Dad's Army: British Television Sitcom Series

A Comedy Written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft

Aug 20, 2008

2008 is the 40th anniversary of the first showing of "Dad's Army", a long-running television comedy series based on the activities of the Home Guard during World War II.

When British comedy writers David Croft and Jimmy Perry created Dad's Army in 1968 they had no idea that it would be regarded as a classic 40 years on.

Local Defence Volunteers

In May 1940 British Foreign Secretary Sir Anthony Eden (1897-1977) called upon volunteers, both under and over the age for national service, to form a local defence corps. The Local Defence Volunteers soon became known as the Home Guard, or more affectionately, "Dad's Army", since its volunteers were, more often than not, elderly!

A Humorous Look at the Home Guard

Some 20 years after World War II ended Jimmy Perry and David Croft embarked on a humorous look at the work of the Home Guard. Perry was well qualified since he had served in the Watford Home Guard at the age of 17, joining the British Army two years later. Croft had served in North Africa, India and Singapore rising to the rank of Major, so between the two of them they had plenty of experiences to draw on.

Croft and Perry created a fictional village called Walmington-on-Sea. Most of the filming took place over a ten year period in and around Thetford, an English market town in Norfolk.

When the first episode was first broadcast on 31st July 1968 many viewers were highly critical. Some felt that the series poked fun at England's Home Guard. However, Dad's Army soon attracted its own army of devotees who waited impatiently for the platoon's next hilarious adventure.

Many well-known stars of the 1960s such as Arthur Lowe (1915-1982), John Le Mesurier (1912-1983), John Laurie (1897-1980), Bill Pertwee (b. 1926), and Arnold Ridley (1896-1984), took part in the series.

Younger members of the cast included Ian Lavender (b. 1946) and Clive Dunn (b. 1920) who was made-up to play Jack Jones, Walmington-on-Sea's very elderly butcher. One of the youngest members of the cast was James Beck (1929-1973).

Many actors, who took small parts, went on to become huge stars including Barbara Windsor (b. 1937), who starred in the Carry On films, and Nigel Hawthorne (1929-2001), who later starred as King George III in the stage play and film adaptation of Alan Bennett's, The Madness of George III.

Continued Success

The programme ran for 80 episodes and, during the 1970s, some 18 million British viewers sat down to enjoy the weekly broadcasts. There has also been a radio series, a stage show, a feature film and numerous books. A public house sign, depicting Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring (pronounced Mannering), shows a good likeness of the actor in Home Guard Uniform. There is a museum in Thetford and there are plans to erect a bronze statue of Arthur Lowe. Another museum is based at The Bressingham Steam Museum in Norfolk. There is also a very active Dad's Army Appreciation Society, of which Bill Pertwee is president.

In 2004, in a search to find Britain's most popular sitcom, Dad's Army was voted into fourth place. The series has impacted on popular culture in the United Kingdom with several catch phrases in frequent use. One of Captain Mainwaring's expressions, "You Stupid Boy", still draws a laugh amongst fans of Dad's Army. The series has been dubbed into several languages and is regularly broadcast all over the world.

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