History Trivia / CarryOn

* The strip series ''Pirates of Penumbra'' was created because everyone likes media with pirates in it, according to Kathy. The idea of an aligator captain came from after watching ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}''.

* The strip series ''Pirates of Penumbra'' was created because everyone likes media with pirates in it, according to Kathy. The idea of an aligator captain came from after watching ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''.

* ActorAllusion: In ''Film/CarryOnAgainDoctor'', Wilfrid Brambell plays an [[DirtyOldMan elderly but lecherous patient]] who has come to [[PunnyName Long Hampton]] Hospital for a hormone injection. As he is led into the consulting room, the theme tune to ''Series/SteptoeAndSon'', in which Brambell starred at the time, plays on the soundtrack.
* AdoredByTheNetwork: Even though the series wasn't owned by a television channel, {{ITV}} often air the movies on the ITV3 channel.
* BeamMeUpScotty: When the average person refers to the ''Carry On'' film series, it's common for another to squawk, "Ooh, Matron!" in a Kenneth Williams-like imitation -- often in the context of Kenneth Williams misreading InnocentInnuendo. But in fact, the phrase "Ooh, Matron!" was never used once in the series, or that context -- at least, not in the way that quoter has said it. There has been "Ah, Matron," and "Oooh!! ... Matron!", which both came from ''Carry On Camping'', but never "Ooh, Matron!"
* TheDanza:
** Many of Sid James' characters were named Sid or Sidney, although this also happened from time to time with Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor, and various others.
** ''Film/CarryOnCamping'' probably contains the most uses of this trope, with characters including Sid Boggle (James), Kenneth Soaper (Williams), Charlie Muggins (Hawtrey), Bernie Lugg (Bresslaw), Joan Fussey (Sims), and Babs (Windsor).
** The character of Sidney Bung in ''Film/CarryOnScreaming'' was intended to invoke this, but when Sid James proved unavailable, the role was recast with [[Series/SteptoeAndSon Harry H. Corbett]].
* DawsonCasting: Frequently used. For example, in ''Film/CarryOnSergeant'', the National Service recruits, who should be in their late teens or early 20s, were all played by actors who were over 30 at the time of filming (in fact, Charles Hawtrey was over 40, Kenneth Connor nearly so). Similarly, in ''Film/CarryOnCamping'', the finishing school girls were played by actresses in their late 20s or early 30s rather than in their late teens or early 20s (for example, Barbara Windsor was 31).
* DevelopmentHell: Producer Peter Rogers attempted to mount a film version of the ''Carry On London'' stage musical throughout the [=2000s=], but was never able to get it off the ground. His death in 2009 marked the end of those efforts, and likely any chance of the series being revived in any real way.
* DoingItForTheArt: Bernard Bresslaw in ''Film/CarryOnUpTheJungle'' went to the trouble of translating his lines into the appropriate African dialect. The rest said he could have just made up some ForeignSoundingGibberish and no-one would be the wiser, while the extras playing the other Africans were of Caribbean origin and didn't understand him anyway. Years later, an immigrant from that area told him he remembered that scene and thanked him! (Sid James, who had lived in South Africa until his early 30s, also congratulated Bresslaw on his diligence.)
* FakeNationality: The primary recurring cast members were all British (except for Sid James, who was born and raised in South Africa but tended to play Cockneys, making him a FakeBrit), but many of them played a variety of other nationalities across the series, usually without [[NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent affecting the relevant accent]]. ''Film/CarryOnCowboy'' was a notable exception, with the entire cast affecting [[FakeAmerican American accents]] (of varying quality) except for Jim Dale (whose character was British) and Charles Hawtrey (the incongruity of an Indian chief looking and talking like Hawtrey being a [[RuleOfFunny source of humour]]). Bernard Bresslaw combined this with {{Blackface}} or {{Brownface}} in several films, playing a Native American in ''[[Film/CarryOnCowboy Cowboy]]'', an Arab in ''Film/FollowThatCamel'', an Indian in ''[[Film/CarryOnUpTheKhyber Up the Khyber]]'', and a sub-Saharan African in ''[[Film/CarryOnUpTheJungle Up the Jungle]]''.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Most of Creator/PeterButterworth's roles in ArmedFarces movies were cowardice old men who were incompetent with warfare, which is ironic because Peter Butterworth was a sergeant major in the Second World War and was even ''imprisoned in a Nazi war camp'', so he'd probably be the first to know about how to deal with himself in the army.
* MilestoneCelebration: There have been many celebrations for the film series whenever they reach anniversaries. Often in the media, a [[TVDocumentary documentary]] about the series would be made by {{ITV}} every couple years (so far, there's been ''What Is a Carry On?'' from 1998, and ''Carry On Forever'' from 2015) or a behind-the-scenes book would be released. The British Royal Mail service released mail stamps of the popular movies' posters when the series celebrated 50 years, and boxsets of the series were re-released.
* MissingEpisode: There were several planned films that were due to be created but many never saw past the scriptwriting.
