1 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,800 Hello and welcome to Saluting Dad's Army - 2 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,880 a four part series celebrating the world of Walmington-on-Sea, 3 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:41,400 and the enduring brilliance of a comedy show which first hit the 4 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,840 air way back in 1968, but continues to win new fans all the time. 5 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,320 Welcome too, to this recreation of Captain Mainwaring's office, 6 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,600 though perhaps I shouldn't say that as Mr Hodges, 7 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,680 the air raid warden, would claim it's his office, 8 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,160 and then the vicar would say "Actually, it's my office", 9 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,600 and we'd never hear the end of it. So, in this series, we aim to 10 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:02,320 take you inside Dad's Army as never before, 11 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,200 with specially recorded interviews and rare footage 12 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,720 which together tell the full story behind British television comedy's 13 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,480 finest half hour. 14 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,200 For nine years and 80 episodes, the men of Dad's Army were in the 15 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,880 front line of the ratings battle, and we'll learn how the 16 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,480 show's success changed the lives of its stars. 17 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:26,160 Dad's Army restored my father's confidence in himself. 18 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:27,440 Good evening. 19 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,640 We'll discover the stories behind some of the show's 20 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,680 most dramatic scenes. 21 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,360 John Le Mesurier was deliberately kept out of it because he was 22 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:37,960 so impractical. 23 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:39,840 We knew that he would not help at all. 24 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,160 In fact, he'd probably make it worse. 25 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:44,760 And we'll uncover rarely seen sketches featuring the 26 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:46,720 platoon on royal duties. 27 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:48,320 What is it, sir? 28 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,160 They're never going to accept this at the palace, you know. 29 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,720 There's a chance to see the cast and crew hard at it in rehearsal, 30 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,800 and to hear from the 21st century comedy stars who grew up loving 31 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,120 that weekly visit to Walmington-on-Sea. 32 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,000 Dad's Army was probably the most popular viewing 33 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,280 in the Dennis household, cos it was one of those series 34 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,960 that you could watch with your mum and dad and it wasn't embarrassing. 35 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,160 That was the brilliant thing about it, 36 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:21,720 it just seemed to work for everyone. 37 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,000 You know, sometimes, Wilson, I don't think you have 38 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:25,120 the stomach for this job. 39 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:27,680 Well, there you have the advantage over me, Sir. 40 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:32,120 To kick off, we're going back to the beginning, 41 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,040 to hear about the inspiration for Dad's Army and how it 42 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:37,560 reflected the reality of wartime life, 43 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,600 to meet people directly involved in the birth of the show, 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,240 and to find out how the heroes of Walmington-on-Sea 45 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,080 not only defined Hitler and his Nazi hordes, 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,680 but rapidly captured the hearts of the British public. 47 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,640 Don't panic! Don't panic! 48 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:53,600 Would you kindly step this way, please. 49 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:55,960 Oh, Wilson, bark it out, bark it out! 50 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,280 Right, would you kindly step this way, please! 51 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:01,600 They might use that torture where they tip your head back 52 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:03,160 and pour gallons of water down you. 53 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:05,640 Oh, dear, I don't think I can stand to imagine that. 54 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,280 We're doomed. 55 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:09,880 Doomed. 56 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,360 How about a nice bit of rabbit? 57 00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:14,200 Huh! Rabbit? You'll be lucky. I haven't seen one for six weeks. 58 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:15,600 You have now. 59 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:21,840 You stupid boy. 60 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,400 However, Dad's Army's march to comedy greatness 61 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:28,480 did encounter some pitfalls. 62 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:30,480 I shouldn't go too far that way, Mr Mainwaring, 63 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:31,840 there's a great big... 64 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,240 That's it! 65 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,240 Right at the outset, presented with the idea of a comedy series about 66 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:46,400 the wartime Home Guard, many senior managers here at the BBC asked... 67 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:47,720 Do you think it's wise? 68 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:55,760 The story behind Dad's Army really begins in May 1940, 69 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:59,120 with the Nazi Blitzkrieg of western Europe. 70 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,520 The government, led by new prime minister Winston Churchill, 71 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:05,080 decided action was needed to defend Britain against 72 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,720 a potential German invasion. 73 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:09,840 Minister of War, Anthony Eden, 74 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,200 was responsible for the government's plan. 75 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:14,280 Yes, Miss King? It's Anthony Eden, sir. 76 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:15,640 In person? 77 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:17,160 On the wireless. 78 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:19,560 They say it's very important. 79 00:04:19,800 --> 00:04:21,960 Eden made an historic broadcast to the nation, 80 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,200 including the Swallow Bank in Walmington-on-Sea. 81 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,280 WIRELESS BUZZES 82 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,920 ANTHONY EDEN: We want large numbers of such men in Great Britain, 83 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:35,760 who are British subjects, between the ages of 17 and 65. 