Camping pon pon

This is my first "Carry On"-film and I really and unexpectedly enjoyed this. I mostly started watching this for completism, to have at least seen one movie from the famous franchise. And then I really enjoyed it and watched it to the end. Why? The plot is crap, basically it's a bunch of diverse characters getting together on an English campground in march, which looks about as jolly as an toxic waste site in winter, and then getting up to some horribly contrived antics.

Still, like wine, old jokes can still be good. What makes this movie so enjoyable are the many excellent actors with their impeccable delivery. And the movie always stays slightly naughty and mischievous without ever becoming sleazy.

Carry On Behind is dismissed by some fans of the series as an inferior imitation of Carry On Camping, a crass caper that desperately tries to keep up with the times by offering viewers an endless tirade of even more risqué innuendo, crude toilet humour and gratuitous female nudity (bums and boobs, but no bush). I don't understand the criticism: in my opinion, that sounds like the recipe for a whole lot of fun!

Sid James and Babs Windsor might not be along for the ride this time around (they were busy working abroad), and Charles Hawtree is also notable by his absence, but even without these stalwarts of the series, I had a great time: Carry On regulars Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Liz Fraser, Patsy Rowlands, Kenneth Connor, Peter Butterworth and Jack Douglas ably represent the old guard, while new faces include TV talent Windsor Davies (It Ain't Half Hot Mum) and Ian Lavender (Dad's Army), sexy German actress Elke Sommer, and dolly bird Adrienne Posta (Adventures of a Taxi Driver/Adventures of a Private Eye).

Between them they deliver the goods: Williams falls in a cesspit, Sommer takes a shower and flashes her butt, desperate middle-aged married men Davies and Douglas lust after bikini babes Carol Hawkins and Sherrie Hewson (of Coronation Street fame), Bresslaw goes in search of a foul-beaked Mynah bird, Posta wears a preposterous blonde wig (surely that wasn't her real hair?), Butterworth gets romantic with Sims, and Connor accidentally books a stripper for his caravan camp cabaret act! It might no be all that sophisticated, but its good for some guffaws and a fair few 'phwoars'.

CARRY ON BEHIND is the last of the great Carry Ons, I think. It really shouldn't be a good film; it's a virtual remake of CARRY ON CAMPING except in caravans rather than tents, and not as good. Half of the major cast members from the series are long gone, with Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, and Charles Hawtrey, all conspicuous by their absence.

Even so, CARRY ON BEHIND manages to recapture the old-fashioned humour and hijinks of the series at its best. It's all rather lowbrow, of course, with silly jokes and sillier characters, and yet I somehow loved it all the same. It may be that the remaining cast members seem to give it their all, realising that the shared weight of the film's success is on fewer shoulders. So Bernard Bresslaw, Peter Butterworth, Joan Sims, and Kenneth Connor in particular give it their all, and then some.

The newcomers to the series aren't so bad either. Jack Douglas and Windsor Davies have a little double act going which makes up for wit with sheer energy. The person who really feels missed is, and I say this to my surprise, Barbara Windsor, because the women they bring in to replace her just aren't very good. I did like Elke Sommer (LISA AND THE DEVIL) though; she might be an imported Euro-star, but she gives it her best with the rest of them and her character is oddly appealing; she allows Kenneth Williams to shine for sure. Ian Lavender is also good value, although it's a shame that they bring Liz Fraser in, age her with an unappealing haircut, and then keep her off-screen for a very long time.

Highlights of this film include the Mynah bird, the clever and unexpected climax which recalls the set-piece glory days of old, the water main hijinks, the shower stalls, and every scene with Peter Butterworth, who really is at his best here. Plus, the scene between him and Sims late on in the production is unexpected and probably the most moving moment ever seen in a Carry On movie.

It's a retread of Carry On Camping only with caravans as the usual array of characters ripe for fun picking innuendo laden shenanigans. Plot for what it's worth has a bunch of Carry On holidaymakers caravanning next to a Roman excavation site being run by Prof Anna Vrooshka (Elke Sommer) and Prof. Roland Crump (Kenneth Williams). Chaos inevitable ensues.

The absence of Sid James, Charles Hawtrey, Hattie Jacques and Terry Scott was always going to be felt (they had all left the franchise by this time), but Williams, Bernard Bresslaw , Kenneth Connor, Joan Simms and Peter Butterworth plough on stoically with the thin formulaic screenplay. Windsor Davis supplements them but he's no Sid James.

The series would trundle out two more films in the 70s before the ill advised comeback movie in 1992 (Carry on Columbus), one of which was the dreadful Carry on England. "Behind" isn't an awful movie as it does have its moments, such as the by-play between Sommer and Williams, and Bresslaw's henpecked husband act. It's also a very good snapshot of the era with budget holidays pointing to the unsteady political climate, while the sexual aspects reek of a time well left behind – but those attitudes did exist back then.

Passable Carry On fare but carrying with it the sadness in knowing the series was long past its sell by date. 6/10

This later Carry On is missing Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Barbara Windsor and Charles Hawtrey. Popular regulars Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw, Kenneth Connor, Patsy Rowlands, Jack Douglas and Peter Butterworth are in substantial roles and are great. However the departed regulars are missed.

The story works well. It is essentially a series of sketches about various people at a campground, but the story threads form a cohesive whole.

Some characters work better than others. Ian Lavender and Adrienne Posta as a young couple with a huge dog don't seem to have been given any jokes. Their scenes are pretty limp and peter out with no punchline. This brings down the pace of the film.

The characters played by Bresslaw, Rowlands and Sims develop nicely as the film progresses. Sims starts as a battle axe but becomes more sympathetic.

The scenes with Jack Douglas and newcomer Windsor Davies as mates on a fishing holiday (with Davies hoping to hook some dolly birds) work well, and are funny. Davies does the impossible - successfully stepping into the Sid James role. Newcomers Carol Hawkins and Sherrie Hewson acquit themselves well as the young women unfortunate enough to have them in pursuit.

Kenneth Williams and guest Elke Sommer are archaeologists studying the old cesspool. Their bits are classic Carry On and very funny. Sommer fits in seamlessly and is the series' most successful guest star.

Kenneth Connor as the lusty owner of the camp site and Peter Butterworth as the scruffy odd jobs man are great too.

Liz Fraser returns after many years' absence but only has a small role.

Look out for Larry Dann as the main university student in the film. Dann had appeared in Carry On Teacher (1959) as a student, and this film saw his return. He went on to roles in England (1976) and Emmannuelle (1978), then was a long running regular in police TV series The Bill.