** ''Carry On Smoking'' was planned to be released in 1961 that was set in a fire station, which had a plot similar to ''Film/CarryOnConstable'', but there has been no reason given to why it was scrapped.
** ''Carry On Again, Nurse'' was attempted to be brought back a couple of times -- the first being in 1968 after ''Film/CarryOnDoctor'', and then again in 1977, and finally in the 1980s. The latter try was stopped abruptly when the deaths of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey occurred within a few months of each other.
** ''Carry On Flying'' was abandoned in 1962, which was about RAF recruits -- presumably a bit like ''Carry On Constable''.
** ''Carry On, Spaceman'' was set to be about a British (or rest of the world) POV of the stupidity of the Russia vs USA space race, but it was shelved for later and then abandoned.
** ''Carry On Dallas'' faced controversy and threats of lawsuits from the creators of the popular TV show ''Series/{{Dallas}}'' and was immediately abandoned.
** ''Carry On Down Under'' was going to be filmed in Australia, but the production company realized that the budget wouldn't survive the big move.
* ThePeteBest:
** If anyone qualifies for this title it would probably be Shirley Eaton, who was the female lead in several of the early films, but ceased to be a regular cast member just before the series really hit its stride.
** Bob Monkhouse was probably the most famous cast member in ''Sergeant'' (aside from William Hartnell), but never appeared again in the series.
** Radio comedy veteran Ted Ray played the [[AFatherToHisMen beloved]] headmaster "Wakie" Wakefield in ''Carry On Teacher''. The role of Sgt. Wilkins in ''Carry On Constable'' was intended for Ray, but a conflict with his contract with Associated British Cinemas meant he had to be dropped from the film and replaced with Sid James, who went on to make 19 ''Carry On'' films; Ray never returned to the series.
* ProductionPosse: The creators and actors remained close in media during the series' running. When Sid James' sitcom ''Bless This House'' had a feature film, Terry Scott and Peter Butterworth showed up, and it was directed and produced by Gerald Thomas and Peter Rogers.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas were always quick to say that the movies they've released is because of this trope.
** Everyone will be in a hospital at least once in their life which is why there's four medical comedies[[note]]A fifth medical movie was planned in the mid-1980s called ''Carry On Again, Nurse'', [[WhatCouldHaveBeen hoping to bring the series back to life]] after five-or-so years, but the [[AuthorExistenceFailure death of Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey]] within two years stopped production[[/note]].
** The VacationEpisode movies were based on popular holidays at the time they were released. The biggest examples are ''Carry On Cruising'', which was made in a time when cruise holidays were typical of the British, and ''Carry On Abroad'', when the British were going on packaged tourist holidays into Europe.
** ''Carry On Spying'' happened because ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'' was being filmed near the ''Carry On Jack'' studio.
*** Most of the movie parodies were because of the originals either being made nearby or because of rumours of them being in production. ''Carry On Cowboy'' was made to rival a rumoured western movie being made by Music/TheBeatles.
** The plot of ''Carry On Girls'' was based on the angry protests of women outside a popular beauty pageant in London over their disgust on implied female objectification in media.
** ''Carry On Again, Doctor'' could be seen as this as well, because it raised awareness of the media's ideology of hourglass-shaped women being better than the HollywoodPudgy kind of women.[[note]]Barbara Windsor even said herself that when she read the script for her character (mostly over a scene of her character naked with paper hearts covering her), she immediately began dieting, which slightly angered Peter Rogers because of the "Bristol's Bouncing Baby Food" joke.[[/note]]
* RecycledSet: ''Film/CarryOnCleo'' used the abandoned sets from ''Film/{{Cleopatra}}'' when the latter production moved from Pinewood Studios to Rome.
* RecycledScript: In a way, considering how there were many {{motifs}} and running gags reappeared in the series. One of the most blatant ones was from the 1972 ''Carry On Christmas'' TV special in which Kenneth Connor ignores the sounds of bombs and bullets being fired at his mansion while his guests panic, much like how the dinner party ignored the warfare being fired at the building in ''Film/CarryOnUpTheKhyber'' which made Peter Butterworth have a breakdown.
* RecycledTheSeries: The first ''Carry On Laughing!'' was an attempt to bring the style of the ''Carry On'' films to television; it ran for 13 episodes across two series in 1975. The series was not a success, in part because only around half the film series' regular cast members were involved[[note]]Charles Hawtrey had parted company with the series several years earlier, Kenneth Williams refused to take part, and Sid James filmed four episodes and Hattie Jacques just one; the slack was taken up by Kenneth Connor, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor, Peter Butterworth, Bernard Bresslaw, and Jack Douglas.[[/note]] while long-time writer Talbot Rothwell had retired due to ill health, and while the films are still frequently repeated on British television to this day, ''Carry On Laughing!'' has been largely forgotten.
* StageName: Interestingly, there were quite a lot of actors in the series that had this in common with each other. To name a few: Sid James (born Solomon Cohen), Joan Sims (born Irene Sims), Charles Hawtrey (born George Hartree), Hattie Jacques (born Josephine Jacques), Terry Scott (born James Scott), Peter Gilmore (born John Gilmore), Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Deeks), Jack Douglas (born John Roberton), and Bill Maynard (born Walter Williams).
* TypeCasting: The series relied on certain actors to portray certain character types. It usually became familiar with the audiences and knew who was going to do what in the next film before any regular faces appeared on the screen.

