Carry On Girls (1973)

Carry On Girls is the series at its cheekiest: a rain-soaked, down-at-heel seaside town becomes the perfect petri dish for vanity, civic “improvement,” and a no-holds-barred culture clash that plays like a postcard from Britain’s bawdier 1970s. Gerald Thomas keeps the pace brisk and the mood gleefully chaotic, letting Sidney James, Barbara Windsor, and Joan Sims volley double entendres and escalating public-relations disasters with the comforting precision of seasoned pros. The vibe is pure pier-end mayhem—saucy, silly, and unapologetically broad—more interested in comic momentum than subtlety, and it’s hard not to be won over by its shameless commitment to a good gag. It’s not for viewers allergic to dated attitudes or plentiful innuendo (and yes, more skin than earlier Carry Ons), but if you’re on the fence and want a spirited, shamelessly nudge-nudge comedy, this one delivers the goods.

Carry On Girls is trying to bottle that classic Carry On mix of seaside farce, broad slapstick, and cheeky satire by pitting a beauty pageant against a local women’s lib movement. The problem is it leans heavily on nudity, innuendo, and “battle of the sexes” gags that now feel more leery than clever, with the plot mostly serving as a clothesline for set-pieces rather than building real comic momentum. If you’re not already on board with 1970s British bawdiness and a very male-gaze approach to comedy, this will likely feel dated and a bit grubby rather than funny. Still, fans of the series may enjoy the familiar faces (Sidney James, Barbara Windsor, Joan Sims) and the occasional bit of chaotic, knockabout energy.