This Is Your Life: Talbot Rothwell

Talbot ROTHWELL (1916-1981)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Talbot Rothwell, screenwriter, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews during the filming of Carry On Henry at Pinewood Studios, from where the programme was then recorded.

Talbot, who was born in Bromley and had various jobs after leaving school, served with the Royal Air Force as a pilot during the Second World War. After being shot down over Norway, he was captured and incarcerated in the German prison camp Stalag Luft III, where he began to write. He teamed up with fellow prisoner Peter Butterworth, writing comedy sketches for Peter to perform for the other prisoner's entertainment.

After the war, Talbot took up writing as a profession, writing scripts for The Crazy Gang, Arthur Askey and Ted Ray. He had success with the play Queen Elizabeth Slept Here, which ran for 349 performances at London's Strand Theatre and wrote several film screenplays. Having become the staff writer on the Carry On films in the early 1960s, he wrote several of the films in the series, including Spying, Screaming, Doctor and Up the Khyber.

programme details...

Edition No: 286
Subject No: 287
Broadcast date: Wed 9 Dec 1970
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 28 Oct 1970
Venue: Pinewood Studios
Series: 11
Edition: 4

on the guest list...

Julian Holloway
Sid James
Joan Sims
Peter Gilmore
Terry Scott
Gladys - wife
Sarah - daughter
Jane - daughter
Derek Bartlett
Michael Howard
S Maaland
Sid Colin
Canon Colin Stephenson
Peter Butterworth
Rupert Davies
Karin Ullebust

production team...

Researcher: unknown
Writer: unknown
Director: unknown
Producer: Robert Tyrrell

names above in bold indicate subjects of This Is Your Life

related pages...

The Written Word

putting pen to paper

Peter Butterworth

Rupert Davies

Photographs of Talbot Rothwell This Is Your Life

Series 11 subjects