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Film / Carry On at Your Convenience
aka: Carry On Round The Bend

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"The biggest basinful of fun since the invention of water-loo!" boasts the trailer. The box office begs to differ.

"That's all I need: A face full of soggy knickers!"
Sid Plummer, after walking into his wife's hung laundry

Carry On at Your Convenience was the fourth Carry On film of the 1970's, and the 22nd of the franchise, starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Bernard Bresslaw, Kenneth Cope, Patsy Rowlands, Jacki Piper, and Richard O'Callaghan.

It is noted for being the first Box Office Bomb in the Carry On series; with few exceptions, most of the films that followed it were flops as well. This was mostly due to the portrayal of the working class as stupid and lazy, and the middle class as superior and clever; most of the audience of the Carry On films were the "stupid and lazy" working class, so they reacted rather negatively - some even boycotting the movie when it was first released.

At Your Convenience starred Cope as lazy union representative Vic Spanner, who works in the Wm.C. Boggs & Son toilet factory, run by its traditionalist owner W.C. Boggs (Williams) and foreman Sid Plummer (James). He organizes strikes over the most minor of inconveniences (or when he wants to watch a football match), much to the disgust of the workers - except for Bernie Hulke (Bresslaw), his Dumb Muscle - the company they work under, and his mother, Agatha (Renée Houston). The firm cannot afford the constant strikes because they are losing loads of money, yet Vic holds yet another strike over the banning of tea servings on the factory floor.

Alongside this fiasco, there are other problems around. Sid is divided over caring about the situation because he is attracted to factory worker Chloe Moore (Sims) who is unsatisfied with her Traveling Salesman husband Fred (Bill Maynard), and also because he is earning lots of gambling money from his wife Beattie's (Jacques) budgie, Joey, who makes correct predictions over the horse races; Mr. Boggs' son Lewis (O'Callaghan) is competing with Vic over the affections of Sid's daughter Myrtle (Piper), who doesn't seem to be able to make up her mind; product designer Charles Coote (Hawtrey) is considering manufacturing 1,000 bidets for the wealthy King Frauzi of Aslam, even though Mr. Boggs is unimpressed with the idea; and Mr. Boggs' secretary Hortense Withering (Rowlands) is madly in love with him, much to his displeasure.

It seems the works' outing to Brighton may hold the solutions to many of the firm's issues however, as Hilarity Ensues.


Tropes in the film:

  • Abhorrent Admirer: Mr. Boggs views his secretary Miss Withering as one.
    Miss Withering: I've worked for you for thirty years, an' in all that time have you ever... sat me on your knee, or asked me to go away for a naughty weekend?
    Mr. Boggs: Really, Miss Withering?!
    Miss Withering: You've never even pinched my bottom!
  • Accidental Misnaming: Invoked. Sid purposely calls Miss Withering "Miss Widdling" when disguised as Gipsy Rose the Fortune Teller to trick Mr. Boggs into not realising who he was.
  • Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: After the works' outing, Sid and Chloe share a heartfelt scene where they discuss whether they should have an affair or not.
  • Actor Allusion:
  • Affectionate Nickname:
    • Vic calls Myrtle "Myrt" and Bernie "Bern".
    • Willie and Sid call Chloe "Chlo".
    • Sid calls Maud "Maudie".
  • Alcohol Hic: Mr. Coote gives off one when asleep in the coach's boot.
  • Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: The entire coach group become this when they go on their Brighton day trip. The middle-management visit a Rifle Range and shoot everything in sight, and then the group travel to several pubs on the way back.
  • The Alcoholic: Vic's mother thinks Mr. Coote is one when she finds him in a drunken sleep on her doorstep. She drags him inside and scolds him for being an alcoholic because her lazy late husband was one.
  • Alliterative Name:
    • Charles Coote.
    • Several of the horses Sid bets on, such as Golden Gay, Tiny Tim, Double Dwelling, Polar Prince and Sweet Sue.
    • The works' outing takes the workers to Palace Pier.
    • The shooting gallery on the pier is called the Rifle Range.
  • All Men Are Perverts: Depending on your interpretation, most of the men in the movie are this (Mr. Boggs, Bernie and Fred being the only exceptions).
