I spent 3 years in the Irish reserves in the early 90's and to be honest there is very little difference apart from the age & the lack of a war. This is one of my all time favourite comedies. It's clean, innocent but very funny. I revisit the show as often as I can. I don't have a favourite character as they all play a sum of the toatal. Beautifully written and expertly played. My fondest memory is sitting with my family to watch this when it came on.
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
Fun Fact : The Scottish dude from this show - John Laurie - is *IN* that film as the main villain, "Khalifa Abdullah". He was also actually in the home guard during the war which I did not know
You know a show is a success when it is, originally, on the air for nearly 10 years. Plus, consider the fact it was also shown as repeats too. What an incredible group of thespians; neat, creative story lines, accurate wardrobes and detailed sets. The laughter is still fresh even today!
I'm a 90 year old Londoner living in Thailand for nearly 40 years. I love these old TV series that I get on my computer. British humour at its best. Sadly it seems mostly forgotten now. Just stand up comics who seem to think that swearing and bad language is funny.
My great grandmother ,on my mothers side, came to America as a young woman from the British Isles . Often when we would go to her house ,she would sever "Toad in Hole " . My brother and I wouldn't eat it because we thought that she was serving frog. I found out later that it was sausage in Yorkshire pudding batter .
Interesting fact, the reason why they refused to eat the fish because the fish type is Snoek(Snook). Fishing is dangerous during the war, so they imported the Snook from South Africa, in tinned cans. Government thought this is a great solution, but in fact tinned snook is a bad idea. Foul smell, inedible. It's so unpopular, after the war they turn the rest of the surplus into pet food.
@@benaudsingh7251 yup when u buy snoek from a bakkie next to the road check the meat it looks like veins but it's not. They'll tell you it's "milk veins" but a snoek is not a mammal so no milk is produced its a parasite
Wow! I had no idea. Such a great detail in the show! And I just made a comment complimenting the detail of the uniforms. What a great show, and before the Internet when these things are so much easier to research! The writing and the background research is just great.
@@wynottgivemore9274 yeah. Clive Dunn/Corporal Jones served in the Hussars in Greece and spent 4 years as a POW, while Arnold Ridley/Private Godfrey fought at the Battle of the Somme in WW1 and would later fight again in France in 1940, being on the last boat out of Dunkirk and joining his local Home Guard after being discharged from the army for medical reasons.
@@DraftTheHippies Well put. Arnold Ridley was involved in hand-to-hand fighting and suffered severely, including being bayoneted and virtually losing the use of one hand. He suffered all his life with shrapnel wounds to his legs just as depicted in Dad's Army.
The four feathers is a book that has been adapted for film many times, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Feathers . They tried to make one in 30 minutes 😊
I really appreciate the attention to detail in this series. The uniforms tend to be so accurate. The British uniforms of WW II I suspect are the real deal. And the German and Italian ones that have been shown in some episodes seem accurate too. And here the khaki uniforms with white belts in the Sudan flashback are to my knowledge accurate. I can't say for sure about the Polish and French free forces for sure, but at least the caps seem to be authentic to those nations. And I don't remember exactly what the Napoleonic uniforms in Captain Mainwaring's dream were like exactly. But generally speaking the costumers of this show did their home work. And this is a comedy not a pure drama, so it can get away with lot more. Even the Mahdist clothing they dressed John Laurie and Bill Pertwee in this episode seem accurate.
Nearly all gone - and with them, the best of British humour - since the 1980's it hasn't been anywhere near as good - sure Little Britain, Ab Fab - but nothing like this golden age.
The Good Life To The Manor Born Dad's Army Yes Minister/Prime Minister Just good Friends Blackadder Fawlty Only Fools Ever Decreasing Circles Robins Nest Porridge Open All Hours The list is incredible of British TV's comedy.
I absolutely love these classic British shows. I think animated comedy has taken the place of the brilliant comedy series at the late, at least as far as I'm concerned. But these shows will always have a special place in my heart.
