Dad's Army
A sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War.
Dad's Army is a British television sitcom centred on the Home Guard, the volunteer force that defended the United Kingdom during the Second World War. The show was created by writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and aired on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. Over the course of nine series, 80 episodes were produced. A feature film was released in 1971, along with a stage show and a radio adaptation based on the television scripts. At its peak, the programme regularly attracted 18 million viewers, and it continues to be broadcast internationally.
The Home Guard was made up of local volunteers who were not eligible for regular military service—due to age (which inspired the title *Dad's Army*), medical conditions, or because their jobs were exempt from conscription. Most members of the platoon in the series are older than the typical military age, and the cast included several veteran British actors, many of whom had actually served in the British Army during the Second World War. These included Arnold Ridley, John Laurie, Arthur Lowe, and John Le Mesurier. Younger cast members included Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn (who, though one of the younger actors, played the oldest guardsman, Lance Corporal Jones), and James Beck, who died suddenly in 1973 during production of the sixth series. Other regulars included Frank Williams as the vicar, Edward Sinclair as the verger, and Bill Pertwee as the chief ARP warden. As of Lavender's death in 2024, none of the principal cast members are still alive.
The series has left a lasting mark on British popular culture, with its catchphrases and characters becoming widely recognised. *Radio Times* listed Captain Mainwaring's line "You stupid boy!" among the 25 greatest television put-downs. In a 2001 Channel 4 poll, Captain Mainwaring ranked 21st on the list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. In 2004, *Dad's Army* placed fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. The British Film Institute's 2000 list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, voted on by industry professionals, ranked it 13th. A second feature film, featuring a different cast, was released in 2016.
In 2019, UKTV recreated three missing episodes for broadcast on its Gold channel in August of that year, under the title *Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes*. These starred Kevin McNally as Captain Mainwaring and Robert Bathurst as Sergeant Wils
- type
- Television sitcom
- country
- United Kingdom
- broadcast_period
- 31 July 1968 – 13 November 1977
- series_count
- 9
- episode_count
- 80
- creators
- Jimmy Perry and David Croft
- network
- BBC1
Lore & Background
The series is set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea on the south coast of England. The Home Guard platoon consists of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, mostly over military age. The cast includes older British actors such as Arnold Ridley, John Laurie, Arthur Lowe, and John Le Mesurier, many of whom had served in the British Army during the Second World War. Younger cast members include Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn (who played the oldest guardsman, Lance Corporal Jones), and James Beck, who died suddenly during production of the sixth series in 1973. Following Lavender's death in 2024, no principal cast members survive.
Reader's Guide
Dad's Army has had a lasting impact on British popular culture. The Radio Times listed Captain Mainwaring's 'You stupid boy!' among the 25 greatest put-downs on TV. A 2001 Channel 4 poll ranked Captain Mainwaring 21st on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. In 2004, Dad's Army came fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It was placed 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000. A feature film was released in 1971, and a second feature film with a different cast was released in 2016. In 2019, UKTV recreated three missing episodes for broadcast on its Gold channel under the title Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977.
- A feature film based on the series was released in 1971.
- James Beck, who played Private Joe Walker, died suddenly during production of the sixth series in 1973.
- In 2019, UKTV recreated three missing episodes for broadcast on its Gold channel.
More in Television Series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record