''Carry On Up the Khyber'' is a 1968

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, the 16th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It stars ''Carry On'' regulars Sid James,

Kenneth Williams Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was a British actor and comedian. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 ''Carry ...

, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Bernard Bresslaw and

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915Wanda Ventham; and Roy Castle makes his only ''Carry On'' appearance, in the romantic male lead part usually played by Jim Dale.

Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born Angela McDonagh) is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire circa 1940. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory theatre, repert ...

makes her fourth and final appearance in the series. Terry Scott returned to the series after his minor role in the first film of the series, '' Carry On Sergeant'' a decade earlier. The film is, in part, a spoof of Kiplingesque movies and television series about life in the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, both contemporary and from earlier, Hollywood, periods. The title is a play on words in the risqué Carry On tradition, with "Khyber" (short for "

Khyber Pass The Khyber Pass (Urdu: درۂ خیبر; ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by tr ...

") being

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

for "arse". The film was followed by '' Carry On Camping'' (1969).

Plot

Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond is

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

in the Indian province of Kalabar near the

. The province is defended by the feared 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment, who are said to not wear anything under their

kilt A kilt ( ) is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men, it is first r ...

s. When a soldier, the inept Private Widdle, is found wearing underpants after an encounter with the warlord Bungdit Din, chief of the warlike Burpa tribe, the Khasi of Kalabar plans to use this information to incite a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

in Kalabar. He aims to dispel the "tough" image of the Devils in Skirts by revealing that, contrary to popular belief, they actually wear underpants underneath their kilts. A diplomatic operation ensues on the part of the British, who fail to publicly prove that the incident was an aberration. The Governor's wife, in the hope of luring the Khasi into bed with her, takes a photograph of an inspection in which many of the soldiers present are found wearing underpants, and takes it to him. With this hard evidence in hand, the Khasi would be able to muster a ferocious

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

invasion force, storm the Khyber Pass and capture India from the British; but Lady Ruff-Diamond insists that he sleep with her before she parts with the photograph. He delays on account of her unattractiveness, eventually taking her away with him to Bungdit Din's palace. Meanwhile, the Khasi's daughter, Princess Jelhi, reveals to the British Captain Keene, with whom she has fallen in love, that the Governor's wife has eloped, and a team is dispatched to ensure the return of both her and the photograph. Disguised as Afghan generals, the interlopers are brought into the palace and, at the Khasi's suggestion, are introduced to Bungdit Din's sultry

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

s. Whilst enjoying the women in the harem, they are unmasked amid a farcical orgy, imprisoned, and scheduled to be

executed Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

at sunset alongside the Governor's wife. Princess Jelhi aids their escape by disguising them as dancing girls, but during the entertaining of the Afghan generals, the Khasi, contemptuous of an annoying fakir's performance, demands that he see the dancing girls instead. After their disguises are seen through, the British and the Princess flee, but Lady Ruff-Diamond drops the photograph on leaving the palace through the gardens. The group returns to the Khyber Pass to find its guards massacred and their weapons comically mutilated, in a rare (albeit tainted) moment of poignancy. All attempts to hold off the advancing Afghan invaders fail miserably, and a hasty retreat is beaten to the Residency. The Governor, meanwhile, has been entertaining, in numerical order, the Khasi's fifty-one wives, each one of them wishing to "right the wrong" that his own wife and the Khasi himself have supposedly committed against him. After a browbeating from his wife, Sir Sidney calls a crisis meeting regarding the invasion, in which he resolves to "do nothing"—until it is too late, as his aide notes. A

black tie Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

dinner is arranged for that evening. Dinner takes place during a prolonged penultimate scene, with contrapuntal snippets of the Khasi's army demolishing the Residency's exterior, and the officers and ladies ignoring the devastation as they dine amongst themselves. Shells shaking the building and plaster falling into the soup do not interrupt dinner, even when the fakir's severed – but still talking – head is served, courtesy of the Khasi. Only Brother Belcher fails to display a stiff upper lip, and breaks his calm by panicking. Finally, at Captain Keene's suggestion, the gentlemen walk outside to be greeted by a bloody battle being waged in the courtyard. Still dressed in black tie, Sir Sidney orders the Regiment to form a line and lift their kilts, this time exposing their (implied) lack of underwear. The invading Afghan army is terrified, and retreats at once. The gentlemen walk back inside to resume dinner, whilst Brother Belcher notices the

Union flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

flown by the governor bearing the slogan

I'm Backing Britain "I'm Backing Britain" was a brief Patriotism, patriotic campaign, which flourished in early 1968 and was aimed at boosting the British economy. The campaign started spontaneously when five Surbiton secretaries volunteered to work an extra half-h ...

and calls them "raving mad".

