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Rothwell, Talbot (1916-1981)
 

Writer

Main image of Rothwell, Talbot (1916-1981)

A mainstay of the 'Carry On' team for many years, Talbot Rothwell wrote some of the series' funniest screenplays. Producer Peter Rogers said of him, in 1992, that, unlike fellow-screenwriter Norman Hudis, he 'didn't write with heart at all; he was against all that. He used to write crazy gags... and marvellous one-liners' [and excruciating puns], and stayed almost until the end.

After WW2 service, he worked as a playwright, wrote for the Crazy Gang and for radio comics including Terry-Thomas, and had considerable experience as a screenwriter before joining the 'Carry On' team. He also wrote for such TV series as Up Pompeii (BBC, 1969-70) and The Army Game (ITV, 1957). He was awarded an OBE in 1977.

Brian McFarlane, Encyclopedia of British Film

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FILM & TV CREDITS

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Selected credits

Thumbnail image of Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)Carry On At Your Convenience (1971)

Comedy about union unrest at the W.C. Boggs toilet factory

Thumbnail image of Carry On Camping (1969)Carry On Camping (1969)

Comedy in which various deluded people go on a camping holiday

Thumbnail image of Carry On Cleo (1964)Carry On Cleo (1964)

Comedy in which two British slaves end up in Ancient Rome and Egypt

Thumbnail image of Carry On Cowboy (1965)Carry On Cowboy (1965)

Western parody: a hapless Marshall attempts to clean us Stodge City

Thumbnail image of Carry On Doctor (1968)Carry On Doctor (1968)

Frankie Howerd joins the team on its second tour of the wards

Thumbnail image of Carry On Screaming! (1966)Carry On Screaming! (1966)

The Carry On team take on Hammer in this spoof horror comedy

Thumbnail image of Carry On Spying (1964)Carry On Spying (1964)

The Carry On team take on James Bond in this frenetic spy spoof

Thumbnail image of Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968)

Highly entertaining Empire spoof from the usual team

Thumbnail image of Crowded Day, The (1954)Crowded Day, The (1954)

The lives and loves of department store workers during Christmas week

Thumbnail image of Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary (1953)Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary (1953)

Diana Dors stars in this frothy farce about a marital mix-up

Thumbnail image of Before Your Very Eyes (1956-58)Before Your Very Eyes (1956-58)

Sketch-based vehicle for the diminutive Arthur Askey

Thumbnail image of Dick Emery Show, The (1963-81)Dick Emery Show, The (1963-81)

'Ooh you are awful...'. Skits and sketches from the cross-dressing comic

Thumbnail image of Up Pompeii! (1970)Up Pompeii! (1970)

Ancient Rome sitcom starring Frankie Howerd

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Thumbnail image of The Carry On LegacyThe Carry On Legacy

An analysis of what kept Carry On carrying on

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