    • Sid, for definite. He is frigid and snarky towards his wife Beattie, and has implied jealousy over their pet budgie Joey, who Beattie has become obsessed with. He spends the movie lusting after neighbour (and fellow employee) Chloe Moore and ludicrously tries to impress her with claims of having sex every day after she says that husband Fred prefers to treat her on a Saturday night. During the domestic scenes after this (Sid's obvious innuendos that soar over Beattie's head), it's no wonder that the couple have only one child.
    • Vic is a Hopeless Suitor to Myrtle. His obnoxious attitude and laziness is not attractive to anyone in the movie (not even the audience, considering he's portrayed as the villain), which might come from his bitterness of being a grown man who still lives with his mother. (Even his Dumb Muscle partner Bernie is implied to have a more successful life than him as there is no implication that he still lives with a parent, and he even owns a motorcycle). He's constantly in a cold war with much richer, much successful Lewis, who is much nicer than him in comparison. You'd think that this would be another case of Single-Target Sexuality, but when the new canteen girl arrives, Vic becomes googly-eyed and protective of her. (Also see Virgin–Whore Complex on this page) This heavily implies that Vic probably doesn't have any feelings for Myrtle to begin with - she's the only young girl in the workplace that isn't married or seen meeting up with a man during/after work, so he'd do anything to get into her pants (probably implies that he's a virgin, too).
    • Lewis, mostly for the possible reasons for Vic above, even though he's a nice rich boy. It's notable that when Mr. Boggs calls him to reveal that he is closing the factory, Lewis rushes to stop him before being briefly distracted by the sight of Myrtle walking into the room in a see-through dressing gown with her underwear on underneath, and physically tries to resist kissing her and carrying her back to the bed.
    • Mr. Coote has an obsession with playing Strip Poker - he frequently plays with Agatha, offers to teach Miss Withering how to play on the coach trip to Brighton, and even offers Bernie of all people to play with him.
  • Ambiguously Bi: Mr. Coote has a close relationship with Agatha and tries to cozy up to Miss Withering on the trip to Brighton, however he also tries to get Bernie to play Strip Poker with him.
  • Baby Talk: Beattie and Sid talk to Joey this way, although Sid tries to hide his use of it from her.
  • Basement-Dweller: In a way. Vic still lives with his mother Agatha, who is constantly ashamed of him whenever he organises a strike.
  • Batter Up!: Bernie arms himself with a cricket bat to stop people from coming back to work.
  • Battle Discretion Shot: During the works' outing, when Lewis and Myrtle kiss on the ghost train, Vic (who fancies Myrtle) crashes the scene. Lewis asks Myrtle to excuse him a moment and the camera cuts to the monster animatronics moving to the sounds of Vic getting the stuffing kicked out of him.
  • Bird-Poop Gag: Joey craps in his cage twice, much to Beattie's disgust.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Everyone gets a happy ending, except for Sid and Chloe who now have no chance of having an affair now that Beattie is working at the factory and Mr. Boggs who has to fend off Miss Withering's amorous advances more than ever.
  • Blowing a Raspberry: Sid blows one when watching Miss Withering test out toilet durability.
    Sid: Things that go pbbbt in the night!
  • Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Sid states nearing the end of the movie that he's always been wary of Lewis and his possible interest in his daughter Myrtle. When he finds out that Myrtle eloped with him, Sid nearly hits the roof, but Mr. Boggs is much more accepting and even calls for a celebratory party.
  • Brains and Brawn: Vic and Bernie, respectively. Vic leads the strikes and uses Bernie as intimidation to anyone in his way.
  • Bumbling Sidekick: Bernie is one to Vic, as his stupidity often leaves Vic annoyed or humiliated.
  • Buxom Beauty Standard:
    • Part of Chloe's appeal as noted by her husband Fred.
      Fred: Well, I mean, look at 'em. Like... two bald-headed convicts tryin' 'o burst out of jail.
    • Vic gets over Myrtle choosing Lewis over him once he meets the new canteen girl and gets a good look at her "lovely pair of canteens".
  • Camp Straight: Mr. Coote is played with all the camp silliness of Charles Hawtrey's other characters, yet he plays Strip Poker with Agatha and tries to get close to Miss Withering on the works' outing.
  • Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough: A non-military example in the staff of Wm.C. Boggs & Son; Mr. Boggs the boss is rather refined, while the foreman, Sid, isn't afraid to let his opinion be known and take action with the workers.
  • Cargo Envy: Sid surprisingly seems to resent Joey the budgie because Beattie is obsessed with him.
  • Character Catchphrase:
    • "Everybody out!" is used by Vic when he calls a strike.
    • "Saucy!" used by Chloe in response to a naughty comment or slap on the ass from Sid.
  • The Chew Toy: Vic Spanner, as the entitled union boss who calls a strike at the drop of a hat, is also the film's main object of comic misfortune, as he loses his trousers in public when he tries to follow Lewis and Myrtle on their date, gets beaten up by Lewis when he follows them onto the ghost train and gets spanked by his mother Agatha in front of the entire workforce.
  • Clothing Damage:
    • Vic's trousers get torn in two by Bernie's motorbike.
    • Myrtle's skirt is accidentally torn off by Lewis on their date. The same also happened to a bunny waitress in a Deleted Scene.
  • Comedic Spanking: The strike is ultimately resolved by Agatha spanking Vic.
  • Comedic Underwear Exposure:
    • Vic's pants are ripped off by Bernie's motorbike leaving his underwear exposed in the middle of the street.
    • Lewis accidentally tears off Myrtle's skirt at the Whippet Inn revealing her panties to the whole nightclub, and in a Deleted Scene did the same to a bunny waitress.
  • Comically Missing the Point:
    • As Fred discusses Chloe's body and how men lust over it, Chloe retorts that he's jealous, leading Fred to remark that wouldn't be seen dead having a pair of breasts like that.
    • When Vic gives the strikers weapons to stop the others from coming back to work, Bernie asks for a cricket bat over a tennis racquet, because he doesn't know how to play tennis.
    • In a Deleted Scene where Mr. Boggs meets with trade unionist Mr. Allcock:
      Mr. Allcock: Pleased to meet you, gents. And sorry if I'm a bit late, but I had another stoppage this morning.
      Mr. Boggs: I'm sorry to hear that. You want to try Epsom salts. Marvellous stuff.
      Mr. Allcock: (Beat) Work stoppage, I mean.
  • Cool Car: The car that Sid buys himself after he starts winning on the horses to replace his decrepit-looking Ford 100E, is a 1971 Morris Marina 1.3 Deluxe Coupe in Bedouin, which is especially notable by the fact that the Marina was a brand-new model in 1971 and the car in the film was one of the very first.
  • Crash-Into Hello: As Lewis steps onto the factory floor, Myrtle tries to leave at the same time and runs into him with her tea trolley.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy: Fred doesn't like Chloe being around Sid, although seeing as Sid and her are considering having an affair, it's not unjustified.
  • Crystal Ball: When Sid is Disguised in Drag as Gipsy Rose, he pretends to read a crystal ball to play a trick on Mr. Boggs.
  • Curse Cut Short:
    • Vic talking about toilet time:
      Vic: Ah, a just one moment please, Mr. Lewis. A-am I to understand, then, that the management want the workers to stop going to the shi- ah, loo, ah, when they want to?
    • Sid complaining about being made a director.
      Sid: I don't wan' 'o sit on me big fat-
      Myrtle: Er, come on Lewis. I think we'd better go.
  • Deadpan Snarker:
    • Mr. Coote when defending his toilet designs:
      Sid: I don't think I could stand it for more than half an hour.
      Mr. Coote: Well, it was hardly designed for a reading room.
    • Sid when dealing with others at the factory or his wife Beattie:
      Sid: Look, look at this. Very slender this pedestal, innit?
      Mr. Coote: It's streamlined.
      Sid: What for? Wind resistance?
    • Agatha towards her son Vic:
      Agatha: I'd been wonderin' what I'd do with yer £4 this week. Take m'self to the Bahamas perhaps!
  • Dirty Commies: Vic blames the Communists for the poor state of Britain today.
  • Disguised in Drag: Sid dresses up as Gipsy Rose, a female Fortune Teller, to help trick Mr. Boggs into getting with Miss Withering, though he ruins his fortune-telling credibility by predicting 14 children for them. As Miss Withering has been a secretary for 30 years, she is at the very least in her mid-forties so this would be impossible.
