A plethora of stars from shows and movies made in Borehamwood attended this year's Elstree Film Evening on Saturday at the BBC Elstree Centre.

The 40-piece BBC Elstree Concert Band performed a series of film-related pieces, and an audience of more than 200 people watched film clips depicting the history of Borehamwood's film and television industry.

Actors and actresses who had worked at Borehamwood's various studios over the years were invited, and they all enjoyed coming back to the town.

Actress Molly Sugden, famous for her role as Mrs Slocombe in Are You Being Served, rubbed shoulders with femme fatale Peggy Cummins and determined detective Barry Morse, who played Lieutenant Philip Gerald in the 1960s television show The Fugitive.

Andrew Sachs, who played the incompetent waiterManuel in Fawlty Towers, met Liz Fraser, who took various roles in the Carry On films of the 1960s and Borehamwood-made comedies such as Confessions of a Driving Instructor in the 1970s.

Other stars at the evening included Colin Ridgewell, who played Colin Brown in the Borehamwood childrens' drama Grange Hill until last year, and William Franklyn, who played Arnold Van Cleef in the 1972 comedy Ooh, You Are Awful.

Harry Towb, who played the doctor in Carry On at Your Convenience in 1971, met Dad's Army star Pamela Cundell, who also played Ruby in the 1971 big screen version of On the Buses.

The evening was staged as part of Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council's summer festival, and the council's entertainments officer Paul Welsh said it had been a great success.

"We had to turn away quite a few people because we only had space for 250 in the audience," he said, adding that the film evening had been growing in popularity since it was first held in 1984.

He said the film evening gave actors and actresses the chance to meet and discuss old times, as many had not seen each other since working together.

Mayor of Elstree and Borehamwood Ernie Butler was at the event, and was delighted to meet the stars he had watched on the silver screen in person: "It was a brilliant night, and it was fantastic to meet them all."Star billing: William Franklyn, Liz Fraser and Andrew Sachs share memories at the Elstree Film EveningCivic duty: Mayor Ernie Butler enjoys the evening with Pamela Cundell, f=times left,o and Molly Sugden

July 3, 2002 15:00