@@genesis1765 Add a few more great British comedies such as: The Goodies, Man about the House, Monty Python, Doctor in the House, Doctor at Large, Doctor in Charge, Do Not Adjust Your Set, Father Dear Father, Til Death Do Us Part, Are You Being Served, Morecombe and Wise, The Dave Allen Show, Fawlty Towers, Steptoe and Son, Bless this House, At last the 1948 Show, On the Buses, Mr Bean, Not the Nine O'clock News, Some Mother's Do 'ave 'em, Allo Allo, Don't Drink the Water, The Two Ronnies, Love Thy Neighbour, Carry on Laughing,
Mind Your Language, Benny Hill, The Dick Emery Show, Please Sir, The Fenn Street Gang, Up Pompeii, Last of the Summer Wine, The Liver Birds, The Rag Trade, Father Ted, The Vicar of Dibley, Keeping Up Appearances, Red Dwarf, The Mighty Boosh, The Young Ones, Black Books, Rising Damp, French and Saunders, Mrs Brown's Boys, George and Mildred and so many many more....
considering they put a laugh track under each mention of "fakir" nothing got past the radar. that was just the humour of the time. double entendres and racy jokes were the mainstay of shows like these.
This would have to be one of the episodes I remember the most from when I saw it as a kid in the 70s, mainly because of the expletive deleteive raspberries.
"Then he shouted, 'Um ka ya ka ka ka, um ka ya ka ka ka ka ka!' Which, translated, literally means, 'Put that light out! Put that light out!'" -LCpl. Jack Jones, recounting his days fighting the Mahdist Sudanese
@@simonflook6034 That's about right. But he was a POW in the 2nd war. Godfrey and Frazer were both Great war vet's and served in the HG in the 2nd war. All 3 were actors before then.
28:47 The "moving finger" represents the passage of time--once a moment happens it is now the past. All your cleverness or prayers are unable to pull it back to the present. The point is that once the moment is past, it's gone. Once the "moving finger writes," its game over and history is fixed--unchangeable.
@@regineschneider3320 Heh. No, I'm not sure to what extent you are joking so I just tell that The Clergy Project is a support group for clerics who no longer believe in a deity.
in another episode (bullet is not for firing) they mention that the vicar kept his Bible under lock and key. probably afraid the home guard would pinch it
If what I have heard about rationing is true, sausage and white bread (toad in the hole) would have been a luxury, and nothing to complain about. Bread was made from everything. Steak would have gotten one arrested.
I feel like Elizabeth Mainwaring would get along very well with Maris Crane. In fact they'd be inseparable friends: you'd never see one without the other....
Especially in Britain, someone may be said to be "showing the white feather" when they engage in an act of extreme cowardice. This concept is used in the civilian world, not just the military, although the intent of criticism is the same.
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
I know where this was filmed because I was there! It was filmed in a quarry or sandpit near King's Lynn in Norfolk. I was about ten years and my family lived in a village near King's Lynn. A family friend, Peter Day, was a visual effects designer for the BBC and when they were nearby filming this episode he took me with him to see some of the filming and I had a chance to meet some of the cast, including Clive Dunn, John Le Mesurier and James Beck. I still remember it very well also how Peter set off some "explosions" in our back garden. I had a lot tell my friends at school after this!
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
I wonder if they managed to translate the joke, the play on "fakir" into Dutch. That's the trouble with translations... many of the under-text and puns can be lost.
He later tragically died at the end of the sixth series from pancreatitis. Jim Perry (the writer and director) said he was a heavy drinker and smoker; one of the last times he worked with him, he recalled his legs were purple.
I spent 3 years in the Irish reserves in the early 90's and to be honest there is very little difference apart from the age & the lack of a war. This is one of my all time favourite comedies. It's clean, innocent but very funny. I revisit the show as often as I can. I don't have a favourite character as they all play a sum of the toatal. Beautifully written and expertly played. My fondest memory is sitting with my family to watch this when it came on.
Cool and greetings from America.
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
Fun Fact : The Scottish dude from this show - John Laurie - is *IN* that film as the main villain, "Khalifa Abdullah". He was also actually in the home guard during the war which I did not know
I was born in 1987 but grew up on these kind of shows, man I love this stuff.
