Talk:Dad's Army/Archive 1

This is an archive of past discussions about Dad's Army. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page.

Archive 1

Opening comments

Well done, everyone involved. A great page. --bodnotbod 16:44, Apr 30, 2004 (UTC)

Does anyone know if and how Walkers character was written out of the series after James Beck's death? If he died in 1973, he must only have done 4 series! I never realised he was in so few.--Crestville 23:19, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

He was actually in 6 of the 9 series. They never attempted to explain what had happened to him in the 7th series. They did get 2 other actors to play the part in the radio version. PatGallacher 23:42, 2005 Feb 17 (UTC)

Aww, what a jip. Suppose he went to war.--Crestville 00:34, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I seem to recall there being an episode where the camera pans along the lined-up platoon in the church hall, and there's a gap where the missing Walker would usually be. It pans back, then down to the floor where the gap is and there's a not from Walker which Mainwaring picks up and reads, which apologises for not being there. Angmering 13:15, 15 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Correct: the note mentions going to "the smoke" (i.e. London).

Dead actors

Unfortunately, there is never a close enough shot of them to tell exactly how many cast members got to recreate their roles one last time.

Considering all the cast spare lavinder and dunn were dead by the point, presumable only they could have appeared. Is it perhaps more likely that look-alikes were used?--Crestville 21:06, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

It's a long time since I've seen Hope and Glory, but I don't remember cameo appearances. IMDB and Google have drawn a blank with a brief check. Unless someone can locate a source for this I suggest the section is deleted. The most likely explanation, unless this was completely made up (I have no idea), is that the home guard in the film were made to resemble Dad's Army characters to give the UK audience a bit of a chuckle. -- Avaragado 22:47, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I've updated the entry per your info. It was not made up. The source is the movie so please watch it again before removing the entry entirely. The scene described is surely meant to represent them. IMDB, while a valuable resource, is full of errors and, no matter how often you send in corrections they do not act on them. If this entry is not proper for this very well done Dad's Army article maybe it could be moved to this talk page?MarnetteD | Talk 23:46, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

An email from the Dad's Army Aprreciation Society confirms this scene. It also confirms that all body doubles were used. MarnetteD | Talk 04:30, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

As a philosophical issue, however, even if the IMDB is absolutely wrong on something, we cannot point this out in the article; the rule against no original research means that we would have to continue reporting the IMDB's incorrect information until we could find a better source. As it stands the article is full of unsourced opinions (the sentence beginning "few would deny that Dad's Army was good" in particular), and reads like a fan page rather than an objective encyclopaedia article.-Ashley Pomeroy 18:33, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

I would have thought that reporting material known to be wrong is a worse sin even than original research. Probably the best thing would be to mention it in a note or even on the Talk page. Loganberry (Talk) 1 July 2005 01:42 (UTC)

Some of the recurring lesser actors are still with us, including Bill Pertwee (ARP Warden) and Frank Williams (The Vicar). --NigelHorne 14:59, Jun 10, 2005 (UTC)

Cleanup

I noticed there were some POV issues here, along with some inaccuracies (e.g. 'Jimmy Croft'). Nice page, though.

Wow. "Jimmy Croft" had been there since the very first revision. Good catch! -- Avaragado 20:34, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

Blimey, so it was! I should have logged on properly! --62.253.64.17 12:09, 18 May 2005 (UTC)

This was the sort of thing I thought was a bit partisan:

'Few would deny that Dad's Army was good, and it is worth noting as one of the few British TV comedy series which both had a very lengthy run and kept up a fairly high standard for much of that run (although it did start going downhill during the last three series).'--62.255.32.14 19:41, 18 May 2005 (UTC)

Some more episodes of Dad's Army

The list of episodes in the article on "Dad's Army" seems not to be complete. At least as far as the radio version is concerned. I've got recordings of some episodes on cassettes, which are not found in this list, viz "The Great White Hunter" - "The Jumbo Sized Problem" - "Sorry Wrong Number" - "The Cricket Match" and "Ten Seconds From Now". Can anybody find out where in the list they belong? gerd.thiele@city-remove-web.de.invalid

I'm pretty sure that all the TV episodes are listed (that's the title of the episodes section). The radio episodes probably belong in a second list. -- Avaragado 21:30, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Private Sponge

The article says he was present from the second series onward, but IIRC Colin Bean wrote a letter to Radio Times a few years ago protesting about being (once again) left out of the list of living cast members. He mentioned in that letter that he appeared in all episodes. Can someone please give a definitive answe on this? DavidFarmbrough 17:46 (BST) 6 September 2005

Yes, he does appear from the first series - he is seen in the left hand corner in the opening prologue in "The Man and the Hour". I have corrected the article. Bob 14:01, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

Frazer

Surely it's not correct that Frazer was "a dour Scottish coffin maker, who keeps a philatelists' shop". Wasn't he an undertaker?

