The sets were excellent, almost identical. I thought the cast was well matched to the originals but obviously they can't replace them. I was pleasantly surprised to find that each episode was very watchable and although it sometimes felt a bit rushed I did enjoy the episodes. Purists will be horrified but I can only congratulate the production team and cast for a very good effort. Well done.
27 Reviews
About Right
tonyhancock26 August 2019
I think they got this about right. It was always going to be difficult because the characters and original actors are ingrained in our consciousness, but the set recreation, "low budget effects", and feeling and yet just enough difference from the original made this a pleasant diversion.
Kevin McNally was a more than decent Capt Mainwaring, Robert Bathhurst less convincing as Sgt Wilson, and I am reserving judgment on David Hayman as Frazier.
I have seen interviews with Kevin McNally where he has stated that these episodes have been made with love and I think that is about right. They will never quite match the originals but overall it is a very good effort.
Please let's hope that Gold does not feel the need to create new material though - these episodes only remind us that Croft & Perry got it right. Modern writing will be hampered by political correctness.
Kevin McNally was a more than decent Capt Mainwaring, Robert Bathhurst less convincing as Sgt Wilson, and I am reserving judgment on David Hayman as Frazier.
I have seen interviews with Kevin McNally where he has stated that these episodes have been made with love and I think that is about right. They will never quite match the originals but overall it is a very good effort.
Please let's hope that Gold does not feel the need to create new material though - these episodes only remind us that Croft & Perry got it right. Modern writing will be hampered by political correctness.
I'm laughing. Great start..
ashwetherall125 August 2019
Ok I'm over half way through the first episode and I'm chuckling away.
Unlike the recent movie there has been some real time and care put into the recreation of these lost classics. Croft and Perry's writhing is perfection and the actors play to the script and just keep to the right side of tribute without lapsing into overt impersonation.
So far so good.
Very well done
westhamfan_929 August 2019
I awaited these three episodes with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, as I am a massive fan of the original series, and was monumentally disappointed with the 2016 film effort. But from that to this I can see the problem - the 2016 film wasn't written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, while these were, which is why I shouldn't have worried. Yes, the cast are obviously understudies (as they described themselves), but they mostly do very well in finding the characters as we would recognise them, with special credit to Robert Bathurst. It's not a 10/10, but it's as close as it can be. I'm very pleased that, in lieu of the original episodes being found somewhere, we do at least have these that we can go to and (to an extent) now watch the entire series of Dad's Army
Shame on a previous reviewer!
dellcelles26 August 2019
The overwhelming justification for remaking these 3 episodes is because they are genuinely unavailable. I don't know whether anyone with primative video equipment ever pointed it at the telly in 1968. If there IS any footage it must be unusable (unlike the episode which was discovered, restored and colourised some years ago). Some of the writing in Episode 1 of this series has some really good moments and gags which I remember from watching it about 50 years ago. I avoided the newish movie because I don't feel (as with the first movie version) that the format is not as charming outside the studio and dreamy woodland lanes of the TV environment. Cast is much better than hoped for and the reason I can't agree with the previous reviewer is that these are the original scripts - so the comment is nonsensical.......
Glad to have them, but....
mark-russell431 January 2020
They spoke the words, but Mainwaring and Jones were not right. Probably not surprising because both Lowe and Dunn delivered their roles so distinctively. Episode 3 shows the worst of this failure with awful slapstick Dunn would have mastered.
Very good
ronbell-2398429 August 2019
After all 3 episodes...
riggo-7350327 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Mcnally does best but delivery isn't there... 1st episode not bad but Heyman made Stripe for Frazer better... third episode scene between West and Heyman superb but the slapstick was a car crash...
They tried their best but the comic timing lacked...
Could they have done better? Yes with John Sessions as Mainwaring
They tried their best but the comic timing lacked...
Could they have done better? Yes with John Sessions as Mainwaring
Absolute joy
davet-1527525 August 2019
Why not 10?
riggo-7350326 August 2019
Really enjoyed!!
neilaelberry-4750327 August 2019
Terrible
bobpeter-4632731 August 2019
Though it would be terrible but lots of good jokes
allanmichael304 September 2019
Not a patch on the original series
robandsuet-4312220 July 2020
Finally Got To See The Lost 3 !
michaelarmer6 September 2019
Excellent, I don't know why there are a few negative reviews on here, they must be spoilers! I have heard the audio recordings of these 3 episodes and these 3 re-recorded video versions have hit the mark, spot-on.
The cast are pretty good, they will never be as good as the original, but that is not the point and no one (particularly themselves) would expect that, but for stand-ins they are excellent, Kevin McNally plays Capt. Mainwaring pretty well, and if you pay attention you will see some subtle inclinations and a little pomposity which Arthur Lowe made his forte. Robert Bathurst does a good Sgt. Wilson. Timothy West is as usual a top link, as Godfrey, The rest are not quite as good but still do very well as the other characters, none are poor. The writing is as usual from Croft & Perry, excellent, because they are using the original scripts and scenes, you can't really go wrong. For some reason the modern sitcoms just can't crack quality like this.
