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Joan Sims is a Actor British born on 9 may 1930 at Essex (United-kingdom)

Joan Sims

Joan Sims
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Birth name Irene Joan Marion Sims
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 9 may 1930 at Essex (United-kingdom)
Death 27 june 2001 (at 71 years) at London (United-kingdom)

Irene Joan Marion Sims (9 May 1930 – 27 June 2001), best known as Joan Sims, was an English actress, best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By and Mrs Wembley, the cook with a liking for sherry, in On the Up.

Biography

Early life
Sims was born in 1930, the daughter of John Henry Simms (1888-1964), station master of Laindon railway station in Laindon, Essex, and his wife Gladys Marie Sims, née Ladbrook (1896-1981). Sims' early interest in being an actress came from living at the railway station. She would often put on performances for waiting passengers. She decided that she wanted to pursue show business during her teens, and soon became a familiar face in a growing number of amateur productions locally.

In 1946, Sims first applied to RADA, but her audition was unsuccessful. Her first audition included a rendition of Winnie the Pooh. She did succeed in being admitted to PARADA, the academy's preparatory school, and finally, on her fourth attempt, she graduated and was trained at RADA. She graduated from RADA in 1950 at the age of 19. One of her first stage performances was in the 1951 pantomime, The Happy Ha'penny, opposite Stanley Baxter at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre.

Sims appeared in a number of Brian Rix's Aldwych Theatre farces, but revue was Sims' greatest medium, especially in the works of Peter Myers. In 1958, she got a part in Peter Coke's play Breath of Spring, which opened at the Cambridge Theatre in March, transferring to the Duke of York's Theatre in August 1958, which ran until April 1959.
Sims preferred film to stage work. "It was, of course, lovely to be in a successful play, to have the excitement of performing a hit to packed houses (and, not least, the assurance of a regular income for the foreseeable future). But, on the other hand, I found it extremely difficult to keep a performance fresh, and I'd soon get bored."


Acting career
Sims made her first film appearance in Will Any Gentleman? with George Cole in 1953, closely followed by Trouble in Store with Norman Wisdom. In 1954, she appeared as Miss Dawn in The Belles of St Trinian's, and made a cameo appearance in Doctor in the House, opposite Dirk Bogarde as the sexually repressed Nurse Rigor Mortis. Sims became a regular in the Doctors series, which was produced by Betty E. Box, and was hence spotted by Box's husband Peter Rogers.

She had a small part in the 1957 film Carry on Admiral, unrelated to the later Carry On series and with no other cast members in common with the series.


Carry On
In 1958, Sims received a script from Peter Rogers; it was for Carry On Nurse. The film Carry On Sergeant had been a huge success at the box office and in the autumn of that year, Rogers and director Gerald Thomas began planning a follow-up.

She first starred in Carry On Nurse, then Carry On Teacher, followed by Carry On Constable and Carry On Regardless, and this sealed her future as a regular Carry On performer. Following a bout of ill health, Dilys Laye had to be brought in to take her place in Carry On Cruising at very short notice; however, Sims rejoined the team with Carry On Cleo. Her role in this was to set the tone for the rest of the Carry On films. "...[F]or once the costumes were made for me, rather than my having to resort to some old dress that had been used before and had to have a new panel sewn in the back to accommodate my girth – which by now was unvaryingly plump."

Sims' characters evolved from objects of desire in the early films to frumpy, nagging wives in the later ones, epitomised by the Emily Bung role in Carry On Screaming. Following the success of Carry On Cleo, she stayed with the films all the way though to the final one in the original series, Carry On Emmannuelle. Sims appeared in 24 Carry On films in all; she did not return for the one-off revival film, Carry On Columbus (1992). However, she did appear alongside Kenneth Williams in the radio show Stop Messing About in 1969–70.
Prior to this she had worked on the BBC Radio comedy Play it Cool, with Hugh Paddick and Ian Carmichael.


