Charles Hawtrey started out as a boy soprano before moving into theatre, radio and film, supporting comedian Will Hay in a string of 1930s and '40s comedies. He found lasting fame from Carry On Sergeant (1958) onward, appearing in 23 films in the series — including Carry On Cabby and Carry On Camping — as a string of wimpish, effete and instantly recognisable characters, always identifiable by his round glasses and reedy voice. After being dropped from the series in 1972 he continued in pantomime and regional theatre, his later years increasingly overshadowed by ill health.