Inspired comedy, directed with a feather-light touch by Mario Zampi, about a mild-mannered clerk whose blueprints for some new toilets accidentally get mixed up with those for an atom bomb. George Cole was at the peak of his own form, bolstered by his success in radio's A Life of Bliss, and he's just marvellous. Zampi was a talented Italian who, in his relatively brief directorial career, proved to have an amazing grasp of the British sense of humour. Although he made his first impression with a scary low-budget horror film, The Fatal Night, Zampi hit his stride in 1951 with Laughter in Paradise (which gave a showy, early role to Audrey Hepburn) and he and writers Michael Pertwee and Jack Davies went on to make Top Secret, Happy Ever After, The Naked Truth, Too Many Crooks and Bottoms Up! Zampi died relatively young in 1963, but left a legacy of laughter behind him. As in all his films, this crazy romp has some outstandingly funny moments - and you can also spot a young Christopher Lee in a very minor role. Hollywood took the film for distribution, and gave it a more obvious comedy title: Mr Potts Goes to Moscow.

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