Later work
After the Carry On series ended in 1978, Sims continued to work on television. She appeared opposite Katharine Hepburn and Laurence Olivier in the award-winning 1975 television film Love Among the Ruins and had a recurring role as Gran in the BBC comedy series Till Death Us Do Part.
From 1979 until 1981, she played the recurring character Mrs Bloomsbury-Barton in Worzel Gummidge for Southern Television. During 1986 and 1987, Sims starred as Annie Begley alongside Angela Thorne in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Farrington of the F.O. Also in 1986, Sims appeared in the long-running BBC science fiction series Doctor Who in the four episodes of The Trial of a Time Lord: The Mysterious Planet as Katryca. She also played Miss Murgatroyd in the Miss Marple adaptation A Murder is Announced, Betsy Prig in a star-studded adaptation of Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit and Lady Fox-Custard in Simon and the Witch. In 1987 she joined the cast on And There's More and was paired up with Nicholas Smith for a number of sketches for each episode as an old couple.

In 1989, she appeared as a medium in the video for Morrissey's "Ouija Board, Ouija Board".

She played Mrs Wembley in the BBC comedy series On the Up, which starred Dennis Waterman and ran from 1990 to 1992. From 1994, she played Madge Hardcastle, stepmother of Geoffrey Palmer's character Lionel in As Time Goes By. Sims also appeared in episodes of the hit television comedy series Only Fools and Horses and The Goodies, in the One Foot in the Grave special One Foot in the Algarve, and made a guest appearance in a sketch show with Victoria Wood.

In her later years, Sims fought a long battle against depression. This was worsened by the deaths of her agent Peter Eade, her best friend Hattie Jacques and her mother, all within a two-year period, after which she fell into alcoholism. Sims suffered from Bell's palsy in 1999 and fractured her hip in 2000, but recovered well. However, her alcoholism was beginning to dominate life in her rented Kensington flat, and she described herself as "the queen of puddings." After assessment by a doctor, she was offered a place in a rehabilitation centre, but declined. Offered the opportunity to write her autobiography, she took a role in the BBC television film The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, alongside Dame Judi Dench and Olympia Dukakis.


Music career
During 1963, Sims made several recordings. "Hurry Up Gran" / "Oh Not Again Ken" was issued as a single, followed by "Spring Song" / "Men". Both were produced by George Martin for the Parlophone label but neither single made an impact on the UK Singles Chart. This did not deter her from releasing a third and final single during 1967, "Sweet Lovely Whatsisname" / "The Lass With the Delicate Hair". Again it failed to chart, and as a result the singles are now quite rare. As of 2009, both "Spring Song" and "Men" are available for the first time through iTunes and other download services, as well as on CD as part of re-issues of the comedy compilation albums Oh! What a Carry On! and Laugh A Minute. Sims also featured on an original cast recording of The Lord Chamberlain Regrets in 1961, as well as The Water Gypsies.


Personal life

Sims, like her fellow Carry On star Kenneth Williams, never married. Williams, who was homosexual, did however propose a marriage of convenience to her, which she promptly declined. From 1958, she lived for three years with fellow actor Tony Baird but, every time her parents visited, she asked Baird to remove all of his belongings from their London flat.

After she told her mother on a visit that she was living with Baird, her father wrote her a stern letter, condemning the relationship. Sims replied, telling her parents that they had to come to terms with Tony being an extremely important part of her life. For the next six months she had no contact with her parents. Sims was a devoted daughter and found the separation from her parents difficult. She continued living with Baird.

The relationship began to founder, Sims said, due to her success and Tony Baird's failure as an actor. Sims writes "Had house husbands been in vogue in those days we'd have made an excellent couple, since Tony was not very successful as an actor and I soon became the main breadwinner. If we had been able to accept that I would go out and earn the money and he would concentrate on running the home, things might have turned out better.... For three years I was besotted with this loveable reprobate, but then the icing on the cake began to chip off and the love started to wear thin. I was virtually keeping him and the friction of the situation was getting harder to bear." Of the break-up, which was finally triggered by Sims returning from a tour to find Baird had not done any washing or housework, she wrote "I could tell that he was genuinely heartbroken, and so was I, but I had to do it for my own survival."

Following this came a relationship with John Walters whom Sims had known for a long time. He had been assistant stage manager for the play High Spirits, in which she appeared. They had had an 'innocent' romance at the time, but they embarked on a more serious relationship after Sims's break-up with Baird. However, Sims never felt it would be a long-term relationship: John was a much moodier character than Tony. During what she described as the 'one broody phase of my life', they discussed marriage and children, but it came to nothing and the relationship, the last serious one of Sims's life, ended after around two years of living together.