He was said early in the programme to keep a philately shop. This is ignored in later episodes where he works in the funeral business. I suspect this is just a case of the writers not thinking that their weekly television show would be analysed in such detail (in this respect, Perry and Croft are remarkably consistent with only a few contibuity errors, such as the Yeatmans' Christian names). As for whether he's an undertaker or coffin maker, I believe he has been seen in the traditional black morning dress of an undertaker, but also has a workshop in which coffins are made, so I suppose the correct term is funeral director. DavidFarmbrough 08:50, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

On the Maurice Yeatman page the question of both his and his wife's first names has come up a few times - can you help elaborate on what seems to be a mess here? Timrollpickering 22:37, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

In "No spring for Frazer" he is making coffins more or less as a hobby in a remote shack ("A rare skill"), and has a brief acquintance with the employees at the funeral parlour.

In the later episodes, such as "My brother and I" he presents himself as an undertaker, to which Mainwaring's brother replies: "You look like an undertaker". And correctly, because he is indeed dressed up traditionally. So once the theme of his connections to the funeral business was introduced, it was gradually built up until he was a full-fledged funeral director. The profession does of course fit Frazer's disposition better than the philately. I haven't seen the series 9 episode "The Miser's hoard" where he has some valuable gold sovereigns. Perhaps these are connected with his early line of work? --Sponsianus 10:16, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

'No Spring For Frazer' was the first episode where it was mentioned he had any connection with the funeral trade at all, and the platoon were suitably shocked. At this point, he apparently only builds the coffins for a funeral director. This is a skill, he claims, he learned in his youth while also practicing dentistry on the (fictional) isle of Mingaly in the Hebrides. It's unclear at what point he became a fully fledged funeral director however he seemed to be a lot more involved in the trade in the film version of Dad's Army (made after series 4) than just making coffins. I'll find out eventually when it was first referred to properly in the series and let you know. The gold sovereigns were his takings from his funeral director business which had evidently prospered that year. I'll not say anymore because I'll ruin a brilliant episode for you, should you ever have the opportunity to watch it.--Peteb16 12:09, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

In series 4's The Test Frazer turns up to the cricket match still wearing his undertaker's garb. The others' reaction suggests they are not surprised he wears it at work. Timrollpickering 16:11, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

What about Frazer's stories?

Frazer has some stories, like Jones, one is when he and his friend find a precious stone in the south pacific and a priest puts a curse on his friend 86.151.50.39 (talk) 19:42, 11 July 2009 (UTC)Phthinosuchusisanancestor

Cut out the POV

Re: “The exploitation of old TV by a right wing party is considered in bad taste. The forerunners of the BNP after all were locked up during the War as a threat to National Security, as the system of Mr. Hitler was more popular with the British Union of Fascists than the more traditional British one of Parliamentary Democracy.”

Gee thanks for the history lesson, I also heard about this guy called Goebells the other day (very bad guy apparently). Excuse my humourous assault but your statement is complete POV and as such is in contention with wikipedia policy. The previous statement above it regarding the BNP’s use of the Dad’s Army theme reads:

"Recently the British National Party (BNP) have used the show's introduction cartoon – which traditionally displayed the Nazi's advancing arrows being halted by a British arrow which had just previously retreated across the channel back to the English coast. The BNP's version is a Euro-sceptic one. It displays Britain’s retreat from the advancing European Union (EU) and as in the original the Union Flag is seen defending Britain’s borders from foreign penetration. It concludes with the defeat of the EU and the restoration of national prominence across the continent."

This merely points out that it has been used and does not seek to gratify, promote or suggest either that this is good or bad – but merely that it is so. For the purpose of your POV argument you might at least use a citeation (i.e. the use of the Dad’s Army theme by the BNP is considered to be in bad taste by………who?) but you don’t therefor I am at odds to understand how this is anything substancially non-your POV. Whether or not I agree with you or not is not the case, the matter concerns that you are personalising the issue in the first case. If you cannot cite who (apart from yourself) might consider the use of the cartoon in bad taste the statemnt should be ommitted.

Pic

Left to right? Hodges second! Ojw 21:05, 14 December 2005 (UTC)

It's a close call, innit? I don't think it's a problem really. It says hodges is a warden, so it'd be fair to assume he;s the one in the differant uniform.--Crestville 00:52, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

Definitely, they are making a kind of semi circle and by being in front of Frazier, Hodges is second in that semi circle, SqueakBox 00:55, 15 December 2005 (UTC)

Is it realy necessary to explain how Mainwaring is pronounced? Surely that is common knowledge?

Some people might not know (it is an unusual spelling). Surely the point of an encyclopedia is to inform them. After all, in the series Mainwaring's superiors didn't know how his name was pronounced.