To call Dad's Army One of the greatest TV Shows of all time would be an absolute understatement! Brilliant on so many levels!😀💂💂💂💂🇬🇧🔫
The old "fouka" joke never gets old
They used a version of that joke, in Carry On Up the Kyber. You could see it coming, but I still laughed when I heard it.
Just like one of our favourites: "You say you live in Kew? Is that Close Kew, or Far Kew?" "Far Kew!"
🤣🤣🤣
You know a show is a success when it is, originally, on the air for nearly 10 years. Plus, consider the fact it was also shown as repeats too. What an incredible group of thespians; neat, creative story lines, accurate wardrobes and detailed sets. The laughter is still fresh even today!
This is my absolute favorite episode of Dad’s Army. Lance Corporal Jones is hilarious it on point.
Good old Jonsey. He is a funny old veteran, but he is loyal and has integrity. There's an example for us there.
I'm a 90 year old Londoner living in Thailand for nearly 40 years. I love these old TV series that I get on my computer. British humour at its best. Sadly it seems mostly forgotten now. Just stand up comics who seem to think that swearing and bad language is funny.
One of my favorite shows ever! Frazier is one the best with his eyes and stories 😂😂😂❤️
The charming Wendy Richard, playing the tart.
One of the most successful and successful comedies ... I still enjoy watching this work.
I just love the way they “bleeped” out those coarse words...🤣
“Keep your PFFT PFFT PFFT heads down!”
Neat how Clive Dunn was just able to dress his regular age for Young Jones, seeing as he aged up to play WW2 Jones.
I love Frazer's hand gestures. They tell a whole story in themselves.
My great grandmother ,on my mothers side, came to America as a young woman from the British Isles . Often when we would go to her house ,she would sever "Toad in Hole " . My brother and I wouldn't eat it because we thought that she was serving frog. I found out later that it was sausage in Yorkshire pudding batter .
Lololol
Classic! As others have commented, I laughed so hard on several occasions during this episode. Thanks for the opportunity to see it.
Interesting fact, the reason why they refused to eat the fish because the fish type is Snoek(Snook). Fishing is dangerous during the war, so they imported the Snook from South Africa, in tinned cans.
Government thought this is a great solution, but in fact tinned snook is a bad idea. Foul smell, inedible. It's so unpopular, after the war they turn the rest of the surplus into pet food.
Lol im from South Africa and even now still won't eat snoek fresh or tinned its full of tapeworms
@@christiaanungerer3660 Good Grief,i'm from South Africa,I never new about the tapeworms.
@@benaudsingh7251 yup when u buy snoek from a bakkie next to the road check the meat it looks like veins but it's not. They'll tell you it's "milk veins" but a snoek is not a mammal so no milk is produced its a parasite
@@christiaanungerer3660 wow that's awful
Wow! I had no idea. Such a great detail in the show! And I just made a comment complimenting the detail of the uniforms. What a great show, and before the Internet when these things are so much easier to research! The writing and the background research is just great.
Timeless comedy with terrific characters, and Fraser is unique with his "doomed I say, doomed"
"Turn back, turn back, said the old farka"
Laughed so hard at that! XD
@Ned Chil Choked on my beer 🤣
One the gems of BBC comedy.
An excellent episode!
So far we have learned both Private Godfrey (from a previous episode) and Corporal Jones are heroes from past conflicts.
Yes, plus both of them were actual really in the the war in real life.☺️in case you didn't know already ✌️
@@wynottgivemore9274 yeah. Clive Dunn/Corporal Jones served in the Hussars in Greece and spent 4 years as a POW, while Arnold Ridley/Private Godfrey fought at the Battle of the Somme in WW1 and would later fight again in France in 1940, being on the last boat out of Dunkirk and joining his local Home Guard after being discharged from the army for medical reasons.
Jones is only a hero in his own mind...
@@michaeleastham3868 To be fair, Corporal Jones was a hero in Our minds. Clive Dunn was a very down to earth fellow.