84 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:38,240 17 and 65. 85 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:42,840 The name of the new force will be the Local Defence Volunteers. 86 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,440 This name describes its duties in three words. 87 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,480 The response to the radio appeal was dramatic. 88 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:56,280 Before he'd finished broadcasting, 89 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,760 people were pouring down to the police stations. 90 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,120 Within a week, they had 300,000 men. 91 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,560 Within three weeks, about 1.4 million men. 92 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:13,360 NEWSREEL: In the Local Defence Volunteers, 93 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:14,560 now renamed the Home Guard, 94 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,760 the country has a new and powerful shield against invasion. 95 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,960 Those volunteers were brave men, actually, 96 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:26,520 because they were the first line of defence in the case of an invasion. 97 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,120 OK, an invasion never happened, 98 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,400 but there was no way of knowing that it wouldn't. 99 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,240 It seemed a real possibility. 100 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,400 That possibility seemed very real in an early episode of Dad's Army... 101 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:44,080 Believing the Germans have landed, 102 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,880 the Walmington platoon faces the ultimate sacrifice. 103 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:49,800 Now let's cross over to the key position. 104 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:52,040 Three determined men could hold an army there, 105 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,360 deny the enemy his access of attack. 106 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:56,120 If we can hold out for long enough there, 107 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,000 it'll give our regular troops time to regroup 108 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,840 for the counterattack, you see? 109 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,760 Mind you, probably be the end of us, 110 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:07,640 but we're ready for that aren't we, men? 111 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:09,520 Of course. 112 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:13,520 Among early volunteers like these, was teenager Jimmy Perry. 113 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,880 Jimmy's service in the Home Guard began here on Barnes Common 114 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:20,800 in south-west London. 115 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,600 Nearly 30 years later, he would draw on those experiences to write 116 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,400 what became Dad's Army. 117 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,040 Yes, I was in the Home Guard when I was 16, 118 00:06:30,280 --> 00:06:33,560 and we all thought it was terribly funny then cos we were 119 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:39,040 young boys, you see, and we were full of aggro, and we loved it. 120 00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:42,040 He told us at the first rehearsal that he was Pike. 121 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:46,800 He actually was a young boy in the platoon, wherever he was. 122 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:48,920 Just look at this, Mr Mainwaring! 123 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:51,760 Naaaaaa! 124 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:53,160 Stop, stop it! 125 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,040 From the off, Dad's Army reflected the reality of wartime life. 126 00:06:59,840 --> 00:07:02,680 This rare colour footage shot in may 1940 shows 127 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,800 Local Defence Volunteers drilling in the Surrey town of Woking, 128 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,560 and the scene isn't really very different from those 129 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,160 early days in Walmington-on-Sea. 130 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:13,520 Squad shun! 131 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,000 Stand at ease. 132 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,560 The men of Dad's Army really were showing what life had been like 133 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,280 for those first volunteers. 134 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:29,800 Sounds laughable, but they were equipped with 135 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,800 some very old Lee-Enfield rifles, 136 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:35,880 and that was about the best they got at first. 137 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,040 And some of them had pikes or spades, 138 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,840 or anything that you thought you could bash a Nazi with. 139 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:46,840 What's that supposed to be, boy? 140 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:48,520 Well, you said if you had nothing else, 141 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,360 we'll tie a carving knife to a broom handle. 142 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:52,920 I didn't say keep the brush on the end of it, you stupid boy. 143 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,480 Well, you should've said! I don't want any insubordination. 144 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:57,280 The fact the Germans were going to invade, 145 00:07:57,560 --> 00:07:59,480 when you're 16 you're not thinking about that. 146 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,000 You're going "ah-ha-ha-ha," and playing it, and loving it, 147 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,840 and doing house clearing, and charging about, 148 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,200 and really enjoying it. 149 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:08,480 We didn't realise the gravity of the situation. 150 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,120 Right, bayoneting and screaming at Mr Hitler in person, 151 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,080 in your own time. Go! 152 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:16,160 Naaaaa! 153 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,080 With his wartime memories to draw on, in 1967 Jimmy Perry sat down 154 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:30,040 to write a television comedy script which he called The Fighting Tigers. 155 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:34,240 I had the idea just one day, and I sort of got the idea together, 156 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,840 and I was working with David as an actor, and I mentioned it, 157 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:38,720 and it went from there. 158 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,680 And so a partnership began between bit part actor 159 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,960 and Home Guard veteran Jimmy Perry, 160 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:46,600 and teenage air raid warden turned army officer, 161 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,720 turned BBC producer, David Croft. 162 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,320 They would work together for more than 25 years, 163 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:56,120 and across four hit television series, 164 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,400 though even on the very early episodes, it was clear that 165 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,360 Jimmy and David were quite distinct characters. 