Cheeseman, Square, and the Polish officer all pronounced it phonetically, which implies that people who didn't know it would pronounce it that way. Although Square may have been doing it deliberately.:)

Square was definitely doing it deliberately, he wasn't that stupid, but he wanted to annoy Mainwaring. I see somebody is trying to create individual articles for most of the major characters. Is that advisable, given that they have fairly lengthy descriptions here? Also, the entry for Wilson is somewhat inaccurate. PatGallacher 12:27, 17 February 2006 (UTC)

Other Perry-Croft Sitcoms

To continue the point made by the above commentator, the Dad's Army page is pretty conclusive now, but I was a little disappointed to see that the Hi-de-Hi! page, along with some of the other Perry-Croft sitcom pages are rather short and un-detailed in comparison. I have already started with the You Rang, M'Lord? page, but if anybody would be willing to help make these a little better, that would be great. Bob Castle 01:33, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

They don't hold a torch to Dads Army. I'd go so far as to say they're awful.--Crestville 14:17, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

Here is the list: Category: David Croft sitcoms

Case & point--Crestville 20:00, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you that Dad's Army is the best one, although I would have thought that some of the others were worthy of having decent pages.Bob 22:53, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

The thing is, no subject has a decent page until someone wants to give it one. If you like them, it's up you to make the effort.--Crestville 13:16, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

That's true, and I have made an effort by categorising them, editing a few of them, etc, but surely the Dad's Army page is somewhere to bring this issue to other like minded people's attention - Hi-de-Hi! came 40th in Britain's Best Sitcom, so must still be pretty popular.Bob 14:02, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

Bracewell

I have corrected some information about Private Bracewell (John Ringham). The text used to state that he was a 'minor character' - howvere - he was set to be a major recurring member of the platoon - but according to the 'Lost Episodes' script book Croft and Perry insist that it was decided that they had too many majo characters to introduced so he was droppped - they also say his first name is Thomas.

Featured Article Status?

Could this article be a possible candidate for featured status, or would it need a lot more information and references to be added? Bob 17:25, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

Sgt. Wilson's martial merits?

On this page it is said that Sgt.Wilson fought at Gallipoli against the Turks. However, in the BBC Christmas special, the captain of the Eastgate platoon says that he fought the Turks and asks Wilson what he did, to which Wilson explicitly replies that he only fought "the usual Germans".

Is there some sort of continuity slip here? In that case, I suppose the BBC versions are considered less "canon". Best regards --Sponsianus 08:57, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

A few German "advisors" were at Gallipoli but I think we need look no further than Wilson's penchant for flippant self-effacing remarks that hide his real feelings.Britmax 11:19, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

I just downloaded the TV version and there is the same dialogue. So it's canon indeed. But why should he deny that he fought the Turks in favour of the Germans? A very odd remark indeed. Under what circumstances did he claim to have fought at Gallipoli? --Sponsianus 19:01, 9 May 2006 (UTC)

The Film

Worth mentioning, perhaps, that the final twenty mins or so are very similar to the famous 1942 film Went the Day Well?(Alberto Cavalcanti) - also has Germans taking over sleepy English village and fought off by locals and homeguardsmen. Some of the shots round the church pretty similar. 213.104.160.6Graeme

WikiProject Dad's Army

There is now a WikiProject for Dad's Army and if anyone is interested in joining it please do so. Click the link above and leave your name under "Participants." Thanks to anyone who has joined. Mollsmolyneux 09:57, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

In the classic 1943 movie The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, John Laurie (Frazer) appears as Murdoch, batman to the lead character. Towards the end of the movie he announces that he has joined the Home Guard - and promptly gets killed by a bomb!

John Laurie appeared in quite a few of the films made by Powell and Pressburger, the team that made The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. There are also a lot of references to other Powell and Pressburger films in various episodes of Dad's Army:

The Lion Has Phones has the most references
- The episode title is probably a reference to the film The Lion Has Wings (1939) which had Powell as a co-director.
- There is a poster for The Edge of the World showing next week at the cinema
- The film showing at the cinema this week is One of Our Aircraft is Missing
In The Big Parade the platoon go to the cinema to see The Spy in Black
In Time on My Hands Pike knows how to release a parachute because he's seen it done in One of Our Aircraft is Missing
In Operation Kilt the Home Guard is defending against an exercise by the regular Army (Highland Regiment). The regulars try to trick them by starting their attack 1 hour earlier than agreed. This is a main part of the plot of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Can so many references be a coincidence? Did John Laurie have any say in the scripts? Have Perry or Croft ever mentioned liking Powell & Pressburger films? SteveCrook 16:45, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

List of platoon members

Is there a better way of integrating the "partial list" of platoon members? Also, is the list actually worth having? Bob 09:11, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

I believe it would be better used as a short list of names used to refer to non-speaking platoon members. I certainly believe the two seperate 'other character' lists are confusing and should be merged into one. ~~ Pete 09:59, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

Models

I removed this from the "popular culture" section because I didn't feel it was relevant enough:

Peter Pig's PBI range of toy soldiers includes British Home Guard figures modelled on the characters.