  • Distracted by the Sexy: When Vic is in the middle of walking out on the job, he runs into a well-endowed young lady who has just been assigned to the factory by the labour exchange as the new canteen girl. He immediately turns around to lead her back to the factory, saying they have a "lovely pair of canteens".
  • Don't Call Me "Sir": After the implication of drunken sex the night before, Mr. Boggs and Miss Withering refer to each other by their forenames (William and Hortense), much to Mr. Boggs' annoyance.
  • Double Entendre: It is a Carry On film, after all; there's lots of this.
    • Chloe drops them left and right during the canteen strike scene:
      Lewis: Now, you may not understand exactly what it means, but since I've been working in this factory I have made a time and motion study.
      Chloe: Oh I know what it means, Mr. Lewis - and if you've got the time, I've certainly got the motion.
    • When Sid and Beattie are discussing budgies' mating habits:
      Beattie: Well... we know Joey's a he-bird, don't we.
      Sid: "Cock".
      Beattie: He is! The man in the shop said so!
    • Mr. Boggs' dirty limerick:
      Mr. Boggs: There was a young fellow called Reg.
      Who went with a girl in a hedge.
      When along came his wife.
      With a big carving knife.
      And cut off his meat and two veg!
  • Dumb Muscle: Bernie, who Vic uses for intimidation. The only problem is his dim nature causes more trouble for Vic than those he's supposed to be intimidating.
  • Either/Or Title: Carry On at Your Convenience or Down the Spout or Ladies Please Be Seated or Up the Workers or Labour Relations Are the People Who Come to See You When You're Having a Baby.
  • Embarrassing Nickname:
    • Chloe calls Vic "Old Tinder Bottom".
    • Apparently all the girls on the factory floor call Lewis "Pencil-Doings".
  • Entitled Bastard: The first strike Vic calls in the film is because of the management stopping the tea rounds, a privilege given by the management. Sid points out that they were still allowed to have tea in the canteen, so their rights weren't being taken away, but Vic ignores him.
  • Family Business: Wm.C. Boggs & Son, where most of the movie's action takes place is run by W.C. Boggs and his son Lewis.
  • Fictional Document: Vic's N.U.C.I.E. rulebook which he never stops quoting from.
  • Flirtatious Smack on the Ass: Sid's standard greeting to Chloe. He also gives Maud one near the end of the film.
  • Follow That Car: Vic sees Myrtle in Lewis' car and tells Bernie to follow Lewis' car on his motorbike. Bernie drives off after them, but his motorbike rips Vic's pants off.
  • Fortune Teller: During the works' outing, Sid disguises himself as Gipsy Rose (the local fortune teller) to play a trick on Mr. Boggs.
  • Fourth-Date Marriage: Lewis and Myrtle. After an extended period of the two not spending time together, all it takes is one night together to get the two agreeing to be wed.
  • Funny Background Event: When the coach drops Sid and Chloe off after the works' outing, Mr. Coote can be seen sleeping in the boot of the coach with a child's doll in one hand and an empty bottle in the other.
  • Fun with Acronyms: The union rulebook is called N.U.C.I.E. (pronounced like "nookie"), which stands for National Union of Chinaware Industrial Employees.
  • The Gambling Addict: Sid loves betting on the horses, but never picks any winners until he discovers Joey's talent for knowing which horse will win.
  • Gasshole: Fred burps at dinner, much to Chloe's disgust.
  • The Ghost: Gipsy Rose, the Fortune Teller who Sid pretends to be.
  • Goofy Print Underwear: Vic gets his pants ripped off by Bernie's motorbike, leaving him standing in the street in his heart-patterned underwear.
  • Groin Attack:
    • Agatha threatens to kick Bernie where it hurts if he brings his motorbike near her house again.
    • Vic is left with a sore groin after riding Bernie's motorbike.
    • Mr. Boggs tells a limerick about a man named Reg who has his "meat and two veg" cut off by his wife after she catches him having an affair.
  • Happily Married: Fred Moore is to Chloe, even though it's implied that Chloe isn't really happy because of his constant absence.
  • Have I Mentioned I Am Sexually Active Today?: Sid brags (lies through his teeth) to Chloe about how much he and Beattie have sex.
