Dad's Army is a BBC television sitcom about the antics of a British Home Guard unit during the Second World War in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea. It was written by Jimmy. Perry and David Croft and broadcast on the BBC from 1968 to 1977. The sitcom ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total, and there was also a radio version based on the television scripts as well as a feature film. Royal Mail is marking the 50th anniversary of this enduring and hugely popular sitcom with a set of eight Special Stamps.
Dad’s Army is one of a handful of TV comedies that fully deserves its classic status. The show assisted by his mild-mannered chief clerk, Sergeant Wilson. This motley band of men provide Walmington-on-Sea’s last line of defence against the seemingly imminent Nazi invasion. Drawn from their own wartime memories, writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft never denigrated the patriotism or bravery of the characters but managed to make us laugh at the results of their often haphazard antics. The series was based partly on Perry’s experiences in the Local Defence Volunteers at the age of 17 during the Second World War. His mother didn’t like him being out at night, which inspired the character of Pike.
In its 1970s heyday the show attracted more than 18 million viewers, becoming one of the most.
The eight stamps celebrate the key characters together with their most memorable catchphrases:
2nd Class
Sergeant Wilson - Do you think that’s wise, sir?
2nd Class
Private Pike - I’ll tell Mum!
1st Class
Captain Mainwaring - You Stupid Boy!
1st Class
Lance Corporal Jones - Don’t Panic, Don’t Panic!
£1.45
Private Walker - It won’t cost you much!
£1.45
Private Frazer - We’re doomed....Doomed!
£1.55
Private Godfrey - Do you think I might be excused?
£1.55
Chief Warden Hodges - Put that light out!
