Carry on Christmas 1972: Carry on Stuffing

Another year and once again I'm saving blogging about Too Many Christmas Trees for some unspecified time in the future. It will surely come as no surprise that I adore the naughty and slightly childish humour of the Carry On films. I suspect they may be one of those British things which don't travel well, but as always I stand to be corrected in the comments.

I have deliberately chosen this one of the four Christmas TV specials on the box set because it is my favourite, and yet strangely it is often considered the weakest, according to the internet. Therefore it seems right to give it a plug here and have a go at rehabilitating it. It consists of a number of sketches joined together with a banquet, and manages to contain all sorts of things we associate with Christmas. These include elements of pantomime stories and spoof other genres of films and fiction.

Visually it is splendid, and starts off with a shot of a manor house. We all know that in TV that speaks to established wealth and prosperity. This show doesn't have anything which you could possibly feel discomfited by, unless you are very offended by innuendo. At one point a ship is mentioned called the Nookie and its captain is Captain Knee-Trembler. The innuendo is only what you will find in the films and tickles me no end.

This is sadly a year where we have had many actors die and Barbara Windsor appears in this in several roles, including appearing topless as you can see. I am a bit disoriented to discover that her partner's surname was Mitchell leaving me wondering whether she really was mother to Grant and Phil Mitchell!

There can be no possible criticism of this show. Happy holiday!