Dad's Army

[Robert]

 

From 1974 to 1976, the popular BBC sitcom Dad's Army was adapted into a radio series that ran for 67 episodes. The radio show was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and featured most of the original television cast, bringing the comedy to a new format.

 

• Writers: Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles adapted the original television scripts by Jimmy Perry and David Croft for the radio format. Knowles was also an actor who made appearances in the television series.
• Recording: The radio episodes were recorded in mono, with early recordings taking place at the Playhouse Theatre and later ones at the Paris Studios in London. The cast did not wear their costumes while recording.
• Episodes: The 67 radio episodes were mostly based on the television versions, though some were considered too visual to translate to audio and were omitted.
  • The first radio episode, "The Man and the Hour," was based on the opening sequence of the 1971 Dad's Army film, rather than the original TV pilot.
  • One notable episode was "Present Arms," a 60-minute Christmas special that combined elements from two TV episodes.

Most of the main cast members reprised their roles for the radio version.  

• Original actors: Arthur Lowe (Captain Mainwaring), John Le Mesurier (Sergeant Wilson), Clive Dunn (Lance-Corporal Jones), John Laurie (Private Frazer), Arnold Ridley (Private Godfrey), and Ian Lavender (Private Pike) all returned for the radio series.
• Private Walker: After James Beck, who played Private Walker on television, died in 1973, other actors took over the radio role. Graham Stark and Larry Martyn both portrayed Walker during the radio series.
• Supporting cast: Some of the minor parts were recast for radio. For example, Mollie Sugden played Mrs. Fox, and Pearl Hackney played Mrs. Pike.
• Announcer: A new element was added for the radio format: wartime BBC announcer John Snagge would set the scene for each episode.

S01E01 – The Man And The Hour

S01E02 – Museum Piece

S01E03 – Command Decision

S01E04 – The Enemy Within The Gates

S01E05 – The Battle Of Godfreys Cottage

S01E06 – The Armoured Might Of Lance Corporal Jones

S01E07 – Sergeant Wilsons Little Secret

S01E08 – A Stripe For Frazer

S01E09 – Operation Kilt

S01E10 – Battle School

S01E11 – Under Fire

S01E12 – Something Nasty In The Vault

S01E13 – The Showing Up Of Corporal Jones

S01E14 – The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Walker

S01E15 – Sorry Wrong Number

S01E16 – The Bullet Is Not For Firing

S01E17 – Room At The Bottom

S01E18 – The Menace From The Deep

S01E19 – No Spring For Frazer

S01E20 – Sons Of The Sea

S01E21 – Present Arms (60 Minute Christmas Special)

S02E01 – Dont Forget The Diver

S02E02 – If The Cap Fits

S02E03 – Put That Light Out

S02E04 – Boots, Boots, Boots

S02E05 – Sergeant Save My Boy!

S02E06 – Branded

S02E07 – Uninvited Guests

S02E08 – A Brush With The Law

S02E09 – A Soldiers Farewell

S02E10 – Brain Versus Brawn

S02E11 – War Dance

S02E12 – Mums Army

S02E13 – Getting The Bird

S02E14 – Dont Fence Me In

S02E15 – The King Was In His Counting House

S02E16 – When Did You Last See Your Money

S02E17 – Fallen Idol

S02E18 – A.Wilson (Manager)

S02E19 – All Is Safely Gathered In

S02E20 – The Day The Balloon Went Up

S03E01 – A Man Of Action

S03E02 – The Honourable Man

S03E03 – The Godiva Affair

S03E04 – Keep Young And Beautiful

S03E05 – Absent Friends

S03E06 – Round And Round Went The Great Big Wheel

S03E07 – The Great White Hunter

S03E08 – The Deadly Attachment

S03E09 – Things That Go Bump In The Night

S03E10 – My British Buddy

S03E11 – Big Guns

S03E12 – The Big Parade

S03E13 – Asleep In The Deep

S03E14 – We Know Our Onions

S03E15 – The Royal Train

S03E16 – A Question Of Reference

S03E17 – High Finance

S03E18 – The Recruit

S03E19 – A Jumbo Sized Problem

S03E20 – The Cricket Match

S03E21 – Time On My Hands

S03E22 – Turkey Dinner

S03E23 – The Captains Car

S03E24 – The Two And A Half Feathers

S03E25 – Is There Honey Still For Tea

S03E26 – Ten Seconds From Now