Dad's Army at 50: the secret history of 'comedy's finest half-hour'

The leads hated the script and the BBC was terrified of offending veterans. But Dad’s Army became a TV phenomenon. We reveal how the Walmington warriors seized victory

To explore the history of Dad’s Army, you have to enter a near-military environment. Speed bumps, vehicle checks and CCTV impede the route to the building in Caversham, Berkshire, where the paperwork about the show’s creation is stored. These levels of security are because the BBC Written Archives are housed on the grounds of BBC Monitoring, whose duties include listening to global media on behalf of MI6.

But if the records of any TV show were to deserve such protective apparatus, it would be Dad’s Army, the BBC’s single most durably valuable programme. Next 31 July marks 50 years since the first episode was shown, while the last original show was screened in 1977 – but repeats still top the BBC Two ratings.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2uX3U20