Dark side of Carry On - from 'sexist treatment' to a star's tragic downfall
The Carry On films remain as popular today as they were in the 1960s, beloved by fans for their ridiculous plot lines, entertaining characters and silly jokes. But the actors didn't always have so much fun behind the scenes - as some cast members reportedly experienced sexism while others struggled to make ends meet.
We take a look at the franchise's dark side, revealed through the recollections of actors including Barbara Windsor, Amanda Barrie and Sherrie Hewson...
Sexist treatment
Amanda Barrie, who appeared in two Carry On films before joining Coronation Street, was shocked by how she was treated on set. Before filming even began the actress, who memorably starred as Cleopatra in one movie, was left "humiliated" when she was reportedly forced to visit a hormone specialist in a bit to make her breasts bigger. Amanda, 88, claimed: “They sent me to a specialist in Harley Street, who Frank Sinatra used. He told me: ‘You’re the nearest thing to a hermaphrodite I’ve ever seen’. It doesn’t fill you full of enthusiasm.”
Amanda also said she had a bad experience with co-star Kenneth Williams, the star of 26 films, saying he once tore off her dressing gown in front of the queue. “He ripped it off and went, ‘It’s mine!’" she said. "I was left there stark naked. It was a shock, even in the '60s.”
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'Unfair pay'
Male Carry On leads are reported to have earned £5,000 a film, with female co-stars making half that. Film producer Peter Rogers joked about his frugality, once quipping: "Most important of all, of course, are the artists. I love them very much and would do anything for them except pay them more money.”
Cast members were reportedly frozen out if they asked for a pay rise. Sherrie Hewson, who starred in 1975's Carry On Behind, said: "Peter Butterworth taught me a big lesson. He said whatever they offer you, say yes, because he didn’t twice and he was taken out of a couple of films.” Joan Sims, the First Lady of Carry On, with 24 films to her name, said she felt "bitter" that she never once got a pay rise. Her co-star Valerie Leon claimed Rogers refused to contribute to her medical bills when she died in 2001 aged 71.
Barbara Windsor appeared in nine Carry On films including 1969's Carry On Again Doctor (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Missing royalties
The late Barbara Windsor, who appeared in nine Carry On films, said royalties should have been earned by the cast, with the movies regularly repeated on TV to this day. “It’s immoral what they did," she said in a Channel 5 documentary. "They should pay us for those compilations. I don’t care about the films, showing them in their entirety on telly. There’s a lot of actors who didn’t earn a lot of money who could do with those few pennies and Peter Rogers, I mean he doesn’t need it, for God’s sake."
One of the actress's most memorable scenes was in 1969's Carry On Camping, when her bikini top flew off during an exercise class. She felt the cast should also have profited from popular show memorabilia. “I get all this memorabilia of Carry Ons," she said. "The camping scene, the shower scene, showing the bum. Carry On Dick (1974), looking out of the coach with Sid (James). Another one where he pulls my bra. So, there’s a big, big market and what the hell? Where does the money go? It’s wrong. We put a few quid together to go to a lawyer. He said we didn’t stand a chance.”
Actress Amanda, 88, had to be rescued from a scalding hot bath (TV GRABS)'Unsafe working conditions'
Amanda Barrie was rescued from a scalding hot bath while filming Carry On Cleo in 1964. "They said: ‘We’ve got to get this shot tonight’ and I said: ‘I’ll do it but, just stand by.’" Amanda recalled. "I was alright going down the steps but as I got to the bottom two and it went past my heart, oh jeez, I suddenly felt myself going. One of the prop guys got hold of my wig and luckily it was clamped to my head and pulled me towards the side. If I’d gone under, I’d have been a goner."
Sherrie Hewson, who like Amanda went on to star in Coronation Street, faced trouble at the other end of the spectrum when she was forced to film 1975's Carry On Behind in the snow in a bikini. “We were blue with cold and they painted us this yellow colour to make our skin look normal," she said. "It was my baptism of fire. It wasn’t funny.”
Charles Hawtrey, third from right, starred in 23 Carry On films but struggled to make ends meet (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Star's downfall
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Charles Hawtrey, who appeared in 23 Carry Ons, asked for more cash for 1962's Carry On Cruising and was instead told he'd be replaced. The actor was allowed back for 1963’s Carry On Cabby and 1964’s Carry On Jack but he went on to suffer from drink problems and struggled for money. “I remember him saying to me: ‘I can’t afford to send fan mail back. I haven’t got the money.’," said Barbara Windsor. Charles walked out in 1972 when his demand for star billing in TV Christmas special Carry On Stuffing was rejected and died in straitened circumstances in 1988 aged 73.
* Watch Carry On: Secrets and Scandals on C5 at 9pm
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