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Dad’s Army Radio Show


“Dad’s Army” was a long running British comedy series created and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The idea of a series came to Jimmy Perry when he realised that many people had forgotten about the contribution the Home Guard had made to the British Home Front during the years of the Second World War.

dad's army cast

Commencing in 1968, “Dad’s Army” ran on BBC Television for 9 years with over eighty episodes spread within 10 series. The series is set in a small fictional seaside town called Walmington-on-Sea somewhere on the South Coast of England.

“Dad’s Army” is also remembered for its first class actors which starred amongst its credits, Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Arthur Wilson and Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jack Jones.

67 of Jimmy Perry and David Croft’s Television Scripts for “Dad’s Army” were adapted for BBC Radio by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles between 1973 and 1975. They were recorded at The Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London and at The Paris Studios, Lower Regent Street, London.

All episodes were recorded in Mono and exist on Magnetic Tape in the BBC Sound Archive.

The Radio Series began on Monday 24th January 1974 and ran for three series with its final episode been broadcast on 7th September 1976. The Series was generally given two air periods a week on BBC Radio 4, the second of which would be a repeat.

The show’s main characters were:

Captain Mainwaring
Cpt George Mainwaring

Captain George Mainwaring (pronounced /ˈmænərɪŋ/ (MAN-ər-ing)) (Arthur Lowe)—the pompous—if essentially brave and unerringly patriotic—local bank manager, Mainwaring appointed himself leader of his town’s contingent of Local Defence Volunteers.

“You stupid boy”, “Ah, just waiting to see who’d be the first one to spot that”, “That’s a typical shabby Nazi trick!”, “This is war, you know!”

 

 

 

Sergeant Wilson
Sergeant Arthur Wilson

Sergeant Arthur Wilson (John Le Mesurier)—a diffident, upper-class bank clerk who would quietly question Mainwaring’s judgement (“Do you think that’s wise?”). Wilson served as a Captain in the First World War.

“Do you really think that’s wise, sir?”

 

 

 

 

Lance-Corporal Jones
Lance-Corporal Jones

Lance-Corporal Jack Jones (Clive Dunn)—born in 1870, Jones was an old campaigner who had joined up as a drummer boy aged 14 and participated, as a boy soldier, in the campaign of Kitchener in the Sudan between 1896 and 1898.

“Don’t panic!”, “Permission to speak, sir?” and “They don’t like it up ’em!”.

 

 

 

 

Private Joe Walker
Private Joe Walker

Private Joe Walker (James Beck)—a black market “spiv,” Walker was the only fit, able-bodied man of military age in Walmington-on-Sea’s Home Guard. His absence from the regular armed forces was due to a corned beef allergy.

‘Ere, Come and have a look at this…

 

 

 

Private Frank Pike
Private Frank Pike

Private Frank Pike (Ian Lavender)—a cosseted mother’s boy, constantly wearing a thick scarf with his uniform to prevent illness, and often the target of Mainwaring’s derision (“Stupid boy!”). He also works under Mainwaring in his day-job as assistant bank clerk.

“Uncle Arthur”

 

 

 

Private James Frazer
Private James Frazer

Private James Frazer (John Laurie)—a dour Scottish coffin maker and a Chief Petty Officer on HMS Defiant in the Royal Navy who served at the Battle of Jutland as a ship’s cook.

“We’re doomed. Doomed!”

 

 

 

Private Godfrey
Private Godfrey

Private Charles Godfrey MM (Arnold Ridley)—he is the platoon’s medical orderly. He was always getting caught short and needed to (“be excused”). A conscientious objector during WWI, he nevertheless was awarded a Military Medal for heroic actions during the war, and demonstrated bravery in the home guard as well.

“May I be excused, sir?”, “I must have dropped off!”,

Mainwaring: “Any previous military experience?”Godfrey: “Well, as a matter of fact, I was thirty-five years in the Army & Navy”Mainwaring: “Army AND Navy?! How did you come to be serving in both branches?”Godfrey: “Army & Navy stores. I served in the Gents Outfitting department.”

 

 

Chief ARP Warden Hodges
Chief Warden Hodges

ARP Warden William Hodges (Bill Pertwee)—the platoon’s major rival and nemesis. He was looked down on by Mainwaring for being a common greengrocer. As an ARP Warden he was always demanding people to (“Put that light out!”).

“You hooligans!!”

 

 

 

 

Supporting characters included:

  • Mrs. Mavis Pike (Janet Davies)—Pike’s mother and Sergeant Wilson’s lover.
  • Reverend Timothy Farthing (Frank Williams)—The effete vicar of St. Aldhelm’s Church, he shares his church hall and office with Mainwaring’s platoon.
  • Maurice Yeatman (Edward Sinclair)—Mr. Yeatman was the verger at St. Aldhelm’s Church and head of the Sea Scouts group, and was often hostile to the platoon.
  • Private Sponge (Colin Bean)—Private Sponge had the job of representing those members of the platoon not in Corporal Jones’ first section.
  • Private Cheeseman (Talfryn Thomas)—a Welshman who joined the Walmington-on-Sea platoon during the seventh series to compensate for the death of James Beck who played Private Walker.

