Dad's Army (TV Series) The Royal Train (1973) User Reviews

This glorious sixth series continues with another classic.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 18 January 2020]

The Home Guard are given a secret mission, to salute King George as he passes through Walmington on Sea, naturally events don't quite go to plan.

This one always has me in stitches, the mix ups with the sleeping tablets, and the desperation to get to the front to see The King, the train chase is terrific.

Is the train camouflaged or the King? Wilson definitely had the best line here, glorious sarcasm. Pike's insubordination is funny.

This sixth series continues in the same brilliant form it started, it only makes me so sad that this would be Walker's final series.

A favourite. 9/10

Loved it as a kid but lacks something as an adult

[phantom_tollbooth · 6/10 · 13 July 2023]

I remember loving The Royal Train when I was a kid. It's one of those episodes that ups the stakes with a genuinely perilous premise, in this case the platoon getting stuck on a fast moving train without the break wheel they need to stop it. Ultimately, while the caper at the centre of it is reasonably solid, I found this a bit of a disappointment to revisit. The scenes leading up to the main action set piece felt curiously off for some reason, as if the writing just wasn't funny enough and the cast knew it. Then the big finish was far baggier than I expected, with a lot of flailing around and Jones trotting out that "Oh, you saved my life again, Mr. Mainwaring" shtik which wasn't really that funny the first time round. If you're not looking for big laughs, or if you're a fan of the broadest slapstick, The Royal Train is still a sufficiently entertaining little adventure but it doesn't really get the best out of the characters or performers, save for Ian Lavender who I really thought nailed the part of Pike here. His deadpanning of the line "Mr Mainwaring, there's supposed to be a little wheel here" was the highlight of the episode for me.