  • Henpecked Husband: Sid Plummer to Beattie. When he arrives home from work the house is a mess and she hasn't made him anything to eat because she's too busy ignoring him over her budgie Joey.
  • Hopeless Suitor: Vic, who has no chance with Myrtle compared to Lewis.
  • Hypocrite:
    • Fred doesn't approve of Sid and fears he'll steal Chloe away from him, although one line implies he has frequent affairs when away on work.
    • Vic's booking of a hotel restaurant is postponed because the staff is on strike, making Vic snap at the sorrowful hotel manager in annoyance while Sid and the other employees look at each other smugly.
  • Hypocritical Humour: Agatha scolding Vic for letting Bernie bring his motorcycle down their street:
    Agatha: This is a respectable and refined neighbourhood - and don't you bloody well forget it!
    Vic: How can I? When you keep reminding me of it so nicely...
  • Incredibly Conspicuous Drag: The craggy-faced Sid as Gipsy Rose, although luckily Mr. Boggs is too pissed up to notice.
  • Interrupted Intimacy:
    • Lewis and Sid walk in on Miss Withering trying to seduce Mr. Boggs, much to Mr. Boggs' relief.
    • Lewis is forced to return to the factory instead of have sex with Myrtle so he can stop Mr. Boggs from selling the firm.
  • It's All About Me: Vic's constant strikes over stuff that none of the other staff are bothered about implies that he cares more about getting his way than defending the worker's rights.
  • Jerkass:
    • Vic doesn't care how much money is being lost or how close the factory is to closing because he only wants to abuse his power from the union.
    • Lewis balances on a thin line on whether the viewer likes him or not. It might be satisfying to see a younger character being the complete opposite of the self-centered Vic, but he also resorts to unnecessary violence when he doesn't get his way and practically kidnaps his crush in order to win her affection back.
  • Jump Cut: One happens when Agatha and Mrs. Spragg peer out of their windows after hearing Bernie's motorbike, causing Mrs. Spragg's mouth to move to start and end a line that was cut.
  • Just Friends: Mr. Coote sees his relationship with Vic's mother as this, but it's obvious to the audience that she wants a little more after their games of Strip Poker.
  • Lazy Bum: Vic will stop work whenever he feels like it, while Bernie and several of the other workers enjoy the chance to relax.
  • Loser Son of Loser Dad: Vic's mother Agatha yammers to herself about how much of a lazy ne'er-do-well her dead husband was and how her grown son has become the same thing with his work on the strike organisations:
    Agatha: Good for nothin' little sod. Just like his bloody old father, may he rest in pieces.
  • Love Triangle:
    • Sid pines after Chloe, who's married to Fred, all while he's married to Beattie.
    • Lewis and Vic fight over Sid's daughter Myrtle.
  • Low Clearance: Bernie bangs his head on the "EXIT" sign when entering and exiting the cinema.
  • Nepotism:
    • Mr. Boggs has his son Lewis on the management board at the factory.
    • Sid's daughter Myrtle is the canteen girl. Then his wife Beattie considers applying for a job at the end of the movie, much to the annoyance of Sid and Chloe.
  • Malaproper: Vic frequently does so. In one of his first scenes, he mixes up "irrelevant" and "irreverent", and later tells Lewis he is "avaiding" an issue.
  • Market-Based Title: The film was known as Carry On Round the Bend in America, as the double meaning of "convenience" didn't work outside of the UK.
  • Meaningful Name:
    • Miss Withering, who much like a withering flower isn't viewed as attractive.
    • Charles Coote, as "coot" means a stupid or eccentric person (much like many of the roles played by Charles Hawtrey).
    • Bernie Hulke, a dimwitted giant who packs a punch.
    • The Deleted Role of Mr. Allcock, who talks nothing but rubbish. This was Lampshaded by Sid in his Deleted Scene.
      Sid: Well, all I can say is, whoever named him knew what he was doing!
  • Motor Mouth: Part of the reason Sid has grown tired of Beattie is that he's endured twenty-five years of her non-stop talking.
  • Mysterious Middle Initial: We never find out what Mr. Boggs' "C" stands for.
  • Mythology Gag: Music from Carry On Camping plays when Sid, Chloe, and Myrtle drive back from the factory.
  • The Napoleon: Bernie accidentally tells Vic Spanner that the other workers make fun of his height.
