Dad's Army (1968–1977)

Popular BBC comedy series set in the fictional south coast seaside town of Walmington-On-Sea during World War 2. Alternating moments of gentle character comedy with broad slapstick, it ... See full summary »

Creator:

Jimmy Perry

Stars:

Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Arthur Lowe	...	Capt. George Mainwaring (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
John Le Mesurier	...	Sgt. Arthur Wilson (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
Clive Dunn	...	LCpl. Jack Jones (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
John Laurie	...	Pte. James Frazer (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
Arnold Ridley	...	Pte. Charles Godfrey (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
Ian Lavender	...	Pte. Frank Pike (80 episodes, 1968-1977)
Bud Flanagan	...	The Voice of (74 episodes, 1968-1977)
James Beck	...	Pte. Joe Walker (60 episodes, 1968-1973)
Bill Pertwee	...	Chief Warden Hodges (60 episodes, 1968-1977)
Edward Sinclair	...	the Verger (49 episodes, 1968-1977)
Frank Williams	...	the Vicar (40 episodes, 1969-1977)

Storyline

Popular BBC comedy series set in the fictional south coast seaside town of Walmington-On-Sea during World War 2. Alternating moments of gentle character comedy with broad slapstick, it recounts the misadventures of the local voluntary defence force (or 'Home Guard') consisting of men too old or 'unfit' for military service. They are led by the pompous Mainwaring, manager of the local bank, and consist of the suave, mild-mannered Sergeant Wilson , Lance-Corporal Jones, the town's butcher and an old soldier prone to hysteria, cockney spiv Walker, dour Scots undertaker Frazer, gentle, elderly and incontinent Godfrey and dim-witted mummy's boy, Pike, whose mother is 'friendly' with Wilson. They are based in the Church hall where there is much friction between Mainwaring, the effeminate Vicar, his creeping Verger and ARP Warden Hodges (the grocer) who calls Mainwaring 'Napoleon' and strongly dislikes him. The 80 episodes (the last 68 made in colour) have been frequently repeated, many are ...

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Plot Keywords:

sergeant | lance corporal | butcher | home guard | cockney accent | 

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 1968 (UK)

Also Known As:

Az ükhadsereg

Filming Locations:

All Saints' Church, Honington, Suffolk, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (80 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Walmington-on-Sea's church is St Aldhelm's, patron saint of song-writers and musicians.

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Goofs

Throughout the series LCPL Jones is the only member of the platoon to wear medal ribbons on his uniform. Frazer, Wilson, and Godfrey (and possibly others) all saw service in WWI and would have medals and ribbons, and would most likely have worn them proudly as well.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Pike: Mum won't like it, Uncle Arthur.

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Connections

Referenced in Favouritism: Michael Portillo's Great British Losers (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Calling all workers"
by Eric Coates

User Reviews

Arguably the greatest, and most enduring comedy series EVER.

Dad's Army is still played again and again, and it's easy to see why. Dad's Army created some of the most memorable characters on British television. The hilarity is still there. Even after seeing a lot of episodes 7 or 8 times over, I still laugh. That is a hard thing to achieve in comedy. Jimmy Perry and David Croft came up with something that surpassed anything created before and after. The central core actors executed their parts PERFECTLY. I still can't picture anyone than Arthur Lowe being the pompous captain, or Le Mesurier as the polite Sgt. This is the type of series where, when asked to pick your favorite character, you just can't. And that's because every character is very different from its fellow characters. There's Corporal Jones, the hilariously "wooly minded" butcher. And Private Walker, the spiv who would sell his own grandmother. Sadly James Beck died, and no matter how hard the writers tried, they couldn't replace him. There's Private Pike, the mommy's boy, who is constantly having the famous "You stupid Boy!" line directed his way. Then there's Frazer, the frugal Scottish mortician. And Godfrey, the gentleman, and the one who always needs to be excused. Then the afore mentioned Capt. Mainwaring, and Srgt. Wilson. The ARP Warden Hodges, the uncouth green grocer, who has a fierce feud with Capt. Mainwaring. The Vicar and the Verger, the troublemaker, and Mrs. Pike.

Even the more minor characters in this epic comedy are just so well done. It is a comic story set in the small seaside town of Walmington-On-Sea which is doing its bit to fight off the boche.

Dad's Army highlights a golden age for British Comedy. It's famous lines such as "Don't Panic!", have pervaded other areas of T.V. and culture. Dad's Army will keep marching on and on....