​Oo-er missus! Saucy! Secrets of the British Sex Comedy on C4

Writer and film-maker Simon Sheridan, according to his website, has “long held an active interest in the kinkier aspects of British pop culture (the Sixties and Seventies variety in particular).” He first transferred this passion into the book Keeping the British End Up – Four Decades of Saucy Cinema, and now, 13 years later, has poured it into a two-part documentary.

The result is a must-see for anyone interested in the British film industry which, during the 1960s at least, appeared to be in rude health, with homegrown movies and their stars winning accolades around the globe; horror, kitchen sink and period drama were popular, with the likes of Michael Caine, Julie Christie and many more grabbing the headlines.

But a decade later it had all gone pear-shaped – the bottom, if you will, had fallen out of Hollywood UK. Suddenly those still trotting off to their local fleapit were being ‘treated’ to big screen versions of small screen hits, with blockbusters mostly coming from the US.

However, there was one genre that was on the up – the sex comedy.

While the Carry Ons had always featured plenty of double entendres, the likes of the Confessions films, based on novels by Christopher Wood, took matters to a whole new level. In 1974, Confessions of a Window Cleaner was the biggest box office hit of the year, turning its star, Robin Askwith, into a household name. He went on to play central character Timothy Lea in three more films which, in the 1980s, were still going strong, becoming staples of many a fledgling video store.

However, it wasn’t until 1997 that Channel 5 became the first British broadcaster to show every entry in the franchise; Talking Pictures TV has done it more recently.

Each had the same basic format – young Timothy would tackle a new job, during which he would end up providing more than just his original services – but nobody seemed to care. Their success spawned similar movies, including Adventures of a Taxi Driver.

Now, 50 years on, Askwith remains synonymous with the character he played, despite being fourth choice (Richard Beckinsale, Richard O’Sullivan and Dennis Waterman all turned the part down) and a career that has included working with Pier Paolo Pasolini on The Canterbury Tales, Lindsay Anderson on If…. and Britannia Hospital, and numerous TV appearances, including in Coronation Street, EastEnders and, more recently, The Madame Blanc Mysteries.

He once recalled: “I was at a dinner with some actor friends of mine one night, and there was a dig at some of the films I’ve made in my career, and Michael Winner said to them, ‘Ah, yes… but when was the last time any of your films made any money?'” Askwith is among the producers, directors and stars contributing to the documentary, which reveals how the genre not only saved the British film industry, it even helped changed the nation’s attitude to sex.