Trivia for
"Dad's Army" (1968) More at IMDbPro »

• Three episodes of this series ("Dad's Army: The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker (#2.3)" (1969), "Dad's Army: A Stripe for Frazer (#2.5)" (1969) and "Dad's Army: Under Fire (#2.6)" (1969)) are no longer thought to exist (although the off-air soundtrack to one, "Dad's Army: A Stripe for Frazer (#2.5)" (1969), was recovered in 2008), after an archive purge at the BBC in the 1970s saw the destruction of the only known copies. Until recently, there were five missing episodes (all from the second season) before an appeal by the BBC called "Treasure Hunt" saw the return of two 16mm film recordings ("Dad's Army: Operation Kilt (#2.1)" (1969) and "Dad's Army: The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage (#2.2)" (1969)) taken from the original video tapes. These recordings had been dumped in a skip outside the Elstree Studios when they were found and taken home by one of the studio staff, 30 years before. After seeing the 'Treasure Hunt' appeal on TV in 2001, the prints were returned by a friend of the staff member, to whom the prints had been entrusted.
  
  
• It only took an hour and a half to tape each episode of Dad's Army, though there was a week's rehearsal prior to the actual recording of each episode. In addition, the cast did six weeks location filming in Norfolk and Suffolk for each series, to record exterior scenes; only the scenes in the studio interior sets were taped at TV Centre in London. Sometimes the episodes would be filmed then transmitted a week later.
  
  
• Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring) had a clause in his contract that stated that he was never to be seen on camera without his trousers
  
  
• 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 "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.
  
  
• John Laurie and Arnold Ridley both fought in World War One and both were wounded and invalided out of the army.
  
  
• Thorley Walters was first offered the role of Captain Mainwaring but declined it as he disliked performing in front of an audience. It was then offered to Jon Pertwee who was unavailable owing to a prior commitment in America. Jack Haig turned down Corporal Jones.
  
  
• John Laurie was the only cast member to have served in the Home Guard. But Clive Dunn, Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier had all served in the regular army during World War Two. John Laurie and Arnold Ridley had also served in the regular Army, in World War One. Of the writers, during World War Two Jimmy Perry served in the Home Guard (he based the show on his experiences), and David Croft served in the ARP (and later served in the regular Army as a Major).
  
  
• A pilot for a sequel to Dad's Army, "It Sticks Out Half a Mile", was recorded for BBC Radio in 1981 with Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier. In it, Mainwaring moves to another seaside resort in 1948. He wants a loan with the local bank manager and discovers that this is Wilson. He wants to buy the local pier, closed since the war, and attempts (with Wilson's help) to buy it off the council. It was not transmitted (Lowe was very ill during the recording and died soon after) but the pilot is sometimes repeated on the digital radio channel BBC7. With some reworking "It Sticks Out Half a Mile" did become a radio series. In it Hodges and Pike decide to restore the pier at Frambourne-on-Sea and approach Wilson for the loan. Le Mesurier, Bill Pertwee and Ian Lavender reprised their rôles. The series aired on Radio 2 in 1983-4 and is often rerun on BBC7; it was also reworked for television in the form of ITV's "High and Dry" (1987).
  
  
• Walmington-on-Sea's church is St Aldhelm's, patron saint of song-writers and musicians.
  
  
• Walmington's local pub is The Anchor.
  
  
• Other Home Guard platoons in the series include nearby Eastgate (commanded by Captain Square), Southgate, Dymwych (led by Captain Ashley-Jones) and Littlebourne-on-Sea.
  
  
• Jimmy Perry based the character of Private Pike on his own background and his experiences during the war. He originally wrote the part of Private Walker, the spiv, for himself to play, but David Croft vetoed this on the grounds that other cast members would think Perry had taken the best part for himself.
  
  
• The cast (as Dad's Army) filmed a road safety advertisement for UK television at Woodley near Reading on 23rd December 1976. The public information film saw them using a "Pelican Crossing".
  
  
• David Croft wanted the series titles to include newsreel footage from the Second World War, including scenes of bombing raids, refugees, Nazi troops and Nuremberg rallies. Although he was supported by Head of Comedy Michael Mills, BBC One Controller Paul Fox objected to this, deeming it inappropriate for a comedy series.
  
  
• BBC Head of Comedy Michael Mills was initially against the casting of Arthur Lowe in the lead role of Captain Mainwaring.
  
  

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