Roy Boulting directs Ian Carmichael, Peter Sellers and Terry-Thomas in this British satire where a hapless posho finds himself infiltrating a factory union.

I had higher hopes for this. I just expected, given its classic status, it might have been laugh out loud funny. There’s a stellar cast of British comedy stalwarts and a fair bit of sauce. It often feels like a slightly more intelligent Carry On film. The unsung Irene Handl and Liz Fraser make the best impression as Seller’s dotty but wise wife and their glamorous sexpot daughter. And the satire swipes in every direction. The owner class happy to destroy workers’ rights, productivity and the economy to make sweat free short sighted profits rings true still. The union of professional skivers dodging any and all work has an Only Fools and Horses cheekiness to it but does feel like punching down given the plummy tone of the direction.

6