"I never married because the right person never came along... I leave others to seek for darker explanations. For me it's extremely simple!"


High Spirits
The tone of Sims's autobiography High Spirits is revealing (though not sensationalist), frank and sometimes mordant:


"In Doctor at Sea I was cast again as the Plain Jane character ... my rival in love was played by ... Brigitte Bardot. Joan Sims versus Brigitte Bardot. I'll leave you to guess which of us got her man."

"Then the effects of the tablets rapidly started wearing off – as is the way with Benzedrine – and suddenly I was feeling worse than I had ever felt in my life."

"I learned the hard way how deflating it can be to get too excited by a prospect before you know for sure that it will come off. The worst aspect of this fiasco was that I was now not only jobless but homeless."

"I was always useless at flirting, and simply did not know what needed to be done in order to snare my target... I always ended up resorting to jokes, and most men don't like funny women. They like to do the jokes."

"I've never been able to understand women who have this burning desire to have children. I've never had those feelings in any depth."— Joan Sims, High Spirits

High Spirits concluded with Sims in reflective and rueful mood. Having been disappointed to miss out on the part in a BBC adaptation of Vanity Fair, she is somewhat crestfallen to discover that there are only two entries on her 'Trivia' page on imdb.com. It ends:


"The last couple of years have seen more lows than highs .... my long-held view that whether you're up or you're down, there's only one way to react to whatever life throws at you. Carry on."— Joan Sims, High Spirits

Usually with

Gerald Thomas
Gerald Thomas
(33 films)
Peter Rogers
Peter Rogers
(31 films)
Sid James
Sid James
(25 films)
Joan Hickson
Joan Hickson
(23 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Joan Sims (83 films)

Display filmography as list

Actress

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells, 1h24
Directed by Gillies MacKinnon
Genres Comedy, Musical
Themes Films about sexuality, LGBT-related films, Transgender in film, LGBT-related films, LGBT-related film, Cross-dressing in film
Actors Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Cleo Laine, June Whitfield, Leslie Caron, Joan Sims
Roles Betty
Rating70% 3.5440053.5440053.5440053.5440053.544005
After her husband's death, Elizabeth decides to return to her musical roots and begins busking with young guitarist Paul in a plaza overlooking a London ice rink, much to the dismay of her daughter Patricia and son Edward. One day she is spotted by Patrick, who attempted to avoid enlistment during World War II by dressing as a woman and playing drums with the Blonde Bombshells, a supposedly all-female band with which Elizabeth performed when she was only fifteen years old.
The Canterville Ghost, 1h32
Genres Drama, Science fiction, Thriller, Comedy, Fantasy
Themes Ghost films
Actors Patrick Stewart, Neve Campbell, Cherie Lunghi, Raymond Pickard, Joan Sims, Donald Sinden
Roles Mrs. Umney
Rating61% 3.098113.098113.098113.098113.09811
Hiram Otis comes to England with his wife, daughter and two sons on a research grant; he and his family will live in a castle called Canterville Hall. But the Castle is haunted by the ghost of a deceased ancestor, Sir Simon de Canterville, doomed to remain on the estate after the death of his wife; his goal is to send the family packing so he begins a ghostly reign of terror: reappearing bloodstains, clanking chains, haunting moans. As is revealed by Lord Canterville (Sir Simon's descendant) and the servants Mr. and Mrs. Umney, numerous people have stayed at Canterville Hall in the last few years and have all been scared away by Sir Simon - the locals start betting on how long the Otis family will stay.
The Thief and the Cobbler, 1h31
Directed by Richard Williams
Origin Canada
Genres Fantasy, Animation
Actors Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Beals, Jonathan Winters, Hilary Pritchard, Vincent Price, Anthony Quayle
Roles Sorcière de la montagne (certaines scènes)
Rating70% 3.5484053.5484053.5484053.5484053.548405
The plot summary follows the 1992 workprint version of the film. The film opens with a narrator describing a prosperous city called the Golden City, ruled by the sleepy King Nod and protected by three golden balls atop its tallest minaret. According to a prophecy, the city would fall to a race of warlike, one-eyed monsters, known as "one-eyes", should the balls be removed, and could only be saved by "the simplest soul with the smallest and simplest of things". Living in the city are the good-hearted cobbler Tack, named for the ubiquitous pair of tacks held in his mouth, and a nameless, unsuccessful yet persistent thief. Both characters have no dialogue.
Deceptions
Deceptions (1990)

