er, building a huge Dyson sphere thingy. So humanity has no sky and society and technology go backwards for some reason.

Oh, and the immortals are all aliens. But this isn't even the most bonkers thing. 

McLeod puts a Queen song on a jukebox... and it's that one. We have not one but two splendidly moustache-twirling baddies, one of them played by Dr Cox from Scrubs. And... we get quite the performance of Hamlet.

This film isn't a classic, no. It's very silly, with those two assassins from Zeist and all the comical beheadings. But this isn't so-bad-it's good stuff, it's camp humour. The script, co-written by Brian "The Avengers" Clemens, knows damn well how silly it is. 

Ignore the critics. Just watch and enjoy this, preferably with some booze. It's just so much fun.

The Sweeney: Big Spender

 "I found a way of getting a lot of bread for no graft at all."

Intriguing episode, this, where it takes time for the penny to drop about what mild-mannered Wardle is up to, why this harmless little accountant is associating with the notorious Smith brothers and spending so much money, including on his prostitute girlfriend. In the end  it works out satisfyingly enough, although this episode isn't up there withe the best.

There's a lot of good stuff, though, including a satisfyingly '70s car chase- Rolls Royce vs. Ford Cortina. We get a magnificent central performance from Warren Mitchell.. in drag, at one point. Wardle is a truly tragic figure. A respectable, mild-mannered accountant straight out of that Monty Python sketch, who makesa lot of money from a parking scam, gets blackmailed... and clearly knows from the beginning that he can only ride his luck so far.

Haskins, though... as Regan says, he's "on the turn". He's been quite an understanding boss of late- why is he suddenly being so harsh? Or is his Jekyll and Hyde nature just who he is...?

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)

 "Tell them I was murdered by my mathematics tutor!"

This is the first time I've ever seen this rather good film, but I did read Nicholas Meyer's splendid original novel, at least twice, during my youth. And, while much of the plot was familiar to me, albeit with some jogging of the memory, I din't recall the ending, with the uncomfortably Orientalist overtones: an Ottomas pasha, in 1891, would not, I suspect, of being in the habit of kidnapping European red-headed ladies for his harem as they remindeds him of Circassians he'd, er, known. Still, that aside(!), this is a bloody good film despite a moderately low wattage cast and a rather straightforward directorial style.

The sets are sumptuous, the location superb, and to cast a film entirely with character actors is no bad thing. Robert Duvall is a good Watson, Alan Arkin carries the film well as Sigmund Freud, And Nicol Williamson- excellent as Merlin in Excalibur- is a superb but necessarily different Holmes, still the deductive genius but coming to terms with his cocaise addiction and haunted by childhood trauma: untill the end, not recalling exact details from the novel, I was worried that he may have been sexually abused as a child by his maths tutor. Thankfully,and wisely, the story does not take this path.... I was a bit worried, after all that cold turkey montage stuff with that phallic snake from The Speckled Band being so very prominent, in a film featuring Sigmund Freud...

It's not all character stuff, though. It's fun to see Holmes and freud work together and learn from each other, much though it felt a little roo easy for Holmes to fall fr the initial ruse and show so little resentment. There's lots of adventure, a sword fight, a train chase,and lots of deduction. Even better, there are lots of nice little Sherlockian touches- and, in the brief mention of the orang-utan case, an oblique reference to a Poe short story starring Holmes' literary progenitor, Auguste Dupin.  

The hints of romance at the end, though? Very brave! Overall, then, a film which may lack a certain visual flair but has astrong enough story and cast to carry it through.

Batman: The Animated Series- See No Evil

 "All I want is for you to disappear!"

Another excellent episode this time- these one-offs where the villain isn't necessarily from Batman's rogues gallery have a tendency to be strong. This is no exception, and it's extraordinary just how much incident gewts packed into twenty-two minutes.

At first we have an interesting scenario with an invisible jewel thief who seems to double as a little girl's invisible friend for whom he's stealing. But it then takes a tragic turn into a custody battle, with the "villain" ending up back in prison and potentially poisoned by the invisibility suit.