166 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,360 I had no idea who Jimmy Perry was, this lovely man, 167 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:11,480 beautiful big blue eyes, beaming, laughing at everything. 168 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:17,680 David was very quiet, unassuming, but there was an authority there. 169 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,800 There was great discipline in the rehearsal room. 170 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,600 At the suggestion of BBC Head of Comedy, Michael Mills, 171 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,320 The Fighting Tigers became Dad's Army. 172 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,280 The challenge now was to turn Dad's Army from a script to a show, 173 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:37,800 and that meant convincing sceptical executives 174 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:39,760 at BBC Television Centre. 175 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,400 There was the thought that perhaps we were taking the mickey out 176 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,760 of England's finest hour, so they weren't all that keen really. 177 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:50,200 Years later, Huw Wheldon, managing director of BBC Television when 178 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:55,520 Dad's Army was proposed, remembered being certain the show would fail. 179 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:58,800 I belong to a very distinguished group indeed 180 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:02,920 of very senior BBC programme executives 181 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,320 whose distinction lay in this - 182 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,320 that we knew for certain that a script called Dad's Army 183 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:10,600 wouldn't work. 184 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:12,240 LAUGHTER 185 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:16,520 The controller of BBC One also had some misgivings. 186 00:10:16,800 --> 00:10:20,920 The tiny doubt I had about Dad's Army was there's a fine line 187 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:25,680 to be drawn between mocking them and having fun with them. 188 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,840 Well, kick the door in. Oh, right, roger. Right, sir. 189 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,360 At the door! 190 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:31,800 Kick! Kick! 191 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,520 Having been a soldier myself, and David Croft having been 192 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,960 a soldier, he observed that very clearly. 193 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,480 And David was a genius. 194 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:46,080 He decided... 195 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:53,680 He knew exactly where the line was drawn between mocking them 196 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,680 and having a bit of fun. 197 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,040 It looks a bit deep to me, Mr Mainwaring. 198 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:00,960 No, it's all right, Jones. We can cross here. 199 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:03,320 Do you think that's wise, sir? Don't argue, Wilson. 200 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:05,800 I tell you, I can see the bottom. Oh, good. Follow! 201 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:09,120 HE SHOUTS, SPLASHING 202 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:11,480 Are you all right, Mr Mainwaring, sir? 203 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,520 Coming up in part two of Saluting Dad's Army, 204 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:19,880 ruffled feathers on the first day of filming... 205 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,480 And he said to me "Arthur? That'll have to change." 206 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,440 ..the last minute changes to episode one... 207 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:30,200 We'd been timing it, and we find we're four minutes over. 208 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,200 ..and Dad's Army has its doubters. 209 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:36,000 I know my wife looked at it and she thought, 210 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:38,320 "I don't know whether this is gonna succeed." 211 00:11:46,980 --> 00:11:49,980 Welcome back to this celebration of Dad's Army. 212 00:11:50,260 --> 00:11:53,700 Of course, one big reason why the series ran for nine years 213 00:11:53,980 --> 00:11:56,540 and still has millions of loyal followers 214 00:11:56,820 --> 00:11:59,540 was the absolute genius of its casting. 215 00:12:00,860 --> 00:12:02,820 The line-up was just inspired, 216 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:06,340 ranging from newcomer Ian Lavender as Private Pike, 217 00:12:06,620 --> 00:12:10,900 to veteran actor and playwright Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey, 218 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:16,020 and John Laurie, a major stage and screen name, as Private Frazer. 219 00:12:16,220 --> 00:12:17,500 He was a star. 220 00:12:17,700 --> 00:12:19,620 He'd done lots of films. 221 00:12:19,780 --> 00:12:21,900 Great Shakespearean actor. 222 00:12:22,180 --> 00:12:24,340 He was the only one my mother had heard of. 223 00:12:24,620 --> 00:12:28,340 However, the rest of the platoon might have looked rather different. 224 00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:29,620 Name? 225 00:12:29,780 --> 00:12:30,940 My card. 226 00:12:34,420 --> 00:12:36,460 Joe Walker, wholesale supplier? 227 00:12:36,700 --> 00:12:39,220 I suppose you won't be with us very long. 228 00:12:39,500 --> 00:12:42,020 Be called up any day I should think. Oh, no, God, no, no, no. 229 00:12:42,260 --> 00:12:44,100 I'm a...whatshisname, a reserved occupation. 230 00:12:44,300 --> 00:12:45,460 How do you make that out? 231 00:12:45,740 --> 00:12:47,220 Well, I'm a wholesale supplier, ain't I? 232 00:12:47,340 --> 00:12:48,820 I mean, I supply central supplies. 233 00:12:49,020 --> 00:12:50,660 Any previous military experience? 234 00:12:50,860 --> 00:12:52,420 I've got a girlfriend in the ATS. 235 00:12:55,780 --> 00:13:00,300 Londoner James Beck as cast as the likable rogue Private Joe Walker, 236 00:13:00,540 --> 00:13:05,260 but Jimmy Perry had created the role with someone very specific in mind. 237 00:13:05,460 --> 00:13:07,060 He wanted Jimmy Beck's part. 238 00:13:07,220 --> 00:13:08,620 He wrote Walker for himself. 239 00:13:08,860 --> 00:13:11,140 You know that whisky you get every week don't fall off a lorry 240 00:13:11,300 --> 00:13:12,460 on its own accord. 241 00:13:13,980 --> 00:13:15,180 Has to be pushed. 242 00:13:18,100 --> 00:13:21,140 But before Dad's Army headed to its Norfolk base to begin 243 00:13:21,420 --> 00:13:25,700 location filming in April 1968, Jimmy had been persuaded not 244 00:13:25,980 --> 00:13:28,340 to play Walker, and to concentrate on writing the show, 245 00:13:28,620 --> 00:13:30,700 though Jimmy did appear in the first series 246 00:13:30,980 --> 00:13:33,300 as musical comedian Charlie Cheeseman. 247 00:13:35,460 --> 00:13:37,580 And now, customers, a little number dedicated 248 00:13:37,740 --> 00:13:40,100 to all fire watchers entitled 249 00:13:40,340 --> 00:13:42,980 I Can't Get Over A Girl Like You, So Turn Out The Lights Yourself. 250 00:13:43,140 --> 00:13:44,660 Thank you. 251 00:13:46,140 --> 00:13:48,900 While in one of the most memorable scenes in all of Dad's Army, 252 00:13:49,180 --> 00:13:52,380 actor and comedian Jack Haig plays a pub landlord who has 253 00:13:52,580 --> 00:13:54,900 some very unexpected visitors. 