@@DraftTheHippies Well put. Arnold Ridley was involved in hand-to-hand fighting and suffered severely, including being bayoneted and virtually losing the use of one hand. He suffered all his life with shrapnel wounds to his legs just as depicted in Dad's Army.
This just became my favourite one just for all the raspberries😂😂😂😂
George,
Bedankt-as Dad's Army turn up again fighting in the Boer War!
This episode is so hilarious 😂 my Mum and I were nearly peeing ourselves laughing 😂
4:15 Walker politely tells Mainwaring to take a walk and Pike nodds his had as if to say nah nah nah naahh 😊😅
Of course John Laurie played the role of the Kalifa in the movie The Four Feathers 1939!👳⚔️🐪🏜️🇸🇩
Well spotted !
thank you for these shows and the info re them. I've only seen a handful of them on pbs but thanks to you can enjoy more episodes.
One of the greatest TV comedies ever written
Put that PFFF PFFF light out! 🤣
Miss Brahms before she started at Grace Brothers!
And before she moved to the East End.
Lots of bloodshot eyeballs in the desert, not just laying around on their own though..
Funny Clive playing Jones who's older than Cap Mannering when in reality Clive is 5 years younger than Arthur what a amazing actor RIP Clive Dunn 😊
So relaxing warm fuzzy watching this now.
The old fakir
Had to laugh when I realized that the "dervish" repulsed by fire in Jone's account was the actor who played Hodges!
I like it! I like it!
The four feathers is a book that has been adapted for film many times, en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Feathers . They tried to make one in 30 minutes 😊
I love this show and all the cast even though Mainwaring is pompous poof most of time I was waiting for Wilson to put him in his place one.
This is my favourite episode
I really appreciate the attention to detail in this series. The uniforms tend to be so accurate. The British uniforms of WW II I suspect are the real deal. And the German and Italian ones that have been shown in some episodes seem accurate too. And here the khaki uniforms with white belts in the Sudan flashback are to my knowledge accurate.
I can't say for sure about the Polish and French free forces for sure, but at least the caps seem to be authentic to those nations. And I don't remember exactly what the Napoleonic uniforms in Captain Mainwaring's dream were like exactly. But generally speaking the costumers of this show did their home work. And this is a comedy not a pure drama, so it can get away with lot more.
Even the Mahdist clothing they dressed John Laurie and Bill Pertwee in this episode seem accurate.
"Do Not go against the Will of Allah, said the Old Farka" Hilarious
And his mom must have been called “mother farka”...
Nearly all gone - and with them, the best of British humour - since the 1980's it hasn't been anywhere near as good - sure Little Britain, Ab Fab - but nothing like this golden age.
The best of British comedy , Britain ruled the waves of comedy ,for me Dads Army was the epitome. Sad it doesn't happen today.
Since the 1980’s? This ran from 1968 and there was stuff just as good around even then.
The Good Life To The Manor Born Dad's Army Yes Minister/Prime Minister Just good Friends Blackadder Fawlty Only Fools Ever Decreasing Circles Robins Nest Porridge Open All Hours
The list is incredible of British TV's comedy.
I absolutely love these classic British shows. I think animated comedy has taken the place of the brilliant comedy series at the late, at least as far as I'm concerned. But these shows will always have a special place in my heart.
@@genesis1765 Add a few more great British comedies such as: The Goodies, Man about the House, Monty Python, Doctor in the House, Doctor at Large,
Doctor in Charge, Do Not Adjust Your Set, Father Dear Father, Til Death Do Us Part, Are You Being Served, Morecombe and Wise, The Dave Allen Show, Fawlty Towers,
Steptoe and Son, Bless this House, At last the 1948 Show,
On the Buses, Mr Bean, Not the Nine O'clock News, Some Mother's Do 'ave 'em,
Allo Allo, Don't Drink the Water, The Two Ronnies, Love Thy Neighbour, Carry on Laughing,
Mind Your Language, Benny Hill, The Dick Emery Show, Please Sir, The Fenn Street Gang,
Up Pompeii, Last of the Summer Wine, The Liver Birds, The Rag Trade, Father Ted, The Vicar
of Dibley, Keeping Up Appearances, Red Dwarf, The Mighty Boosh, The Young Ones, Black Books,
Rising Damp, French and Saunders, Mrs Brown's Boys, George and Mildred and so many many more....
