Editing Hattie Jacques (section)

===Return to ''Carry On'': 1967–1974===
In the summer of 1967 the ''Carry On'' producer [[Peter Rogers]] assembled the cast for the 15th film of the series, ''Carry On Doctor''. Rogers initially chose Joan Sims to play the role of the hospital matron but she declined the part, stating that Jacques's performance of the role in ''Carry On Nurse'' could not be bettered.{{sfn|Ross|2005|p=89}} As such, Rogers cast Jacques as Matron, with Sims accepting a smaller role as the timid assistant of the film's lead character Francis Bigger, played by [[Frankie Howerd]].{{sfn|Ross|2005|p=88}} Jacques's screen time was increased from ''Carry On Nurse'', as the producers considered her part to be an extension of the earlier role.{{sfn|Ross|1996|p=70}} ''Carry On Doctor'' was released in December of that year, to much success.{{sfn|Snelgrove|2003|p=12}}

Jacques started 1968 by appearing with [[Spike Milligan]] and [[Frank Thornton]] in thirteen episodes of the sketch show ''[[The World of Beachcomber]]'', based on the [[Beachcomber (Pen name)|Beachcomber]] column in the ''[[Daily Express]]'' newspaper and broadcast on the BBC from January to April.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=437}} Shortly after the series finished, she appeared alongside Frankie Howerd in his sketch show, ''Howerd's Hour'', on ITV.{{sfn|Ross|2001|p=174}} She continued her busy schedule with appearances in six films for 1969,{{efn|The six films were ''[[Rhubarb (1969 film)|Rhubarb]]'', ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust!]]'', ''[[Carry On Camping]]'', ''[[Carry On Again Doctor]]'', ''[[Crooks and Coronets]]'' and ''[[The Magic Christian (film)|The Magic Christian]]''.<ref name="BFI: Filmog" />}} including another with Sellers, ''[[The Magic Christian (film)|The Magic Christian]]''. Here she portrayed a character named Ginger, who was described as a "grotesque figure", with an "insatiable lust for bestsellers on the atrocities of World War Two".{{sfn|Films and Filming|1969|p=43}} She also appeared on television alongside Harry Secombe and [[Roy Castle]] in ''[[Pickwick (TV movie)|Pickwick]]'', which was based on the musical [[Pickwick (musical)|of the same name]],<ref name="BFI: Pickwick" /> and in ''[[Carry On Christmas Specials#Carry On Christmas|Carry On Christmas]]'', broadcast on Christmas Eve.{{sfn|Webber|2008|p=251}} Although 1969 had been busy, 1970 was relatively quiet in terms of her professional output: apart from an episode of ''[[Catweazle]]'',{{sfn|Merriman|2007|p=161}} she appeared alongside [[Willoughby Goddard]] in a six-episode series of ''Charley's Grants''.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=130}} She spent May and June filming ''[[Carry On Loving]]'', in which she played Sophie Bliss, released in September that year.{{sfn|Snelgrove|2003|p=127}} Another ''Carry On'' film followed in 1971, ''[[Carry On at Your Convenience]]'', where she played Beattie Plummer, the housebound wife of Sid Plummer, played by Sid James.{{sfn|Ross|1996|pp=98–99}} In the same year she completed another series with Sykes, ''[[Sykes and a Big, Big Show]]'', a music and sketch programme which had six episodes, broadcast between February and April.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=646}}{{efn|During the course of the year Jacques also appeared with Sykes in the on-off programme ''Sykes – With the Lid Off'', as well as making one-off appearances in ''Frankie Howerd: The Laughing Stock of Television'', ''[[Doctor at Large (TV series)|Doctor at Large]]'', ''[[Ask Aspel]]'', ''Dangerpoint'' and ''[[Christmas Night with the Stars]]''.{{sfn|Merriman|2007|p=225}}}}

Two further ''Carry On'' films followed for Jacques in 1972: ''Carry On Matron'', for which she was engaged in the title role,{{sfn|Ross|2005|p=136}} and ''[[Carry On Abroad]]'', as Floella, the fiery Spanish cook at a half-finished hotel. As well as the film being Charles Hawtrey's last, it also marked a reduction in Jacques's screen time; she spent only one week filming her scenes. During post-production, the film's insurers became concerned about Jacques's deteriorating health. In a letter to the series producer Peter Rogers, they expressed their reluctance to insure her on set in any future film.{{sfn|Ross|2005|pp=142–46}}{{efn|Her last film would be ''[[Carry On Dick]]'' in 1974, where she appeared as Martha Hoggett.{{sfn|Ross|2005|p=162}}}}

During the course of 1972 Jacques co-starred in the first series of ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]'', in which she played Hattie Sykes, "the wide-eyed, less-knowing but remarkably patient sister-cum-mother-figure";{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=646}}{{efn|''Sykes'' was an extension to the earlier series ''Sykes and a...''. In total there were seven series and two Christmas specials of ''Sykes'', ending in November 1979.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=646}}}} at its height, ''Sykes'' had 17&nbsp;million viewers.{{sfn|Merriman|2007|p=168}} In February 1972 Jacques was at home with her son Robin to watch Le Mesurier win the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] "Best Television Actor" award for his portrayal of a "boozy British aristocrat&nbsp;... who became a spy for the Soviets"{{sfn|Roberts|2009|p=60}}<ref name="BFI: 72 awards" /> in [[Dennis Potter]]'s television play ''[[Traitor (TV drama)|Traitor]]''.<ref name="traitor" /> Jacques cried when her ex-husband won the award, and divulged to her son that she "wasn't crying out of professional resentment or even envy about [[Joan Le Mesurier]]&nbsp;... but from an unhappiness that, through her own actions, she lost John or there was now no-one with whom to spend her life".{{sfn|Merriman|2007|p=162}}