Dad's Army uncovered: 35 things you need to know about the BBC comedy classic - Mirror Online TV Dad's Army uncovered: 35 things you need to know about the BBC comedy classic It has been 35 years since Dad's Army finished its original telly run - check out our essential need to know facts about the comedy favourite Share Get celebs updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email Despite its original run ending 35 yesterday, Dad’s Army still has a prominent pride of place in British TV history. More than just a comedy, few other shows have contributed as many immediately recognisable moments that are remembered so fondly across all ages. So are the show's stars - Clive Dunn's recent sad passing evidenced one again how Dad's Army has stayed with viewers across the years. Think you know everything there is to know about this national telly treasure? Think you’re dooooooooooomed? Well don’t panic! Here are 35 facts on the adventure of the Home Guard during Britain’s finest hour! 1. Television and beyond!

Dad’s Army ran for an epic 80 television episodes across nine series from 1968 to 1977 as well as a number of short sketches. But it wasn’t all about television: the Captain Mainwaring and his men also crossed radio and stage on their way to becoming national treasures. 2. Almost Mainwarings Arthur Lowe is most famous for his role as bumbling Captain George Mainwaring, a character some of his co-stars thought resembled him! But he wasn’t the first choice. Some BBC bosses, including Head of Comedy Michael Mills, were against his casting and the role was offered to Thorley Walters and even future Doctor Who Jon Pertwee before Lowe took on his most famous part. 3. They don’t like it down ‘em! Arthur Lowe certainly knew what comedy he liked and knew what he didn’t. In one episode he refused to film a scene where Private Frazer tries to free a bomb from Captain Mainwaring’s trousers. After a few rewrites, as you may remember, Corporal Jones ended up taking the bomb for the team. But Arthur Lowe insisted on something a bit more permanent: he had a clause written into his contract that he would never have his trousers removed! 4.

War veterans View gallery Corporal Jones may always be the first of the platoon to want to ‘stick it up ‘em’ but the late Clive Dunn , who served four years in prisons and prisoner of war camps in Austria during WW2, was a pacifist. Other members of the cast and crew had fought not only in the Second World War, but also the First such as Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey). During WWII, Arthur Lowe served as a Sergeant Major and John Le Mesurier a Captain, while director/producer David Croft rose to the rank of major after joining the Royal Artillery in 1942. 5. Real Home Guard Of the television Home Guard platoon only John Laurie (Frazer) and Arnold Ridley (Godfrey) had actually served in the real Home Guard during the Second World War. Ridley had joined the Home Guard’s forerunner, the Local Defence Volunteers in 1940, narrowly escaping injury or death when his cottage was hit by a bomb in 1944. Laurie was also a veteran of the First World War, as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. 6. Permission to sing, sir!

Video Loading Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now The late Clive Dunn achieved fame as one of the most quotable characters in Dad’s army, Corporal ‘Don’t Panic’ Jones. But at the same time he was playing the role, he also managed to score a number one hit single with 1971’s ‘Grandad’ – a song that featured none other than Rick Wakeman on keyboards. It certainly wasn’t the end of Dunn’s musical career - he even released his own album, ‘Permission to Sing Sir!’ 7. Private Perry! One of the show’s most popular characters, Private Pike (played by Ian Lavender ) was based on writer Jimmy Perry’s real life experience as a teenager being molly-coddled by his mum. "She didn't go so far as making me wear a scarf, but she came pretty near" he said. Shouldn’t have told us that, Pike! 8. Almost Walkers While Pike may be semi-autobiographical, and perhaps because of it, Jimmy Perry wrote the character of spiv Private Joe Walker to play himself. Eventually James Beck was cast after co-writer David Croft told Perry to choose between acting or writing!

Despite the ultimatum, Perry did manage to fit in a cameo in the sixth episode of the first series ‘Shooting Pains’ as Charlie Cheeseman. 9. The real life Walmington-on-sea The outside scenes of the fictional Walmington were actually filmed in Thetford, Norfolk. You’ll know if you’re there: Since 2007, a statue of Captain Mainwaring has sat on a bench by the Little Ouse river. 10. Mrs Mainwaring Where was Mrs Mainwaring? (Photo: BBC) 1968 was a great year for unseen wives. Not only did Dad’s Army start in the UK, but it was also the year that Colombo kicked off across the Atlantic. “She hasn’t left the house much since Munich” Captain Mainwaring said about his never-seen wife... Or did she? Mrs Mainwaring actually made an appearance in the Dad’s Army Annual 1974 story ‘Mum’s Army’. 11. The American remake Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8Cancel Play now Yes, another one!

