Why did they do this in the first Dad's Army episode?

[Theoretical Dentist]

Not counting actors who played two obviously distinct characters, the only surviving credited recurring cast according to IMDb are Ian Lavender, Caroline Dowdeswell (Mainwaring's secretary Mrs King in the first series), Michael Knowles (Captain Cutts in the second series, and a couple of other characters later), Therese McMurray ("girl in the haystack" in a running joke in the first two series), Gilda Perry and Linda James (cinema ushers Doreen and Betty in a couple of episodes each, but not the same ones).

Ian Lavender died in February this year, the last surviving member of the main cast. All the others you've listed appear to still be alive, or at least their deaths aren't listed in Wikipedia or IMDb.

[Endicott]

Ideally it would have ended with Clive Dunn machine-gunning bayoneting Hitler's face arse off while the Parish Hall burns down around him.

They don't like it up 'em

[Ignatius_S]

Someone else on here a few years ago pointed out that Grandad's gun running trip in Only Fools was done with Nobby Clarke, one of the main characters in IAHHM.

If there's going to be a connection, I'd expect it in the form of Donald Hewlett or Micheal Knowles.

There's a tradition of people with the second name of Clark/Clarke to have Nobby as a nickname and the combination used to crop up with in various British works. One of the missing episode of Callan is called Goodbye Nobby Clarke (who is played by Michael Robbins, arguably best known - rather unfairly - for his role of Arthur in On The Buses).
 

[Ignatius_S]

Yes, I've listened to radio episodes more recently than watched TV ones so may be thinking more about how it's used there. I think radio episodes have newsreel intros where the corresponding TV episodes wouldn't. And there are definitely some that have enough detail about developments in the war that you could date the episode to within a few months at least.

Another thing that could help date episodes is annual events like Christmas. There were only three Christmas specials, I'm kind of surprised it wasn't more than there were actual Christmases in the war, but there are also non-special episodes set around Christmas (conversely, I'm not sure if all the Christmas specials are set at Christmas).

It's a while since I've heard the radio version (and I've tended to dip into it) and I'm sure you're right about that. I don't think all were dated but almost certain there's mention like 'late 1942' in them.

Personally, I think that these worked really well and are a factor in why I think they're one of the best radio adaptations of a television sitcom. Three are others that I prefer, but the way that the odd episode is adapted from more than one television episode incredibly cleverer and they have to cope with a scaled down cast, is impressive.

Although as you say (and pointed out elsewhere!) Christmas episodes won't necessarily be set at Christmas, I thought you made a great point there - never occurred to me to think about that!

[Captain Z]

Ian Lavender died in February this year,

Ah, well done. I was wondering who'd be first to spot that.

[Matthew Dawkins Jub Jub]

Don't tell him Pike's dead, Pike!

[Alternative Carpark]

I know they've shared actors but has there ever been a (hint of a) Dad's Army/Hot Mum/Hi-De-Hi character crossover?

The vicar who marries Gladys to Clive in the last series of Hi-De-Hi is played by Frank Williams, so could possibly be the same character he played in Dad's Army, especially as he is not given a name.

[jamiefairlie]

Ah, well done. I was wondering who'd be first to spot that.

I also thought Michael Knowles had died but still going at 87. Well done Michael Knowles!

[McDead]

The vicar who marries Gladys to Clive in the last series of Hi-De-Hi is played by Frank Williams, so could possibly be the same character he played in Dad's Army, especially as he is not given a name.

Ah, lovely Gladys.

Clive is probably Emmett's father from Keeping Up Appearances

[jamiefairlie]

I'm heartened that other people do this calculating fictional characters projected lifespans and dates thing too. I love doing it and I'm not sure why but it's very satisfying.

[dontpaintyourteeth]

When it was repeated in the nineties did everyone do the "he's dead... he's dead... he's not dead..." thing over the opening credits or was that just my family?

[Glebe]

The vicar who marries Gladys to Clive in the last series of Hi-De-Hi is played by Frank Williams, so could possibly be the same character he played in Dad's Army, especially as he is not given a name.

That's funny, I don't recall that! Ewan Hooper, who plays horrible camp controller Alec Foster in the last couple of series popped up in a Minder rerun on ITV4 the other night.

I also thought Michael Knowles had died but still going at 87. Well done Michael Knowles!

That's lovely to hear... he plays a wonderfully eccentric '20s toff in You Rang, M'Lord?

[jamiefairlie]

When it was repeated in the nineties did everyone do the "he's dead... he's dead... he's not dead..." thing over the opening credits or was that just my family?

Yeah, bit one note now though

[jamiefairlie]

That's lovely to hear... he plays a wonderfully eccentric '20s toff in You Rang, M'Lord?

He was like a version of Hugh Laurie's Blackadder Prince

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Yeah, bit one note now though

Sad!

