Big news for anyone fond of Captain Mainwaring, Private Pike, and the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard! BBC Two has put together something quite special called “Dad’s Army at the BBC,” airing this Tuesday. They’ve dug into the archives to find rare and sometimes unseen footage, not just from the show itself, but from times the Dad’s Army cast appeared, often in character, on other popular BBC programmes back in the day.
It’s a fascinating look back, narrated by Toby Jones – who, you might remember, played Captain Mainwaring himself in the 2016 film. This programme gives us a chance to see the familiar platoon stepping outside their usual drills and into some rather unexpected situations on the wider BBC stage.
Imagine seeing the Home Guard doing a routine alongside comedy legends Morecambe and Wise, or the time they were part of a Royal Gala at Buckingham Palace in 1970. There’s even footage of Private Pike making a surprise appearance on the Lulu Show! Plus, a song-and-dance number paying tribute to Noel Coward really shows the kind of things the cast got up to beyond the sitcom.
It’s funny how “Dad’s Army,” which started way back in 1968, still connects with people today. For longtime fans or even those just discovering it, “Dad’s Army at the BBC” seems like a wonderful opportunity to see the characters we know so well popping up in different corners of the BBC world.
You can catch it this Tuesday, 6 May at 7:30 PM GMT on BBC Two.