ABC filmed a pilot in 1976 for their version of Dad’s Army - The Rear Guard featured the WWII antics of the American Civil Defense! You can’t blame them for adapting the classic u-boat episode ‘The Deadly Attachment’ for the first show, but a full series was never commissioned. Perhaps the idea of a German invasion of America was just a bit too far-fetched! 12. Game on One for Dad's Army fans of a slightly younger generation Sadly the heyday of Dad’s Army was over far before video games hit the shelves. But that hasn’t stopped tributes popping up. The Sega Mega-CD version of Mortal Kombat had a special cheat called ‘Dad’s code’ which replaced the names of original fighters such as Sub-Zero, Raiden and Kitana with those of Mainwaring, Frazer, Pike and gang! 13. Where’s the movie? If you sit back with your complete Dad’s Army DVD collection of all nine series you might think something’s missing. Where’s the 1971 film? In fact, while the series is owned by the BBC, the film is owned by Columbia Pictures.

When it was made in between television series, they insisted on a number of changes, including recasting Mrs Pike. 14. Carry On Dad’s Army! There were a number of cross-over actors between the two comedy franchises. Ian Lavender (Pike) starred in Carry on Behind while Bill Pertwee managed to make two Carry On films. Actresses fared a little better. Barbara Windsor guest starred as a fairground sharpshooter in the sixth episode of the first series while the late Wendy Richard not only appeared in two Carry On films, co-starring with Barbara Windsor in the early 1970s, but also managed to play two separate characters in Dad’s Army. 15. Don’t panic! Dad's Army, Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, James Beck, John Laurie, Ian Lavender and Arnold Ridley (Photo: PA) The BBC are normally ready for a crisis... Even today Auntie keeps an episode of Dad’s Army in the wings as an emergency back-up just in case a show goes off air. Sound far-fetched? It happened when the 6 o’clock news was hit by a power-cut in 2000. 16.

The missing episodes In the 1960s, BBC storage policies weren’t future proof. With VHS not even a glimmer in a VCR, programmes rolls took up lot of valuable space. So the BBC decided to bin episodes of many classic shows! Early episodes of Doctor Who are perhaps the most famous casualties, but Dad’s Army was not immune. While the comedy came out of it better than most, three episodes from the second series remain lost to this day. 17. How popular? In the late 1960s, early Dad’s Army first screened to an audience of 8 million, a figure a lot of TV executives would beg for today. However, in the 1970s heyday of audience figures the sit-com found itself near the top of the pile, attracting more than 18 million viewers at its peak. 18. One of Britain’s best sitcoms (Photo: Daily Mirror) In 2004, Dad’s Army came fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain’s best sitcom. It may have lost out to new pretenders The Vicar of Dibley, Blackadder and Only Fools and Horse’s but it beat Fawlty Towers into fifth. 19.

Dad’s Army: The Sequel! It happened! In 1981, a sequel called ‘It Sticks Out Half a Mile’ was recorded for BBC Radio, starring Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier. Sadly, Lowe died soon after the recording, but a full 14 part series was made at the insistence of Lowe’s widow. The new series featured former Warden Hodges and former Private Pike renovating a pier with a loan from ‘Uncle Arthur’. 20. The radio show! Before the sequel, ‘Dad’s Army’ was no stranger to radio. Many of the television episodes were adapted for BBC Radio 4 by writing duo Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles. As you may expect, some classic scenes had to be adapted for the new media, but the main change was the addition of a ‘newsreader’ who added an extra WWII atmosphere to each installment. 21. The stage show! In 1975 the hit TV series even transferred to the stage, featuring many of the original cast under what could be greatest show name ever: ‘Dad's Army: A Nostalgic Music and Laughter Show of Britain’s Finest Hour’.

