The Return of The Tittyfield Thunderbolt

It’s Titfield Thunderbolt Thursday again. The day when something inspired by the much loved cult colour Ealing Comedy from 70 years ago is posted. 

A few years after the famous whimsical cinema release about a group of bumbling country types trying to save their railway, a saucy sequel was shot called ‘The Return of the Tittyfield Thunderbolt. Produced by The 21st Century Anglo-American Film & Cinema Club Corporation, more known for X rated 16mm films aimed at the adult club circuit, this was their first venture in to a 35mm colour feature targeted at mainstream cinema. 

Alas the budget wasn’t big enough to hire the likes of Peter Sellers, Hattie Jacques, Roger Cooke, Dudley Moore and Joan Sims, so many of the regular inch high people were employed, acting ability not being of too much importance. Local smooth ladies’ man and shady business owner Terry Tuttle-Thomas-Smythe was given the lead male role, he only being required to mutter “hello ladies”, or “I say, ding dong” from time to time. He’s over there on the right btw. 

The utterly charmless Barry Bullhead from The Ministry of Misery played himself as the miserable man who wanted to shut the line down.  I leave you my dear readers to work out the roles of others seen here, but of course Deidre Dinkle was to play the leading lady, who else would be more qualified? 

The whole film was shot over 4 Sundays, mostly around the Catcott & Burtle area, with Glastonbury representing ‘the big city’. It was very much a one take wonder, due to the costly use of 35 colour film in an era when b&w was more the norm for comedy cinema in Little England. But it did result in a speedy production, a process in the trade known as ‘bish bash bosh, job done’. 

The resulting film was heavily edited by the film board censors to make it acceptable to a family audience, but alas the story made no sense whatsoever having been chopped down from 83 minutes to a mere 19 minutes. Sadly it was a complete flop and was pulled within 24 hours of release, but a few 8mm, 16mm prints and VHS copies of the uncut uncensored film still exist in private collections, with Nasal Nigel even having a 35mm cinema print under his bed. 

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