Croft with Perry, or Croft with Lloyd?

You've heard the old one "do you prefer chips with fish or chips with steak", well here's another; do you prefer David Croft with Jimmy Perry or David Croft with Jeremy Lloyd?

Sitcoms Croft wrote with Perry:
Dad's Army
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
Hi-De-Hi!
You Rang M'Lord?

Sitcoms Croft wrote with Lloyd:
Are You Being Served?
Come Back Mrs Noah
Oh Happy Band
'Allo 'Allo!
Grace & Favour
Which Way to the War
Here Comes the Queen (comes out this year)

For me it is very easy to answer. Out of all the sitcoms Croft has written, for me his four best ones were all with Jimmy Perry. So do you prefer Croft with Perry or Croft with Lloyd?

Fish, definitely.

Of all those shows the only ones I go for are Dad's Army and 'Allo 'Allo!, so it is 50/50. Both those shows benefitted from extraordinarily strong premises and central performances (from Arthur Lowe and Gorden Kaye) which transcended the material.

What Timbo said

To say Arthur Lowe's central performance transcended the material in Dad's Army is doing a disservice to the writers and the rest of the cast, IMO. It was an ensemble piece and, although, you could hardly say Godfrey was an important element they all contributed.

Perry & Croft for me - not a single contribution with Lloyd would make any favourite list of mine.

My favourite amongst those sitcoms is 'Are You Being Served?', so I guess I'll go with Lloyd.

Def.

Perry and Nium

Quote: Alan C @ June 24 2008, 4:50 PM BST

To say Arthur Lowe's central performance transcended the material in Dad's Army is doing a disservice to the writers and the rest of the cast, IMO. It was an ensemble piece and, although, you could hardly say Godfrey was an important element they all contributed.

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The performances from the ensemble cast were something of a mixed bag (Godfrey's was one of the strongest IMO) , but Lowe was special. The writing was strong in the early series, but there was a decline, with some of the same devices Croft used in his later series coming into play, for instance the over-elaborate props that go wrong. (Though thinking about it this was probably more justified in a home guard context, so perhaps I am making judgements in hindsight.)

Arthur Lowe gave an excellent performance, don't get me wrong, but I love this comedy as much for Frazier's doom-laden stories and anti-English rhetoric, Jones' ridiculous over enthusiasm, Wilson's fey sergeant and even Pike and the Warden.

Croft and Perry

Their stuff has more poignancy than the Croft and Lloyd sitcoms, and doesnt rely as heavily on tits and arse gags.

Quote: Jack Massey @ June 24 2008, 4:20 PM BST

Here Comes the Queen (comes out this year)

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Is this confirmed now?

I don't know. And yes, totally agree with you Greg.

Sherry with Babycham!

Croft & Lloyd.

Definitely Lloyd and Croft. I never found Hi-De-Hi! or Dad's Army that funny, and Ain't It 'Alf Hot Mum is a bit embarrassing to watch now.