"This seemed to Upset the old Fakir." Talk about getting stuff past the radar...
considering they put a laugh track under each mention of "fakir" nothing got past the radar. that was just the humour of the time. double entendres and racy jokes were the mainstay of shows like these.
This would have to be one of the episodes I remember the most from when I saw it as a kid in the 70s, mainly because of the expletive deleteive raspberries.
Those out of shape codgers out there miming battle & combat was pretty damn funny 😂
"Then he shouted, 'Um ka ya ka ka ka, um ka ya ka ka ka ka ka!' Which, translated, literally means, 'Put that light out! Put that light out!'"
-LCpl. Jack Jones, recounting his days fighting the Mahdist Sudanese
£1542 in say 1942, had the purchasing power today of approximately £66,650.
Or 91,633 U.S. dollars.
The year 1942 was 44 years after the battle of Omdurman (1898), if Jones had been 18 at the Sudan campaign, he would have been 62 in 1942
@@simonflook6034 and if he had been 28 he would have been 72...............
@@simonflook6034 That's about right. But he was a POW in the 2nd war. Godfrey and Frazer were both Great war vet's and served in the HG in the 2nd war. All 3 were actors before then.
Simon Flook Great Math!
A nod to the novel:
‘ The Three Feathers’ by A.E.W. Mason.
Wendy Richard? Great! Thus far I've seen a couple of others from the "Are You Being Served?" cast.
i just new i has heard that voice before
yes, this is the second episode I have seen her in. she will show up in Series 5 EP #7 also
The old man who plays Young "Mr Grace"
Mrs Slocomb was in it too
Thought that was her!
28:47 The "moving finger" represents the passage of time--once a moment happens it is now the past. All your cleverness or prayers are unable to pull it back to the present. The point is that once the moment is past, it's gone. Once the "moving finger writes," its game over and history is fixed--unchangeable.
General Kitchener and his mighty force took three years to overcome 100000 boers in South Africa from 1899 to 1901.
@@chriswebb1148yes , and Europe is next
Koos van Zyl 1902!🤠🔫🇿🇦🇬🇧
@@chriswebb1148 if the Boer didn’t want to be fought he shouldn’t have gone all out to start a war.
Thanks for posting
You’d think there would be a bible in the vicars office.
Maybe the vicar was a member of some early version of The Clergy Project.
@@tessalyyvuo1667 you mean he was a labour party supporter !
@@regineschneider3320 Heh. No, I'm not sure to what extent you are joking so I just tell that The Clergy Project is a support group for clerics who no longer believe in a deity.
@@regineschneider3320 leave it out!
in another episode (bullet is not for firing) they mention that the vicar kept his Bible under lock and key. probably afraid the home guard would pinch it
"Take cover! Take @$#%&# cover!!!" xD
Goodness gracious me, I had an ancestor who was in the Warwickshire regiment who served in both the Boer war and ww1.
Was a cockney called Green who kept everyone’s spirits up.
@@Tiwaz81 When will a Cockney not keep everyone's spirits up.
'This seemed to upset the old farka...'
Throughly enjoyed the opening in the restaurant , the menu was terribly limited ! And don't forget to pickup your "dirties"!.....
One of the best, oddly, but not surprisingly touching; - [...(T)his episode is beautifully written and situated.
If what I have heard about rationing is true, sausage and white bread (toad in the hole) would have been a luxury, and nothing to complain about. Bread was made from everything. Steak would have gotten one arrested.
They don’t make comedy like this anymore
Imagine i love this......think about that
mainwaring in the role of the sergeant major actually looked like a short seargeart-major shutup from aint half hot lol
"capitalist lackey"
Brilliant
An inconsistency in the story. Jones said Dervishes can't stand fire and it was demonstrated. So how were they cooking a meal over a fire?