Cast

* Sid James as Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond *

as The Khasi of Kalabar * Charles Hawtrey as Private James Widdle * Roy Castle as Captain Keene * Joan Sims as Lady Joan Ruff-Diamond * Bernard Bresslaw as Bungdit Din *

Peter Butterworth Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915Terry Scott as Sergeant Major MacNutt *

as Princess Jelhi *

Cardew Robinson Douglas John Cardew Robinson (14 August 1917 – 28 December 1992) was a British comic whose career was rooted in the music hall and Gang Shows. Early life and career Born in Goodmayes, Essex, Robinson was educated at Harrow County Schoo ...

as The Fakir * Peter Gilmore as Private Ginger Hale * Julian Holloway as Major Shorthouse * Leon Thau as Stinghi * Michael Mellinger as Chindi * Wanda Ventham as The Khasi's First Wife * Alexandra Dane as Busti

Production

Writing

The screenplay was written by Talbot Rothwell. Peter Rogers had liked Rothwell's writing so much after he had submitted the script for '' Carry On Jack'' that he asked him to become the ''Carry On'' staff writer; Rothwell wrote a further nineteen ''Carry On'' films. The film's fictional

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

infantry regiment Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

was known as the 3rd

Foot and Mouth Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious disease, infectious and sometimes fatal virus (biology), viral disease that primarily affects even-toed ungulates, including domestic and wild Bovidae, bovids. The vir ...

Regiment. It is a regiment of Highlanders, known locally as "the Devils in Skirts" for their tradition of not wearing anything beneath their

s. The regimental tartans and bonnet badges designed for the unnamed Highland regiment in the 1960 film '' Tunes of Glory'' were rented for the production to kit out ''Carry On Up the Khyber's'' 3rd Foot and Mouth Regiment. The

pith helmet The pith helmet, also known as the safari helmet, salacot, sola topee, sun helmet, topee, and topi is a lightweight cloth-covered helmet made of sholapith. The pith helmet originates from the Spanish Empire, Spanish military adaptation of the nat ...

s and

webbing file:Webbing.jpg, red, blue and black nylon webbing as used in auto racing harnesses Webbing is a strong Textile, fabric weaving, woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres, often used in place of rope. It is a versatile componen ...

were borrowed from the 1964 classic war film, '' Zulu''.

Filming

The movie was shot between 8 April and 31 May 1968. Interiors were filmed 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. Heatherden Hall, the administrative offices of Pinewood Studios, was used as the governor's residence. The scenes on the North West Frontier were filmed beneath the summit of

Snowdon Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. The lower part of the Watkin Path was used as the Khyber Pass with garrison and border gate. In September 2005, a plaque was unveiled in Snowdonia to commemorate the film and the location.

Release

The film was the second most popular movie at the UK box office in 1969.

Reception

''Carry On... Up the Khyber'' is frequently cited as the best entry in the series.

Colin MacCabe Colin Myles Joseph MacCabe (born 9 February 1949) is an English academic, writer and film producer. He is currently a distinguished professor of English and film at the University of Pittsburgh.

, Professor of English at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

, labelled this film (together with '' Carry On Cleo'') as one of the best films of all time. In 1999, it was placed 99th on the BFI's list of greatest British films 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 Up the Khyber'' as one of the series' five best films, alongside '' Carry On Cleo'' (1964), ''

Carry On Screaming ''Carry On Screaming!'' is a 1966 British comedy horror film, the twelfth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was the last of the series to be made by Anglo-Amalgamated before the series moved to The Rank Organisation. Of ...

'' (1966), '' Carry On Camping'' (1969), and '' Carry On Matron'' (1972).

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * *

External links

* *
''Carry on Up the Khyber'' at BFI Screenonline

Filming ''Carry On Up The Khyber'', Snowdonia, 1968
– TV feature, including on-location interviews with Gerald Thomas and Kenneth Williams *
3rd Foot & Mouth Recreation Group
{{Gerald Thomas 1968 films 1960s historical comedy films 1960s parody films British Empire war films British historical comedy films British parody films

Up the Khyber ''More'' is the third studio album and first soundtrack album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released on 13 June 1969 in the United Kingdom by EMI Columbia and on 9 August 1969 in the United States by Tower Records. The soundtrack is ...

1960s English-language films Films directed by Gerald Thomas Films set in 1895 Films set in the British Raj Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in Wales Films set in India Films set in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Films produced by Peter Rogers Films with screenplays by Talbot Rothwell 1968 comedy films 1960s British films Films scored by Eric Rogers (composer) Khyber Pass English-language historical comedy films