254 00:13:55,100 --> 00:13:56,180 What can I get... 255 00:14:06,700 --> 00:14:08,420 Good afternoon, mein host. 256 00:14:10,860 --> 00:14:12,980 16 shandies mit der ginger beer. 257 00:14:16,260 --> 00:14:19,620 But in 1967, the BBC wanted to contract Jack Haig 258 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:23,340 as Lance Corporal Jones, a role which would eventually be taken, 259 00:14:23,620 --> 00:14:27,420 and then immortalised, by an actor already known for playing characters 260 00:14:27,700 --> 00:14:31,660 much older than himself, 48-year-old Clive Dunn. 261 00:14:33,020 --> 00:14:35,180 Permission to speak, sir. Yes. 262 00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:39,500 Why don't we chop off their trouser buttons? What? 263 00:14:39,740 --> 00:14:42,700 If we chop off their trouser buttons and they try to run away, 264 00:14:42,860 --> 00:14:44,580 that would show something unusual. 265 00:14:46,900 --> 00:14:48,500 I haven't come to the exciting bit yet. 266 00:14:48,700 --> 00:14:50,140 All right, later, later, later. 267 00:14:50,340 --> 00:14:51,500 Don't panic! Don't panic! 268 00:14:53,140 --> 00:14:55,380 There's a Nazi paratrooper dangling form the clock tower 269 00:14:55,620 --> 00:14:58,500 of the town hall! Yes, yes. He's dangling, he's dangling! 270 00:14:58,780 --> 00:15:01,500 We know, we're just going. I'll get my rifle and my bayonet, sir! 271 00:15:01,740 --> 00:15:03,220 You don't need your bayonet. Yes, I do! 272 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:05,460 When he comes down, they don't like it up 'em. 273 00:15:08,260 --> 00:15:10,780 As with so much of Dad's Army, the character of 274 00:15:11,060 --> 00:15:14,500 Lance Corporal Jones drew directly on Jimmy Perry's own experiences 275 00:15:14,660 --> 00:15:16,420 in the Home Guard. 276 00:15:16,700 --> 00:15:19,420 I remember being on Barnes Common with this old soldier 277 00:15:19,660 --> 00:15:22,780 who'd fought in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898. 278 00:15:23,060 --> 00:15:25,540 I served in that campaign with some distinction, you know. 279 00:15:25,780 --> 00:15:28,020 I said what are we gonna do if the Germans come? 280 00:15:28,260 --> 00:15:31,580 He said, "If the Germans come, son, you'll do as you're told." 281 00:15:31,820 --> 00:15:35,780 And his boss at the BBC expected David Croft to do as he was told 282 00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:38,860 when casting the key role of Captain Mainwaring, 283 00:15:39,100 --> 00:15:42,900 and hire established character actor John Le Mesurier. 284 00:15:43,180 --> 00:15:46,260 John Le Mesurier was wished on me, actually, by Michael Mills. 285 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:48,580 Michael Mills was the Head of Comedy. 286 00:15:48,820 --> 00:15:51,500 He said, "Well, you know, I think he ought to play the officer." 287 00:15:51,740 --> 00:15:55,540 I pondered this problem, and I just could not see him, 288 00:15:55,780 --> 00:15:59,100 and so sooner or later we got this magic idea of him playing the 289 00:15:59,340 --> 00:16:02,060 sergeant and Arthur Lowe playing the officer, 290 00:16:02,220 --> 00:16:03,780 and it worked like a dream. 291 00:16:04,060 --> 00:16:06,420 Arthur Lowe was familiar to millions form his years 292 00:16:06,660 --> 00:16:09,580 as store manager Leonard Swindley in Coronation Street. 293 00:16:09,860 --> 00:16:12,660 Now David Croft had decided Arthur was officer material, 294 00:16:12,900 --> 00:16:15,860 and that John Le Mesurier should play his sergeant. 295 00:16:16,140 --> 00:16:18,540 There were people around who thought that John Le Mesurier should 296 00:16:18,820 --> 00:16:21,660 play the captain, and Arthur Lowe the sergeant, 297 00:16:21,900 --> 00:16:25,540 but David stuck to his theme and he, of course, was right. 298 00:16:25,740 --> 00:16:26,940 The casting was brilliant. 299 00:16:27,180 --> 00:16:28,860 Now the first thing to do is to appoint 300 00:16:29,140 --> 00:16:30,820 a properly appointed commander. A what, sir? 301 00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:33,060 Appoint a properly appointed commander. 302 00:16:33,220 --> 00:16:34,740 That's me. 303 00:16:34,940 --> 00:16:36,220 All right? 304 00:16:36,420 --> 00:16:37,940 All right. 305 00:16:38,140 --> 00:16:39,980 As Captain George Mainwaring, 306 00:16:40,220 --> 00:16:43,780 Arthur Lowe would write himself into comedy history. 307 00:16:44,060 --> 00:16:46,380 He brought a gift for physical comedy... 308 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:50,020 Very well, remember... 309 00:16:51,300 --> 00:16:53,460 ..alongside impeccable delivery. 310 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:57,460 I don't want any fuss, I just want to be like an ordinary sergeant. 311 00:16:57,700 --> 00:16:59,860 I'm sure that would suit us all, Wilson. 312 00:17:02,700 --> 00:17:05,620 And brilliantly captured Mainwaring's middle class resentment 313 00:17:05,780 --> 00:17:07,500 of the upper class Sergeant Wilson, 314 00:17:07,780 --> 00:17:10,860 so memorably played by John Le Mesurier. 315 00:17:11,140 --> 00:17:13,860 I should've known not to trust that smarmy Captain Stewart. 316 00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:17,300 Well, you can't blame him, sir. I mean he's got a job to do. 317 00:17:17,580 --> 00:17:19,220 Oh, you'll stick up for him, won't you? 318 00:17:19,460 --> 00:17:22,380 You both went to public schools, didn't you? You know, I... 319 00:17:22,620 --> 00:17:24,700 can't help feeling, sir, you've got a little bit of 320 00:17:24,860 --> 00:17:26,300 a chip on your shoulder about that. 321 00:17:26,540 --> 00:17:28,060 There's no chip on my shoulder, Wilson. 322 00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:30,220 I'll tell you what there is on my shoulder, though. 323 00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:32,540 Three pips, and don't you forget it. 324 00:17:32,820 --> 00:17:35,860 Over the years, there would be suggestions that Arthur Lowe 325 00:17:36,140 --> 00:17:40,620 shared some characteristics with the self-important Captain Mainwaring. 326 00:17:40,900 --> 00:17:44,500 When location filming began on the first series here in Norfolk, 327 00:17:44,740 --> 00:17:49,060 there were already signs that Arthur was a little status conscious. 328 00:17:49,340 --> 00:17:52,620 On the very first day, this fellow came out of the hotel to get 329 00:17:52,860 --> 00:17:55,980 onto the coach, and Arthur was sitting alongside me, 330 00:17:56,140 --> 00:17:59,060 and suddenly the extras came in, 331 00:17:59,340 --> 00:18:03,460 and as they walked past us one of them said, "Arthur, good morning." 332 00:18:03,700 --> 00:18:06,980 And they carried on, and he said to me "Arthur? 333 00:18:07,180 --> 00:18:08,340 "That'll have to change." 334 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:12,980 Jimmy Perry was famously upbeat, 335 00:18:13,260 --> 00:18:16,020 but not everyone felt the same way when shooting began. 336 00:18:17,620 --> 00:18:20,220 The first day of filming, we were delayed because it was snowing - 337 00:18:20,420 --> 00:18:21,420 it was supposed to be summer. 338 00:18:21,660 --> 00:18:24,740 And David, half past 11 he said, "I think we'll go for a shot 339 00:18:24,980 --> 00:18:26,580 "in about ten minutes, go and tell 'em." 340 00:18:26,860 --> 00:18:28,980 And he's a terrible swankpot, he had his Rolls-Royce there, 341 00:18:29,260 --> 00:18:30,860 and they were all crammed in this Rolls-Royce, 342 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:33,420 and the windows were all steamed up. And I opened the door, 343 00:18:33,660 --> 00:18:35,300 and they were all sitting in there, and I said, 344 00:18:35,540 --> 00:18:37,660 I was full of enthusiasm, I said "Right, fellas, 345 00:18:37,900 --> 00:18:40,620 "ten minutes we're going for a take, the first take for Dad's Army." 346 00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:42,980 And Arthur said "We'll come when we're ready." 347 00:18:44,420 --> 00:18:46,500 And I closed the door and I went back to David and I said, 348 00:18:46,740 --> 00:18:49,460 "We've got a right miserable load of old sods here." 349 00:18:49,700 --> 00:18:51,660 Within a few years of its first appearance, 350 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:56,460 Dad's Army was drawing huge audiences and winning major awards. 351 00:18:56,700 --> 00:19:00,500 But in 1968, that success looked a distant prospect to some people, 352 00:19:00,740 --> 00:19:05,220 as set designer Paul Joel discovered when he took the first scripts home. 353 00:19:05,460 --> 00:19:09,580 I was excited, and I know my wife looked at it and she thought, 354 00:19:09,860 --> 00:19:12,500 "I don't know whether this is gonna succeed." 