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* MarathonRun: {{ITV}} like to marathon the movies at Christmas and Easter.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** The [[Creator/WilliamHartnell eponymous Sergeant]] in ''Film/CarryOnSergeant'' looks a bit like the [[Series/DoctorWho First Doctor]]. In fact, the [[Creator/JonPertwee eccentric soothsayer]] in ''Cleo'', the [[Creator/JonPertwee blind and deaf sheriff]] in ''Cowboy'', and the [[Creator/JonPertwee doctor who accidentally creates Oddbod Jr.]] in ''Screaming'' also look rather like the ''Third'' Doctor.
** In a similar vein, Wilfred Mott apparently served in the British Navy in the days of Napoleon (''Film/CarryOnJack'') and later in the British Secret Service (''Film/CarryOnSpying'') before joining the Doctor in the TARDIS.
** Frank Thornton, best known as Captain Peacock in ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', appears in ''Film/CarryOnScreaming'' as, appropriately, the owner of a clothing shop.

* StageName: Interestingly, there were quite a lot of actors in the series that had this in common with each other. To name a few: Sid James (born Solomon Cohen), Charles Hawtrey (born George Hartree), Hattie Jacques (born Josephine Jacques), Terry Scott (born James Scott), Peter Gilmore (born John Gilmore), Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Deeks), Jack Douglas (born John Roberton), and Bill Maynard (born Walter Williams).

** ''Carry On Down Under'' was going to be filmed in Australia, but the production company realised that the budget wouldn't survive the big move.

* IronyAsSheIsCast: Most of Creator/PeterButterworth's roles in ArmedFarces movies were cowardice old men who were incompitent with warfare, which is ironic because Peter Butterworth was a sergeant major in the Second World War and was even ''imprisoned in a Nazi war camp'', so he'd probably be the first to know about how to deal with himself in the army.

** ''Carry On, Spaceman'' was set to be about a Brtish (or rest of the world) POV of the stupidity of the Russia vs USA space race, but it was shelved for later and then abandoned.