[Glebe]

He was like a version of Hugh Laurie's Blackadder Prince

Yes! I had a bit of a crush on monocled lesbian Cissy.

[Stinky Lomax]

When it was repeated in the nineties did everyone do the "he's dead... he's dead... he's not dead..." thing over the opening credits or was that just my family?

[dontpaintyourteeth]

Well bugger me turgid, me relatives are plagiarists

[Glebe]

Summer Wine's Brian Murphy (previously more famous as George Roper) is still Bill Withers (with us), he's actually married to Linda Regan who plays Spike-fancier April in HDH!

[Ignatius_S]

That's funny, I don't recall that! Ewan Hooper, who plays horrible camp controller Alec Foster....

There was nothing camp about him.

[Ambient Sheep]

Well bugger me turgid, me relatives are plagiarists

Not necessarily... my first partner and I used to do the same thing, even down to "He died first!", long before that sketch ever aired.

In fact, even before that, my parents used to do a version of it when it was only poor James Beck that had passed away.  "He's dead now, so sad to go that young", etc.

So when TMWE did it (and thank you, @Stinky Lomax, you saved me the trouble there), it provoked huge guffaws of recognition, as pre-internet it was far more difficult to learn that everybody did this!

^{_{(The nasty Suzanne Charlton one was baffling though.  Never did that, nor really understood it.  Baddiel probably wrote that one. ;-) )}}

[Glebe]

There was nothing camp about him.

[jamiefairlie]

Just finished watching the film for the first time in many years. It's a cut and shut of a few TV episodes but none the poorer for that.

The on-screen chemistry of the ensemble is a thing to behold, generating such a feeling of warmth and community.

The second last scene where Mainwaring is walking through Walmington-on-Sea is perhaps the epitome of how the war generation remembered the togetherness of those years and the lost sense of, that word again, community so many mourned in later decades. There's a deep nostalgia captured there that I'm fascinated by.

[Asclepius]

The vicar who marries Gladys to Clive in the last series of Hi-De-Hi is played by Frank Williams, so could possibly be the same character he played in Dad's Army, especially as he is not given a name.

I believe he's also playing the exact same Vicar in the Dad's Army film in which Toby Jones does Mainwaring.

Pike actor's in that too, but he's a different character.

[Alternative Carpark]

Not necessarily... my first partner and I used to do the same thing, even down to "He died first!", long before that sketch ever aired.

In fact, even before that, my parents used to do a version of it when it was only poor James Beck that had passed away.  "He's dead now, so sad to go that young", etc.

So when TMWE did it (and thank you, @Stinky Lomax, you saved me the trouble there), it provoked huge guffaws of recognition, as pre-internet it was far more difficult to learn that everybody did this!

^{_{(The nasty Suzanne Charlton one was baffling though.  Never did that, nor really understood it.  Baddiel probably wrote that one. ;-) )}}

There's an Alan Ayckbourn play, 'Seasons Greetings', which starts with two characters watching an old film on television and saying all that in turn about which ones were dead. The play dates from 1980 on stage and there was a televsion version in 1986.

[purlieu]

My Brother and I is based around a sherry party, but no dates. If you've got time, this one is an Arthur Lowe masterclass.

Mm, my favourite episode, utterly brilliant.

I think Big Finish have spent some time looking for gaps in the chronology. There's 13 box-sets of the Pike adventures, and eight of Vicar escapades.

Who's left alive from Dad's Army now? Best give Nick Briggs their number.

Funny you say that

[Gulftastic]

Yes! I had a bit of a crush on monocled lesbian Cissy.

Quietly groundbreaking as a character. Fully accepted by her family, her sexuality was hardly an issue, except for a tiny bit of gay panic regarding Su Pollard's character.

[Glebe]

Yes, a surprisingly positive depiction of a gay character in a mainstream show at the time.

[jamiefairlie]

Yes, a surprisingly positive depiction of a gay character in a mainstream show at the time.

Should have fully subverted it by having Clive Dunn play a 50-something Jack Jones shouting "they do like it up em, m'lud, they do like it up em"

[jamiefairlie]

I think Big Finish have spent some time looking for gaps in the chronology. There's 13 box-sets of the Pike adventures, and eight of Vicar escapades.

Who's left alive from Dad's Army now? Best give Nick Briggs their number.

Big Finish, we love scraping barrels

The War Captain

George Mainwaring had left behind his bumbling, oafish small town life and now finds himself facing a danger that could end all of existence! Along the way he's aided and abetted by an unlikely crew including Bombardier "Solly" Solomons, Professor Jeffrey Fairbrother and The Honourable Edward "Teddy" Meldrum.

The war Captain

Starring Nicholas Briggs
Directed by Ken Bentley
Really Directed by Nicholas Briggs
Executive Producers Nicholas Briggs and that other guy