Trivia / Confessions of a... Series

• Acting for Two: The voice on Elizabeth's police radio in Window Cleaner was provided by Bill Maynard, who also played Timmy's dad.
• Actor-Inspired Element: The rubber duck gag from Timmy and Mrs. Chalmers' Bathtub Scene in Driving Instructor was thought up by Robin Askwith on set, and Liz Fraser was only too happy to go along with it.
• Creator Backlash: Producer Michael Klinger was not happy with the script for Confessions from a Holiday Camp, noting a number of problems that he felt detracted from the quality that set the series apart from its imitators.
• Creator's Favourite Episode: Robin Askwith's favourite was Confessions of a Window Cleaner.
• Edited for Syndication: When aired on Talking Pictures in 2023, Holiday Camp saw many racist jokes cut as the channel was already on thin ice for racial content.
• Fake Scot: The Scottish Mr. Truscott from Driving Instructor was played by the Welsh Windsor Davies.
• Non-Singing Voice: In Pop Performer, Linda Regan's singing was dubbed over by Sue Martine.
• On-Set Injury:
  • The bleach-based foam used for the soapy floor scene from Window Cleaner made Robin Askwith's skin peel off.
  • Askwith was also left sick in bed during the filming of Holiday Camp due to how much time he had to spend in the pool while the film was being made in winter.
• The Other Darrin: Doris Hare took over the role of Mrs. Lea from Dandy Nichols after the first film.
• Playing Against Type: Caroline Ellis (Glad in Holiday Camp) was best known for mostly playing innocent girls on children's TV and took the role to (unsuccessfully) break into more mature roles.
• Queer Character, Queer Actor: Petal (the gay member of Kipper from Pop Performer) was played by David Warwick, a gay man.
• Real-Life Relative:
  • Eric, one of the members of Kipper in Pop Performer, played by Maynard Williams, the son of Bill Maynard.
  • The three mourners in Confessions from a Holiday Camp were all played by real-life siblings of Doris Hare.
• Sequel in Another Medium: Robin Askwith starred in a stage sequel entitled The Further Adventures of a Window Cleaner.
• Sleeper Hit: Window Cleaner, while not really an independent film, was a low-budget film, with a budget of £100,000. It became one of the highest-grossing films at the British box office in 1974, beating the Disney movie The Aristocats.
• Stunt Double: Two in Holiday Camp - Blackbird's full-frontal scenes were done with a body double, while Robin Askwith doubles for Lance Percival during Lionel's water-skiing scene.
• Unfinished Episode:
  • A fifth and a sixth film, Confessions of a Plumber's Mate and Confessions of a Private Soldier, had been planned in 1977. Filming was set to begin on Plumber's Mate at the end of February 1978. Robin Askwith even expressed a desire to direct Private Soldier, but neither film materialised (the former became Adventures of a Plumber's Mate). In November 1977 the studio cancelled plans for future films. Columbia Pictures president David Begelman, who had been very supportive of the British film industry and who had green-lit the first film, had been implicated in a cheque-forging scandal and either quit or was fired. His successor had no interest in financing low-budget, profitable British films.
  • Producer Michael Klinger rejected a script for Confessions from a Haunted House. Plans to shoot a Direct to Video film in the 1980s also came to nothing, as did a proposed 1992 film, Confessions of a Squaddie, with action due to take place in post-Gulf War Kuwait.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Mike Grady and Michael Cashman were originally considered for Timmy, while Richard Beckinsale, Richard O'Sullivan, Nicky Henson, and Dennis Waterman all were offered the role but turned it down.
  • An early cast list for Window Cleaner included Geoffrey Bayldon and Imogen Hassall.
  • While executive producer Norman Cohen directed the final three films, he was also originally supposed to direct Window Cleaner but stepped aside in favor of Val Guest. Guest was supposed to return for Pop Performer but didn't due to concerns from his wife about him being on set with various naked women.
  • Prior to Pop Performer, a sequel called Confessions from the Clink was considered but never got further than production notes.
  • Helen Mirren was considered for the role of Mary Truscott in Confessions of a Driving Instructor.
• Working Title: Confessions of Pop Performer was originally called Confessions from the Pop Scene.
• You Look Familiar:
  • Linda Hayden played Timmy's fiancée in Confessions of a Window Cleaner and French co-worker, Brigitte in Confessions from a Holiday Camp, while Marianne Stone played a woman in the cinema in the former and a waitress in the latter.
  • Liz Fraser was Mrs. Chalmers in Driving Instructor and Mrs. Whitemonk in Holiday Camp.

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