I remember watching Carry on films in my younger years and this was a nice walk back through memory lane. It acknowledges that the films wouldn't stand up today but tries to argue that there was a feminist angle to them...hmmm.

“I was once a weak man”.
“Well, once a week’s enough for any man”.

This and many other pearls of wisdom are to be found in the evergreen National Treasure that is the Carry On films. A phenomenally successful legend of British cinema, now a mainstay of Bank Holiday telly, no entendre was ever knowingly left undoubled by the likes of Sid James, Barbara Windsor and Kenneth Williams. Many books have been written on them, but there’s always room for one more especially when they’re as good as Caroline Frost’s “Carry On Regardless”. (It takes its title from the fifth Carry On, which features Kenneth Williams taking a chimpanzee for a walk and attempting to hail a taxi only to be told by the driver -“I'll take you, but not your brother!”)
Frost takes a deep dive into the history of the Carry Ons from their genesis and early days in the late ‘50s, through its heyday in the ‘60s and it’s slow demise in the ‘70s, a decade which was certainly not the franchise’s golden age. She also examines the not-so-successful relaunch film “Carry On Columbus” and the many recent attempts to revive the series. Personally, I don’t think this should happen as a modern version could never match the sheer innocent fun of the originals.
The Carry Ons rarely get any kind of serious appraisal as the general consensus has always been that they were and are very lightweight, offensive rubbish, guilty of every “ism” under the sun, that belongs in the unenlightened past and which have no place in the “woke” future. However, Caroline Frost discovers that the films were far more progressive than they are given credit for.
There are many contemporary photographs and interviews with surviving cast members who offer a firsthand insight into what it was really like on the set of a Carry On. Part academic critique, part nostalgia-trip, this is a scholarly yet fun book, highly recommended.

Oh WoW......Wishes do come true!!!! The publisher has granted your wish!
I was so excited to read this book when I saw this book! Carry On Regardless by Caroline Frost.
Now who doesn't love a Carry on film. I love them and was a great part of my childhood life; sitting with my mum, grandad and sisters all around our black n white television, all laughing at so many great scenes especially the Barbra Windsor scene with her boob flash! etc and now adult life sitting on a cold winters day watching them snuggled under a blanket. They never seem to age - not like me!!!!

This book was Brilliant from start to finish. It was full of history, stories about the carry on films, the characters, etc

However, this book was let down by the lack photo's of the film scene's or characters etc. This books should of been illustrated and it would of bought this book a life (only a few), Especially if you are sharing priceless time with your mum, grandad, nan etc as their memory may not be as good now...........It would be a great book to go down memory lane with them as well. I did read a lot of this book to my mum who loved it, so I was glad I had the internet open for pictures to remind her what I was reading about.

I recommend this book and a great present for a Carry on film fan.

Big thank you to Netgalley, and Pen & Sword the publisher to read this ARC, this is my honest review. Plus, granting my wish........Precious time with my Mum. Thank you x

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this insightful book

a big fan of the carry on movies this was an interesting read that took me back in time when you knew that there was a new carry on movie to watch

it was lovely to read about each individual cast member and what they went through filming each movie...who would have thought they had been on a tight ship and only ever filmed each movie on set...such is the glamour of a carry on star

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC
I love the Carry On Films so was so excited to read this book. It gives really good feedback on the actors actresses funny moments really brought back memories

"Isn't it funny that a series called the Carry On films has stopped?" jokes the comedian, Tim Vine.
They in fact stopped a very long time ago now - in 1978 - but the public fascination with them has never ceased. From the gentle but jolly black-and-white National Service comedy, Carry On Sergeant in 1958 to the abysmal Carry On Emmannuelle twenty years later, thirty Carry Ons were produced. The early films such as the most successful entry, Carry On Nurse (1958) were written by Norman Hudis and tended to poke gentle fun at national institutions, for example, the Army, hospitals, police force and schools. A big change came when Talbot Rothwell took over as screenwriter for the the 007 spoof, Carry On Spying (1964), a development which coincided with the arrival of Barbara Windsor on the cast and the move into colour (Spying in which Windsor played Daphne Honeybutt was the last one to appear in black-and-white).
From that point onwards, the films became less innocent and more smutty. Characters started having names like Dr. Tinkle and Gladstone Screwer and the films were crammed with all the sexual innuendoes which they've become known for. On the plus side, they also became notably more ambitious parodying everything from historical epics (Carry On Cleo), to Hammer Horror films (Screaming) with mostly enjoyable results, while always remaining cheap to produce.
As the 1970s began, however, things took a turn for the worse as the changing social mores of the ever more permissive society pushed the films into the gutter. Carry On Henry (1971) was good fun and the contemporary Carry On Camping (1969) - famous for the scene in which Barbara Windsor's top bursts off during an exercise session - was one of the most successful in the series. But by the mid-70s, the quality had declined to such an extent that most of the regular cast (Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Windsor) had abandoned the whole enterprise. The familiar cast were, of course, a key reason why the films did well. By 1992, with many of the originals either dead (Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey) or unwilling to be in it (e.g. Windsor), the disastrous attempt to revive the franchise with Carry On Columbus was doomed from the start.
Although it doesn't gloss over the dark side of the series (the actors' terrible pay, the miserable off screen personal lives endured by Williams and Hawtrey), Caroline Frost's book remains an affectionate portrait.

If like me you have been brought up on the Carry On franchise then this is a gem of a book. It gives you insights and fact about the films and their stars and theres some great behind the scenes pictures. I did lots of reminiscing and there was so many, "oh I forgot about that one moments"! The only problem with this book is, I still cant decide which my favourite Carry On film is!

I have very dear memories of “carry on” movie series, I was born in 1981, only watched the movies on the 90’s but this was the kind of humor that defined, what was funny for me, if you think about it, all comedies that were made in the 90’s almost seemed inspired in carry on movies, being sexy without being vulgar, even monty python took a great deal of inspiration in the carry on movies, this was when being funny was what people wanted from a comedy, not being political correct… women in carry on movies weren’t dumb pretty accessories, yes it could look like that, but in almost all the movies (the ones I saw, haven't watched all T_T) women are cunning and in many aspects they’re clever than men and use their wits to go on and about hahah, I remember watching “Carry On Spying” and the women were quite superior in all senses XD clever, brave, and even masterminds.

This book was written by a fan, someone that researched very carefully about this actors and actresses, and I am surprised and saddened by the fate of almost all T_T one would think they were so well know, that they would be rich, but no, and that is only a little bit of the problem… they were also repressed and forced to do all over again the same parts and the same things, yes it was great to be around friends, just like a family, but it would be great to be a little more appreciated… it was a kind of slavery, and I am happy and sad that I read this book, that I got to know so much more about all of this carry on family. I just wish I could have meet them all in person, not only through a screen.

I highly recommend this book in all instances, for people that know the movies, for people that don’t know the movies, but really want to know about people that were really brave and wanted to make others laugh, even today, more than 60 years from the first carry on movie, I know you’ll laugh out loud.

I really thank the opportunity that I was given by NetGalley to read this ARC, this is my honest review.