Feel free to put it back if it is considered worthwhile being in the article, but it struck me as being rather too commercial. Bob 17:17, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

Similar proposed wikiprojects

Hello, I just wanted to congratulate you - you've done amazingly well in this project. I'm trying to set up two wikiprojects of a similar nature, that of Fawlty Towers, and Father Ted, if you are interested in becoming a part of either of these projects (so far I haven't enough people interested to go further with the projects) please sign your name on the Wikipedia:Wikiproject/List of proposed projects page...(both are towards the bottom of the page)... I'm trying to advertise as much as possible! Thanks Foxearth 04:58, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia: WikiProject Fawlty Towers

If you're interested in sitcoms you may wish to join my new Fawlty Towers-based wikiproject to maintain the standard, and create fabulous new articles based upon this milestone in British Comedy. If you are interested, and woud like to bcome a member, please enquire at the above link, or on my talk page for more information. Thanks Foxearth 02:49, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

Stage Show

Why was John Laurie not in the stage show?--Crestville 13:52, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

He felt he was too old to be heading for home from a west-end theatre at 11pm at night (though poor old Arnold Ridley who always seemed to need the work/pay was game). I believe he was still paying off his film company debts (he set up a failed venture) until just before Dad's Army started because he wouldn't allow the debt to go unpaid, even though he could have simply declared himself bankrupt. A true gentleman.

Ridley made some money writing plays after Dad's Army didn't he? Doesn't he always look lovely? Do you have a source for that bit of info? It would go well in the article.--Crestville 11:28, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

Clive Dunn - a veteran?

It says on the main page that Dunn was amongst the 'veterans' of the major cast members, but he was only seven years older than Beck after all, and only in his late 40's when Dad's Army started, so would it be more appropriate to place him with Beck and Lavender? Foxearth 10:55, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Clive Dunn's first movie role was in 1935. John Le Mesurier was studying acting c1932 but his first professional role was in 1938. Arthur Lowe's professional theatre debut was in 1946. Arnold Ridley was certainly writing plays in the 20s and 30s but didn't take up acting until 1949. Only John Laurie was acting professionally earlier than Clive Dunn, in 1921. Dbromage 23:23, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Private Cheeseman

I added Private Cheeseman as a character in the major characters section of the main Dad's Army article. He was a guest of the platoon during the seventh series but also appeared several other times before and after simply as a press correspondent. Do you think he should be added as a character on the main page - maybe he should even have an article dedicated to the Welsh character of the platoon? Whym 12:46, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

I agree that he probably should be mentioned on the main page, considering that he was a regular character (well, at least for one series). I must admit, though, I'm not a big fan of the character - I think it was sensible that they dropped him, to be honest. Rather than write an article, perhaps you could expand the analysis of him at the List of Dad's Army characters. Bob talk 14:55, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Unsourced section

I'm not really sure what this section (added 7/4/07) is trying to achieve:

"What the actors really did in World War II"

Arthur Lowe was a Sergeant Major.
John Le Mesurier was a Captain.
Clive Dunn was a trooper (for many years, Dunn had played characters far older than himself).
John Laurie was in the Home Guard.
Arnold Ridley, who was a conscientious objector in the show, was a Major.
James Beck, Bill Pertwee and Frank Williams were schoolboys and Ian Lavender had not been born.
Jimmy Perry was a Sergeant.
David Croft was a Major."

It's all very interesting, but I don't really see what it adds to the article - they would perhaps be better off being in individual actor biographies, if they aren't there already. In addition, as this is listed as a good article, these need to be cited by a reputable source. Bob talk 21:35, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

Only just noticed this - it would have made a nice little Trivia section if ref-ed, as most would have been old enough for National service. Zir 12:54, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

In point of fact, Perry was in the home guard - he's only a year or so older than Pertwee.Back and Forth (talk) 17:09, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Oldest platoon member

Currently the article on Private Charles Godfrey is claiming he was the oldest of the platoon, but The Showing Up of Corporal Jones is based around Jones being the only platoon member who is too old. Was it ever stated anywhere that Godfrey is the oldest? Timrollpickering 12:52, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Presumably being the medical orderly Godfrey was not a combatant and therefore different age criteria applied?

--217.38.123.254 09:44, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

I don't think he was fully the medical orderly at that stage (series 1). And Major Regan was quite harsh towards all the older members of platoon and only picked on Jones as there was a clearcut offence. Timrollpickering 10:02, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Episode notability

Many or all of the existing individual episode pages for this series appear to fail the notability guidelines for television episodes, and have been tagged accordingly. These articles can be improved through the inclusion of real-world information from reliable sources to assert notability. Overly long plot summaries should be edited, to a maximum length of approximately ten words per minute of screen time. Trivia should be integrated into the body of the article, or removed if it is not directly relevant. Quotes and images should only be used as part of a critical analysis of the episode. You might also consider merging any notable information onto the show's "List of episodes" or season pages. Otherwise, when these pages come up for review in fourteen days, they may be redirected, merged or deleted. If you want any help or further information, then come to Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Television/Episode coverage. Thanks. TTN 23:35, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Added Internal Links

I have added Internal Links to this article. Kathleen.wright5 14:09, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

You can over-do the links. A .lot of the links you made don't link to anything. Do you plan to write articles for them all, or do you think anyone else will. Some of them, like the link to Walker have nothing to do with Private Walker -- SteveCrook 14:26, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

I've just left this on her talk page:

I agree entirely with --Russ as I've just spent half an hour removing or redirecting your wikilinks in just one section of this article which went to disambig. pages or the wrong place! Curb your enthusiasm please and TRY wikilinks once you have created them to see where they lead.....

