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Dad’s Army: The making of a TV legend
£3.10
Dad’s Army has been an enduring highlight of the small screen since its debut on British television in 1968. The show, which follows the exploits of the Home Guard of Walmington-on-Sea, a fictional seaside town on the south coast of England, ran for nine series in total, comprising 80 episodes, and regularly attracted viewing figures of over 18 million at the height of its popularity. Today, it is still shown weekly on BBC 2 and was recently placed fourth in a BBC poll of Britain’s Best Sitcoms Ever. The show has permeated British society, with the characters’ signature catchphrases (particularly Captain Mainwaring’s ‘Stupid boy!’) having entered the lexicon of popular culture. Such is its appeal that in August 2008 Jonathan Ross paid tribute to Dad’s Army with an hour-long special, looking back on the show’s success and reliving its funniest moments. Yet Dad’s Army is also credited with drawing attention to the important role that Local Defence Volunteers (later known as the Home Guard) played in the Second World War, in guarding coastal areas of Britain and other important industrial and military sites such as factories and explosives stores, and in observing and reporting enemy aircraft. Bill Pertwee found fame as ARP Warden Hodges in the series and has put together a comprehensive tribute to all aspects of the show. This book includes extensive features on the two creators of Dad’s Army, Jimmy Perry and David Croft, along with biographies of the whole cast of actors who brought this British comedy classic to life, paying particular attention to such memorable figures as Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring), John Le Mesurier (Sergeant Wilson), Clive Dunn (Corporal Jones) and Ian Lavender (Private Pike). As an integral part of the show itself, Bill Pertwee is uniquely positioned to give an intimate view of his co-stars, their families and the supporting production team. His colourful account includes many hilarious incidents on and off the set, such as filming for Columbia Pictures and being invited to tea at 10 Downing Street. Numerous colour photos as well as a fine selection of well-reproduced original stills supplement the informative text, and a full episode listing is included, together with articles on the many Dad’s Army spin-offs and side projects, including the highly successful stage play, movie adaptation and radio series.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Conway (1 Aug. 2014) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 208 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1844862658 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1844862658 |
| Dimensions | 17.1 x 2 x 22.4 cm |
by BLUE 24 G
This is agreat book for the price and written by a actor the late great Bill Pertwee who played Hodges the Green grocer in the Great TV show,so it was a nice change reading abook about a a True great TV show were the writer was one of the main stars in the show,becouse i have bought many Dads Army books as well as Only Fools books written by a writer wishing to thank people for helping him write this book,which is not the same as some one who was truly there.
by Mark Ford
Bill Pertwee played the Warden in Dad’s Army and offers a unique insight into the actors and the making of the show which has not been published before. Bill still keeps in tocuh with the surviving members of the cast. This book is different and unique compared to the book written simply about the show and the producers and has some excellent photos. A worthwhile read. Mark from Adelaide, South Australia.
by Mr. P. Harvey
I originally chanced upon this book in a bookstore and was intrigued that it appeared to be written by one of the Dad’s Army team, Bill Pertwee, aka Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Warden Hodges. There have been several books written about this iconic and extremely popular TV and radio series written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft but in my opinion this is the best because it was written by one of the team. In a sense this book is like an autobiography of the series with many personal anecdotes and photographs that only a member of the Dad’s Army would have access to.
by D. Anderson
This book arrived well packaged and for a used condition was in perfect order.
If you are a fan of Dad’s Army like me this has everything you could wish for.
by Maddy Reynolds
just what i wanted 100% recommend to any fans
by Daniel
This is a very good book full of lots of information regarding one of the best British tv shows ever. Unlike many other Dad’s Army books this one is actually written by one of the cast, the infamous ARP Warden Hodge, the late great Bill Pertwee. The book covers lots of areas regarding the series, from the locations to background information and a comprehensive overview of the cast, both main cast and guests as well as other topics.
Defining well worth reading for fans of such a great show, highly recommended.
by Mrs J A Edwards
Bought this for my hubby who’s notoriously difficult to buy for. He loves the book and is enjoying reading the biographies contained in it. I know this will be read again and again as he tends to keep returning to material that really interests him. I’ll also be reading it when I get the chance!
by Mr. Robert Jones
After recently watching episodes of Dad’s Army yet again (I love them), I searched online for a book on the subject.
Spotted this by Bill Pertwee at a ridiculously low price and purchased it. It arrived today within stated timeframe.
On opening the well wrapped package, I was somewhat surprised to find what looks like a pristine, new book.
Glancing through the book, it appears well written with accompanying photographs. I look forward to starting the book this evening. I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.