Dad's Army

Dad’s Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard in the Second World War, written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977.

The series starred several veterans of British film, television and stage, including Arthur Lowe (1915–82), John Le Mesurier (1912–83), Arnold Ridley (also a veteran playwright; 1896–1984), John Laurie (1897–1980) and Clive Dunn (b.1920). Relative youngsters in the regular cast were Ian Lavender (b.1946) and James Beck (1929–1973), the latter dying suddenly part way through the programme’s long run despite being one of the youngest cast members.

Popular at the time and still repeated, it was voted into fourth place in a 2004 BBC poll for Britain’s Best Sitcom. Previously, in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, it was placed thirteenth.