Directed by Melville Shavelson
Origin USA
Genres Thriller
Actors Nicollette Sheridan, Harry Hamlin, Stefanie Powers, Robert Davi, Alison Doody, Marshall Colt
Rating46% 2.325782.325782.325782.325782.32578
Une enquête révèle qu'un homme a été tué par sa femme et l'amant de celle-ci pour encaisser la prime d'assurances. Mais cette dernière tente de s'en sortir en séduisant un des deux détectives, en couchant avec lui...
Deceptions
Deceptions (1985)
, 3h1
Directed by Melville Shavelson
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Jumeaux ou jumelles
Actors Stefanie Powers, Barry Bostwick, Jeremy Brett, Sam Wanamaker, Fairuza Balk, Fabio Testi
Roles Mrs. Thirkell
Rating72% 3.6343653.6343653.6343653.6343653.634365
Lassée par son quotidien familial, Stephanie échange sa place avec sa sœur jumelle Sabrina, directrice d'une galerie d'art à Londres. Mais ce jeu va s'avérer dangereux…
A Murder Is Announced
Actors Joan Hickson, Renée Asherson, Samantha Bond, Simon Shepherd, Ralph Michael, Sylvia Syms
Roles Miss Murgatroyd
Rating79% 3.996213.996213.996213.996213.99621
Lorsqu'un meurtre est annoncé dans la gazette locale de Little Paddocks pour le soir même, à 18 heures 30, tout le monde pense à une amusante "murder party", imaginée par quelque facétieux. Aussi, tout le voisinage, émoustillé, arrive au rendez-vous. Quand survient l'heure fatidique, la lumière s'éteint, l'assassin paraît et des coups de feu éclatent ! Mais, c'est ce même étranger qu'on retrouve, mort, tombé sur le parquet, son pistolet à la main...
Carry On Emmannuelle, 1h28
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Joan Sims, Jack Douglas, Peter Butterworth, Beryl Reid
Roles Mrs. Dangle
Rating32% 1.619031.619031.619031.619031.61903
Emmannuelle Prevert (Suzanne Danielle) relieves the boredom of a flight on Concorde by seducing timid Theodore Valentine (Larry Dann). She returns home to London to surprise her husband, the French Ambassador, Emile Prevert (Kenneth Williams) but first surprises the butler, Lyons (Jack Douglas). He removes her coat only to find she has left her dress on the 'plane! The chauffeur, Leyland (Kenneth Connor), housekeeper, Mrs Dangle (Joan Sims) and aged boot-boy, Richmond (Peter Butterworth) sense saucy times ahead ... and they are right! Emile is dedicated to his bodybuilding, leaving a sexually frustrated Emmannuelle to find pleasure with everyone from the Lord Chief Justice (Llewellyn Rees) to chat show host, Harold Hump (Henry McGee). Theodore is spurned by Emmannuelle, who has genuinely forgotten their airborne encounter and despite reassurances from his mother (Beryl Reid), Theodore exacts revenge by revealing Emmannuelle's antics to the Press. However, after a visit to her doctor (Albert Moses), she discovers she is pregnant and decides to settle down to a faithful marriage with Emile ... and dozens of children.
That's Carry On!, 1h35
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Kenneth Williams, Barbara Windsor, Eric Barker, Amanda Barrie, John Bluthal, Bernard Bresslaw
Roles Various Characters
Rating53% 2.6652352.6652352.6652352.6652352.665235
Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor are imprisoned in a Pinewood Studios projection room and trawl through film can after film can of the classic Carry On series. Kenneth is delighted with the slap-up food hamper and champagne, while Barbara loads the vintage clips. As the films remorselessly play out, Kenneth feels the need to relieve himself but Barbara is determined to plough through every film. Finally, scenes of speedy roadside urinating from Carry On at Your Convenience prove too much for Kenneth to bear but he holds back the flow to enjoy his finest role as the Khasi in Carry On... Up the Khyber. While Kenneth pontificates about the glories of the Empire, Barbara leaves the projection room and locks her co-star in. Unable to hold out any longer, Kenneth goes against the projection room door.
Carry On England, 1h29
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres War, Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films, Political films