Will copy SteveCrook comments there too Zir 15:56, 14 September 2007 (UTC)

Added Internal Link - "Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker"

I know this is a Stub,but I thought if it was seen some other User might Expand it. Kathleen.wright5 02:30, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

Individual episodes and notability

Since the individual episodes of Dad's Army were tagged in June for notability concerns, there has been little added to explain their notability. The guidelines at WP:EPISODE allow an article to be merged, redirected or proposed for deletion after fourteen days if their notability hasn't been established. It has been much more than fourteen days, but I propose giving one more week to establish notability. If by that time there hasn't been substantial progress, these articles should be redirected to List of Dad's Army episodes. Tim Pierce 15:31, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Pike's Parentage

The article states explicitely that Pike is Wilson's biological son. Though this might be suspected to be the case, was it ever made explicit in the show itself?

This is one of these "known but not actually said outright" things. The nearest I can think of is the scene where Wilson and Pike go to a shoe shop and the storekeeper automatically assumes they are father and son - and both Wilson and Pike make the same face twitch. There's also an early episode where Mainwaring asks Wilson why Pike calls him "Uncle Arthur" and the reply is that it was better than what Pike originally called him, which was "Daddy". Mainwaring asks Wilson explicitly and Wilson denies it. Timrollpickering (talk) 12:13, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

David Croft says in We Are The Boys: Ian Lavendar quite clearly that Pike was Wilson's son. He and Perry have said it several other times as well. Back and Forth (talk) 17:12, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

GA Sweeps (on hold)

This article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force in an effort to ensure all listed Good articles continue to meet the Good article criteria. Whilst the article is generally good, in reviewing it I have come across some issues that may need to be addressed.

Since the article was originally listed in 2006, there has been a tightening up of GA criteria, especially with regard to referencing. As it stands Dad's Army has significant gaps in this area; some sections (notably In popular culture and Media releases) are completely uncited, and most others are inadequately cited.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend a minimum of:

One inline citation per paragraph, preferably at the end, that covers the contents of that paragraph.
Explicit citations for all quotations, controversial statements, opinion, commentary etc.

Personally I am not a fan of In popular culture sections in articles, and would rather see it removed with any relevant text worked into the article elsewhere. However, this is up for debate (see WP:IPC and WP:TRIVIA), and as long as all the claims are referenced I won't hold it against the article for the purposes of this reassessment. We also recommend using the templates on WP:CITET to format references, although again this is not a hard-and-fast rule ;)

In addition, as the inevitable result of article growth over time, a light copyedit may be beneficial in places (although not essential, as the prose is fairly good). I have tweaked one or two bits myself.

Finally, the External links at the end of the article could do with looking over and possibly trimming. From the guidelines here, "...Wikipedia's purpose is not to include a comprehensive list of external links related to each topic." The links sections in other articles (eg Cold Feet) might give a useful example to follow.

I will check back in no less than seven days (around 6th Feb). If progress is being made and issues are addressed, the article will remain listed as a Good article. Otherwise, it may be delisted (such a decision may be challenged through WP:GAR). If improved after it has been delisted, it may be nominated at WP:GAN. Feel free to drop a message on my talk page if you have any questions, and many thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this article thus far. Regards, EyeSerene^TALK 10:13, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Delisted (GA sweep)

In order to uphold the quality of Wikipedia:Good articles, all articles listed as Good articles are being reviewed against the GA criteria as part of the GA project quality task force. While all the hard work that has gone into this article is appreciated, unfortunately, as of February 7, 2008, this article fails to satisfy the criteria, as detailed below. For that reason, the article has been delisted from WP:GA. However, if improvements are made bringing the article up to standards, the article may be nominated at WP:GAN. If you feel this decision has been made in error, you may seek remediation at WP:GAR.
Reason for delist:

As the issues raised above have not yet been addressed, I have reluctantly delisted Dad's Army as a Good article. The templates above have been updated to reflect this reassessment. EyeSerene^TALK 11:32, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Jimmy Perry and the character of Joe Walker

With the recent stage adaptation of the two missing episodes coming about, Jimmy Perry and Leslie Grantham (who plays Joe Walker on stage) appeared on the Richard and Judy show. On the show, Jimmy Perry said that he wrote the pilot (and showed it to Croft) because he was sick of the typecasting he was receiving, and wrote the character of Joe Walker as one that he could play. In effect, he wrote Joe Walker as a character for himself. Should maybe be mentioned in the article for Dad's Army, or in the Joe Walker article. Any thoughts? Malbolge (talk) 05:21, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

