In film, television, and radio, British comedy has produced some of the most renowned characters in the world. In it, satire is one of the features of British comedy. Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively hosted on BBC .
31-477: Carry On England is a 1976 British comedy film, the 28th release in the series of the original 30 Carry On films (1958–1978). It was released in October 1976 and featured Carry On regulars Kenneth Connor , Jack Douglas , Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth . It was the second and last Carry On film for Windsor Davies , Diane Langton and Peter Jones , as well as the fifth and last for Patricia Franklin and
62-494: A heart attack on stage and died, at the age of 62. In 2023, actor Larry Dann dedicated a chapter of his autobiography " Oh, What A Lovely Memoir " to share his memories of the making of this production. The film was originally certified AA by the British Board of Film Censors which would have restricted audiences to those aged fourteen and over, but was cut down to the non-age limited A certificate by heavily toning down
93-582: A "pretty" puppet play being performed in Covent Garden, London . The various episodes of Punch and Judy are dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Satire has been a major feature of comedy in the British Isles for centuries. The pictorial satire of William Hogarth was a precursor to the development of political cartoons in 18th-century England. The medium developed under the direction of James Gillray from London, who has been referred to as
124-510: A Clue (1972–), and The News Quiz (1977–), which often broadcast a dozen of so episodes a year. Following the success of Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son , sitcoms became a part of some television schedules. The BBC has generally been dominant in television comedy , but the commercial stations have also had some successes. Other formats have also been popular, such as with sketch shows , stand-up comedy , impressionists , and puppet shows . Notable satirical comedies are
155-544: A form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and Laurel were among the young comedians who worked for him as part of "Fred Karno's Army". Radio comedy in Britain has been almost exclusively the preserve of the BBC . In the 1940s and 1950s, variety dominated the schedules, and popular series included It's That Man Again and Much Binding in the Marsh . In the 1950s,
186-565: A major role, reprising (in all but name) his Sergeant-Major character from the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum , along with Melvyn Hayes as his effeminate foil. Other main roles are played by established and recognisable actors Judy Geeson and Patrick Mower , both newcomers to the Carry On films. The role of the Brigadier was written for series regular Kenneth Williams , and the role of Private Easy
217-449: A marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of Britain - a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to our political cartoons." British comedy history is measured in centuries. Shakespeare incorporated many chase scenes and beatings into his comedies, such as in his play The Comedy of Errors . Punch and Judy made their first recorded appearance in Britain in 1662, when Samuel Pepys noted
248-481: A nine-month closure for a £4.5m redevelopment project to enable it to stage West End shows, the theatre reopened on 9 December 2004 with a performance of Starlight Express . This refurbishment involved expanding the stage and the height of the fly tower . The refurbishment also allowed a new production of Miss Saigon to be staged at Sunderland in early 2005. On 9 December 2005, the Sunderland Empire staged
279-449: A preview performance of the first ever touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , starring Tim Flavin and Robin Askwith . The official European premiere of this production took place there on the following Tuesday, 13 December. On 2 May 2006, a new touring production of My Fair Lady began its run, starring Christopher Cazenove and Amy Nuttall . Scrooge: The Musical played at
310-601: Is a large theatre venue located in High Street West in Sunderland , North East England . The theatre, which opened in 1907, is owned by City of Sunderland Council and operated by Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd, on behalf of Sunderland Empire Theatre Trust. The theatre is one of the largest venues in the North East, with 1,860 seats and the capacity to accommodate 2,200 when all standing positions are occupied. The auditorium
341-683: Is also one of the few remaining in the UK to have four tiers, namely the Orchestra Stalls, the Dress Circle, the Upper Circle and the Gallery. There are four private boxes on the Dress Circle level, as well as two proscenium boxes on the Upper Circle balcony. The Empire Palace, as it was originally called, was established independently by Richard Thornton after his partnership with theatre magnate Edward Moss
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#1733084627587372-462: Is confined to camp as punishment, Melly not realising that men and women in close quarters don’t need to leave camp to enjoy themselves. Realising his mistake Melly endeavours to separate man from woman with barbed wire around the sleeping quarters, round the clock battle drills and separate mealtimes. Determined to reunite with their beloveds, the battery digs secret tunnels under the barbed wire for easy access, making life bearable again. Unfortunately
403-459: Is now located at the top of the main staircase, with a replica on the dome itself. The dome and tower have recently been refitted with a state-of-the-art LED and floodlight system that illuminates the main entrance in the evening. Until the mid-twenties, the Empire enjoyed much extended success from its variety performances. With the decline of touring theatre, a projection box was added in 1930 and for
434-461: The 1960s series That Was The Week That Was , the 1980s series Not the Nine O'Clock News , and ITV 's puppet show Spitting Image . The show of the 1980s and early 1990s, Spitting Image , was a satire of politics, entertainment, sport, and British culture of the era, and at its peak, it was watched by 15 million people. British satire has also gone over into quiz shows ; popular examples include
465-484: The BBC was running Hancock's Half Hour starring Tony Hancock . Hancock's Half Hour was later transferred to television. One of the notable radio shows was the double entendre -laden Round the Horne (1965–1968), a sequel to the earlier series Beyond Our Ken , which ran from 1959 to 1964. Later radio shows made use of the panel game format, including the long-running Just a Minute (1967–), I'm Sorry I Haven't
496-441: The Sunderland Empire over the 2006 Christmas period, starring comedian and television personality Michael Barrymore in the title role. 2007 saw the Sunderland Empire celebrate its centenary and a massive line-up of big shows including Starlight Express , The Producers , Footloose , South Pacific and the first pantomime since its refurbishment – Cinderella which starred Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney . The theatre now