  • Naked Freak-Out:
    • Agatha when Vic catches her after a game of Strip Poker.
      Agatha: Victor! Whatta ya doin' without yer trousers on?!
      Vic: Ah, you can talk, I must say!
      Agatha: Eh? Oh, OH! AHH! OH NO!
    • Myrtle screams after Lewis accidentally tears off her skirt and everyone in the Whippet Inn sees her panties.
  • Nice Guy: The Plummer family members that are in Love Triangles have one of these as either a suitor or a rival:
    • Chloe's husband Fred, who admits to his wife that he's a bit ashamed that he isn't around to spend time with her, and points out his concern for Sid's sudden fascination with her. To be fair, Chloe would probably be making a big mistake if she decided to cheat on Fred with Sid - Sid's persona implies that he's only satisfied with women if they're up for having sex with him 24/7, which is probably why he is cold towards his wife.
    • Lewis is much nicer and caring than Myrtle's rival suitor Vic, and tries to do anything to save his father's company. Shame about what happens much later (see Took a Level in Jerkass for more information).
  • No Full Name Given:
    • We don't get to know Benny, Maud, Willie, Ernie or Roger's last names.
    • The same can be said for Mrs. Spragg's first name.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • All we find out about Mr. Boggs' wife is that she died on a collapsing toilet.
    • Vic had organsied twelve other strikes before the one about the tea not being served on the factory floor.
  • Nosy Neighbor: Mrs. Spragg is a mild one, who only pokes her nose into other people's business when she's wondering where the motorcycle noise is coming from:
    Mrs. Spragg: Quite right, Mrs. Spanner. It's a disgrace, it is.
    Agatha: You mind your own bloody business.
  • Not So Above It All: Despite being the boss, Mr. Boggs cuts loose on the works' outing and gets incredibly drunk.
  • Obstructive Bureaucrat: Vic, the union rep who calls for a strike over just about anything (or if the football team he supports is playing at home).
  • Office Romance: Miss Withering begins one with Mr. Boggs after the works' outing (much to his displeasure).
  • Offscreen Crash: Beattie enters her kitchen to get some food for Sid and once the door closes the sound of crockery smashing on the floor can be heard.
  • Only Known by Their Nickname:
    • Vic's first name is "Victor", but only Agatha and Mr. Coote call him that.
    • W.C.'s first name is "William", but only Miss Withering calls him that.
    • Sid's first name is "Sidney", but he is only called that once by Beattie.
  • Only Useful as Toilet Paper: This is Lewis' opinion of the N.U.C.I.E. rulebook:
    Lewis: Well, you know what you can do with their rule book.
    Vic: What's that?
    Lewis: Let me give you a clue. These pages are just about the same size as our toilet paper holders. Now do you get the idea?
  • Operation: Jealousy: Myrtle spends the works' outing clinging to Vic's arm to get back at Lewis after their disastrous date.
  • Playboy Bunny: The waitresses at the Whippet Inn all wear light blue bunny outfits.
  • Polly Wants a Microphone: Beattie spends most of the early parts of the film trying to get her budgie Joey to say something, noting that Mrs. Phillip's budgie started talking much quicker (and ruder).
  • Potty Emergency: The pub crawl the workers go on during the works' outing culminates in this, with the bus stopping next to a bush for them to take a leak behind.
  • Punny Name:
    • Vic's N.U.C.I.E. rulebook becomes a lot funnier when you realise "nookie" is slang for sex.
      Lewis: Oh, I say. They're making rules about that now, are they?
    • The first film Lewis and Myrtle see takes place on Koo Koo Island ("cuckoo" is slang for a crazy person).
    • The nightclub Lewis and Myrtle go to is called the Whippit Inn, or "whip it in".
    • The order for bidets needs to be finished by the time of the Feast of Abanibble, which sounds like "have a nibble" (slang for sex) which is fitting as that is when King Frauzi of Aslam "visits" his 1,000 wives.
    • In his Gipsy Rose disguise, Sid "accidentally" calls Miss Withering "Miss Widdling", which is children's slang for urination.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The movie was made because of the topical subject of many working-class people going on strike over pensions and minimum wage.