355 00:19:12,740 --> 00:19:15,100 While here in the BBC canteen, a young actor 356 00:19:15,340 --> 00:19:17,940 in the first series met plenty of sceptics 357 00:19:18,140 --> 00:19:20,260 among his fellow professionals. 358 00:19:20,540 --> 00:19:24,300 They just sort of scoffed at us and said, "Oh, that'll never work." 359 00:19:24,540 --> 00:19:28,220 I don't want any of that sort of talk here, Wilson. 360 00:19:28,460 --> 00:19:31,660 8th of April 1968, first day rehearsal. 361 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:35,540 When it was read out loud by everybody then the laughs came, 362 00:19:35,780 --> 00:19:39,620 because you could see how each line fitted the character. 363 00:19:39,820 --> 00:19:40,860 Them fuzzy wuzzies, 364 00:19:41,140 --> 00:19:43,340 they was the only one that could break the British square! 365 00:19:43,620 --> 00:19:46,260 Not like those Jerrys, they couldn't break the skin off a rice pudding. 366 00:19:46,540 --> 00:19:48,620 They don't like the cold steel, you see, sir. 367 00:19:48,900 --> 00:19:50,580 They don't like it up 'em you see, sir. 368 00:19:50,740 --> 00:19:51,980 They don't like the... 369 00:19:52,140 --> 00:19:53,540 Get him a chair, Wilson. 370 00:19:56,860 --> 00:20:00,260 Together, Jimmy Perry and David Croft would create 80 scripts 371 00:20:00,500 --> 00:20:03,380 for Dad's Army, but they made a miscalculation on the 372 00:20:03,620 --> 00:20:05,740 very first episode, as Gordon Peters, 373 00:20:05,900 --> 00:20:09,100 cast to play a fireman, discovered. 374 00:20:09,340 --> 00:20:15,260 I got a call on the evening of the third day from David saying 375 00:20:16,060 --> 00:20:19,380 "Look, I don't know how to say this, Gordon, but we've been timing it 376 00:20:19,660 --> 00:20:24,780 "and we find we're four minutes over, and the only solution, 377 00:20:25,060 --> 00:20:28,140 "we're going to take the whole chunk of your scene as the fireman." 378 00:20:29,700 --> 00:20:32,980 This is the scene in question, involving elaborate comedy business 379 00:20:33,260 --> 00:20:36,860 with hoses and Lance Corporal Jones getting his head stuck in a ladder. 380 00:20:37,020 --> 00:20:39,260 I was disappointed, of course I was. 381 00:20:39,540 --> 00:20:42,180 If I'd known then what a success it was going to be, 382 00:20:42,340 --> 00:20:44,540 I'd have been heartbroken. 383 00:20:44,780 --> 00:20:48,540 As it was, a considerate David Croft softened the blow. 384 00:20:48,740 --> 00:20:50,540 He was really so apologetic. 385 00:20:50,700 --> 00:20:52,180 He was a nice man, David. 386 00:20:52,420 --> 00:20:54,860 He said "I promise you, I promise you faithfully 387 00:20:55,020 --> 00:20:56,980 "I will use you in later episodes." 388 00:20:58,220 --> 00:21:01,300 Within weeks, David Croft was true to his word, 389 00:21:01,540 --> 00:21:05,460 and Gordon made the first of several appearances in Walmington-on-Sea. 390 00:21:05,700 --> 00:21:07,380 Once more, sir. Oh, for heaven's sake. 391 00:21:08,900 --> 00:21:11,860 So the script had been written and cut to the appropriate length, 392 00:21:12,100 --> 00:21:14,340 the show had been cast, the sets had been built. 393 00:21:14,620 --> 00:21:17,500 It was now time to put Dad's Army to the test. 394 00:21:17,780 --> 00:21:21,460 Coming up in part three, the first episode reaches the studio, 395 00:21:21,620 --> 00:21:23,660 and the audience isn't impressed... 396 00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:25,860 I think we all thought we'd flopped. 397 00:21:26,140 --> 00:21:29,100 ..how Dad's Army started a battle within the BBC... 398 00:21:29,340 --> 00:21:32,260 And the title sequence seemed to me too brutal. 399 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:35,700 ..and I meet a veteran of the Home Guard, the real Dad's Army. 400 00:21:46,620 --> 00:21:48,260 Welcome back. 401 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:51,780 In the 1970s, Dad's Army was a huge hit show, 402 00:21:52,020 --> 00:21:55,380 featuring elaborate scenes worthy of a feature film. 403 00:21:55,620 --> 00:21:59,060 But that success was some way off when the studio clock started 404 00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:05,220 running on Episode One: The Man And The Hour, on the 15th of April 1968. 405 00:22:05,460 --> 00:22:08,460 I think we were all nervous because it was the first one. 406 00:22:08,620 --> 00:22:11,460 Five, four, three... 407 00:22:11,740 --> 00:22:16,580 On the very first programme of Dad's Army, I was a vision mixer. 408 00:22:17,940 --> 00:22:20,020 That's somebody who sits with the director 409 00:22:20,180 --> 00:22:23,740 and cuts from camera to camera. 410 00:22:24,020 --> 00:22:27,060 I was a commissioned officer, Wilson, and I served in France... 411 00:22:27,220 --> 00:22:28,940 during the whole of 1919. 412 00:22:29,180 --> 00:22:32,740 Yes, but the war ended in 1918, I thought, sir. 413 00:22:33,020 --> 00:22:35,580 Well, somebody had to clear up the mess. Oh, yes, of course. 414 00:22:35,860 --> 00:22:41,300 The audiences in the studio always seemed to love the programme 415 00:22:41,580 --> 00:22:46,860 as it was recorded, although I don't believe the very first episode 416 00:22:47,060 --> 00:22:49,220 was a great success. 417 00:22:49,380 --> 00:22:50,900 Right, who's in charge here?! 418 00:22:51,140 --> 00:22:53,620 I am, why? Right, well get this hall cleared out at once! 419 00:22:53,860 --> 00:22:57,060 Bill Pertwee got a much bigger reception during the warm-up 420 00:22:57,220 --> 00:22:59,140 than we did doing the actual show. 421 00:22:59,380 --> 00:23:01,700 So get this lot out so I can carry on with my lecture! 422 00:23:01,860 --> 00:23:03,180 Are you asking the army to retreat? 423 00:23:03,420 --> 00:23:06,020 Why not? You've had plenty of practice lately. 424 00:23:06,220 --> 00:23:07,860 I think we all thought we'd flopped. 425 00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:12,980 As if that weren't enough, the controller of BBC One 426 00:23:13,180 --> 00:23:16,700 wasn't impressed by the idea for the Dad's Army title sequence, 427 00:23:16,940 --> 00:23:19,540 strongly advocated by Head of Comedy Michael Mills. 428 00:23:19,820 --> 00:23:23,980 It was a title sequence that depicted refugees fleeing 429 00:23:24,260 --> 00:23:30,020 down the roads in France, German planes coming over to strafe them, 430 00:23:30,260 --> 00:23:33,380 and that became a big argument with Michael Mills, 431 00:23:33,620 --> 00:23:37,500 cos Michael was determined to have the original title sequence 432 00:23:37,740 --> 00:23:41,660 and I was just as determined that the original title sequence 433 00:23:41,820 --> 00:23:43,940 was not on. 434 00:23:44,180 --> 00:23:47,460 The dispute over seeing wartime events like this at the start of 435 00:23:47,700 --> 00:23:51,940 a comedy series led to the exchange of some forthright memos at the BBC. 436 00:23:52,220 --> 00:23:55,140 But the argument was only going to have one winner. 437 00:23:55,340 --> 00:23:57,700 Even now, all those years later, 438 00:23:57,940 --> 00:24:02,620 I still feel it was right to have a title sequence that depicted comedy. 439 00:24:04,420 --> 00:24:07,140 Britain was finally introduced to Walmington-on-Sea 440 00:24:07,380 --> 00:24:09,380 when Dad's Army, and a title sequence which would soon 441 00:24:09,620 --> 00:24:11,620 become very familiar, made it to the air 442 00:24:11,900 --> 00:24:16,100 at 8:20pm on Wednesday, the 31st of July 1968. 443 00:24:17,740 --> 00:24:19,700 But this was months later than planned. 444 00:24:19,940 --> 00:24:23,700 Everything from football finals to dramatic world events had 445 00:24:23,940 --> 00:24:27,540 conspired to delay transmission at least twice. 446 00:24:27,780 --> 00:24:31,020 To start a comedy series in July, during the holiday period, 447 00:24:31,220 --> 00:24:33,100 is not a good idea. 448 00:24:33,380 --> 00:24:35,380 But there it was. By that time, we were committed. 449 00:24:35,580 --> 00:24:36,740 There was a hole in the schedule. 450 00:24:36,980 --> 00:24:40,020 It had to go, which was the important thing to do. 451 00:24:40,260 --> 00:24:43,300 Now, men, you answered your country's call today. 452 00:24:45,220 --> 00:24:47,660 We're all here to defend our homes and our loved ones, 453 00:24:47,940 --> 00:24:49,820 and I know that you will not shirk that duty. 454 00:24:50,060 --> 00:24:54,620 With no guns, we are naked, but we have one invaluable weapon in 455 00:24:54,900 --> 00:24:56,860 our army - ingenuity and improvisation. 456 00:24:57,060 --> 00:24:58,220 That's two. 457 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:03,100 So the following morning, the reviews were in, 458 00:25:03,260 --> 00:25:05,620 and they were kind of mixed. 