Lily Morris

Classic comedy starring Arthur Askey. The perils, humiliations and humour of trying to run a second-rate theatrical company are further compounded when financial aid, given by the former famous music-hall star Lady Randall (Lily Morris), is withdrawn. Not to be defeated, the stars decide the show must go on and devise a plan to persuade her to reinvest

One of the first screen outings for Will Hay. Hay plays the Director General of the National Broadcasting Group (NBG) who hides away in his office unaware that the general feeling about his programming is that it is too high-brow and the public are not happy. However, when he discovers this he decides to take action and promotes Jimmy, his Head of the Complaints Department, to Programme Director. Jimmy decides that a series of variety spectaculars are what the public want and sets about hiring the acts. But obstacles are put in his way and he discovers that the NBG has its own cluster of wannabe variety stars.

O filme é uma série de 19 cenas em formato de comédias musicais, apresentadas durante um programa de rádio ao vivo, encabeçado por Tommy Handley. Em uma das cenas, um ator deseja interpretar Shakespeare, mas é continuamente interrompido. Já em outra parte, outro comediante cria um aparelho no qual pensa que é possível assistir ao programa de rádio pela TV. Apesar de o filme ser em preto e branco, quatro cenas são coloridas (em tons de amarelo ou marrom). Elstree Calling foi dirigido pelos quatro maiores diretores ingleses da época, que incubiu de inserir o cinema britânico no gênero musical.