A three parter broadcast in the UK in 2015, Carry On Forever is a wonderful nostalgia trip for fans of the series. From the off it has to be said that this is far from definitive, for that to be the case this would have had to be a programme of treble the length it actually is! So there are some gaps for sure, yet the makers - realising this is a fond look at the series - keep the sad aspects of some cast members down to a minimum. The drink problems, the weight problems, the strops and tantrums etc, some are covered with tender tones (Martin Clunes narrates), but as stated previously this is not definitive due to time constraints.
What we do get warms the cockles. Many of the regulars have left the mortal coil, so the producers bring in the offspring of some of the icons to comment, to look at documents, photographs and on set footage that had previously not been seen by the public. These provide some real emotion, as does the feeling and fondness that shines out from the survivors who partake in the programme. The likes of Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Jackie Piper, Angela Douglas, Julian Holloway and Sally Geeson all line up to keep things real, some being reunited for the first time in decades, themselves viewing pictures they hadn't seen before.
Then there's the clips from the films, nothing new for fans, but enough to whet the appetite, to get you hankering to watch one of your particular favourites. As most fans will tell you, not all of the Carry On films were great, some are real stinkers, the latter of which sees the producers steer away from chastising the likes of Carry On England, yet the series has cemented itself as part of the British film institution, with the films themselves perpetual showings on UK TV even today. Carry On is indeed Carrying On Forever and this programme does it justice. 9/10
What we do get warms the cockles. Many of the regulars have left the mortal coil, so the producers bring in the offspring of some of the icons to comment, to look at documents, photographs and on set footage that had previously not been seen by the public. These provide some real emotion, as does the feeling and fondness that shines out from the survivors who partake in the programme. The likes of Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Jackie Piper, Angela Douglas, Julian Holloway and Sally Geeson all line up to keep things real, some being reunited for the first time in decades, themselves viewing pictures they hadn't seen before.
Then there's the clips from the films, nothing new for fans, but enough to whet the appetite, to get you hankering to watch one of your particular favourites. As most fans will tell you, not all of the Carry On films were great, some are real stinkers, the latter of which sees the producers steer away from chastising the likes of Carry On England, yet the series has cemented itself as part of the British film institution, with the films themselves perpetual showings on UK TV even today. Carry On is indeed Carrying On Forever and this programme does it justice. 9/10