459 00:25:05,780 --> 00:25:07,020 The Daily Mail wrote... 460 00:25:15,860 --> 00:25:17,460 The Daily Telegraph commented... 461 00:25:21,260 --> 00:25:24,140 But the reviewer in the Daily Express was spookily accurate 462 00:25:24,300 --> 00:25:25,620 when he predicted... 463 00:25:32,620 --> 00:25:35,900 There had definitely been some anxiety at the BBC about 464 00:25:36,100 --> 00:25:38,900 a comedy series set when Britain was in peril, 465 00:25:39,140 --> 00:25:42,420 but soon viewers were writing in to say how much they enjoyed 466 00:25:42,660 --> 00:25:45,500 that way Dad's Army depicted the war years. 467 00:25:45,740 --> 00:25:48,860 One lady claimed that butchers like Mr Jones needed to be made 468 00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:52,420 of steel to withstand the flattery of their female customers. 469 00:25:52,620 --> 00:25:54,540 Have I got enough for a joint? 470 00:25:57,580 --> 00:26:02,340 Well, Mrs Fox, of course, would do anything for half a pound of, 471 00:26:02,580 --> 00:26:07,740 you know, skirt or kidneys or a sausage. 472 00:26:07,980 --> 00:26:10,020 Well, I suppose being a butcher, your business life is 473 00:26:10,260 --> 00:26:11,940 rather difficult at the moment, isn't it? 474 00:26:12,100 --> 00:26:13,940 Oh, it is, it is, sir. 475 00:26:14,180 --> 00:26:16,060 Everyone wants a bit under the counter. 476 00:26:19,060 --> 00:26:20,500 Yes, I'm sure they do. 477 00:26:21,860 --> 00:26:24,300 If I could tell you some of the things that's been offered to me 478 00:26:24,540 --> 00:26:29,500 for a bit on the side, it'd make your hair stand on end. 479 00:26:31,340 --> 00:26:32,780 I guess it would. 480 00:26:34,820 --> 00:26:37,180 Another viewer remembered that her husband had been on a 481 00:26:37,460 --> 00:26:39,060 Home Guard exercise to capture a farm. 482 00:26:39,300 --> 00:26:42,180 His platoon couldn't work out why no-one was defending it until 483 00:26:42,460 --> 00:26:44,540 they realised the farm they were meant to be attacking was 484 00:26:44,700 --> 00:26:47,100 actually five miles away. 485 00:26:47,340 --> 00:26:49,300 Just the kind of mix up that would become familiar 486 00:26:49,460 --> 00:26:50,940 in Walmington-on-Sea. 487 00:26:52,380 --> 00:26:54,100 Just been on the phone to HQ quarters. 488 00:26:54,380 --> 00:26:58,740 "Captain Mainwaring in position 641937," I said. 489 00:26:58,900 --> 00:27:00,260 "That's the target," he said. 490 00:27:00,420 --> 00:27:02,580 I've given him the wrong number. 491 00:27:02,780 --> 00:27:04,580 I'll forget me own name next. 492 00:27:04,820 --> 00:27:08,940 641937 is definitely where Captain Mainwaring went. 493 00:27:09,100 --> 00:27:11,420 Are you sure? Absolutely. 494 00:27:11,580 --> 00:27:12,620 I never forget a number. 495 00:27:12,900 --> 00:27:15,420 They wanted me to go to the accounts department once, you know, 496 00:27:15,620 --> 00:27:16,900 but I didn't fancy it. 497 00:27:17,140 --> 00:27:19,220 But if that's the target for the 25 pounders, 498 00:27:19,460 --> 00:27:21,580 it'll all get blown up. Oh, dear! 499 00:27:21,740 --> 00:27:22,940 Well, don't panic, don't panic. 500 00:27:23,180 --> 00:27:25,300 I'll tell 'em to stop the firing on the phone. 501 00:27:25,500 --> 00:27:27,260 Don't panic! Don't panic! 502 00:27:30,780 --> 00:27:34,380 But what did veterans of the real Home Guard make of Dad's Army? 503 00:27:34,620 --> 00:27:38,340 In March 1969, the BBC'S Talkback programme found out. 504 00:27:39,900 --> 00:27:43,300 The characters in this are very, very true, 505 00:27:43,460 --> 00:27:45,460 and the fun that was had 506 00:27:45,700 --> 00:27:50,300 and the things that happened are right to the point. 507 00:27:50,540 --> 00:27:53,340 To hear it first-hand about life in the Home Guard 508 00:27:53,580 --> 00:27:56,540 and its portrayal in Dad's Army, I've come to Norfolk to meet 509 00:27:56,820 --> 00:28:01,300 one of our very few surviving Home Guard veterans, Mr Peter Blackburn. 510 00:28:01,540 --> 00:28:03,820 Peter, it's a real privilege to meet you, 511 00:28:03,980 --> 00:28:06,140 an actual member of the Home Guard. 512 00:28:06,380 --> 00:28:10,060 When you watch Dad's Army do you recognise the Home Guard 513 00:28:10,260 --> 00:28:11,860 as you knew it? 514 00:28:12,060 --> 00:28:13,900 In some respects, yes. 515 00:28:14,060 --> 00:28:15,620 It did have its moments. 516 00:28:15,780 --> 00:28:19,380 We had to do a lot of marching... 517 00:28:19,540 --> 00:28:22,060 Yeah. ..battle drill and suchlike. 518 00:28:22,220 --> 00:28:23,860 So we did have a lot of that to do. 519 00:28:24,100 --> 00:28:26,420 You were working on your parents' farm. 520 00:28:26,580 --> 00:28:28,540 Yes. That was a reserved occupation. 521 00:28:28,700 --> 00:28:30,260 You couldn't be spared, 522 00:28:30,540 --> 00:28:32,540 so you weren't allowed to join the Armed Forces. 523 00:28:32,700 --> 00:28:33,980 Yes, that's correct. 524 00:28:34,140 --> 00:28:36,020 Why did you join the Home Guard? 525 00:28:36,220 --> 00:28:37,380 What was it that led to that? 526 00:28:37,540 --> 00:28:41,660 Well, basically, I loved shooting. 527 00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:46,820 Other chaps, they went in for the ARP or other things, 528 00:28:46,980 --> 00:28:49,140 but I preferred the Home Guard. 529 00:28:49,300 --> 00:28:51,180 I want to shoot. yeah. 530 00:28:51,460 --> 00:28:53,340 So what was your history in the Home Guard? 531 00:28:53,580 --> 00:28:56,260 How old were you when you joined up? I was 17 years. 532 00:28:56,420 --> 00:28:58,700 17 years, two days. Wow. 533 00:28:58,980 --> 00:29:01,660 Yes. Wow, so you had to be 17 to join up? 534 00:29:01,900 --> 00:29:04,060 Yes. You didn't hang about, did you? That's right, yes. 535 00:29:04,260 --> 00:29:05,980 You were the pike of your outfit. 536 00:29:06,140 --> 00:29:07,260 Sort of, yeah. 537 00:29:09,060 --> 00:29:11,820 Peter enjoyed the Home Guard's drills and shooting practice, 538 00:29:12,100 --> 00:29:15,660 but the reality of war was never far away. 539 00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:18,140 We did have a lecture. Yeah. 540 00:29:18,380 --> 00:29:22,420 and they said "Now, boys, Germans are coming. 541 00:29:22,620 --> 00:29:25,060 "We know that, they're coming. 542 00:29:25,340 --> 00:29:28,660 "You're short of ammunition, and we don't want any Germans 543 00:29:28,860 --> 00:29:33,980 "to hold us prisoners, and so when you take any captive 544 00:29:34,140 --> 00:29:35,380 "use your bayonet." 545 00:29:35,580 --> 00:29:36,860 Use your bayonet? 546 00:29:37,100 --> 00:29:39,940 Now, I could not have done that. No. 547 00:29:40,180 --> 00:29:44,500 I couldn't have stuck a bayonet into a rabbit let alone into somebody. 548 00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:46,260 It's pretty gruesome, isn't it? 549 00:29:46,420 --> 00:29:47,980 But we were told - "no prisoners." 550 00:29:50,460 --> 00:29:54,300 So given the Home Guard confronted matters of life and death, 551 00:29:54,540 --> 00:29:57,020 was the BBC right to worry about how its veterans 552 00:29:57,220 --> 00:29:58,900 would react to Dad's Army? 553 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:02,420 There was that concern. 554 00:30:02,660 --> 00:30:07,420 The BBC were very much wondering how people would take it. 555 00:30:07,660 --> 00:30:13,340 Fair enough. But as we all know, it went perfectly. 556 00:30:13,620 --> 00:30:16,180 So when you watch Dad's Army now, do you like it? 557 00:30:16,340 --> 00:30:18,140 Yes, very much so. 558 00:30:20,140 --> 00:30:21,580 Mr Mainwaring. Hmm? 559 00:30:21,820 --> 00:30:24,580 Please may I look after the Tommy gun? Please? 560 00:30:24,780 --> 00:30:26,260 Oh, very well. Thank you. 561 00:30:27,580 --> 00:30:29,380 They also call it the Chicago Piano. 562 00:30:30,700 --> 00:30:32,460 What did you say? 563 00:30:32,660 --> 00:30:34,100 The Chicago Piano. 564 00:30:36,060 --> 00:30:37,340 Stupid boy. 565 00:30:39,020 --> 00:30:41,420 Across 80 episodes of Dad's Army, 566 00:30:41,700 --> 00:30:45,300 Jimmy Perry and David Croft's scripts regularly found inspiration 567 00:30:45,540 --> 00:30:48,500 for comedy in actual events of the war years. 568 00:30:48,740 --> 00:30:52,180 There's an episode of Dad's Army where they defeat an 569 00:30:52,460 --> 00:30:56,580 opposing Home Guard unit by firing onions out of what 570 00:30:56,740 --> 00:30:58,580 looks like a very crude gun. 571 00:30:58,780 --> 00:31:00,140 Fire! 572 00:31:03,020 --> 00:31:04,700 In fact, that gun really did exist. 