List of Dad’s Army radio episodes

No Title Recorded First broadcast Overview
001 The Man and the Hour 1973-06-03 1974-01-28
002 Museum Piece 1973-06-07 1974-02-04
003 Command Decision 1973-06-21 1974-02-11
004 The Enemy Within the Gates 1973-06-21 1974-02-18
005 The Battle of Godfrey’s Cottage 1973-07-06 1974-02-25
006 The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones 1973-07-06 1974-03-04
007 Sgt. Wilson’s Little Secret 1973-07-13 1974-03-11
008 A Stripe for Frazer 1973-07-13 1974-03-18
009 Operation Kilt 1973-07-23 1974-03-25
010 Battle School 1973-06-28 1974-04-01
011 Under Fire 1973-07-27 1974-04-08 The only existing version of this episode
012 Something Nasty in the Vault 1973-07-23 1974-04-15
013 The Showing Up of Corporal Jones 1973-07-20 1974-04-22
014 The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Walker 1973-07-20 1974-04-29 The only existing version of this episode
015 Sorry, Wrong Number 1973-07-27 1974-05-06 The TV equivalent is The Lion Has Phones
016 The Bullet is Not for Firing 1973-07-26 1974-05-13
017 Room at the Bottom 1973-07-23 1974-05-20
018 Menace from the Deep 1973-07-24 1974-05-27
019 No Spring for Frazer 1973-07-26 1974-06-03
020 Sons of the Sea 1973-07-25 1974-06-10

Christmas Special

No Title Recorded First broadcast Overview
021 Present Arms 1974-07-18 1974-12-24 The TV equivalent is combined episodes, Battle of Giants and Shooting Pains.

Series 2

No Title Recorded First broadcast Overview
022 Don’t Forget the Diver 1974-07-16 1975-02-11
023 If the Cap Fits… 1974-04-17 1975-02-18
024 Put That Light Out! 1974-04-30 1975-02-25
025 Boots Boots Boots 1974-04-16 1975-03-04
026 Sergeant – Save My Boy! 1974-04-16 1975-03-11
027 Branded 1974-07-17 1975-03-18
028 Uninvited Guests 1974-04-18 1975-03-25
029 A Brush with the Law 1974-07-17 1975-04-01
030 A Soldier’s Farewell 1974-05-15 1975-04-08
031 Brain Versus Brawn 1974-04-30 1975-04-15
032 War Dance 1974-05-12 1975-04-22
033 Mum’s Army 1974-05-12 1975-04-29
034 Getting the Bird 1974-07-15 1975-05-06
035 Don’t Fence Me In 1974-05-16 1975-05-13
036 The King Was in His Counting House 1974-05-15 1975-05-20
037 When Did You Last See Your Money? 1974-05-15 1975-05-27
038 Fallen Idol 1974-07-16 1975-06-03
039 A. Wilson (Manager)? 1974-04-17 1975-06-10
040 All is Safely Gathered In 1974-07-15 1975-06-17
041 The Day the Balloon Went Up 1974-04-18 1975-06-24

Series 3

No Title Recorded First broadcast Overview
042 A Man of Action 1975-04-28 1976-03-16
043 The Honourable Man 1975-04-28 1976-03-23
044 The Godiva Affair 1975-05-05 1976-03-30
045 Keep Young and Beautiful 1975-05-12 1976-04-06 Repeats on BBC radio now edit Pike’s use of the N’ Word
046 Absent Friends 1975-05-06 1976-04-13
047 Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel 1975-05-07 1976-04-20
048 The Great White Hunter 1975-05-30 1976-04-27 The TV equivalent is Man Hunt
049 The Deadly Attachment 1975-04-30 1976-05-04
050 Things That Go Bump in the Night 1975-05-07 1976-05-11
051 My British Buddy 1975-05-06 1976-05-18
052 Big Guns 1975-05-05 1976-05-25
053 The Big Parade 1975-05-02 1976-06-01
054 Asleep in the Deep 1975-05-09 1976-06-08
055 We Know Our Onions 1975-05-08 1976-06-15
056 The Royal Train 1975-04-29 1976-06-22
057 A Question of Reference 1975-05-12 1976-06-29 The TV equivalent is The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones
058 High Finance 1975-06-27 1976-07-06
059 The Recruit 1975-05-01 1976-07-13
060 A Jumbo-Sized Problem 1975-06-18 1976-07-20 The TV equivalent is Everybody’s Trucking
061 The Cricket Match 1975-05-01 1976-07-27 The TV equivalent is The Test
062 Time on My Hands 1975-04-29 1976-08-03
063 Turkey Dinner 1975-05-02 1976-08-10
064 The Captain’s Car 1975-05-09 1976-08-17
065 The Two and a Half Feathers 1975-05-08 1976-08-24
066 Is There Honey Still for Tea? 1975-07-11 1976-08-31
067 Ten Seconds From Now 1975-06-18 1976-09-07

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