It may have been twice disrupted by bomb scares during its four month run in the West End, but went on to tour the country until September 1976. Clive Dunn who plays Corporal Jones right to left Ian Lavender as pike and James Beck as Private Walker (Photo: Daily Mirror) 22. Private Den! In 2007 the stage show was revived, with adaptations of classic television scripts. The show ran for a year with ex-Eastender villain Leslie Grantham as Private Walker. 23. The Stage Show Down Under! Audiences could enjoy Dad's Army—The Musical in Australia and New Zealand in 2004 and 2005. If you’re itching for a look, you can find some clips on the series DVDs. 24. The Dad’s Army Appreciation Society Former cast members Bill Pertwee (Warden Hodges) and Frank Williams (the Vicar) set up the Appreciation Society in 1993. The Society helped set up the Dad’s Army Collection and its 1,700 members host a variety of events around the country proving that the show still has a strong fan base. 25. That theme tune! 30.

One’s favourite show When Bill Pertwee, Captain Mainwaring’s nemesis Warden Hodges, collected his MBE in 2007 he let slip a royal secret... Her Majesty is apparently a Dad’s Army fan. The Queen Mother was also said to enjoy spending an evening watching the show - her VHS copies of the show can be seen in the Castle of Mey, her Scottish residence in Caithness. 31. Festive army Dad’s Army became a familiar sight in the festive schedules with specials in 1971, 1975 and 1976. But yuletide recognition was some time coming: in 1968, 1969, 1970 and then again in 1972 the show only featured in short specials as part of the BBC’s Christmas Night with the Stars. 32. ‘You stupid boy!’ Dad's Army (TV Series 1968–1977) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This!

Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error During WW2, in a fictional British seaside town, a ragtag group of Home Guard local defense volunteers prepare for an imminent German invasion. Creator: After a surreal lecture on telling allied parachutists from German ones, the platoon is ordered to pick up a stranded U-boot's crew. Wilson feels live hand-grenades are too dangerous for his hot-head... 8.9 At long last Corporal Jones is marrying Marcia Fox. He asks Mainwaring's permission as his commanding officer, which involves the captain being caught over the phone by his wife having coffee with ... 8.8 It is revealed that Private Godfrey was a Conscientious Objector in the First World war, leading Mainwaring and some of the platoon to brand him as a coward. However, during an exercise in which ...

8.6 a list of 33 titles created 13 Oct 2012 a list of 34 titles created 26 Jul 2013 a list of 35 titles created 28 Jan 2014 a list of 21 titles created 30 Nov 2014 a list of 33 titles created 26 Dec 2015 Search for " Dad's Army " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: Dad's Army (1968–1977) 8.1/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 9 nominations. See more awards » Photos The misadventures of a ragtag group of elderly Home Guard local defense volunteers at the onset of WW2. Director: Norman Cohen The prison life of Fletcher, a criminal serving a five-year sentence, as he strives to bide his time, keep his record clean, and refuses to be ground down by the prison system.

Stars: Ronnie Barker, Brian Wilde, Fulton Mackay The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon deal with a visiting female journalist and a German spy as World War II draws to its conclusion. Director: Oliver Parker Arkwright is a tight-fisted shop owner in Doncaster, who will stop at nothing to keep his profits high and his overheads low, even if this means harassing his nephew Granville. Arkwright's ... See full summary » Stars: Ronnie Barker, David Jason, Lynda Baron Long running BBC comedy show consisting of sketches and humourous musical routines involving the large Ronnie Barker and the small Ronnie Corbett. Most sketches involved both men, but ... See full summary » Stars: Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, The Fred Tomlinson Singers Classic 1960s British comedy series about a middle aged man and his elderly father who run an unsuccessful 'rag and bone' business (collecting and selling junk). Harold (the son) wants to ... See full summary » Stars: Wilfrid Brambell, Harry H. Corbett, Frank Thornton Accident-prone Frank Spencer fails to navigate the simplest tasks of daily life, while also trying to look after his wife and baby.

Stars: Michael Crawford, Michele Dotrice, Jessica Forte Victor Meldrew is a retiree who attracts bad luck. If he's not driving his long suffering wife Margeret crazy with his constant moaning, he's fighting with neighbors. Stars: Richard Wilson, Annette Crosbie, Doreen Mantle This prison comedy is based on the popular British television series of the same name. Long time Slade prison inmate Fletcher is ordered by Grouty to arrange a football match between the ... See full summary » Director: Dick Clement Popular sitcom set in a seedy bedsit lorded over by the mean, vain, boastful, cowardly landlord Rigsby. In each episode, his conceits are debunked by his long suffering tenants. Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Don Warrington, Frances de la Tour The comic adventures of a group of misfits who form an extremely bad concert party touring the hot and steamy jungles of Burma entertaining the troops during World War II. Stars: Windsor Davies, Melvyn Hayes, Donald Hewlett In 1967 actor Jimmy Perry shows his friend David Croft the script of a sitcom he has written based on his time in the Home Guard, entitled 'Fighting Tigers'.