573 00:31:04,860 --> 00:31:06,420 It was called a Smith gun. 574 00:31:09,260 --> 00:31:10,780 So that's bang-on there. 575 00:31:13,740 --> 00:31:16,180 Coming up in part four, the original vision 576 00:31:16,340 --> 00:31:17,820 for Mrs Mainwaring... 577 00:31:20,060 --> 00:31:22,980 ..memories of the stars from those early episodes... 578 00:31:23,220 --> 00:31:26,020 No, no, my dear boy, the pleasure's all mine. 579 00:31:27,420 --> 00:31:29,940 ..and forthright opinions about the scripts. 580 00:31:30,180 --> 00:31:32,180 "Ooh, I wouldn't want that rubbish in my home." 581 00:31:40,980 --> 00:31:43,180 Welcome back to Saluting Dad's Army, 582 00:31:43,420 --> 00:31:47,220 and the stories behind the birth of this classic show told by 583 00:31:47,380 --> 00:31:48,660 the people who saw it all happen, 584 00:31:48,900 --> 00:31:51,380 from the rehearsal room to the studio. 585 00:31:51,660 --> 00:31:54,660 John Le Mesurier was a particularly interesting person for me 586 00:31:54,820 --> 00:31:56,020 to observe. 587 00:31:56,180 --> 00:31:58,180 Watching him in the rehearsal room, 588 00:31:58,420 --> 00:32:01,780 he was totally engrossed in The Times crossword 589 00:32:02,020 --> 00:32:07,060 throughout the week, but as soon as his cue came, he was there spot-on. 590 00:32:08,420 --> 00:32:10,780 Meanwhile, Arthur Lowe made a favourable impression 591 00:32:11,060 --> 00:32:14,220 on Richard Kitteridge, a young actor hired as one of the platoon's 592 00:32:14,460 --> 00:32:17,700 back row boys ahead of the second series. 593 00:32:17,940 --> 00:32:22,060 Arthur Lowe was a very dedicated actor. 594 00:32:22,220 --> 00:32:24,900 He really got into the part. 595 00:32:25,140 --> 00:32:28,060 I mean, didn't matter how many times you did it in rehearsals, 596 00:32:28,300 --> 00:32:30,180 it was funny every time he said something. 597 00:32:32,100 --> 00:32:35,180 However, even on those early shows it was clear Arthur Lowe 598 00:32:35,420 --> 00:32:39,700 and John Le Mesurier had different approaches to their work. 599 00:32:39,940 --> 00:32:43,740 John Le Mesurier had one of those eidetic memories that 600 00:32:43,980 --> 00:32:48,540 he could just look at a page and he'd sort of memorised it. 601 00:32:48,820 --> 00:32:51,300 And word perfect, which was very impressive, 602 00:32:51,540 --> 00:32:55,340 because he didn't look as if he knew what was going on at all. 603 00:32:55,580 --> 00:32:59,340 But, unfortunately, Arthur Lowe was not very good on script, 604 00:32:59,580 --> 00:33:05,500 and that was always a little bone of contention in the studio. 605 00:33:05,900 --> 00:33:08,660 Hey, where do you think you're going? It's only 5:15! 606 00:33:08,820 --> 00:33:10,540 Playing bank employee Janet King, 607 00:33:10,780 --> 00:33:13,620 relative newcomer Caroline Dowdeswell could observe 608 00:33:13,860 --> 00:33:16,340 Arthur Lowe's working methods at first-hand. 609 00:33:16,500 --> 00:33:18,180 King. Yes, sir? 610 00:33:18,420 --> 00:33:20,860 Draw those blinds on your way out, will you, please? 611 00:33:21,140 --> 00:33:23,100 He always carried the script with him in rehearsal, 612 00:33:23,340 --> 00:33:25,900 which I found very comforting, and it was only years later 613 00:33:26,140 --> 00:33:30,300 I found out he never took the script home, and they were 614 00:33:30,580 --> 00:33:33,340 always terrified in the box if he'd come out with the right lines. 615 00:33:33,580 --> 00:33:36,140 I intend to ignore what has just happened, 616 00:33:36,380 --> 00:33:38,860 and I shall expect a full turnout on Saturday. 617 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:43,060 And quite a lot of the, I think, the character of Mainwaring 618 00:33:43,300 --> 00:33:46,820 came from the fact that he did forget his lines, 619 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:53,060 and he then managed to get through it with kind of ums and ahs. 620 00:33:53,860 --> 00:33:56,980 Well, be that as it may, I would've welcomed a sample of... 621 00:33:57,220 --> 00:33:59,900 of cooperation from you as my second in command. 622 00:34:00,140 --> 00:34:03,220 So therefore, that's part of the excitement 623 00:34:03,420 --> 00:34:07,340 of doing those early episodes. 624 00:34:08,660 --> 00:34:11,700 That sense of excitement was plain to a young actor guesting 625 00:34:11,940 --> 00:34:15,060 in the first series as a captured German pilot. 626 00:34:15,220 --> 00:34:17,380 The audience reaction was fantastic, 627 00:34:17,660 --> 00:34:19,900 I mean, particularly in the church hall scene where we were 628 00:34:20,140 --> 00:34:24,420 captured and brought in, and Arthur Lowe was interrogating us. 629 00:34:24,660 --> 00:34:28,180 He got his script in a terrible muddle, and the audience loved it. 630 00:34:28,420 --> 00:34:32,620 I mean, they just loved to see all these little mistakes. 631 00:34:32,860 --> 00:34:36,500 Arthur Lowe's reluctance to spend time learning his lines gave rise 632 00:34:36,780 --> 00:34:38,980 to stories that he didn't have a high opinion of the 633 00:34:39,220 --> 00:34:44,460 Dad's Army scripts, but this idea is dismissed by his son, Stephen Lowe. 634 00:34:44,700 --> 00:34:48,300 Arthur did so much work, other work as well as Dad's Army, 635 00:34:48,540 --> 00:34:53,340 in parallel to recording Dad's Army, that sometimes he hadn't done 636 00:34:53,580 --> 00:34:56,300 his homework and he hadn't really learnt his lines. 637 00:34:56,460 --> 00:34:57,660 Ah. 638 00:34:59,140 --> 00:35:01,980 I was just wondering who would be the first to spot that. 639 00:35:02,220 --> 00:35:07,180 So, one day, David Croft, in his exasperation, said 640 00:35:07,460 --> 00:35:09,980 "Arthur, you couldn't possibly take the script home and learn 641 00:35:10,140 --> 00:35:11,580 "your lines, could you?" 642 00:35:11,820 --> 00:35:15,660 And my father this thing that's become famous now, you know, 643 00:35:15,900 --> 00:35:18,180 "Ooh, I wouldn't want that rubbish in my home." 644 00:35:18,420 --> 00:35:20,580 And of course, he didn't think it was rubbish. 645 00:35:20,860 --> 00:35:25,180 He held David Croft and Jimmy Perry in the highest regard. 646 00:35:25,420 --> 00:35:27,140 He thought they were brilliant writers. 647 00:35:27,420 --> 00:35:29,860 When I was first informed that I was no longer to be your 648 00:35:30,020 --> 00:35:31,540 commanding officer, 649 00:35:31,820 --> 00:35:34,620 I must admit that my first reaction was to go away quietly. 650 00:35:36,580 --> 00:35:38,660 And then I thought - "No, the defence of this town 651 00:35:38,820 --> 00:35:40,340 "must come first." 652 00:35:40,580 --> 00:35:43,020 This country needs every able-bodied man it can get. 653 00:35:44,540 --> 00:35:45,420 And... 654 00:35:46,700 --> 00:35:50,340 ..I was very proud to lead you as Captain Mainwaring. 655 00:35:52,260 --> 00:35:55,580 I shall be equally proud to march in your ranks as Private Mainwaring. 656 00:35:57,060 --> 00:35:58,100 That's all. 657 00:36:00,860 --> 00:36:05,900 Arnold Ridley, I think David had to sort of wake up occasionally because 658 00:36:06,140 --> 00:36:10,060 he'd be sitting in the corner doing his crossword, and sitting on 659 00:36:10,300 --> 00:36:15,460 a little stool that he carried around with him all the time. 660 00:36:15,740 --> 00:36:18,380 While we're rushing here and there and running the flag up 661 00:36:18,660 --> 00:36:22,260 the pole, old Godfrey will still be trying to climb out of the van. 662 00:36:24,980 --> 00:36:26,860 That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? 663 00:36:27,140 --> 00:36:29,260 No, it's not an exaggeration, it's plain for all to see. 664 00:36:29,420 --> 00:36:30,580 The man's decrepit! 665 00:36:30,740 --> 00:36:32,100 No offence, mind you. 666 00:36:32,340 --> 00:36:35,460 John Laurie, I remember him in make-up. 667 00:36:35,740 --> 00:36:38,500 He'd come in and everyone was fussing over Arnold 668 00:36:38,780 --> 00:36:42,940 or John Le Mesurier, and nobody was taking any notice of him, 669 00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:45,340 and he'd stomp off again. 670 00:36:45,580 --> 00:36:48,780 John Laurie entertained the nation as James Frazer, 671 00:36:49,020 --> 00:36:51,580 the mournful undertaker based here in the high street. 672 00:36:53,420 --> 00:36:57,180 Dear Mrs Pickering, I hope you found the funeral arrangements 673 00:36:57,460 --> 00:37:00,740 for your late husband entirely satisfactory. 674 00:37:01,020 --> 00:37:04,980 May I say how sorry I was that the hearse ran out of petrol 675 00:37:05,180 --> 00:37:06,700 just outside the cemetery. 