Carry on Abroad

This was the last "Carry On" film for series regular Charles Hawtrey. It was also the last cinema film he ever made, and completing it marked the end of his 50-year career. He went into semi-retirement and lived in Deal, Kent, England.

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Bette Davis is said to have stormed into the make-up room while the "Carry On..." team was joking around during filming. She gave them a dressing-down for their unprofessional behaviour and for disturbing her while she rested in the adjoining dressing room. At the time she was shooting a film at Pinewood Studios.

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The Pinewood Studios car park was covered in sand to depict the Spanish holiday resort of Elsbels.

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Charles Hawtrey's alcoholism had become so severe (worsened by the drinking antics in Carry on Cowboy (1965)) that Peter Rogers recalled having to sober him up with plain coffee every time he came before the camera. As the crew's patience ran out, Hawtrey was dropped from the series after this film. Hawtrey was even asked to appear in the ITV broadcast Carry On Christmas: Carry On Stuffing. In the absence of Sid James and Kenneth Williams, Hawtrey demanded top billing and the corresponding fee, but it was given to Hattie Jacques instead. Hawtrey refused to take part and was eventually removed from the series by Peter Rogers.

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The Wundatours shop stood in the parade of shops on Slough High Street, a site that has since been replaced by an office block.

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Its television premiere drew 18 million viewers in the UK in 1978, a record audience at the time. That figure still stands as one of the most-watched premieres in British television. At the time there were only 3 channels.

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Together with the previous film Carry on Matron (1972), this entry in the series featured the largest number of "Carry On..." regulars: eleven in total. They were Joan Sims, Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Peter Butterworth, Kenneth Connor, Hattie Jacques, Bernard Bresslaw, Patsy Rowlands, Sidney James, Jack Douglas and Charles Hawtrey. The only stars missing were Jim Dale and Terry Scott, who never appeared together in a "Carry On" film.

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Gail Grainger was cast in the role usually played by Valerie Leon.

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A dusty road in Bagshot served as the location for the road leading to the Elsbels hotel.

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Bill Maynard filmed his scenes as Mr Fiddler, the lecherous owner of Wundatours Limited. However, despite scenes shot with Kenneth Williams, Patsy Rowlands and Gail Grainger, the excesses of the final cut meant that Bill's entire performance was removed from the released film.

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The wet cement Jimmy Logan falls into was in fact grey, the colour of porridge.

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Because of budget cuts, the entire dialogue scene on the bus to the airport featuring Joan Sims, Sidney James and Jimmy Logan was removed from the final film.

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One scene was shot at Gatwick Airport in London but was removed from the final film.

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David Kernan, Sally Geeson and Joan Sims visibly fall to the ground in the final scene. This was kept in the final cut.

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Kenneth Williams refused to speak to David Kernan throughout filming after Kernan rejected Williams's sexual advances.

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During the making of the film, Kenneth Williams helped Carol Hawkins with her English diction.

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The rain shower scene was created with fire hoses aimed into the air.

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When it was released in Germany, the "Carry On" title was replaced with "A Mad Holiday".

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Carol Hawkins got married halfway through filming. Peter Rogers organised a small party on set to celebrate, and Jimmy Logan gave a short speech.

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Actress June Whitfield appears in a "Carry On" film for the first time in 13 years with this picture; her previous film in the series had been Carry on Nurse (1959). The film was the second of four "Carry On" films she appeared in.

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Clips from the film were used in Morrissey's Everyday Is Like Sunday (1988).

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No music was played during the filming of the party scene. As the scene continued, the actors had to improvise their dance steps. Although the music stayed the same, the actors often danced too fast or stepped incorrectly in time to the music. The music was later added to the final film during post-production. Eric Rogers wrote the music, as on most "Carry On…" films.

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The film was released during the summer season and was quite successful at the box office.

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Given the traditionally low-budget nature of the film series, the large open-plan hotel lobby and ground-floor interior set appear to use a surprisingly large (single) sound stage.

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In the opening title sequence, the technical adviser's name was Sun Tan Lo Tion (a joke name imitating 'Suntan Lotion').

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Actress Olga Lowe played the Spanish brothel madam. On the night James died she was walking on stage with Sidney James, the regular "Carry On" announcer; she was also one of the first actresses to work with James when he emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1946.

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This was Amelia Bayntun's last film.

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The role of Moira Plunkett (played by Gail Grainger) was originally intended for Valerie Leon.

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This was the first "Carry On…" film of the 1970s to lead to a film being released every year until 1978. This was mainly because the production team was busy working on a TV film for the popular ITV sitcom Bless This House (1971), which also starred Sidney James, Peter Butterworth, June Whitfield, Carol Hawkins and Sally Geeson (as well as Terry Scott, who ended the series with Carry on Matron (1972)).

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The Elsbels Hotel had a staff of three. One of them, Pepe (Peter Butterworth), performed various duties: manager, doorman/bellboy and receptionist/switchboard operator.

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The role of Lily was actually written for Madeline Smith.

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Sally Geeson and Patsy Rowlands also shared the lead in the popular ITV sitcom Bless This House (1971) as Sidney James's daughter and neighbour respectively.

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This is the second of six "Carry On" films to feature actor Brian Osborne, who also appeared in episodes of Carry on Laughing (1975).

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For its 2026 showing on the ITV Retro online channel, the short scene in which Sally Geeson (Lily) is topless in bed was cut, and this is the version also shown on the British ITV3 station, currently the main UK broadcaster of the 'Carry On' films.

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The name of the love-potion aphrodisiac resembling Spanish Fly was Santa Cecilia's potion a "Liquera pour l'amoura".

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The Spanish bawdy house in Elsbels, Spain, was called "Strip Teeze".

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Hattie Jacques's scenes are set in the kitchen alongside Peter Butterworth. Towards the end of the film she has only one short scene at the party with the other cast members.

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The Spanish holiday resort was called the "Elsbels Palace Hotel". The phrase "Els Bels" was a play on words, a fake version of "Hell's Bells".

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Valerie Leon was considered for the role of Moira Plunkett, but the part ultimately went to Gail Grainger.

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Bernard Bresslaw played a character named Brother Bernard, who shares his first name.

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