It was the Richard and Judy show on the 7th Feb, 2008... if anyone needs to know for referencing. I don't know about ref'ing a TV show, so I'll let others know, and they can go about incorporating it. Malbolge (talk) 05:23, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

It's quite a well-known fact, so it probably ought to be in the article, perhaps in "origins". Unfortunately, my Dad's Army books are all elsewhere at the moment, which is why I wasn't able to sort this out for the GA review. Bob talk 10:12, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

There is a short sketch (at least audio) named "Guarding Buckingham Palace" which seemingly isn't on this page. Does anybody know where it's from?Sponsianus (talk) 01:37, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Reffing from TV is fine. Thanks, SqueakBox 01:39, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

Greatest comic moment

The following has been added to the awards section:

"In 1999, the classic line "Don't Tell Him, Pike!" from the 1973 episode "The Deadly Attachment" was voted the greatest comic moment."

Does anyone know exactly what this refers to? I've found a BBC article which says the scene topped a magazine poll, and another one in which it was on a shortlist of "the most memorable moments in TV history", both in 1999. --Baba's camel (talk) 12:34, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

This episode is where the church hall is invaded by Germans - during the episode, the German captain is trying to get the names of the platoon members - Pike bursts into a rendition of the following ditty, sung to the tune of "Whistle While You Work".

Whistle while you work

Hitler is a twerp

He's half-barmy, so's his army

Whistle while you work.

The German captain says, "Your name vill go on ze list! Vot is it?".

Captain Mainwaring says "Don't tell him, Pike!".

Incidentally, in the pilot for the American version of this series, they borrowed the script from this episode - in the only bit of it that I saw, it was more-or-less the same thing - but the captain said "Don't tell him, Henderson!". —Preceding unsigned comment added by Arthurvasey (talk • contribs) 10:07, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

Arthurvasey (talk) 10:08, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

The Van

The gun-holes on the butcher's van in the film have been disputed. I clearly recall that their installation in the van was highlighted, as it was an important plot device in the film,. —Preceding unsigned comment added by The Yowser (talk • contribs) 15:14, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I've just watched the film and the gun holes, and running on gas, are both important plot points in it. They are VERY clear. raining girl (talk) 20:46, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Jones in the Sudan

There was a request for a citation regarding Jones having fought in the Sudan. The line 'did I ever tell you about when I was in the Sudan' is one of Jones' repeated lines for comedic effect. The rest of the platoon invariably reply along the lines of 'not now Jones', as of course, he's always bringing it up at inopportune moments. As with my comment above, I have just finished watching the film, so I'm quite sure of this. I've replaced the 'citation needed' note with a comment in brackets summarising this. raining girl (talk) 20:46, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Not to mention all of the times he said that he fought the Fuzzy-Wuzzies . This is by the by as much of The Two and a Half Feathers is set in the Sudan. --Deadly∀ssassin 05:58, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

He also says "they dont like it up em" on the film with what appears a zulu spear (even though he was in the Sudan).Willski72 (talk) 20:09, 17 May 2009 (UTC)

This is unrelated to the Sudan but in one of the episodes in either series 3 or 4 (can't remember which), Jones says he fought the Patans on the North-West Frontier. 13:51, 28 May 2009 (UTC)Phthinosuchusisanancestor

He's been around! Mind you its quite possible. He could even have invaded Afghanistan if he'd still been in the army in 1919.Willski72 (talk) 21:59, 28 May 2009 (UTC)

"Second World War trilogy"

I've removed "It is the first of David Croft's Second World War trilogy, followed by It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974-1981) and 'Allo 'Allo! (1982-1992)" from the introduction. I guess it is the first of three similarly-themed series, but has it ever been referred to as such by any publication, etc? Bob talk 22:35, 10 January 2009 (UTC)

Mrs Fox

Is Mrs Fox to be included? Or Wendy Richard? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.153.132.104 (talk) 21:00, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

New link?

would the BBC archive site be a useful extra resource to list at the end of the article? http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/dadsarmy/index.shtml —Preceding unsigned comment added by Koalaed (talk • contribs) 21:50, 23 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that would be a good addition. Thanks. Bob talk 10:45, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

Podcast section

I've removed the podcast section, as it shouldn't really be in there inbetween official Dad's Army spin-offs. It's fair enough to have it in the external links section, but having an entire section of the article devoted to it seems a little too much, especially as it's obviously written by the author of the podcast. Bob talk 21:44, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

New to Wikipedia so haven't read this section prior to today - kept wondering why this section had gone missing! Firstly I am NOT the author or producer of the Dad's Army podcast, just an avid listener! To me it the podcast is practically the only current new DA media being produced and it claims to have 9000 listenrs worldwide. I appreciate it may be in the right section but to my mind certainly deserves a mention here as almost anyone reading this page will certainly be interested in it - not to mention that several of the surving cast and crew have featured. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.74.226.190 (talk) 13:15, 28 July 2009 (UTC)