Parts of the episode- the acting and animation- try to portray Ventrix as a straightforward bad guy, but... well, he may be a thief, but is it a bad thing for a father to want to look after his daughter as he should, rather than have the mother take it upon herself to refuse? I don't know how it works in America, but in the absence of a court order (and so such thing, or US equivalent, is implied), surely custody is a civil matter? 

Still, let us just say that I may admittedly have my own reasons for perhaps overthinking that. And that, if one is being prevented from seeing one's child by an unreasonable ex, it's wise not to cause drama but to take them to court instead.

 As far as trivia is converned... wow, a very young Elisabeth Moss. And is this the first appearance of Lucius Fox?

 

 

Better Call Saul: Hit and Run

 "You think we're wicked?"

This is a very artily directed episode by... Rhea Seehorn. Wow! 

There's so much going on here in this typically sublime pieceof television. The ongoing cheap scams may be fun but sordidly seek to destroy Howard's reputation. You laugh, you enjoy, but you feel dirty afterwards. And it's not just Jimmy, it's Kim- even her success in getting Cliff to help with her charitable endeavours is achieved in the course of something reprehensible. Howard is a decent man who deserves better. 

This episode oozes with unease and foreboding. The odd, almost random opening scene turns out to be a glimpse into the extreme lengths to with Gus is going to ensure his persinal safety. Paranoid? Perhaps. But Lalo realy is out to get him, and his hidden presence hangs over everything, paradoxicallyby means of his very absence.

It is he who causes Kim and Mike to interact for the first time, Kim realising she's being followed, despite Jimmy's obliviousness. Lalo is doing nothing, yet as a catalyst he's powerful.

Catalyst? Oh. A chemistry metaphor. For the chemistry teacher feels close, does he not? The Breakimg Bad Easter eggs are coming thick and fast. Yet, even there, Lalo is the catalyst. Jimmy is persona non grata with his now-former colleagues for his unethical if unprovable acts in letting Lalo get away... but, for the same reason, business is suddeny very good for Saul. So he needs a new office. Yes, that one.

The future seems bright. Why, then, is there so much foreboding in the air...?

Ghostbusters II (1989)

 "Being miserable, and treating other people like dirt, is every New Yorker's God given right!"

I hadn't seen this film since its original theatrical release in 1989, when I saw it at the old Cannon cinema in the towncentre. So, yes, it's been a while. Surprisingly, I did remember a few things.

This film, of course, was famously a flop, after which there wouldn't be any more Ghostbusters for a very long time. But... I can't really see why? This seems to me to be every bit as good as the original. This cast was always going to be superb. The script is great, with some very witty lines- I love the moment when a ghostly Titanic finally arrives in New York City and the man at the port says, deadpan, "Better late than never..."

The film is even about something- the threat is, essentially, a metaphor for the negative emotions stirred up in a big city and uses that concept to riff on the stereotypes and reputation of New Yorkers, as embodied by the quote above. It's a film absolutely about New York City, so of course we get a walking Statue of Liberty. It's a pity that Americans of today seem to have abandoned those nobler and old-fashioned values of, you know, welcoming the tired huddled masses and giving fascists the finger instead of voting for them.

So, yeah, the critics are just wrong here. This film is great. Yes, even the sex scene with Janine and Lewis.

Trancers II (1991)

 "I don't want to have my brain vacuumed!"

I was going to watch some art house movie but, well, I was in the mood for a B movie.  And... well, what could be more B movie than not only a cheeky, er, "homage" to Terminator but a straight-to-video sequel to said "homage" that just so happens to be released in the same year as Terminator II?

This is the most gloriously trashy straight-to-video sequel of all time. Jack Deth is back: let there be much rejicing. Tim Thomerson may be visibly older but he still plays our gruff hero with the perfect deadpan campness. Indeed, all the relevant cast members return, which is impressive.

But best of all, we have the most splendidly bonkers timey-wimey love triangle of all time. Yes, Jack may have seen his wife Alice die in his arms at the hands of Trancers, causing his huge grudge against them. Yes, he may now be happy in the past with his new wife Lena... but oh. They plucked Alice from a day before her death and sent her backin time to find Jack, because of course they did.

Naturally, in no way is this played for real drama but as the utter bonkersness that it is, and I love it. Then we have Hap deciding to get drunk and play homeless baseball again. We have a massive fire engine. And the usual hi-jinks with Trancers in unexpected places and yes, the good old long second.

