Au Pair Girls 1972

Four young female au pairs arrive at Heathrow Airport and are escorted to the Overseas Employment Agency in London, which has arranged placements for them with various host families.

• Anita Sector [Astrid Frank] is assigned to Mr Howard [Geoffrey Bayldon] and Mrs Howard [Daphne Anderson]. She proves to be something of a handful, flooding the house during a shower and then slipping away on a date with Malcolm, a man who had preyed on her at the airport. Their night out leads to a casino where Anita encounters Sheik El Abab [Ferdy Mayne] and disappears with him after Malcolm loses money at the roulette table. In the sheik’s opulent home she spends time with his concubines and discovers that he is a very wealthy philanthropist. When the sheik attempts to seduce Anita, she realizes that her deadline to return to the Howards’ house has passed. She eventually returns to the house only to find her suitcases left on the doorstep, signaling her disappearance from the arrangement.

• Randi Lindstrom [Gabrielle Drake] is assigned to the family of businessman Mr Wainwright [John Le Mesurier]. His son Stephen [Richard O’Sullivan] is immediately drawn to her, and after a string of mishaps they end up back at Mr Wainwright’s offices, where they have sex in the car. The moment of truth comes when Mr Wainwright discovers them naked the next morning, a surprising breach of propriety that unsettles both the employer and his household.

• Nan Lee [Me Me Lai] is placed with Lord Tryke [Harold Bennett] and Lady Tryke to be a playmate for their son Rupert [Julian Barnes], who has been groomed for a concert career yet remains immature for his age due to limited social interaction. Nan joins in the garden games and the family dinners, observing Rupert’s peculiar maturity and, in time, recognizing her own enjoyment in his company. She eventually seduces him and quietly leaves the next morning, leaving behind a sense of complicated affection.

• Christa Geisler [Nancie Wait] is sent to the Fairfax family, where it’s learned that Christa is a virgin. Their daughter Carole [Lyn Yeldham] decides to introduce Christa to pop star Ricky Strange [Steve Patterson]. They shop for a more revealing outfit intended to entice Ricky, and Christa meets him after a performance, ending up in bed with him. This is soon followed by Carole’s boyfriend Buster [John Standing], but the sequence is revealed to be Carole’s ruse to secure Ricky’s attention. Christa realizes she’s been used, but she confides in Buster, who understands despite his rough manner. The next morning Christa tells Carole that she is leaving and terminates her employment with the Fairfaxes.

Back at the agency, Randi, Nan, and Christa reunite, while Anita returns and proposes that they join her as new concubines for the sheik. The four au pairs accept, and together they climb into the sheik’s car and drive away, completing a cycle of departure from their original placements.