I feel like Elizabeth Mainwaring would get along very well with Maris Crane. In fact they'd be inseparable friends: you'd never see one without the other....
And let us not forget Norm Peterson’s wife, Vera...
Ena Sharples had Lizzy M tattooed on her leg
“This seemed to upset the old farka” 😂😂
I wonder how many people actually got the joke with the new recruits comment at 11:53.
Certainly not the Dutch translator, the subtitles just skip over it. Though it's hard to translate those little double meanings.
They say that in Franco’s Spain people got arrested for failing to dress right. It was considered as an indirect form of civil disobedience.
not me. Care to explain it?
@@TomorrowWeLive. Dressing to the left or right means which side of his trousers a mans wedding tackle sits.
@@gsd4me00 ah, cheers
snoek is usually found around south Africa I wonder if it is accurate that they would have it or not
"Private Clark" also appears in The Sweeney episode Money, Money, Money. 😮😅
What happened to that beautiful England ?
The old farka
Miss Brahms!!!!
4:35 Pikes a little cutie.
Especially in Britain, someone may be said to be "showing the white feather" when they engage in an act of extreme cowardice. This concept is used in the civilian world, not just the military, although the intent of criticism is the same.
5:15 The Dutch translation is off, he refers to the Boers, because that is the era Jones is from. The boer war.
the old faaaka
fakir = religious man . Churchill referred to Gandhi as a seditious fakir
Jonesy was the best, 'cold steel'
Yeah..........."They don't like it up 'em".
They use the vicar's office, but can't find a bible.
Canteen woman: "Capitalist lackey"
Brilliant
Best episode.
Very dramatic, interesting episode.
Does anyone know where or how the desert scenes were filmed? I checked the credits, but nothing was listed.
My guess is a quarry somewhere in the UK.
@@michaelsafol Probably one of the same quarries they overused in Doctor Who.
It looked great, they did an awesome job.
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
I know where this was filmed because I was there! It was filmed in a quarry or sandpit near King's Lynn in Norfolk. I was about ten years and my family lived in a village near King's Lynn. A family friend, Peter Day, was a visual effects designer for the BBC and when they were nearby filming this episode he took me with him to see some of the filming and I had a chance to meet some of the cast, including Clive Dunn, John Le Mesurier and James Beck. I still remember it very well also how Peter set off some "explosions" in our back garden. I had a lot tell my friends at school after this!
Fuzzy wuzzies, hahaha!
Splendid episode, no doubts about it, but what happened to the patrol???????
I am guessing they made it back to general kitchener, with the help of Jones as he was part of the patrol so would know their approximate location.
"said the old fakir.." lmao
Is anyone know where the outdoor desert scene to filmed? I can’t imagine that there’s any sand beaches anywhere in the UK
according to wikipedia: The historical flashback scenes were filmed in a disused Norfolk quarry, rigged up to look like the Sudanese desert, interspersed with footage from the 1939 film version of The Four Feathers.
78 old fakirs didn't fancy Jones to much.
The old Fakir joke was racey.....you never see this one repeated on TV though.
Gosh just how big is Captain Mainwaring's wife?
The battle of godfrey
I wonder if they managed to translate the joke, the play on "fakir" into Dutch.
That's the trouble with translations... many of the under-text and puns can be lost.
Young Jones looks like Charles Bronson
I'm sure I remember the scene about swearing in on the Bible being longer. Has it been cut in this version?
I don't know
We actually get to see the mysterious Raymond in this episode.
Ahmaka ka ka translates put that light out
The old faaaka. LOL
❤️
16:28 Kissing Walker right after he's been smoking would be like kissing an ashtray. Eeeeww lol.
ShinyHappyPurple .. Those were the days. Pre PC.
He later tragically died at the end of the sixth series from pancreatitis. Jim Perry (the writer and director) said he was a heavy drinker and smoker; one of the last times he worked with him, he recalled his legs were purple.
I still would.
Is it just me, or does ARC Hodges remind anyone of U of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh?