Saw this about twenty years ago and recall thinking it was dire. With such a talented cast, I thought I'd give it another chance on its appearance on the indispensable Talking Pictures channel the other day. But for the most part it just wasn't funny with the exception of the Brains Trust in the middle, where those entertaining eccentrics Martita Hunt, Miles Malleson, Colin Gordon and the others on the panel couldn't help but raise a few smiles. That was it. A speech close to the end by Janet Brown's dim-witted boyfriend who constantly refers to women as 'judies' - did anyone talk like that? - has to be one of the most excruciating moments in British film comedy.

Alistair Sim was one of Britains finest comedy character actors, however even his talent could not raise this abysmal piece of cinema above the level of boring and tedious.There were some great British films made in the post war years, unfortunately this was not one of them, the story line was flimsy and predictable, the acting was wooden and the characters were stereotypes of middle class 50's middle England (with a stereotype labour politician thrown in for good measure).

The Intelligence Corps Field Security Police would have in a field day writing out the report of the whole proceedings of the Brians Trust set-up for the troops camp concert entertainment. Sim plays his beleagued camp padre role beautifully well, with his typist WRAC girl, persisting in asking the crucial question about marriage to its very extreme detail answer. She typed out the suitable questions for the BT, so in practice, had editorial control of the proceedings & the direction the show took.

For those that do not remember or never heard of the Brians Trust, it was a development from a WW II BBC radio programme, which had wide audience appeal.

George Cole who plays the soldier nervously offering his "vote of thanks" to the padre for his efforts in organising the show, at the end of the film, was by this time, the adopted Barnado boy son of Sim.

For some good innocent Ealing comedy of the era, then this will kill 90 mins for you.

John Locke