676 00:37:08,740 --> 00:37:12,380 I'm sure your dear departed husband would have been proud of the way 677 00:37:12,620 --> 00:37:14,980 you helped to push him to his final resting place. 678 00:37:18,020 --> 00:37:21,340 Mr Frazer seems ideally suited to his chosen profession, 679 00:37:21,580 --> 00:37:24,380 but it seems he changed his career late in life, 680 00:37:24,660 --> 00:37:27,660 because when the first volunteers turn up here at 681 00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:30,860 St Aldhelm's Church Hall in episode one, Frazer's in 682 00:37:30,980 --> 00:37:33,540 a completely different line of work. 683 00:37:33,740 --> 00:37:36,060 Name? James Frazer. 684 00:37:36,300 --> 00:37:39,540 Occupation? I keep a philatelist's shop. 685 00:37:39,700 --> 00:37:40,740 How do you spell that? 686 00:37:40,900 --> 00:37:42,140 S-H-O-P. 687 00:37:44,340 --> 00:37:47,740 Frazer's change of profession was just one way Dad's Army 688 00:37:47,900 --> 00:37:49,700 developed from its very early days. 689 00:37:49,940 --> 00:37:54,260 Take the residents of 23 Lime Crescent, Mr and Mrs Mainwaring. 690 00:37:54,500 --> 00:37:57,140 Elizabeth Mainwaring is the unseen presence who looms over 691 00:37:57,300 --> 00:37:58,900 her husband day and night. 692 00:37:59,060 --> 00:38:00,060 Are you awake, Elizabeth? 693 00:38:05,220 --> 00:38:08,140 But Jimmy Perry's original drafts of what became Dad's Army 694 00:38:08,340 --> 00:38:10,820 do feature Mrs Mainwaring in vision. 695 00:38:11,060 --> 00:38:14,500 She's described as a thin, shivery lady about 40, 696 00:38:14,700 --> 00:38:16,100 and calls her husband "dear." 697 00:38:17,700 --> 00:38:21,220 So Dad's Army evolved before and after it reached the screen, 698 00:38:21,500 --> 00:38:25,020 but at least one element remained utterly consistent - 699 00:38:25,260 --> 00:38:28,140 Captain Mainwaring's uncompromising hostility to the 700 00:38:28,380 --> 00:38:31,380 Nazi hordes poised across the Channel. 701 00:38:31,660 --> 00:38:33,620 Now there are one or two things to look at here, 702 00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:35,900 but i want you to take particular notice of the eyes. 703 00:38:36,180 --> 00:38:38,700 You see the eyes? Mean, shifty, set too close together. 704 00:38:40,500 --> 00:38:41,860 Typically Nazi. 705 00:38:42,100 --> 00:38:45,060 Now the thing to look for here is this red nasty bull neck 706 00:38:45,300 --> 00:38:48,100 with the flesh bulging out over the top. 707 00:38:48,260 --> 00:38:50,100 That's also typically Nazi. 708 00:38:50,380 --> 00:38:53,100 Mr Mainwaring, aren't there any nice looking Germans? 709 00:38:53,260 --> 00:38:54,300 No. 710 00:38:57,380 --> 00:38:59,820 The platoon chased a German pilot across the countryside 711 00:39:00,100 --> 00:39:03,020 for miles, only to discover he'd been chasing them. 712 00:39:05,100 --> 00:39:07,100 Why do you keep running away? 713 00:39:07,380 --> 00:39:09,420 I have been trying to give myself up. 714 00:39:11,100 --> 00:39:12,460 In the face on the poster, 715 00:39:12,700 --> 00:39:15,940 they somehow end up inside a camp for German prisoners of war. 716 00:39:19,500 --> 00:39:22,060 They also did their best to rescue a German parachutist 717 00:39:22,220 --> 00:39:23,780 hanging from the town hall clock. 718 00:39:26,820 --> 00:39:29,460 And of course there was an unforgettable confrontation 719 00:39:29,620 --> 00:39:30,980 with a captured U-boat commander. 720 00:39:31,220 --> 00:39:33,500 Now you want plaice and chips, they're getting cod and chips, 721 00:39:33,820 --> 00:39:36,780 and that's four with vinegar, three with salt and two without salt or vinegar. 722 00:39:36,980 --> 00:39:38,180 Walker, what are you doing? 723 00:39:38,340 --> 00:39:39,540 I'm taking the order. 724 00:39:41,220 --> 00:39:44,020 And I don't want any nasty soggy chips. 725 00:39:50,700 --> 00:39:52,540 I want mine crisp... 726 00:39:54,300 --> 00:39:55,620 ..und light brown. 727 00:39:57,380 --> 00:39:59,420 Crisp und light... Never mind that rubbish! 728 00:40:01,460 --> 00:40:03,820 Captain Mainwaring seemed to think that his showdown 729 00:40:04,100 --> 00:40:06,460 with Captain Muller was his first crack at the Nazis. 730 00:40:06,700 --> 00:40:09,180 Face-to-face with the enemy at last, eh? 731 00:40:09,460 --> 00:40:12,260 He'd obviously forgotten that encounter with the enemy 732 00:40:12,460 --> 00:40:13,620 in the very first series. 733 00:40:13,860 --> 00:40:15,340 Sir, permission to speak, sir. Yes. 734 00:40:15,580 --> 00:40:17,980 We've captured a couple of jerry parachuters. You've what? 735 00:40:18,220 --> 00:40:20,940 Yes, sir, just showed them the cold steel, they come quiet as mouses. 736 00:40:21,220 --> 00:40:22,900 They don't like it up 'em you know, sir. 737 00:40:25,140 --> 00:40:27,660 In the script, the regular cast kept their guns trained on 738 00:40:27,940 --> 00:40:31,420 their prisoners, but behind the scenes the stars' generosity 739 00:40:31,660 --> 00:40:34,300 made a lasting impression on a young actor playing 740 00:40:34,580 --> 00:40:37,420 one of the first Germans seen in Dad's Army. 741 00:40:37,660 --> 00:40:42,340 We were stuck behind for this little scene where German pilots 742 00:40:42,540 --> 00:40:44,100 were captured by Clive Dunn. 743 00:40:44,340 --> 00:40:46,620 We were left on our own, the three of us, and so I said 744 00:40:46,900 --> 00:40:50,700 to Clive Dunn, "Look, I've had no experience of television comedy. 745 00:40:50,860 --> 00:40:53,220 "Can you tell us what to do?" 746 00:40:53,460 --> 00:40:57,900 And he was really, really kind, so that was special for me. 747 00:40:58,180 --> 00:41:01,460 After the show and a visit to the bar, it was time to say goodbye 748 00:41:01,740 --> 00:41:05,860 to the stars, including the oh-so urbane John Le Mesurier. 749 00:41:06,100 --> 00:41:08,580 And I said, "Thank you very much, sir, it's been a real pleasure 750 00:41:08,860 --> 00:41:11,380 "to meet you and work with you for this week." 751 00:41:11,660 --> 00:41:15,460 He said, "No, no, my dear boy, the pleasure's all mine." 752 00:41:15,740 --> 00:41:18,340 I don't know whether he was sending me up, but he was a real gentleman. 753 00:41:18,540 --> 00:41:20,020 Hello. 754 00:41:20,180 --> 00:41:21,540 Wilson, Wilson. 755 00:41:22,900 --> 00:41:25,900 How many times do I have to tell you not to say hello on the telephone? 756 00:41:26,060 --> 00:41:27,420 Announce yourself officially. 757 00:41:27,660 --> 00:41:29,860 This is HQ number one company B Platoon, 758 00:41:30,060 --> 00:41:33,300 Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, and you are platoon Sergeant Wilson. 759 00:41:33,540 --> 00:41:36,500 Yes, right. Now this is HQ number one platoon B Company 760 00:41:36,700 --> 00:41:38,020 Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, 761 00:41:38,300 --> 00:41:40,900 and this is platoon Sergeant Wilson speaking, yes. 762 00:41:41,100 --> 00:41:42,300 Oh, hello! 763 00:41:46,900 --> 00:41:49,580 Viewers just lapped up Dad's Army. 764 00:41:49,860 --> 00:41:53,020 The average audience for series one in 1968 was just over 765 00:41:53,180 --> 00:41:55,100 eight million viewers. 766 00:41:55,380 --> 00:41:57,820 When series two hit the air just months later, 767 00:41:57,980 --> 00:42:00,380 that figure rose to 12 million. 768 00:42:00,540 --> 00:42:01,820 Once it had got going, 769 00:42:02,100 --> 00:42:06,300 I mean the genius of David Croft and Jimmy Perry and the cast made this 770 00:42:06,580 --> 00:42:11,660 such a sure fire hit that it was vital to the schedule of BBC One. 771 00:42:11,940 --> 00:42:14,220 All right, I wouldn't say I was all that important. 772 00:42:15,660 --> 00:42:16,900 Would you, Wilson? 773 00:42:21,780 --> 00:42:23,060 No, I don't think so. 774 00:42:25,220 --> 00:42:28,540 I can't think of a comedy series that was so certain to 775 00:42:28,700 --> 00:42:30,780 be renewed as Dad's Army. 776 00:42:33,340 --> 00:42:34,980 So, after a slightly uncertain start, 777 00:42:35,220 --> 00:42:39,500 Dad's Army became a runaway success, literally. 778 00:42:39,700 --> 00:42:40,780 Halt, Mr Mainwaring! 779 00:42:42,820 --> 00:42:43,940 Stop, Mr Mainwaring! 780 00:42:44,140 --> 00:42:45,780 Stop, all your money's falling out! 781 00:42:47,220 --> 00:42:48,860 I've got to attract his attention. 782 00:42:51,500 --> 00:42:52,580 Fine. 783 00:43:10,260 --> 00:43:12,540 Next time on Saluting Dad's Army, 784 00:43:12,780 --> 00:43:16,260 the stories behind the hey-day of this classic series... 785 00:43:16,460 --> 00:43:18,220 I think we ended up in a ditch.