British Comedy Guide
The Secret Lives Of Dad's Army. Frank Williams. Copyright: ITN
The Secret Lives Of Dad's Army

The Secret Lives Of Dad's Army

  • TV documentary
  • Channel 5
  • 2021
  • 1 episode (1 series)

Documentary about the stars of Dad's Army. Features Michael Knowles, Graham McCann, Emma Kennedy, Frank Williams, Stephen Lowe and more.

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The Secret Lives Of Dad's Army. Frank Williams. Copyright: ITN

Key details

Genre
Documentary
Broadcast
2021
Channel
Channel 5
Episodes
1
Features
Michael Knowles, Graham McCann, Emma Kennedy, Frank Williams, Stephen Lowe, Simon London, Richard Webber, Stuart Wright and more
Directors
Diani Vyas, Judith Ahern and Mark Dolan
Producers
Judith Ahern, Diani Vyas, Mark Dolan, Andy Dunn and Lauren Burchell
Company

More than fifty years after Dad's Army marched on to our TV screens, in the summer of 1968, millions of viewers are still laughing at the antics of the hapless Home Guard platoon.

The characters of pompous Captain Mainwaring, laidback Sergeant Wilson, boyish Lance-Corporal Jones and the Privates - dour Scot Frazer, wide-boy Walker, gentle Godfrey and mollycoddled Pike - are as familiar to us as friends and family.

Their memorable catchphrases such as 'Don't Panic', 'Stupid Boy!' and 'We're Doomed' have all become part of British culture. At one point the show was drawing in a whopping 18 million fans.

The programme features exclusive new interviews with some of the original cast and their wives and children, as they tell us the inside story of what the much-loved characters were like in real life - the drinking, the affairs, the personal problems, and the tragedies that befell them during the nine incredible series.

And new interviews reveal the secrets, hidden until now, behind the hit show - including how one of the key actors nearly turned down the role of a lifetime, as he was convinced it would be a massive flop.

We also discover stories of their own real-life heroic efforts in the World Wars - as the men took on the Germans and fought with courage. And we find out what the young unknown actors did before they became famous, from classic Shakespearean theatre roles, to an early appearance in Coronation Street, as they battled to get a lucky break and become the household names we still love today.

Additional details

Also known as
  • Dad's Army: All The Laughs & More (Alternative billed repeat title)
  • Dad's Army: Secret Lives & Scandal (Billed title)
Production
Studio
Picture
Colour

Website links

Broadcast details

First broadcast
Saturday 21st August 2021 at 9:30pm on Channel 5
Episode length
85 minutes
Most recent repeats
  • Saturday 24th June 2023 at 6:05pm on C5
  • Saturday 27th August 2022 at 7:30pm on C5
  • Saturday 2nd April 2022 at 8:30pm on C5

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