Basically, this film is trashy in the best possible way. And I'm so going to watch the next one.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cat and the Claw, Part !!

 "So you do care."

"More than you'll ever know."

Hmm. This is ok, I suppose, but doesn't quite match the first part. Plot-wise, it's entertaining and formulaic. The Red Claw and her goons steal a deadly plague virus which the US army is transporting on atrain (very naughty- biological warfare, eh?) and threaten to release it on Gotham if she isn't paid million dollars. Most of the episode is Batman and Catwoman foiling their plans together.

And it's fine. There's a fun little moment when the Red Claw leaves the two of them in a deathtrap that evokes the ols '60s series. It all plays out well enough. The Red Claw is a bit one-note, but I suppose that's what we want: Catwoman is the focus here.

Oh, and the pleasingly evocative dynamic between the two of them, of course. Bruce is genuinely really into her, and she, not knowing his secret identity as the detective knows hers, is in love with Batman. And so the episode ends, inevitably and tragically, with Batman handcuffing the woman who loves him.

That side of things certainly works well. But otherwise? I like Catwoman. But the story overall fails to satisfy.

The Sweeney: Stoppo Driver

 "Who taught you to drive- Evel Knievel?"

Another strong episode this time round as a newlywed copper is forced to act as a getaway driver in order to stop his kidnapped bride from being harmed- an evocative situation which is handled superbly, with a very strong guest performance from Billy Murray in particular.

We're really made to feel for the couple, who at least manage to get their revenge at the end, albeit with Cooney's career in ruins. It's a script that is pacy, taut and lean yet also gives the tragic events the room they need to breathe.

The car chases (with proper '70s cars!) are excellent too, of course, as is the excellently naturalistic yet charistmatic performance from John Thaw. It's interesting to see the growing mutual respect between Haskins and Regan, too- this isn't a one-note, cliched adversarial relationship. But Aubrey Morris pretty much steals the show as an arrogant Swiss diplomat.

As ever, though, the joys lie as much in the sights and social mores of half a century ago as in any of the plot and characters. Towards the end of the season, perhaps, the self-contained nature of each episode, normal for the time, is perhaps starting to grate. But there's no denying that this is good stuff.

Batman: The Animated Series- The Cat and the Claw, Part I

 "A cat at the end of its nine lives..."

At last we meet Catwoman. Of course, those of us who know our Batman will not be surprised by the last minute revelatyion that Selina Kyle and Catwoman are one and the same, but they're just going through the motions with that "reveal"- we're expected to know, I think. Selina's comment, at the prospect of her date with Bruce, that she wishes it was with Batman just drips with dramatic irony.

Some things are just intrinsically Catwoman- the fact that we begin with a little heist from our cat burglar, the exual chemistry between her and Batman, her flirting with and even kissing him while he wants to arrest her. And yet the way they're going with Selina is interesting. She seems to be a well-off woman with a interest in feline conservation, and with a secretary who knows her secret... so why the cat burglary? To fund her mountain lion preserving activities? This isan interesting angle.

As is the fact that Catwoman is not really the villain here but a morally ambiguous romantic foil for the Batman. As baddies, we have the mob, and the mysterious Red Claw...

I'm very interested to see where this is headed...

Better Call Saul: Rock and Hard Place

 "Today you are going to die..."

Obviously this episode is all about Nacho. Jimmy doesn't even appear until sixteen minutes into the episode. Not that things don't happen with him: his and Kim's plans to screw over Howard proceed apace. Yet again we see that she's really into him. Huell, by contrast, sees right through him in a nice little scene. And Kim and Jimmy learn that Lalo is supposedly dead, while Jimmy has an off ramp for his complicity with Lalo... but will he take it?

Still, this episode is not about Jimmy.

My thoughts keep drifting to those opening few seconds as the camera lingers on some flowers that survive, precariously, in the New Mexico desert. This episode consists of Nacho slowly learning that there's no way he ends up surviving this, however much he begins the episode with some optimism, having escaped for now. Yet in order to dodge being immediately caught he has to literally submerge himself in oil. There's only one way his being on the run can end.

