Review - High Spirits.

"I need a couple of valium before I come on the set with this woman!"
Frankie Howerd talking about Joan Sims (in a good way) regarding working with her on '...Doctor.'

Like many of her fellow 'Carry On' team Joan Sims was not adverse to the odd drink or ten and if she wasn't an alcoholic then she was about the closest you can get to one. She is not shy talking about this aspect of her life in the book. She never married, but was not without suitors. Like Kenneth Williams she lived alone (for many years just a few streets away from me in Fulham, although I was unaware of this until I read the book). She had a long career which is highlighted in the book, although the book takes the form of 'snippits' from her life in comparison to Kenneth Williams' diaries which of course offer a chronological view of his life. When this book was released I went to a bookshop on Oxford Street where Joan appeared and answered questions about her life and career before signing copies of it. She was absolutely delightful and had everybody in fits of laughter. She firmly remains my favourite 'Carry On' actor, mainly due to the different sorts of characters she played in the films. From the seductive 'Ding Dong' in '...Cowboy' through to the awful harridan wife in '...Cleo', she pulled each off (ooh err) faultlessly and seemingly effortlessly. The book is not as long as you might hope, but it is a real 'warts and all' look at this lovely lady's life.