Three books on film – or two big ones and a little disappointment, as the Carry On team might have put it.

Three books on film – or two big ones and a little disappointment, as the Carry On team might have put it. Dave Ainsworth’s When The Carry On Stopped: Why Britain’s Most Successful Comedy Film Franchise Suddenly Halted (White Owl, £22; Tablet price, £19.80) has much in common with the film series it sets out to document. Clearly quickly produced (a good editor would have helped), gossipy and with a fair dose of smut, Ainsworth relates the ups and downs of the troupe with what could kindly be called brio. Nevertheless, he notes the fat-shaming of actor Joan Sims, and how producers Peter Rogers, Stuart Levy and Nat Cohen grew rich while the on-screen talent worked for below-scale fees.

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