527-467: The Sunderland Empire. The theatre was the regular venue for the University of Sunderland 's graduation ceremonies until the theatre's refurbishment in 2004. Since this time, the graduation ceremonies have been held at Sunderland AFC 's Stadium of Light . Birmingham Royal Ballet frequently visits the Sunderland Empire, and BRB considers the theatre as its base in the North East of England. Following
558-408: The eighth and last for Julian Holloway . Patrick Mower , Judy Geeson and Melvyn Hayes make their only appearances in a Carry On film. The film was followed by That's Carry On! in 1977. During the darkest days of the war Captain S Melly is put in charge of the experimental 1313 Anti-Aircraft Battery along with the bellowing, ball-squeezing Sergeant Major “Tiger” Bloomer. Melly soon discovers
589-599: The father of the political cartoon. In early 19th-century England, pantomime acquired its present form, which includes slapstick comedy and featured the first mainstream clown, Joseph Grimaldi , while comedy routines also featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in the 1850s. British comedians who honed their skills at pantomime and music hall sketches include Charlie Chaplin , Stan Laurel , George Formby , and Dan Leno . The English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred Karno developed
620-450: The first time, the theatre played host to motion pictures. On 5 November 1956 Tommy Steele made his stage debut heading the bill in a variety show. Steele, Britain's first rock 'n' roll singer, went on to become one of the world's leading song and dance men appearing at the Empire many times. Although audience figures were high during the 1940s and early 1950s, the theatre closed in May 1959 due to
651-468: The growing popularity of television and cinema. It reopened in 1960, however, after Sunderland Council bought the theatre. The Beatles performed there during their first UK national tour. The actor Sid James , best known for his roles in Carry On films and Bless This House suffered a heart attack during a performance of The Mating Season on 26 April 1976 and died on the way to hospital. Later it
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#1733084627587682-452: The gun they dive for cover in their private bunker, the “Snoggery”. Even worse the anti-aircraft cannon is made of wood; with a war on, real guns are hard to come by. Determined to get the battery up to standard Melly and Tiger put the men, and women, through vigorous retraining, violent exercise and 12 mile long route marches. In response Ready, Willing and Able sabotage Melly’s uniform, leaving him red faced and bare cheeked. The whole battery
713-414: The most famous symbols of victory for the entire war . This film featured few established members of the Carry On team . Carry On regular Kenneth Connor played a leading role, but the only other long-time regulars present, Joan Sims and Peter Butterworth, had only small supporting roles. Windsor Davies , who had joined the series with a main role in the preceding film Carry On Behind , again plays
744-449: The news quiz Have I Got News for You , 8 out of 10 cats , and Shooting Stars . In the 1980s, alternative comedy was spearheaded by Ben Elton and The Comic Strip group, which included Alexei Sayle , Rik Mayall , and French and Saunders . The 1990s and 2000s also have those that have used editing , surreal humour , and cultural references to great effect. Sunderland Empire Theatre The Sunderland Empire Theatre
775-764: The scenes featuring topless nudity and removing one comedic use of the word fokker . However, it still proved to be a major commercial failure and was withdrawn from some cinemas after just three days. Interiors : Exteriors : In a 2018 retrospective on the series, the British Film Institute named Carry On England as one of the series' five worst films, alongside Carry On Girls (1973), That's Carry On! (1977), Carry On Emmannuelle (1978), and Carry On Columbus (1992). British comedy "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism . We soon changed Punch's name, transformed him from
806-460: The theatre to post a letter, she disappeared down a nearby alley and was never seen again. The Empire was known as a 'comic graveyard' – rather unfortunately given the above points – because of the partisan reception of the audiences of the time. Nowadays, the theatre regularly plays host to large-scale musicals , opera , ballet , dance showcases, amateur productions and one-night shows. Oscar -winning actress Helen Mirren made her stage debut at
837-549: The very next day Melly finally takes delivery of an anti-aircraft cannon, which promptly falls into the tunnel. Forced by Melly to retrieve the gun from its hole the battery sabotages an inspection by Melly’s Brigadier, hoping Melly will be reassigned somewhere else. When a real air raid arrives both battery and officers pull together to defend England, successfully shooting down all enemy planes and with only one casualty: Captain Melly’s two sprained fingers, which go on to inspire one of
868-428: The “experiment” is that half his men are women, led by the randy Bombardier Ready, Sergeant Tilly Willing and Sergeant Len Able. Tiger is unable to discipline properly as he is unable to swear around women and must avoid the libidinous advances of Private Ffoukes-Sharpe. Meanwhile the battery are happy to spend the war in each other’s beds. Melly shakes things up with a fake air raid and is furious when instead of loading
899-482: Was dissolved. It was opened on 1 July 1907 by variety and vaudeville star Vesta Tilley , who had laid the foundation stone on 29 September 1906. The dome on the 90 ft tower featured a revolving sphere bearing the statue of Terpsichore , the Greek Muse of dance and choral song. These were removed during World War II for safety reasons, after a bomb which had fallen nearby rocked the building. The original statue
930-433: Was rumoured that his ghost was in the dressing room he occupied on the night of his death; after one experience during a gig there, the comedian Les Dawson refused to play the venue again. Whilst the ghost of James is said to haunt backstage, the spirits of Vesta Tilley and Molly Moselle are said to haunt the front-of-house areas. Molly Moselle was a stage manager for Ivor Novello's The Dancing Years in 1949. Leaving
961-572: Was written for series regular Barbara Windsor , but Williams was unavailable due to appearing in the stage play Signed and Sealed , and Windsor was unavailable due to appearing in Twelfth Night at the Chichester Festival Theatre . Series regular Sid James was unavailable for the film due to appearing in the stage play The Mating Season . On the opening night of the play at Sunderland Empire Theatre on 26 April 1976, James suffered