The phone call with his dad is heartbreaking: you feel, suddenly, that this is their last goodbye, and his dad is still disappointed at how Nacho's life has gone. Nacho suddenly realises that the cartel could get at his dad.

And so... he, Mike and Gus work out an ending in which his death is with dignity, on his own terms, and protects both his dad and Gus himself. But watching the events play out is gut-wrenching and unforgettable. Nacho getting the satisfaction of telling Hector what he really thinks... and that final shot, with Hector impotently shooting at a dead man.

Wow. This episode will haunt me.

Murder by Decree (1979)

 "I prefer bad manners in the theatre to violence in the streets..."

This film is an odd and intriguing beast. It's very well directed indeed, with the scenes involving the Ripper particularly well-realised. It has a superb cast. It's a very well made film. And yet...

Firstly, the script is somewhat plodding, slow, oddly paced and not quite worthy of the excellent way it's been realised. While James Mason gives us a first rate Watson, Christopher Plummer's generally impressive performance as Holmes suffers from the fact that the script doesn't really get the character- this Holmes is too openly emotional, too "normal".

This isn't the first time that cinema has put Holmes and Watson into the context of the Jack the Ripper murders but... well, SPOILERS, but this film adopts wholesale the then-fashionable theories advanced by Stephen Knight in his unfortunately titled Jack the Ripper:  The Final Solution, theories that woukd later form the basis of both the graphic novel and the film of From Hell..

And this is a problem. Not because such theories have fallen out of fashion (Personally, I don't buy the freemasonry nonsense- it's a very silly organisation but, except in the context discriminating against non-freemasons in their careers, harmless nonsense. I'd suggest borrowing a razor off that nice Mr Occam. The Ripper was probably Charles Lechmere.), but simply because adopting this narrative wholesale means that Holmes and Watson are by definition unable to have much agency or influence over events. 

Still, this is an interesting little curiosity nonetheless.

Torture Garden (1967)

 "Did you know that there are ways to raise the dead...?"

This is, I believe, the only one of the Amicus horror anthologies that I still had to blog until now- do let me know if I'm wrong. The format is much as we'd come to expect, though- four lurid tales of grand guignol with an overarching narrative.

What separates this film from the norm is its more than usually transatlantic cast, with Burgess Meredith chewing the scenery in the best possible way as the delightfully devilish(!) Dr Diabolo. Even the opening titles, with the background of a creepy old amusement park at night, set the scenes superbly, and the framing device does its job to perfection.

Not all the tales are equally good, but all are entertaining. The third, in which a lady's pursuit of a desirable man leads to her death at the, er, hands(?) of a jealous piano, is hilarious. The first two, concerning a black cat and the secret reason why Hollywood stars never seem to age, are nicely and evilly gothic and lurid.

Yet it's the final story, with the unusual pairing of Jack Palance and Peter Cushing, that lingers in the mind, as two men bond over a shared enthusiasm for Edgar Allan Poe. This is a delightfully effective warning of the dangers of the more toxic sides of fandom,with deliciously absurd revelations leading to a perfectly melodramatic ending.

This is grand guignol at its best.

The Sweeney: Golden Boy

 "You're nicked, and I'm not authorised or insured to drive this car!"

I know: all this current telly, especially, means The Sweeney has taken a bit of a back seat lately. But fear not: I'll carry on until the end of the first series,and return after a break to blog the rest.

Anyway, this is another damn good episode, about a heist to nick some gold bullion and haul it to Beirut, and involving some particularly clever jiggery pokery with security cameras. Yet it's also about the personalities involved, the complezities of keeping such a blag secret, and how Regan and George manage to nab them in the end. As ever, it's not a whodunit- we're privy to everything that happens- but it's fun following how the Flying Squad get their men, sometimes by detective work but often by other means.

Plus, of course, there's the usual fun of seeing the UK of fifty years ago. Playing Pong in a pub. Time and motion studies. Everybody always smoking. Half pennies.But it's becoming particularly noticeable how good and how natural John Thaw is as a gruff, laddish, vaguely cynical yet nevertheless likeable Regan.

Squid Game: Friend or Foe

 "We surrender...!"

Well, we weren'rt exactly expecting a happy ending, were we...?

I'm in two minds about this finale. 

