Carry On Christmas Specials
Four festive television specials from the Carry On team.
Between 1969 and 1973, Thames Television aired four one-off Carry On Christmas specials, bringing the film series’ cast and style to TV. Barbara Windsor was the only actor to appear in all four. Kenneth Williams, despite starring in a record twenty-six Carry On films, never took part in any of these specials.
Quick Facts
- Number of specials
- 4
- Years produced
- 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973
- First special broadcast year
- 1969
- Second special broadcast year
- 1970
- Third special broadcast year
- 1972
- Fourth special broadcast year
- 1973
Facts from the source article.
Carry On Christmas (1969)
The first special, Carry On Christmas, was broadcast in 1969 and filmed after Carry on Up the Jungle, sharing its main cast. Talbot Rothwell wrote the script, an irreverent take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with Sid James as Scrooge. The 'Christmas Past' sequence involved Dr. Frank N. Stein and Count Dracula creating a mate for Barbara Windsor's Monster. The 'Christmas Present' sequence covered Robert Browning's elopement difficulties, and the 'Christmas Future' sequence retold Cinderella.
Carry On Again Christmas (1970)
The second special, Carry On Again Christmas, aired in 1970. Sid Colin and Dave Freeman wrote the episode, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. It marked the Carry On debut of Wendy Richard, who later had small roles in Carry On Matron and Carry On Girls. Although the 1969 special was in colour, the 1970 special was broadcast in black and white due to a technicians' strike that affected Thames Television's Christmas programming that year.
Carry On Christmas (or Carry On Stuffing) (1972)
The 1972 special, titled Carry On Christmas (or Carry On Stuffing), faced production difficulties. Talbot Rothwell fell ill while writing the script and could not finish it; Dave Freeman completed it, but the two did not work together. Charles Hawtrey withdrew at short notice after demanding top billing, which producer Peter Rogers refused, giving top billing to Hattie Jacques instead. Hawtrey's role was split between Norman Rossington and Brian Oulton. The special featured historical sketches linked around an 18th-century banquet, including two madrigals originally written for Carry On Henry, which later appeared in the 1973 stage show Carry On London.
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