Biography

A former police officer and pilot, Talbot Rothwell had an unorthodox entry into show business: as a prisoner of war in a German POW camp during WW II, Rothwell, out of boredom (and also to cover the noise of prisoners digging escape tunnels), got involved in camp entertainment shows, writing comedy sketches with fellow prisoner Peter Butterworth (who later worked with him in the "Carry On" series). After the war Rothwell continued with his comedy writing, eventually achieving a degree of success in radio and on stage.

Rothwell joined the "Carry On" series in 1963 with Carry on Cabby (1963), a script that wasn't originally supposed to be an entry in the series, but producer Peter Rogers liked it so much he used it for the "Carry On" gang and offered Rothwell a job as staff writer. Rothwell stayed with the series for an additional 19 films, retiring in the late 1970s. In 1977 he was awarded the OBE for his work in the film industry. He died in 1981, at age 64.