Actors Kenneth Connor, Windsor Davies, Patrick Mower, Judy Geeson, Jack Douglas, Joan Sims
Roles Private Jennifer Ffoukes-Sharpe
Rating40% 2.0133352.0133352.0133352.0133352.013335
Captain S Melly (Kenneth Connor) is put in charge of an experimental mixed-battery during the darkest days of the Second World War. It's a relief for Captain Bull (David Lodge) to greet his relief but Melly isn't prepared for the ball-squeezing Sergeant Major "Tiger" Bloomer (Windsor Davies) and the randy antics of Bombardier Ready (Jack Douglas), Sergeant Tilly Willing (Judy Geeson) and Sergeant Len Able (Patrick Mower). Forever feigning illness or hiding in their underground "snoggery", the troops are happily getting to grips with each other rather than the enemy. Most prominent of the females is Private Alice Easy (Diane Langton) who tries to charm her new commanding officer but only succeeds in propelling her top button into his system! Private Jennifer Ffoukes-Sharpe (Joan Sims) pines for "Tiger" while everybody – including little Gunner Shorthouse (Melvyn Hayes) – gets a piece of the action. Even after a tip-off to the medical officer, Major Butcher (Julian Holloway) segregation and rigorous training, the unit is still a shower. However, an inspection by the cowardly Brigadier (Peter Jones) and Major Carstairs (Peter Butterworth) is interrupted by an airborne attack and Melly's troop finally prove they are real British bulldogs.
One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, 1h40
Directed by Robert Stevenson, Art Stevens, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Action, Adventure
Themes Films about animals, Dinosaur films, Spy films, La préhistoire, Animaux préhistoriques, Children's films
Actors Peter Ustinov, Helen Hayes, Clive Revill, Derek Nimmo, Percy Herbert, Hugh Burden
Roles Emily
Rating58% 2.9499952.9499952.9499952.9499952.949995
Escaping from China with a microfilm of the formula for the mysterious "Lotus X", Lord Southmere, a Queen's Messenger, is chased by a group of Chinese spies.
Love Among the Ruins, 1h40
Directed by George Cukor
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Romance
Actors Katharine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Colin Blakely, Richard Pearson, Robert Harris, Joan Sims
Roles Fanny Pratt
Rating77% 3.8851653.8851653.8851653.8851653.885165
Jessica Medlicott, grande dame du théâtre anglais, engage un des plus célèbres avocats de Londres, Sir Arthur Glanville-Jones, pour la défendre d’une action en justice menée par son amant, bien plus jeune qu'elle, pour rupture de promesse de mariage. L’avocat s’avère être un ancien prétendant toujours amoureux d’elle...
Carry On Behind, 1h30
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Elke Sommer, Kenneth Williams, Bernard Bresslaw, Kenneth Connor, Jack Douglas, Joan Sims
Roles Daphne Barnes
Rating56% 2.801642.801642.801642.801642.80164
Frustrated butcher Fred Ramsden (Windsor Davies) and his dim electrician mate Ernie Bragg (Jack Douglas) happily head off for a fishing trip while their respective wives Sylvia (Liz Fraser) and Vera (Patricia Franklin) look forward to their health farm holiday. Once at the caravan site of Major Leafe (Kenneth Connor), Fred starts making eyes at a couple of gorgeous campers, Carol (Sherrie Hewson) and Sandra (Carol Hawkins). However, as Ernie talks in his sleep and any infidelities are likely to be repeated in the marital bed after their holiday, Fred is despondent. Professor Roland Crump (Kenneth Williams) teams with Roman expert Anna Vrooshka (Elke Sommer) in an archaeological dig at the site. Arthur Upmore (Bernard Bresslaw) and his wife Linda (Patsy Rowlands) are saddled with her mother Daphne (Joan Sims) and her vulgar mynah bird. Arthur is caught in a compromising position with blonde babe Norma Baxter (Adrienne Posta) whose husband Joe (Ian Lavender) is lumbered with their giant wolfhound. After a few pints with the amused pub landlord (David Lodge), Fred and Ernie discover that the caravan site is riddled with excavation holes. Daphne is perturbed by the discovery of her estranged husband, Henry Barnes (Peter Butterworth) living a downtrodden life as the camp's odd-job man, despite having won the pools. Major Leafe is determined to give the place a boost and arranges an evening cabaret for the caravanners but a mix-up over the phone secures a stripper, Veronica (Jenny Cox), rather than the singer he wanted. With Carol and Sandra having hooked up with archaeology students, Bob (Brian Osborne) and Clive (Larry Dann) Fred and Ernie pick up Maureen (Diana Darvey) and Sally (Georgina Moon), a couple of beauties from the village. Some wet paint, the rain, the collapsing tunnels and their wives soon bring their planned night of passion to a halt.
