British Comedy Guide
Dad's Army. Image shows from L to R: Private Godfrey (Arnold Ridley), Lance Corporal Jones (Clive Dunn), Private Walker (James Beck), Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe), Private Frazer (John Laurie), Sergeant Wilson (John Le Mesurier), Private Pike (Ian Lavender)
Dad's Army

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.

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Press clippings Page 14

Radio Times review

Dad's Army goes a bit Mack Sennett in this episode when a sealed-order mission turns into a frantic choo-choo chase. King George VI is due to pass through the station, but a mix-up between sleeping pills and saccharine puts a spanner - or a defective brake wheel - in the works.

One false alarm sees Captain Mainwaring moving along a stopped train while sheepishly inquiring, "Your Majesty, are you there?" But the sight of the Vicar, Verger and Hodges on a pump trolley takes some beating.

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 15th November 2014

Radio Times review

A chaotic whirl of flirtation and skirmish accompanies America's entrance into the war, as a deputation arrives in Walmington. A darts match in the Red Lion is arranged and a "Hi Buddy!" banner hung over the bar. But with the platoon's other halves donning gladrags for the occasion, noses are soon put out of joint.

An utterly untypical instalment gives fans plenty of incident and casting oddities to talk about. They include Pike's girlfriend Ivy, played here by Ian Lavender's then wife Suzanne Kerchiss, but in an earlier episode by Rosemary Faith. And Alan Tilvern plays the US colonel even though he had previously been a Spanish captain, Rodrigues.

Like Yanks in 30 minutes, the story is almost too eventful for its own good. I mean to say, Godfrey hitting a man over the head with a chair? That's just not on.

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 8th November 2014

Emily Atack on the Dad's Army film set

She was best known for playing the sexy school girl all of The Inbetweeners' boys wanted to stare it. But on Thursday, Emily Atack was cutting a pin up image of a whole new calibre when she donned full costume on the set of the Hollywood adaptation of iconic BBC sitcom Dad's Army.

Kate Thomas & Becky Freeth, Daily Mail, 24th October 2014

Dad's Army remake doesn't need Catherine Zeta Jones

Speaking as Captain Mainwaring's long-standing (and much-sitting) double, I must protest at the Hollywoodisation of this great English classic.

Paul Routledge, The Mirror, 16th October 2014

Radio Times review

Dad's Army turns into Trumpton in a late-1972 episode that drew more viewers (18.5 million) than any other. When challenged to outwit the Home Guard commando unit by planting a dummy bomb in their fuel depot, the platoon dress as firemen for their "secret" mission.

As you might expect from the outlandish premise, the humour is Norfolk broad - Pike getting squirted at regular intervals, Jones deafening everyone with the fire bell, and so on. That said, there are some lovely moments with Mainwaring getting snubbed at the Rotary dinner (writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft never failed to prick his pomposity). There's also a formative role for Geoffrey Hughes (two years later he had become Corrie's bin man Eddie Yeats) and, from Godfrey, the line "I wouldn't mind dressing up as a nun."

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 4th October 2014

Radio Times review

"Tonight you may call me George." How often does Wilson receive such an invitation from his commanding officer? The captain throws open the doors of Mainwaring manor for a "civilian" shindig, and the prospect of actually seeing his spouse - she of bunkbed-bulging proportions and ear-splitting telephone manner - tantalises us like never before...

Less of a party and more of a wake, the bash is put out of its misery by an air raid - and a direct hit on the bank. So what to do with the money? It's an interesting, curiously mean-spirited outing, full of muttered put-downs and surly suspicion. Also some 18-carat lines, and a beautifully filmed finale.

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 20th September 2014

BBC angers Yes camp with ill-timed Dad's Army episode

"A total of 80 episodes of Dad's Army were made by the corporation - and which one does it choose to show on the Saturday ahead of the vote?" a Yes campaigner [for Scottish Independence] wails. "The one in which Frazer - played by John Laurie - tells Mainwaring that he can run the platoon better than him, is put in charge and then makes a total mess of things. Thank you very much, Auntie Beeb."

Tim Walker, The Telegraph, 16th September 2014

Radio Times review

A schism in the platoon makes for a slightly uncomfortable watch in this 1972 story. Well, as uncomfortable as this bear hug of a sitcom gets. But the heightened drama - introduced by Mainwaring temporarily allowing Frazer to try to improve on his captaincy - gives If the Cap Fits some teeth.

Mainwaring initially regrets giving the grumbling Scot free rein, especially when he promotes Pike and Walker over Jones and Wilson. But the twist in the tale, however unlikely, is to die for. Wilson's monocle-wearing theatrics and the least educational lecture you'll ever hear add to the fun.

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 13th September 2014

Radio Times review

An all-action extravaganza features Jones on a child's scooter, a grenade exploding in the Vicar's office and Mainwaring trying on a smart, 18-guinea greatcoat that you just know is as doomed as Frazer's catchphrase. (Look out for Larry Martyn -- the caretaker in Are You Being Served? -- as the signalman scoffing buns.)

When a misread map reference sends the platoon to a barn destined for artillery target practice, it's left to two senior members to try and save the day, via manic motoring and an insane bit of stop-motion animation. Before the Dick Barton finale, the squinting, gout-afflicted Godfrey explains his dislike of spectacles: "I didn't get on with them; they made me look rather old."

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 6th September 2014

Radio Times review

There are two distinct camps of thought in this famous 1972 episode. As bombs rain down outside their bunker, Mainwaring and Jones rather impractically want to get to grips with the enemy; Frazer and cynics anonymous are quite content to stay safe. But when there's a direct hit on the pumping station where Walker and Godfrey are patrolling, direct action is needed.

There's plenty of jeopardy from falling masonry and possible drowning, plus an ingenious set and water tank all in one - in fact, you can see the edge of the tank, accidentally, when Hodges falls out of his one-man boat. And whatever else you might think of him, don't ever question Mainwaring's heroism; one moving little aside is proof of that...

Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 9th August 2014

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