I must start by bidding farewell to actor Trevor Bannister, who died last week from a heart attack on his allotment. Trevor is best remembered for his role in the hit BBC TV series Are You Being Served? and I remember meeting him while making the film version at Elstree. We occasionally corresponded in later years and he was a true gentleman.

In this column Iwill look back at what was filming at Elstree Studios 50 years ago. It was a busy time — the big movie was Billy Budd, a seafaring story directed by and starring Peter Ustinov, with newcomer Terence Stamp and Hollywood veteran Melvyn Douglas, who in the Thirties had been a leading man opposite such stars as Greta Garbo.

Comedy films dominated the production schedule, as the studio had decided to concentrate on family-oriented movies. Go to Blazes was designed to make a star out of Dave King — who enjoyed success on television — but is barely remembered today. In the supporting cast was a young Maggie Smith, who was under contract to Elstree.

Mrs Gibbons Boys teamed Diana Dors, Kathleen Harrison and Lionel Jeffries. A veteran actress, Kathleen had been in movies for decades and later in the Sixties became a houshold name playing a char lady in the hit television series Mrs Thursday, made by ATV. Kathleen eventually lived to the ripe old age of 104.

Operation Snatch brought together two screen cads whose lives both came to sad endings. George Sanders had a distinguished career, including winning an Oscar, but by the early Seventies was in ill-health and committed suicide in a Spanish hotel room.

Terry Thomas enjoyed great success on both sides of the Atlantic in the Fifties and Sixties as an upper-class gap-toothed comedy actor, but sadly in his last years lost his fortune due to a debilitating illness and was discovered living in a one-bedroom charity flat. A special fundraising concert was arranged and he was able to spend his last months in a nursing home.

Petticoat Pirates was a star vehicle for contract artist Charlie Drake, but was not a success. The Pot Carriers featured Dennis Price and Ronald Fraser, who both basically drank themselves to death. It also featured young Elstree contract star Carole Lesley who appeared in a number of movies, but was later dropped by the studio and at the age of 38 sadly commited suicide. Tragedy and comedy are certainly two sides of the same mask.

The musical was not forgotten and a young Cliff Richard was launched to screen stardom in The Young Ones, the theme tune of which became a pop classic. These films were made on a tight budget as they were unlikely to prove a hit in the important American market.

Night of the Eagle was a creepy and effective horror movie starring Peter Wyngarde long before his Jason King television success and Guns of Darkness’ brought together David Niven and Leslie Caron. This is another of those movies that was well reviewed, but seldom if ever appears on television nowadays.

Finally television production was also squeezed in, with a new series entitled Sir Francis Drake, starring Terence Morgan. In those days you could make a half-hour programme for around £20,000. By comparison, EastEnders now costs around £200,000 and the recent live 25th anniversary episode around £700,000. That figure would have paid for nearly all the films I mentioned above put together. Apparently the cast of EastEnders costs around £7 million in salaries alone.

Today Elstree no longer makes its own movies and the days of the contract star in films has long since gone. However, the studio is as busy as ever and is proving to be a survivor.