Dunn - Doorman at Tv Studio Tracy Reed - Poppy Pennington James Villiers - Bill Simpson Graham Stark - McGregor's Suez comrade Ronald Howard - Cecil Arthur Lowe - Husband Joan Benham - Wife Lance Percival - Shifty Man Peter Bull - Ferocious Man in Library Peter Barkworth - Recording Studio Manager Norman Vaughan - Norman Stone Jon Pertwee - Greyhound Stadium storeman Peter Gilmore - Private (gardening duty in greenhouse) Ed Bishop - US Air Force Soldier at Checkpoint - (uncredited) Richard Caldicot - M.O.D. official - (uncredited) Damaris Hayman - Fan Club Employee - (uncredited) John Horsley - Lloyd's Director - (uncredited) Victor Brooks - commissionaire - (uncredited) Peter Barkworth - Television Studio Director - (uncredited) Dave Watts keyboards - Ricky Ticky Taylor Pop Star Production The film was based on an original story by Michael Winner which was inspired by a real army initiative test where soldiers were asked to get as far away as possible from their camp at Catterick. He hired Alan Hackney, who had written several Boulting Brothers screenplays, to write the script. While looking for finance, Winner was approached to make a film with the Dave Clark Five, but Winner did not like the idea. Charles H. Schneer liked the Hackney script and agreed to make it under a deal he had with Columbia and Winner says he suggested John Boorman take over the Dave Clark movie. Winner said Columbia insisted that Michael Callan play a lead role. Winner called the actor "a nice fellow who didn't sell the film in America and didn't help it in England either." Winner hired a cameraman who felt they could not film in the locations that had been chosen, so Winner replaced him with Geoff Unsworth. Johnny Speight did some uncredited writing on the film. Reception Winner says the film received good reviews but was not popular at the box office. TV Guide called the film: "Lunacy and laughs galore, with director Winner's gimmicky style much in evidence." Hal Erickson wrote in The New York Times: "Director Michael Winner was still in his 'mad mod' period when he lensed the wacky goings-on of You Must be Joking? His Death Wish pictures of the 1970s were in 1965 as remote as another galaxy." References External links 1965 films 1965 comedy films British comedy films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Michael Winner Films scored by Laurie Johnson