''Carry On Columbus'' is a 1992

British comedy 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 the BBC. History ...

film directed by

Gerald Thomas Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director best known for the long-running ''Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' series'' of British film comedies. Early life Born in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding ...

and starring

Jim Dale Jim Dale (born James Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. In British ...

Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" ...

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, columnist and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

, Peter Richardson and many other British comic actors. It was written by Dave Freeman and

John Antrobus John Arthur Antrobus (born 2 July 1933) is an English playwright and screenwriter. He has written extensively for stage, screen, TV and radio, including the epic World War II play, ''Crete and Sergeant Pepper'' at the Royal Court. He authored t ...

. It was the 31st and final release in the ''Carry On'' film series (1958–1992), a belated entry following 1978's '' Carry On Emmannuelle''. It was produced to coincide with the 500th anniversary of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

' arrival in the Americas.

Plot

Christopher Columbus believes he can find an alternative route to the far East and persuades King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to finance his expedition. But the

Sultan of the Ottoman Empire The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...

, who makes a great deal of money through taxing the merchants who have to pass through his country on the

Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

, sends his best spy, Fatima, to wreck the trip...

Cast

Production

Casting

Main series regulars present are

(in his eleventh ''Carry On''), Peter Gilmore (also in his eleventh),

(in his third),

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...

(in his fourth),

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

(in his fourth) and

June Whitfield Dame June Rosemary Whitfield (11 November 1925 – 29 December 2018) was an English radio, television and film actress. Whitfield's big break was a lead in the radio comedy '' Take It from Here'', which aired on the BBC Light Programme ...

(also in her fourth). The only actor to bridge the gap between ''Carry On Columbus'' and the previous entry was Jack Douglas, making his eighth appearance in the series. Original ''Carry On'' performer

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

was signed up to appear, but he died shortly before he was due to film his role. His part as the King of Spain was offered to original series regular

Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw (25 February 193411 June 1993) was an English actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the '' Carry On'' film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, performed recordings and wrote a series of poetr ...

, who turned it down.

eventually took on the role, playing opposite

as the Queen, a role turned down by both

Joan Sims Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001) was an English actress and comedienne, best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' franchise, appearing in 24 of the films (the most for any actress). On television, she is known for ...

and

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

. Veteran ''Carry On'' performer

Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London, t ...

was offered the role of the Duke of Costa Brava but he turned it down, saying "I want to be remembered as a ''Carry On'' star, not a ''Carry On'' bit-player". The producers managed to persuade a number of alternative comedians such as Peter Richardson,

Alexei Sayle Alexei David Sayle (born 7 August 1952) is an English actor, author, stand-up comedian, television presenter and former recording artist. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement in the 1980s. He was voted the 18th g ...

Rik Mayall Richard Michael Mayall (; 7 March 1958 – 9 June 2014) was an English actor, comedian and writer. He formed a close partnership with Adrian Edmondson while they were students at Manchester University, and was a pioneer of alternative come ...

Julian Clary Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has also acted in films, on television and in stage productions, including n ...

and

Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, writer and musician. His television credits include playing Neil in the sitcom '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in the sitcom '' Filthy Rich & Catflap'', as well as narrating th ...

(all of whom except Clary are from ''

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

'') to appear in the film. This was the last film that

directed, as he died on 9 November 1993.

Filming and locations

The film was shot between 21 April and 27 May 1992 with interior shooting at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, Buckinghamshire and location shooting at Frensham Common. The latter location was previously used nearly 30 years earlier for the similarly nautical ''

Carry On Jack ''Carry On Jack'' is a 1964 British comedy film, the eighth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Most of the usual ''Carry On'' team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout, wi ...

''.

Reception

The film was panned by critics.

Michael Dwyer Michael Dwyer (1 January 1772– 23 August 1825) was an insurgent captain in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, leading the United Irish forces in battles in Wexford and Wicklow. Following the defeat and dispersal of the rebel hosts, in July 1798 ...

in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' described ''Carry on Columbus'' as a "flaccid, feeble comeback effort" and a "wretched and pathetic attempt which is singularly unfunny". However, ''Carry On Columbus'' took more money at the UK box office (£1,667,249) than the two other Columbus films released in 1992, '' Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' and '' 1492: Conquest of Paradise'', although all three films flopped. ''Carry On Columbus'' was also shot on a much lower budget than the other two films, a budget of £2.5 million compared to the other two budgets of $45 million and $47 million respectively. In a 2004 poll of British film actors, technicians, writers and directors on British cinema, ''Carry On Columbus'' was voted the worst British film ever made. In a 2018 retrospective on the series, the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

named ''Carry On Columbus'' as one of the series' five worst films, alongside ''

Carry On Girls ''Carry On Girls'' is a 1973 British comedy film, the 25th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film features regulars Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butter ...

'' (1973), ''

Carry on England ''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 Sim ...

'' (1976), ''

That's Carry On! ''That's Carry On!'' is a 1977 British comedy film, the 29th release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film is a compilation of the highlights of most of the previous 28 films, and features series regulars Kenneth Willi ...

'' (1977), and '' Carry On Emmannuelle'' (1978).

Commercial Release

The film was released on VHS in March 1993 by Warner Home Video in the UK. An official DVD has never been released and was not a part of the De Agostini collection release in fortnightly parts with a magazine and film in 2003. A bootleg DVD has been circulating since 2010 which appears to be a direct transfer from the VHS release.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carry On Columbus Carry On films 1992 films British historical comedy films Films directed by Gerald Thomas Films scored by John Du Prez British parody films British sex comedy films 1990s sex comedy films 1990s historical comedy films Films set in the 1490s Fiction about Christopher Columbus' first voyage Films set in Spain Films set in pre-Columbian America British biographical films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films produced by Peter Rogers Depictions of Isabella I of Castile in film 1992 comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s British films Cultural depictions of Ferdinand II of Aragon English-language sex comedy films English-language historical comedy films United International Pictures films