Head of BBC TV comedy Michael ... See full summary » Director: Steve Bendelack Edit 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 ... Written by Allen Dace <a.w.dace@maff.gov.uk> 31 July 1968 (UK) See more » Also Known As: Daar komen de schutters See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia An episode is kept on standby by the BBC for use as an emergency backup program, to be broadcast if a major technical problem prevents normal programs being shown. This came to light on June 20, 2000 when the BBC Six O'Clock News (1984) was interrupted by a power failure at the BBC, and an episode of Dad's Army was transmitted in its place. See more » 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. See more » Quotes [They are telling off a cheeky young boy] Jones : Ere. I know him. He's a cheeky little monkey.

He comes into my shop when it's full of persons and shouts out, "Sainsbury's." Pike : Yeah. And he runs into our bank and shouts out, "National Provincial." My favourite comedy series of all time 6 November 2002 | by BritishFilms1 WARNING: This review contains spoliers "Dad's Army" has got to be my favourite comedy series of all time. It is about the adventures of a Home Guard platoon on the South Coast of England during World War II. Pompous bank manager Mr Mainwaring [Arthur Lowe] is Captain of the platoon. He is assited by his chief clerk Arthur Wilson [John Le Mesurier] who is the Home Guard sergeant.

The other main characters who formed the platoon were 70 year old devoted solidier Lance-Corporal Jack Jones [Clive Dunn] who fought in the Sudan under the command of General Kitchener during the 1880s, James Frazer [John Laurie], a doom-and-gloomy old Scotsman who runs an undertakers in Walmington-on-Sea [the town where the series is situated], who was formerly a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy [my favourite character], retired Menswear salesman Charles Godfrey [Arnold Ridley], the platoon's medical orderly who lived in a country cottage with his sisters [Dolly and Cissy], Cockney "spiv" Joe Walker [James Beck] who was usually seen with various lady friends and was well-known for being able to obtain rationed goods for people [if they paid him for them] and finally, Frank Pike [Ian Lavender], the youngest member of the platoon who was very much a "mummy's boy" and usually made a mess of things, Mainwaring was often heard to describe him as a "stupid boy".

Another regular character was the Chief Air Raid Warden, Mr Hodges [Bill Pertwee], who expressed a severe dislike for Mainwaring and his men, due to the fact that they often curtailed his plans. He referred to Mainwaring as "Napoleon" and the two soon developed an instant dislike for each other, doing more fighting among themselves rather than with the Germans [!]. There was also other regulars including Mrs Pike [Janet Davies], Pike's mother and Wilson's girlfriend, Wilson being Pike's Uncle Arthur. Mrs Fox [Pamela Cundell], a resident of the town who had a long-running relationship with Jones, before the two eventually married in the final episode and OAP Mr Blewitt [Harold Bennett] was also seen many times.

Many guest stars were also seen in the programme including Barbara Windsor ["EastEnders" as a theatre star], Nigel Hawthorne ["Yes Minister" as a man on a bike], Wendy Richard ["EastEnders" as Walker's girlfriend], Carmen Silvera ["Allo Allo" as Mainwaring's lady friend], Geoffrey Hughes ["Coronation Street" as a bridge controller], Phillip Madoc [a German Captain], Peter Butterworth ["Carry On" films as a printer] and Fulton MacKay ["Porridge" as a doctor]. This has to be the best British comedy series of all time and if it doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will. 10 out of 10! Who is behind the Dad's Army history | History | News | Daily Express HISTORY Home-grown heroes – the truth behind Britain’s real Dads’ Army As the film version of the classic sit-com hits our screens we reveal the truth about Britain’s heroic last line of defence against Nazi invasion. 07:07, Thu, Jan 28, 2016 | UPDATED: 17:10, Thu, Jan 28, 2016 PH Dad's Army is coming...

