40th Anniversary

Swallow Bank · 40th Anniversary

There has been surprisingly few messages on this forum about the 40th anniversary celebrations over the last week or so.

The Jonathan Ross special broadcast last Sunday - you can see a few screenshots and cast you vote on how good you thought it was over on the podcast's blog - www.dadsarmypodcast.blogspot.com

There has also been a wealth of new material - well, new old material to be precise, released by the BBC archives. That too is covered on the blog.

In addition, epsiode 26 of the Dad's Army Podcast was published last weekend and covers Mum's Army and a Miser's Hoard. Take a listen at www.dadsarmy,podomatic.com

Hope you have all been enjoying the high level of press Dad's Army has been receiving - I have!

Regards,

James

Scrumdown

Got it in my Sky Planner and will watch it all this weekend. Also got the biography of Arthur Lowe from Saturday night to watch too. Can't wait.

Scrumdown · 40th anniversary

I watched the Jonathan Ross "tribute" last night and wasn't all that impressed.

Maybe it's because I find JR nauseous to the extreme, but I thought it seemed to have become the JR Witty Remark Show rather than a light-hearted tribute.

As always the old DA cast as well as Croft and Perry were dignified and eloquent about their time in the show (Philip Madoc just oozed cool and Pamela Cundell was in her element) but JR seemed to merely want cheap laughs at the guests and at the era in general.

I think they probably could have wrapped the show up in half an hour, but instead chose to pad it out with non-DA guests, mockery of the Home Guard's naive but at the time all-too-real improvised weaponry and getting Dan Snow and some no-mark "comedian" to drill in a mock up of the church hall. I thought it was all rather cringeworthy.

At one point they posed the question of whether any current comedy show would still be appreciated and loved as much as DA is now in 40 years time and the sudden silence and scratching of heads said it all I think.

It just goes to show you that with the very odd exception, comedy and class is the preserve of generations past.

Oz

I think you're being a little harsh with the programme. We all knew that it could never be/was never going to be 100%. I was pleasantly surprised though.

I thought it was quite touching and captured a bit of the gentle DA humour/atmos. You could tell Ross is a genuine fan of the show (he came over a bit more sincere and low-key and less cocky/formulaic than normal: instead of talking about himself for an hour, the show was centred on DA).

They did have a quick two minute history of the HG as a backgrounder too. I thought the last scene was the most moving (saving the best till last) where he interviewed Croft & Perry. They're often overlooked when compared to the show's on-screen stars. Amazing, when today 'comedy' series such as Vicar of Dibley & My Family have a team of writers of about half a dozen, whereas just 2 men wrote 80 successful episodes of DA...

I was quite surprised at how aged & infirm Croft & Perry both looked compared to when I met them only 2 years ago, so I think it was probably as well that the programme was made when it was made.

Overall, thumbs up for the show: I thought it was a valid and genuine attempt to pay tribute to the show

Scrumdown

You're probably right. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not one of JR's biggest fans. Wink

One of the things that bugged me about him on the show was the fact that he kept calling it WaRmington-On-Sea. Would have thought a true fan would have known the correct name, but perhaps it was lost in his accent and lisp.

He was right about Ian Lavender though - he DOES look like Kenny Rogers these days! Laughing

Bramleyman

I saw the JR tribute and did actually enjoy it, even getting a touch emotional at the end showing those who have sadly gone to the World of Spirit as I know it, plus the playing a the very apt record 'Unforgettable' by the Late Nat King Cole, which was the last record played on the radio for my Mum before she too passed over.