Carry on Abroad (1972)

Director: Gerald Thomas

Cast: Kenneth Williams, Sidney James, Charles Hawtrey

Synopsis: A group of holidaymakers head for the Spanish resort of Elsbels for a 4-day visit.

Carry on Abroad is one of the last half-decent Carry On movies made just before it began its rapid decline. While it’s not as good as the films made when the series was at its peak in the earlt-to-mid 1960s, it’s still pleasingly better than you might expect. Most of the cast regulars are in attendance, with Sid James taking the lead as a randy pub landlord whose plans to take his ‘bit on the side,’ busty Barbara Windsor, on a dirty weekend to the resort of ElsBels backfires when his wife (Joan Sims) decides to tag along. All the regulars play to type, and young ‘dolly birds’ Sally Geeson (who played Sid’s daughter in Bless This House) and Carol Hawkins are on hand to provide eye candy. It’s no great shakes, but possesses that typically British saucy seaside postcard humour that has all us Brits of a certain age sighing wistfully over our Horlicks.

(Reviewed 22nd February 2012)