Dads' Army

I realise you lot have used the same punctuation as the show, so you're right. But technically shouldn't it be Dads' Army rather than Dad's army? 131.111.186.95 (talk) 10:57, 22 July 2009 (UTC)

Problems with Godfrey's age

According to this, Godfrey was born in 1866 but is apparently 59, how is that possible?m w (talk) 18:18, 6 August 2009 (UTC)Phthinosuchusisanancestor

Yeah, his age and DOB seem to be changed on this article every few weeks - if anyone can find a correct reference in an officially endorsed book, that would be great. (I suspect the writers never specifically refer to his age in the series, and even if they do are probably not particularly consistant.) By the way, Phthinosuchusisanancestor, I've moved your reference to "The Man and the Hour" to the individual character page for Captain Mainwaring. Bob talk 18:47, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

Well he's definitely born after 1870 in The Showing Up of Corporal Jones as unlike Jones he's not too old - see #Oldest platoon member above. I think there are other episodes that state Godfrey is the oldest so it's not consistent. Best to just say he's an elderly retired gentleman not focus on the details here. Timrollpickering (talk) 19:00, 6 August 2009 (UTC)

Incorrect Description

In the Situation heading, there is a example of the darker humor used in the show.

"An example of this theme occurs in "The Battle of Godfrey’s Cottage" episode, in which the platoon believes an enemy invasion is underway. Mainwaring, Godfrey, Frazer and Jones (along with Godfrey's sisters, who are completely unaware of the invasion) decide to stay at the cottage to delay any German advance, giving the rest of the platoon time to warn the town; "Of course, that will be the end of us", says Mainwaring. "We know sir", replies Frazer, before getting on with the task in hand."

While this is a good example, and the show does use dark humor, the situation is wrong. They arent holding the cottage to give the platoon time to warn the town (the rest of the platoon to be ais belived t the movies), but instead holding it to give time for reinforcements. Other then that is right. Ill change it now to a more correct example.

Setting

The location of the Warmington-on-sea platoon is Kent, as if you look at the platoon's cap badges you will see that they have Invicta on them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.112.68.219 (talk) 16:50, 18 May 2011 (UTC)

The article already states "the platoon were part of the The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment", but have you spotted a mistake somewhere else? Bob talk 18:50, 18 May 2011 (UTC)

While it must be the case that Walmington-on-Sea is Eastbourne or close at hand (the Welsh photographer works for the Eastbourne Gazette, after all), I spotted a map of Bournemouth on the wall of the vestry office in the episode where GIs are welcomed to the town and where Mainwaring gets a black eye. Mikeo1938 (talk) 17:14, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Punctuation

Should it not have been called dads' army. I'm sure there was more than one dad in it.82.42.126.68 (talk) 19:58, 27 December 2011 (UTC)

It probably should've been, but it wasn't! Bevo74 (talk) 08:01, 28 December 2011 (UTC)

An interesting point, which make me think that ... Dad's ... the possessive form, obviously places an emphasis on one single person/dad who possesses the army. This, of course, would be Mainwaring; it is he who is the Dad with his personal army, and he lives this out so readily. (The possessive form also makes perfect sense of Hodges' barbed quips about Mainwaring being 'Napoleon').

Follow-up question: Is Mainwaring (and Elizabeth) known to have any child/ren (i.e. his own biological child/ren) or does the platoon constitute his child/ren?

Benyoch^{...Don't panic! Don't panic!...} (talk) 01:03, 25 August 2012 (UTC)

I think we are to assume that the Mainwarings aren't exactly parental, or even pre-parental, in their relationship with each other. This doesn't exclude the possibility of a single child long enough ago (b. circa 1920?) as to have actually left home, which prompted Elizabeth to say "Never again!" and explains her attitude (e.g. to the promise of a "nice surprise when I get home", that was supposed to be some cheese but was misunderstood). But there seems to be no sentimental keepsakes aluded to in the Mainwaring household, or comments like "my boy/my girl's husband is doing well/badly in his chosen trade", so it'd have to have been a leaving home bordering upon the acrimonious, or too embarassing to mention, even/especially with Wilson.

On top of that, I always understood Dad's Army to be "the army of my Dad's generation", in general. The dad in question might well have been outside of the Regular Army age-group - whether young like Pike or old like everyone-but-Walker - which gives a lot of leeway as to the generation/era that the Son/Daughter belongs to, either side of the 'sweet spot' where a full WW2 conscript might have fathered a child, before/during.after the war.

Especially if, like Mainwaring, the Dad in question managed to miss both The Great War (although he did at least serve in France for the whole of 1919) and WW2 because of an inconvenient age for both, making LDV/Home Guard service the most notable service for the parent concerned.