  • Really Gets Around: King Frauzi of Aslam, who orders 1,000 bidets for his 1,000 wives.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: Mr. Boggs and his son Lewis would be quite happy to negotiate with the union to resolve the many disputes they have with the management, but Vic is not willing to negotiate with them.
  • Rhymes on a Dime:
    • Beattie when giving Joey a toy:
      Beattie: A nice lit'le toy for a clever lit'le boy.
    • Miss Withering waking up W.C. Boggs after their tryst:
      Miss Withering: W.C.! Tea!
  • Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: The rich middle-class son of a factory owner Lewis Boggs, to the working-class Vic Spanner who still lives with his mother.
  • Ship Tease: Despite Mr. Coote's involvement with Agatha, and Miss Withering's crush on Mr. Boggs, the two seem rather close during the trip to Brighton, with Mr. Coote even trying to teach her how to play Strip Poker.
  • Shirtless Scene:
    • Mr. Coote has one when Bernie catches him after a game of Strip Poker with Agatha.
    • Mr. Boggs has one when he wakes up in Miss Withering's bed.
    • Lewis has a brief one when he's calling Mr. Boggs to let him know he married Myrtle.
  • Shout-Out:
    • Sid compares Miss Withering testing a toilet to Job on a monument.
    • Vic gets everyone to agree to his strike when he reminds them that the Rovers are playing at home today. note 
    • Sid sarcastically asks Beattie if she'll call the RSPCA on him for giving Joey a honey ring, despite the existence of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
    • Sid bets on horses named Cleopatra, Tiny Tim, and Pollyanna.
    • The Sweet Glory of Love was mentioned to have been refused a certificate by the British Board of Film Censors.
    • The Rifle Range has balloons of Dumbo, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pluto as prizes to be won.
    • "Me Ol' Bamboo" plays as Mr. Boggs' group rush into the Victoria Bar.
    • The Potty Emergency montage rings strongly of a similar coach tour piece by Marty Feldman.
  • Show Within a Show: The Sweet Glory of Love, the incredibly sexual film that Lewis takes Myrtle to watch.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: Lewis resorts to either violence or threatening suicide in order to get Myrtle's affections back.
  • Sir Swears-a-Lot: Agatha Spanner can hardly make it through a sentence without a use of "bloody" or "crap".
  • Snobs Vs Slobs: Perhaps the entire movie in a nutshell with the management as the snobs and the workers as the slobs. The movie writes the snobs as the heroes of the picture, though. note 
  • Steven Ulysses Perhero:
    • W.C. Boggs and his son Lewis who run a toilet factory. W.C. stands for "water closet", Boggs sounds like "bog" and Lewis starts with "loo", all terms used for a toilet.
    • The Plummer family, with two of them (Sid and Myrtle) also working in the toilet factory.
    • Vic Spanner, which is fitting because he inspects the area that assembles the toilet parts together.
  • Strip Poker: Mr. Coote's favourite game. He frequently plays with Agatha, offers a game to an uncomfortable Bernie and tries to teach Miss Withering how to play on the coach to Brighton.
  • Talk to the Fist: Bernie tries to punch Lewis under Vic's orders, only for Lewis to duck and Vic to take the blow directly to the face.
  • Tagline: "Flushed with success - the Carry On team carries on round the bend!".
  • Take That!: The whole film is one long insult to trade unions:
    Vic: It's not the union's job to give solutions.
    Sid: You can say that again.
  • Teeny Weenie:
    • Mrs. Spragg catches Vic outside in his underwear. Although Vic tries to skirt past the awkwardness by commenting on the cold weather, she looks at him and mentions it's not surprising.
    • After Miss Withering undresses Mr. Boggs she reassures him that he's not too different from other men she's seen, causing him to peek at his penis under the covers once she leaves the room.
  • Tempting Fate: After Vic says nothing on earth will get him to come back to work, the busty new canteen girl arrives and he quickly changes his mind.
  • Time Skip:
    • After Lewis and Myrtle's terrible date, the film skips ahead by an unspecified amount of weeks.
    • The film skips ahead by two extra weeks after Vic calls a walkout over the new bidet fittings.
  • Title Drop: The last line of the film has Vic drop the film's Working Title, Carry on Working.
    Vic: Come on you lot. Don't 'ang about. Carry on workin'!