You will never get the 100% perfect Dad's Army, But this is as near as you can get, so I give this 9 out of 10.
P.s. the recent Dad's Army film was pretty good, not as good as these 3 but still good.
The cast are pretty good, they will never be as good as the original, but that is not the point and no one (particularly themselves) would expect that, but for stand-ins they are excellent, Kevin McNally plays Capt. Mainwaring pretty well, and if you pay attention you will see some subtle inclinations and a little pomposity which Arthur Lowe made his forte. Robert Bathurst does a good Sgt. Wilson. Timothy West is as usual a top link, as Godfrey, The rest are not quite as good but still do very well as the other characters, none are poor. The writing is as usual from Croft & Perry, excellent, because they are using the original scripts and scenes, you can't really go wrong. For some reason the modern sitcoms just can't crack quality like this.
You will never get the 100% perfect Dad's Army, But this is as near as you can get, so I give this 9 out of 10.
P.s. the recent Dad's Army film was pretty good, not as good as these 3 but still good.
Top effort
Sulla-211 September 2019
Well done Wilson
mikeclarke13820 September 2019
How hard is it to play a character that is well established and loved.
The whole cast did very well and I enjoyed the 3 episodes.
There was lots of money and top names thrown at the recent film version which was not good unlike this low key re make of original scripted episodes, really enjoyed it so well done to the makers and shame on the bbc for losing the original episodes
Loved it!
flyingthor7 September 2019
Three highly enjoyable episodes that complete the series (again). Much credit to all the people who made this happen, as a long time fan and repeat viewer of the original episodes I enjoyed every second of these. The cast did their very best to recapture the characters played so well by their predecessors, and while they don't quite get there all of the time there are moments where you may think you're watching the originals :)
That's helped by the sets and colouring, absolutely perfect, and the camera angles and editing play their part. The only small gripe I found with it was a lack of face shots when certain characters are delivering quips, perhaps it would break the illusion to have them in these episodes.
Overall, top notch effort (infinitely better than the treatment 'Yes, Prime Minister' received), and looking forward to adding these to the DVD collection.
That's helped by the sets and colouring, absolutely perfect, and the camera angles and editing play their part. The only small gripe I found with it was a lack of face shots when certain characters are delivering quips, perhaps it would break the illusion to have them in these episodes.
Overall, top notch effort (infinitely better than the treatment 'Yes, Prime Minister' received), and looking forward to adding these to the DVD collection.
About as alike as it could be
billy-16812 September 2019
After watching the first ten minutes of the first episode I did feel a little underwhelmed. I suppose I was looking for carbon copies of the original actors; who looked the same, were built the same, and whose timing was exactly the same.
But I stayed watching and must admit that I'm glad I did. By the end of the last episode I had put my initial criticism to one side, and looked at what the program-makers have given us.
Admittedly I did find myself frequently comparing the actors to the original talent, but this is sadly missing the point. The original Dad's Army crew are in the past and that's how it is. But the idea of restoring the missing episodes to a watchable version was an inspired piece of creativity which pays the utmost respect to Perry and Croft's genius.
The episodes quickly grew on me and all in all, I feel that makers did about as good of a job that it's possible to do in 2019. Some of the actors were absolutely top class - my favourite being Tim West playing Godfrey. But as in any copying of an original program, if you don't have the same actors (looking as they did), the locale being about the same, and the technical standards the same, then you will end up with an imitation. Can a modern Carry On film look like a 1970's version?
IMO, though occasionally the timing of some of the line deliveries, and perhaps the pace of some of the scenes may not have been exactly how it was originally done, but these points are pretty minor in the overall enjoyment of these episodes. Perhaps the church hall floor looked like a laminated floor but apart from that, the sets were brilliantly similar. And to my taste, I thought the scene of putting out the fire was laugh out loud funny, and well fitting as an example of the 1970's crew's farce.
So I'd like to thank all the people involved in producing these missing episodes for a job extremely well done.
But I stayed watching and must admit that I'm glad I did. By the end of the last episode I had put my initial criticism to one side, and looked at what the program-makers have given us.
Admittedly I did find myself frequently comparing the actors to the original talent, but this is sadly missing the point. The original Dad's Army crew are in the past and that's how it is. But the idea of restoring the missing episodes to a watchable version was an inspired piece of creativity which pays the utmost respect to Perry and Croft's genius.
The episodes quickly grew on me and all in all, I feel that makers did about as good of a job that it's possible to do in 2019. Some of the actors were absolutely top class - my favourite being Tim West playing Godfrey. But as in any copying of an original program, if you don't have the same actors (looking as they did), the locale being about the same, and the technical standards the same, then you will end up with an imitation. Can a modern Carry On film look like a 1970's version?