As the movie remake of TV favourite Dad’s Army hits cinemas – what is the truth about the real Home Guard, set up to be Britain’s last line of defence against the Nazis in the Second World War? The classic TV show, starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, was loved by millions and now it has been given the big-screen treatment with a stellar cast including Bill Nighy and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Here we examine how far fact matches up to fiction from wacky weapons and madcap military manoeuvres to incredible acts of heroism… 1 - As Adolf Hitler’s troops overran Europe in 1940 Britain faced the prospect of invasion. On May 14, 1940, secretary of state for war Anthony Eden made a broadcast calling for men between the ages of 17-65 to join a new force: the Local Defence Volunteers. LDV members would be those outside the ages of conscription or found unfit for front-line action. GETTY The real Home Guard releasing carrier pigeons Related articles 'Signing off at journey's end' SAS hero Henry Worsley's poignant...

2 - The idea was to organise civilians, many of whom were already said to be arming themselves with shotguns and pitchforks to fend off any Nazi threat. The new outfit was quickly dubbed Dad’s Army. 3 - Volunteers had been instructed to register their names at their police station but officers were overwhelmed. In the first 24 hours a massive 250,000 men had signed up, 150,000 more than expected. 4 - Age limits were regularly flouted. Alexander Taylor, from the Crieff Home Guard in Perthshire, was 80 and had fought in the Sudan in the 1880s – just like Lance Corporal Jones played by Clive Dunn in the TV series and Tom Courtenay in the new movie. 5 - One Shropshire battalion was described at the time of consisting of “old soldiers, sailors, cripples, youngsters and the local parson”. Yet many members of the Home Guard were highly trained First World War veterans. 6 - At first recruits had no uniforms, having to make do with performing drills in LDV armbands over their civvies. Khaki uniforms were later issued, similar to those of the regular army.

7 - Just as in TV’s Dad’s Army, weapons were in short supply for the real Home Guard. By the summer of 1940 only half of the members had rifles, mostly First World War devices, with just five rounds each. Many trained using umbrellas or golf clubs. 8 - The role of the Home Guard was to defend their home town in the event of invasion. Meanwhile they would mount patrols, man searchlights and anti-aircraft guns and help with rubble clearance during bombing raids. They also guarded factories and removed road signs to confuse the enemy. 9 - Many members combined their regular jobs with turning out for parades, field exercises and weapon training sessions. 10 - By August 1940 the ranks of the LDV had swelled to 1.5 million men and new PM Winston Churchill ordered its name to be changed to the more inspiring Home Guard.

He also ordered an annual Home Guard Day: “That the nation realises all it owes to these devoted men.” He added: “Should the invader come to Britain there will be no placid lying down of the people in submission before him.” GETTY A member of the war time Home Guard, York, Yorkshire 11 - Wags originally gave the LDV the nickname: Look, Duck and Vanish. But as the war went on the unpaid Home Guard developed into an effective force with many trained in hand-to-hand combat and sabotage. By 1943 the average age had fallen to 30. 12 - They were armed with some lethal weapons including petrol bombs called Molotov cocktails, a makeshift anti-tank weapon called the Northover Projector and the Flame Fougasse – a kind of flaming oil bomb. Cars and lorries and even boats were mounted with machine guns. 13 - Recruits were not always impressed with their arms. One volunteer described his crude Sten gun as “a spout, a handle and a tin box”. 14 - The so-called “sticky bomb”, an anti-tank device, was issued to the Home Guard despite being considered too dangerous and faulty to be used by the regular army.

15 - Bizarrely in 1941 members were also issued with a medieval style pike: a rifle bayonet attached to tubing. 16 - As well as learning basic German phrases the Home Guard used codewords such as Cromwell to indicate that an invasion had taken place. It was organised that church bells would ring as a call to arms if the enemy landed. 17 - The bumbling antics of Mainwaring’s fictional Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard weren’t always far from the truth. The commander of a platoon in Cambridgeshire set his trousers on fire while demonstrating how to use a petrol bomb. Another member attacked a scarecrow thinking it an invading German and a Berkshire unit mistook a cow’s swishing tail for the dot dash communications from an enemy flag. 18 - Being vigilant for spies was one of the Home Guard’s duties. One training exercise involved a male Home Guard member pretending to be a fifth columnist by launching a mock ambush dressed as a nursemaid. 19 - At its peak in March 1943 the Home Guard consisted of an incredible 1,793,000 members.

