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The Review - THEATRE by ANDREW GARDNER
Published: 21 February 2008

Dad's Army - The Lost Episodes

The conquering heroes return, with a new twist

DAD'S ARMY - THE LOST EPISODES
Hackney Theatre

UNTIL 1977 the BBC was not constrained to keep any material unless it was perceived to be of potential overseas sale, and Equity rules prohibited more than one repeat run before a show had to be remade.
As a result, large sections of the BBC’s archives from the 1970s were destroyed.
All of which brings us to Dad’s Army, revived with the full approval and assistance of its originators, Jimmy Perry and David Croft. There are now only two episodes missing from the BBC archive thanks to much trawling around the globe by its devoted fan group. The scripts of these two episodes have now been brought to life for the stage, giving audiences their first chance to see them performed since 1969.
Purists will immediately decry that without the original cast such a thing is sacrilege: not so.
If one sees the characters as being based on real people, then we view Arthur Lowe’s portrayal of Captain Mainwaring just as we see Timothy Kightley’s portrayal of Mainwaring. The same goes for the other characters, who in this instance are perfectly cast. Leslie Grantham was simply born to play Private Walker. The cast have the same tics and mannerisms of the characters without attempting any impersonations of those who first played their parts, which would have been fatal. These are not Dead Ringers, they are spot on. The moment when Mainwaring is ordered to pipe down is especially poignant.
The early 1969 scripts shine with all the wit and timing that Perry and Croft had at their best, and with some lovely twists in plot. There are surprisingly few catchphrases – I counted only one “Stupid boy”, one “We’re doomed”; and several “Don’t panic” moments were barely spoken, simply acted.
As a bonus, the show concludes with episodes that do still exist, newly transformed in a live performance that is a must-see. The finale includes the most misquoted line in comedic history: “Don’t tell him, Pike.”
Run complete

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