Dad's Army
- TV sitcom
- BBC One
- 1968 - 1977
- 80 episodes (9 series)
Beloved sitcom about the struggles of a Home Guard platoon during World War II who are fighting incompetence, age and pomposity more than Nazis. Stars Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, John Laurie, Arnold Ridley and more.
- Series 1, Episode 5 repeated at 3pm on Gold
Streaming rank this week: 805
Episode menu
Series 4, Episode 13 - Fallen Idol
Broadcast details
- Date
- Friday 18th December 1970
- Time
- 8pm
- Channel
- BBC One
- Length
- 30 minutes
- Recorded
-
- Friday 11th December 1970 at BBC Television Centre
Cast & crew
| Arthur Lowe | Captain Mainwaring |
| John Le Mesurier | Sergeant Wilson |
| Clive Dunn | Lance Corporal Jones |
| John Laurie | Private Frazer |
| Arnold Ridley | Private Godfrey |
| Ian Lavender | Private Pike |
| James Beck | Private Walker |
| Robert Raglan | Captain Pritchard |
| Geoffrey Lumsden | Colonel / Corporal-Colonel / Captain Square |
| Rex Garner | Captain Ashley-Jones |
| Michael Knowles | Captain Reed |
| Anthony Sagar | Sergeant Major |
| Tom Mennard | Mess Orderly |
| Jimmy Perry | Writer |
| David Croft | Writer |
| David Croft | Director |
| David Croft | Producer |
| Bob Rymer | Editor |
| Paul Joel | Production Designer |
| Bud Flanagan | Theme Tune Vocals |
Press
Radio Times review
This nigh-on perfect episode is The Arthur Lowe Show in all but name. A training weekend for the platoon enables Lowe to run through his sublime Mainwarisms: the "throat-clutching choke", the "skewed cap and glasses", and the rare but wonderful "trying desperately not to appear drunk". (Almost as funny is Sergeant Wilson's teddy-bear hiding - an Embarrassment Masterclass from John Le Mesurier.)
It all comes about as a result of Captain "What! What!" Square and a bunch of whisky-swilling officers leading Mainwaring astray, to the scowling disenchantment of Frazer and co. And it takes a genuine crisis to restore him in the eyes of his men...
"Fallen Idol" is delicious to the last drop, when an "Iris Out" homage to the silent era provides the show's best-ever sign-off.
Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 2nd February 2016