In the same year women were admitted to the Home Guard, serving in non-combatant roles such as cooks and drivers. There were 31,000 by 1944. They had no uniforms but wore a badge. 20 - Actor Arnold Ridley who played the ageing Private Godfrey in the hit TV series fought in the Somme during the First World War. Discharged from the army in the Second World War on health grounds he joined the Home Guard in his home town of Caterham. John Laurie, who played Frazer in the programme, also served in the force. 21 - One of the Dad’s Army writers, Jimmy Perry, served in the Watford Home Guard from the age of 16, basing the character of Private Frank “Stupid Boy” Pike on himself. Dad's Army arrivals in London Tue, January 26, 2016 Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones attends 'Dad's Army' World Premiere [WireImage] GETTY Who were the real Dad's Army?

22 - Other famous people from the Home Guard include musician George Formby, who served in a Blackpool unit as a dispatch rider, and authors George Orwell and CS Lewis and astronomer Sir Patrick Moore. 23 - There were many Home Guard heroes including George Inwood, 35. He was awarded the George Cross posthumously after he rescued several people from a gas-filled cellar in Birmingham after a bombing raid before eventually being overcome by fumes. 24 - Section leader Albert Henry Tilyard-Burrows, 36, also received the award. In 1940 he helped take to safety an unexploded 500lb bomb which hit a factory in Weybridge. 25 - Lieutenant William George Foster of the 7th Wiltshire (Salisbury) Battalion of the Home Guard won the George Cross when he was killed jumping on a live grenade to protect comrades during an accident in training. 26 - The cream of the Home Guard were recruited into special Auxiliary Units, who were trained to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Germans in the event of an invasion.

27 - A total of 140 medals were awarded to Home Guard recruits and a total of 1,206 fell in the line of duty due to air and rocket attacks. More than 500 were seriously injured. 28 - With the prospect of invasion waning the Home Guard was stood down on December 3, 1944. Members were allowed to keep their battledress and boots. 29 - A farewell parade was held in Hyde Park and King George VI, the Home Guard’s colonel-in-chief, declared: “History will say that your share in the greatest of all our struggles for freedom was a vitally important one.” 30 - The very last episode of Dad’s Army was screened on Remembrance Sunday, November 13, 1977. At the end of the programme the platoon raised a special toast: “To Britain’s Home Guard.” l Dad’s Army is in cinemas nationwide from February 5. Related articles Mavis Pike | Dad's Army Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard , Arthur Wilson Mavis Pike, often referred to simply as Mrs.

Pike, was the mother of Frank Pike and a resident of Walmington-on-Sea . She was portrayed by Janet Davies , though in the 1971 film of the series the character was played by Liz Fraser . Personality Edit Mavis was overprotective of her son Frank , and treated him like a child. She often made him wear a scarf on parade in all weathers, and interrupted parades with complaints to Captain Mainwaring about Frank's health and welfare. It is often implied that Mavis is Sergeant Wilson 's lover. He claims that "She's a widow and she has my ration book and I go round to her house sometimes for meals... and that sort of thing." The show's writers, Jimmy Perry and David Croft , said years after the end of the show that they intended Wilson to have been Frank's father. Mavis is a widow and Frank 17, which implies any affair between was long-standing. She is also occasionally linked with Hodges , the local greengrocer and Chief Warden , which caused tension between the two men. She is very hot-tempered and is frequently threatening to 'box Pike's in' when Pike has been doing something out-of-order.

She excessively cared about Pike enough to nearly have a heart attack upon finding out Pike had found a girlfriend. Although fussy, she was kind-hearted, and at one point took in an evacuee from London (also called Arthur) in Sgt. Wilson's Little Secret , leading to a misunderstanding with Wilson that she is pregnant. Potrayals Edit The recasting of Mrs. Pike for the feature film of the series was met with much criticism, as well as disapointment from Davies herself. Liz Fraser was chosen because director Norman Cohen wanted a less homely, more "sexy" actress for the role. Jimmy Perry later said "It was a mistake... not to cast Janet in the role because the viewing public has come to recognise her as Mrs. Pike. But that was a decision made by Columbia (the production company)." MainCharacters RETURN Lance Corporal Jack Jones (played by Clive Dunn) An experienced soldier, with many years service (and medals) to his name, Jack Jones clearly defines an old campaigner. He served with General Gordon, Lord Kitchener and General Macully becoming very fond of the cold steel. He may have mentioned that "they don't like it up 'em".

