One of those films you used to stumble upon on a Sunday afternoon TV broadcast, 1964’s Crooks in Cloisters is a fairly typical example of the sort of gentle, rather charming British comedy films that came and went throughout the 1960s without making much impact, but which are always fondly remembered.

After a failed train robbery (train robbery themes being all the rage at the time), London villain ‘Little Walter’ (Ronald Fraser) and his gang are forced to flee the big city after determined Superintendent Mungo (Alister Williamson) gets on their case. They hide out on a remote Cornish island, disguising themselves as monks – which proves difficult, considering their number includes Barbara Windsor. But while they seem both uncomfortable with their new Spartan surroundings – one character remarks it would’ve been easier to go to prison – they soon realise that it’s the perfect base to carry on a career of crime, counterfeiting and fencing. But as time goes on, the various villains start to enjoy their new quiet lives, raising crops, tending animals and not having to look over their shoulders.

While short on actual belly laughs, Crooks in Cloisters is unquestionably enjoyable viewing – a classic gentle comedy with characters who, although criminals, are at heart decent sorts (with names like Bikini – Windsor, obviously! – Specs and Squirts). A cast of familiar faces –Bernard Cribbins, Wilfred Brambell, Melvyn Hayes – helps make the film oddly comforting, and director Jeremy Summers, very much a safe pair of hands (his other films range from The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, House of a Thousand Dolls and Five Golden Dragons to Ferry Cross the Mersey and The Punch and Judy Man) directs with disinterested efficiency.

Crooks in Cloisters isn’t exactly a forgotten classic – but it is rather sweet natured, agreeable and enjoyable – the ideal film to unwind with.

DAVID FLINT

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