Carry On Dick, 1h31
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Barbara Windsor, Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques, Bernard Bresslaw, Joan Sims
Roles Madame Desirée
Rating59% 2.950482.950482.950482.950482.95048
In the year 1750, England is rife with crime and highway robbers. To stop the wave of chaos, King George sets up the first professional police force named the Bow Street Runners, under the command of the bellowing Sir Roger Daley (Bernard Bresslaw), and seconded by Captain Desmond Fancey (Kenneth Williams) and Sergeant Jock Strapp (Jack Douglas). The Runners are apparently successful in wiping out crime and lawlessness – using all manner of traps and tricks to round the criminals up. However their main target is the notorious Richard "Big Dick" Turpin (Sid James), a highwayman who has evaded capture and succeeded in even robbing Sir Roger and his prim wife (Margaret Nolan) of their money and clothing. After this humiliation, Turpin becomes the Bow Street Runners' most wanted man, and thus Captain Fancey is assigned to go undercover and catch the famous Dick Turpin and bring him to justice.
Carry On Girls, 1h28
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Comedy
Themes Films about sexuality, Erotic films
Actors Barbara Windsor, Sid James, Joan Sims, Kenneth Connor, Bernard Bresslaw, June Whitfield
Roles Connie Philpotts
Rating57% 2.851812.851812.851812.851812.85181
The seaside town of Fircombe is facing a crisis – it's always raining and there's nothing for the tourists to do. Councillor Sidney Fiddler (Sid James) hits on the notion of holding a beauty contest. The mayor, Frederick Bumble (Kenneth Connor) is taken with the idea but feminist councillor, Augusta Prodworthy (June Whitfield) is outraged and storms out of the meeting. The motion is carried in Augusta's absence and Sidney contacts publicist Peter Potter (Bernard Bresslaw) to help with the organization. Sidney's girlfriend, Connie Philpotts (Joan Sims) runs a local hotel and soon her residents, including the eccentric Mrs Dukes (Joan Hickson) and the Admiral (Peter Butterworth) are outnumbered by dolly birds, including the feuding biker babe, Hope Springs (Barbara Windsor) and the bountiful Dawn Brakes (Margaret Nolan). A catfight orchestrated by Hope provides better newspaper copy than bringing a donkey off the beach which, despite the bucket and spade of hotel employee William (Jack Douglas), ruins the plush carpets. Augusta's son, press photographer Larry (Robin Askwith), is hired to document the donkey stunt and snaps the catfight that has the Mayor losing his trousers, then gulps his way through a nude photo shoot with Dawn. The Mayor's wife, Mildred (Patsy Rowlands) joins Prodworthy's bra-burning movement and plots the downfall of the Miss Fircombe contest on the pier. Peter Potter reluctantly becomes a man in a frock for another publicity gimmick for the television show, Women's Things, presented by Cecil Gaybody (Jimmy Logan) and produced by Debra (Sally Geeson). Prodworthy and butch feminist Rosemary (Patricia Franklin) call in the police (David Lodge and Billy Cornelius) to investigate the male pageant contestant but Peter's previously prim girlfriend, Paula (Valerie Leon), has a makeover and steps into the breach as the mysterious girl. Prodworthy's gang put "Operation Spoilsport" into action, sabotaging the final contest with water, mud and itching powder. With an angry mob after his blood, Sidney makes his escape with Hope on her motorcycle.