IMO, though occasionally the timing of some of the line deliveries, and perhaps the pace of some of the scenes may not have been exactly how it was originally done, but these points are pretty minor in the overall enjoyment of these episodes. Perhaps the church hall floor looked like a laminated floor but apart from that, the sets were brilliantly similar. And to my taste, I thought the scene of putting out the fire was laugh out loud funny, and well fitting as an example of the 1970's crew's farce.
So I'd like to thank all the people involved in producing these missing episodes for a job extremely well done.
Dreadful
darrin-hauxwell20 January 2021
This is not funny at all, a bunch of actors runny around like headless chickens. It might have been funny in the 70's or early 80's, but remade for the 21st century, it ain't funny.
I watched it and just thought this is terrible, why would you, why would they agree to remake it? It's annoying just like the "canned" laughter!
So don't waste your time watching this drivel?
Extremely Well Done
crumpytv17 October 2020
The original Dad's Army cast are an institution, and it was brave to recast so as to air episodes that have been lost.
However, they pulled it off..
Kevin McNally is quite brilliant as Captain Mainwaring, Robert Bathurst does a creditable Sergeant Wilson.
James Beck as the original Private Walker is one of my favourite all-time TV characters, but Matthew Horne does a very good job of portraying the spiv.
Kevin Eldon is more animated than the original Private Jones, and to be honest I thought he was funnier.
Timothy West is an excellent Private Godfrey, but the only one I found wanting was Private Pike. The original was far better. The supports were very good, especially Mrs. Pike.
I have watched these episodes 4 times now, and Is till find them amusing. The script of the first episode about Walker was superb.
I find myself wanting more with this cast ... maybe the episodes that were originally shot in B&W ??
Amazingly perfect
callan-927596 September 2020
I have seen many modern updates of old shows (yes minister was an awful remake) but the cast and set of the dads army lost episodes was spot on ! Even the cast were amazingly accurate- it would be great if they can write some more episodes with this cast.
Fantastic Tribute
cmtaylor-109931 June 2021
It's great to see new versions of the missing episodes and I think this is a great tribute to the original programme.
The cast and sets are generally great and there's even the classic war time song interlude between scenes like there was.
The original cast are irreplaceable, they each brought something fantastic to the show and as a nation we have been watching them perform the same roles for over 50 years. That said, I think the cast here do a decent job, and after a few scenes of the first episode I was used to them.
Naturally some of the performances are better than others and at times you do feel like you are watching a local dramatics society putting on a stage show of Dads Army. The problem for me is that the original cast performed their roles so naturally and here the new cast are having to portray each character similar to their 60s counterparts. Matthew Horne's Walker doesn't seem natural and is a tad over the top in his expressions, as is Kevin Eldon as Jones, which spoils the illusion of these being real characters. This could be a result of me knowing these actors from other roles though.
The humor is still great all these years later. Although it must be said that during series 2, the show was still finding it's feet and wasn't as funny as it would become later in it's run.
The three episodes do fill in some gaps though in the Dad's Army continuity, such as why Walker didn't get call up, and also touches on how Wilson got out of his marriage proposal in the episode 'Sgt Wilson's Little Secret'.
These are a must see for all Dad's Army fans. If you approach them as a tribute you will be pleasantly surprised. This is very likely the only way you'll ever get close to seeing the original missing episodes.
The cast and sets are generally great and there's even the classic war time song interlude between scenes like there was.
The original cast are irreplaceable, they each brought something fantastic to the show and as a nation we have been watching them perform the same roles for over 50 years. That said, I think the cast here do a decent job, and after a few scenes of the first episode I was used to them.
Naturally some of the performances are better than others and at times you do feel like you are watching a local dramatics society putting on a stage show of Dads Army. The problem for me is that the original cast performed their roles so naturally and here the new cast are having to portray each character similar to their 60s counterparts. Matthew Horne's Walker doesn't seem natural and is a tad over the top in his expressions, as is Kevin Eldon as Jones, which spoils the illusion of these being real characters. This could be a result of me knowing these actors from other roles though.
The humor is still great all these years later. Although it must be said that during series 2, the show was still finding it's feet and wasn't as funny as it would become later in it's run.
The three episodes do fill in some gaps though in the Dad's Army continuity, such as why Walker didn't get call up, and also touches on how Wilson got out of his marriage proposal in the episode 'Sgt Wilson's Little Secret'.
These are a must see for all Dad's Army fans. If you approach them as a tribute you will be pleasantly surprised. This is very likely the only way you'll ever get close to seeing the original missing episodes.
What a shame!
ronlee-5459126 August 2019
Absolute garbage.
bob-113531 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Where on earth did they get the uniforms from? Looked like grandma knocked them up on her sewing machine. Worn completely wrong, if you wanted to know how to do it look at the original series.
The acting was awful because they were trying to emulate the original actors , and not the characters.
I see now why they were lost, the scripts were well below par.
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