  • Traveling Salesman: Chloe's husband Fred is one. The fact that he's never around puts a strain on their marriage and is what leads Chloe to flirt with Sid on the side.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Lewis is a shoo-in as a nicer love interest to Myrtle than Vic, as well as being the only other young man in the main cast. Then when he spots Myrtle enjoying her time with Vic in Brighton, he pays the pier staff in charge of the Ghost Train to stop the machine and kidnap Myrtle in the darkness so it'd be easy to get her to marry him.
  • Troll: Miss Withering cheekily refuses to tell Mr. Boggs if they had sex after the works' outing or not.
  • Tuckerization: The character Charles Hawtrey played, Charles Coote, was so named in honour of his lifelong and very close friend film producer Bernard Coote.
  • Tunnel of Love: Palace Pier doesn't have this, but Vic and Myrtle choose a Ghost Train ride for the same reasons of this trope (unsurprisingly, Vic more so).
  • Undercrank: Played for Laughs in true Carry On fashion.
    • When Vic is launched across the hotel by an angry chef's punch.
    • When the drunken workers exit the coach to dash in and out of pubs, retrieve booze from the boot or dash into the woods for a piss.
  • Unions Suck:
    • Vic Spanner is a lazy worker at a toilet factory who is (supposedly) the head of the factory trade union and organised worker strikes whenever he doesn't want to work.
    • When, near the end, the workforce ignores him and abandon their strike, in real life that would have rendered his position as union representative untenable and he would have resigned as representative immediately. In a subsequent scene, he is shown as still the union representative, although now without his tendency to call strikes.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: Unusually for a Carry On film, Sid and Chloe reluctantly decide not to act on their attraction to each other, as they are both already married (if not especially happily) and don’t want to be the subject of neighbourhood gossip. Very unusually for a Carry On film is that this moment is actually played for sadness.
  • Uptown Guy: Lewis Boggs from the management, who takes an interest in Myrtle Plummer the canteen girl.
  • Verbal Backspace:
    • Mr. Boggs does so after hearing how much money the bidet order will make:
      Mr. Boggs: I don't c- 19,000? That's an awful lot of money.
    • Mr. Boggs does so again when calling Lewis after his night in Miss Withering's bed:
      Mr. Boggs: Yes, I got laid up- ah, h-held up.
  • Virgin–Whore Complex: Although it's not the focal point of the movie, there is an obvious parallel with Vic's attraction to women. He pines after the nice girl Myrtle but seems to be unable to control himself around female colleagues that wear shorter skirts and wear shirts that expose some cleavage.
  • V-Sign: Vic shoots a V-sign at Lewis from the coach to mock him for losing his chance at getting with Myrtle.
  • Wardrobe Malfunction:
    • Vic's pants get ripped off by Bernie's motorbike.
    • Lewis accidentally tears off Myrtle's skirt at the Whippet Inn and did the same to a bunny waitress in a Deleted Scene.
  • Waving Signs Around: Vic's strike over the bidets has him, Bernie and several others march outside the factory with angry signs.
    DOWN WITH BUREAUCRACY
    AND UP THE ROVERS
  • What Did I Do Last Night?: After getting completely drunk on the works' outing to Brighton, Mr. Boggs wakes up the next morning in bed with his secretary, Miss Withering. He uneasily asks her if they did anything he should know about, and Miss Withering smirks and says she knows the answer to that question... and will never tell him:
    Miss Withering: Don't you remember, William?
    Mr. Boggs: No, I don't.
    Miss Withering: Then that is something we shall always be wondering about. Isn' it?
  • What's a Henway?: Mr. Boggs and Sid when drunkenly arguing about Fortune Tellers:
    Mr. Boggs: Fakes, that's all they are, sitting there lookin' in their crystal whatsnames.
    Sid: "Balls".
    Mr. Boggs: I quite agree! Absolutely ridiculous!
  • Working-Class People Are Morons: Part of the reason the film did so poorly when it was first released was that it portrayed the working class (who made up most of the film's target audience) as stupid, entitled, and lazy.
  • Writers Cannot Do Math: Sid bets £56 on Sweet Sue at 18/1 in the horse racing, and wins £1,026, when in reality he should have gotten £1,064. £1,026 is what he would have won if he bet £18 at 56/1.

Alternative Title(s): Carry On Round The Bend

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