One problem is that, while I've no issues with a finale leaving plot threads to be resolved in the following season or even ending on a cliffhanger, we get no sense of closure at all here. The boat captain is a traitor! Young-Il is a traitor! All those who joined in the rebellion against the guards and came close to destroying the whole operatioin are shot... except Ji-hun, who is taunted by Front Man. And then it ends with the promise of Season Three. This feels more like a mid-season "finale" before a short break than a proper finale. As a finale, it fails.

Then there's the fact that so much of the running time is just people shooting each other. a LOT. And it gets very repetitive and dull.

And yet... there's lots of good stuff. The earlier scenes, as the players work out how to survive a night of blatantly licenced free for all killing, are gripping. The announcement of those players who died in the gents' toilet, and the extra money added to the prize total, is a clever psychological moment. But I'm not sure I find it realistic that so many would have agreed to Gi-hun's plan to attack the guards, take their guns and storm the control room because, well, it's completely insane, isn't it...?

And yet... it certainly works very well thematically. The "games" are a blatant metaphor for red-in-tooth-and-claw, unrestrained, free market capitalism with its winners, its losers, its brutality, and its harsh unfairness in such an unequal world. So it feels grimly fitting that there should be the illusion of hope, but only an illusion. And that the enemy should be masked, faceless and limitless.

One thing is truly brilliant, though: the shot from above of the gunfight in that M. C. Escher set...

Batman: The Animated Series- Heart of Ice

 "Think of it, Batman. To never again walk on a summer's day with the hot wind in your face and a warm hand to hold."

Mr Freeze has always, it seemed to me, been a little of an oddity within Batman's usual rogues' galleryt. He first appeared in 1959, as a one off, in the guise of Mr Zero, during a period whan Batman (and Robin) would typically be involved in such science fiction shenanigans. He next appeared, with the name of Mr Freeze, in the 1960s camp TV series, forcing his return to the comics, where the character had always been an awkward fit with the tone of the comics after Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams began a more serious and grimmer tone in 1970 that has more or less remained ever since.

And yet... this episode is an extraordinary, tragic triumph, reinventing the character as a man whose only wish is to avenge his wife. He's a paradox: cold, emotionless, uncaring of his underlings and collateral damage, yet ultimately driven by love. He can never again, in any sense, know warmth. He is, in a sense, dead. Flawed though he is- Ferris Boyle is correct that he's used millions of company equipment illicitly- he is nonetheless genuinely sinned against: it would have cost nothing for Boyle to wait for Fries to hopefully cure his wife before putting a stopo to everything. Batman is right to expose him.

Every beat of this heartrending tragedy is perfect. And yet again I'm enjoying the sardonic dynamic betwen Alfred and Batman and the deliberate ambiguity between whether this is the 1940s or the present day. Yet the tale of this "villain" remains with me in a way few previous episodes have done.

Carry On Doctor (1967)

 "Matron doesn't approve of banging in the ward..."

Agh. I hadn't seen this film for decades, but then last night I watched it... and suddenly it felt very familiar indeed. I suspect I've seen this Carry On more times than any other, albeit early in my life. And that probably shouldn't be surprising- it's one of the most highly regarded. But I probably enjoyed the film less than I should have done because of the memories flooding back as I watched it.

It's strange seeing this while watching all the films in order. After several films set in historical times and other places, here we are again in a contemporary British hospital, in a 1967 of the middle aged, rather different to the Summer of Love that was happening for a few rich young people. This is a time of strict matrons, the trope of the nagging wife, innuendo, "sex maniacs" and cold baths.

Indeed, this feels much like the earlier films in the series, including the style of the opening titles, which allude to Carry On Nurse. Yet we're much firmly into the more innuendo-based humour, with Barbara Windsor's, er, assets playing a large role.

The farcical, very silly plot, as well as some nicely witty lines, make this one of the better Carry Ons. I loved the Invisible Man gag. Frankie Howerd, in his Carry On debut, is excellent in a very prominent role, although the fact that the usual cast is very much present and correct means that some of the regulars are stretched quite thin. Charles Hawtrey, yet again, has a surprisingly small role- off-screen problems?

Excellent film. Although it has me wondering- at what point did we stop referring to "the National Health" and start calling it the NHS, colloquially?