As to how many Dads were in the WoS platoon, during the setting... Sgt Wilson was proven to be one (even if not counting Pike, and the possibility of any subsequent sibling of Pike given his concerns in that direction, there was definitely a daughter by his original marriage), but I don't recall any canon examples of any of the other front-rankers being fathers, or even husbands. (Jones may well have fathered children, during downtimes in his globe-trotting military history, and Frazer as a sailor surely had a choice of girls in a choice of ports, but it'd be hard to say if the respective mothers knew enough about to let their offspring know, assuming they didn't know enough to avoid that issue ever arising. Not sure that Godfrey ever had the attitude to have fathered a child and not been noticably taking care of them/been in contact, even with the aid of his sister(s). Walker likely had many a dalliance, but probably knew enough to be smart about the consequences or knew girls who knew enough to be smart. Pike just isn't (emotionally) mature enough yet.) Private Sponge, et al, might well have been 'active' husbands. But even after the finale I doubt that Jones and (previously) Mrs Fox would actually become parents.

Best bet for an actual child of an actual Dad for whom this army is his army, IMO, is that (especially given he was always intended to be the Author Avatar, quite literally) Pike's later years spawned a child, once he'd properly escaped the apron-strings of his mother (or, by an 'accident' necessarily become the head of his own household)... But that needn't even be a necessary answer. 213.205.252.122 (talk) 23:14, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

What is this?! It's not very relevant to the talk page. Looks more like it should belong in a forum. VG31-irl 00:58, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

Dad’s Army van is delivered to Thetford (Dec. 2012)

Just wanted to let someone know. The van used during filming was bought by the Dads Army Museum. 94.219.120.94 (talk) 02:35, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Status of missing episodes

There is a cryptic statement on the BBC web page. Have episodes been recovered or is it an announcement for something else such as an animated recreation ? 92.147.7.145 (talk) 07:22, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Captain Mainwaring was also a pirate/privateer

I don't think the writers intended any reference, but there was a British pirate/privateer also called Captain Mainwaring (Henry Mainwaring rather than George Mainwaring). --94.125.16.11 (talk) 16:38, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Will Hay reference…

Other influences included the work of comedians such as Will Hay whose film Oh, Mr Porter! featured a pompous ass, an old man and a young man which gave him Mainwaring, Godfrey and Pike. There’s no citation given, so it may just be original research; however, I’d have to say that Godfrey is an unlikely analogue for the old fellow played by Hay’s side-kick Moore Marriott; Godfrey is refined, urbane, and reticent, whilst Marriott was hysteric, loud and shrill - far closer to Jones, surely? Jock123 (talk) 13:21, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

I agree, I don't think the comparison is likely. I agree this sounds like original research, unless a citation can be found - I'd support removing it. Rehnn83 ^Talk 09:54, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

Mrs Fox

Mildred or Marcia? The latest edit to this page gives her first name as Mildred by the page it links to at Mrs Fox gives her first name as Marcia -- SteveCrook (talk) 18:23, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

Genre

Why is this show being described as a "sitcom comedy"? The term "sitcom" is a contraction of "situation comedy" so this is now saying that this show is a "situation comedy comedy" -- SteveCrook (talk) 20:11, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

It had only been changed this morning by an anon IP. If you spot something like that, please feel free to change it yourself. Bob talk 22:45, 8 January 2014 (UTC)

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US adaptation

I'm sure there was a short lived American adaptation, called "The Rear Guard" or something similar. There's no mention of this in the article. --Ef80 (talk) 23:05, 13 October 2016 (UTC)

On checking, it was just an unsuccessful pilot, but it should be mentioned in the article. I remember seeing it on UK TV (probably the BBC) at some stage. --Ef80 (talk) 23:16, 13 October 2016 (UTC)

Sgt. Wilson / Mrs Pike relationship

In the paragraph on Wilson it says their relationship is 'implied' but in the paragraph on Mrs Pike it is stated as a fact. They were clearly in a relationship. After all, he volunteered to marry her when he thought she was having his baby. This is my first time on 'Talk' so as Sgt Wilson would say - "Gently Mavis, gently" Hawthornbush (talk) 00:23, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

I see what you mean. If you look at List of Dad's Army characters there are subtle differences there too. These paragraphs are poorly sourced, if at all, full of opinion and could do with some attention. If that is something you'd like to do, please be bold and tackle it. Poltair (talk) 10:05, 13 July 2017 (UTC)

Postage stamps

It has been announced on the radio in June 2018 that, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the series, the Royal Mail in the United Kingdom are bringing out postage stamps with Dad's Army characters on them. This could be mentioned in the article. Vorbee (talk) 15:34, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

Inaccurate lead

I think the article’s probably grown since the lead was written, and the introduction could benefit from a rewrite. It states Dad’s Army is a BBC sitcom, but the article covers all its incarnations; the stage play, the films, radio show, and the ‘lost episodes’ - which were produced by UKTV. Obscurasky (talk) 21:36, 20 February 2021 (UTC)

@Obscurasky: The note at the top points to Dad's Army (disambiguation) from where the separate articles about the films, radio, stage play et al are linked. I have expanded its text. This article should be about the TV series only (including the missing episodes). I'd be happy to see information about anything not to do with the series reduced to a single section of "other formats/productions" with a list of "main article links". Bazza (talk) 10:52, 21 February 2021 (UTC)