Loaded with stories of adventure and heroism, Pte Pike made the perfect audience for him. Jones runs the local butchers shop, which had been handed down to him from his father, and the platoon were fortunate enough to have the use of his butchers van as troop transport, once Walker and he had converted it. Mainwaring regarded Jones as a bit of a hazard, but as he said when he first made him Lance Corporal, "his experience will stand us in good steak er... stead". Apart from killing Nazis he has only one ambition in life - to marry Mrs Fox. RETURN Private James Frazer (played by John Laurie) Every town has a purveyor of doom and gloom. Everything, according to him, will turn into a disaster. James Frazer could almost be right in thinking this way when he joined the Home Guard. As the local undertaker, it is inevitable that he would see the war through different eyes. A war would bring about an increase in business after all! It is a little known fact that he also ran the local philatelist shop on the sea front, which he opened during the summer months. During the quieter months he indulged in his other hobby of hand making coffins.

It was not always this way. He spent his youth on the wild and lonely Isle of Barra off the west coast of Scotland. It was a hard life. Being so close to the sea, he would eventually serve in the Royal Navy, reaching the position of Chief Petty Officer. Like Jack Jones, James Frazer also has a wealth of stories to tell, albeit of a different nature. His were of adventure in exotic lands, strange and supernatural happenings. The whole platoon listened in awe when Frazer spun his yarn... RETURN Private Joe Walker (played by James Beck) If you need anything from whiskey to knicker elastic, watches or even weapons, Joe Walker will get them for you. "Mind you, as its war-time it will cost you, 'cos you can't get 'em". Joe is a typical cockney spiv, making his way through life ducking and diving, trying to avoid the law. Moving down to the south coast from his native Plaistow in east London to avoid call up, he was registered as having a reserved occupation (a banana salesman, as he once said) until the authorities eventually caught up with him.

Luckily for him, he was allergic to corned beef, which invalided him out of the army, only to return to serve the needs of the local community. Walker very rarely dealt with money, relying on the bartering system to do business, and occasionally using his skills to do a little work for charity. One of the cleverest in the platoon, others turned to him for inspiration in a tricky situations. RETURN Private Charles Godfrey (played by Arnold Ridley) With experience in the Army and Navy, you'd think that Charles Godfrey was the ideal man to have about you during war time. When you discover that his experience was in the gentleman's outfitting department of the Army and Navy Stores you would be right in thinking the opposite. However, Godfrey is full of surprises. Probably the oldest member of the platoon, Godfrey is a quiet and unassuming gentleman. Living in the quiet environment of Cherry Tree Cottage with his two sisters Cissy and Dolly, he spends most of his time tending the garden or visiting the clinic for his many complaints, the most noticeable being that of his weak bladder.

He once revealed that he was a conscientious objector during the First War, and asked to leave the platoon which outraged Captain Mainwaring who could not believe it. It was shortly after this admission that Godfrey rescued Mainwaring from a smoke filled hut without regard for his own life. It was at this time that it was revealed that he had won the Military Medal for bravery during the Battle of the Somme, rescuing several wounded soldiers as a member of the Medical Corps. As Wilson remarked at the time, you can't go by appearances. RETURN Private Frank Pike (played by Ian Lavender) By far the youngest member of the newly formed platoon at 17, Frank was too young to enlist in the services, but jumped at the change of belonging to the Home Guard, much to his mother's displeasure. For some reason this displeasure spread to Arthur Wilson, or Uncle Arthur, as Frank would usually address him. Frank regarded the Home Guard as an extension of the scouting movement, of which he was a keen member, and at times acted as if war was a bit of a game.

This outlook changed when he eventually received his call up papers, but after it was discovered that he had a rare blood group, he was unable to fulfil his ambition to be a Spitfire pilot and become one of the 'second of the few'. Frank Pike usually ended up wet, or covered in mud during the platoons escapades, he was usually volunteered because he was the youngest, despite his protests about suffering from vertigo, croup or hay fever.

Question: In the tv programme ‘Dad’s Army’, what is Private Pike’s first name?
Answer: FRANK