Dad's Army: Series 4, Episode 13 - Fallen Idol - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)
The platoon go on a course about the use of explosives. However, Mainwaring is lead astray by his fellow officers, in particular Captain Square.
Broadcast details
Date
Friday 18th December 1970
Time
8pm
Channel
Length
30 minutes
Recorded
- Friday 11th December 1970 at BBC Television Centre
Upcoming repeats
Cast & crew
Cast
| Arthur Lowe | Captain Mainwaring |
|---|---|
| John Le Mesurier | Sergeant Wilson |
| Clive Dunn | Lance Corporal Jones |
| John Laurie | Private Frazer |
| Arnold Ridley | Private Godfrey |
| Ian Lavender | Private Pike |
| James Beck | Private Walker |
Guest cast
| Robert Raglan | Captain Pritchard |
|---|---|
| Geoffrey Lumsden | Colonel / Corporal-Colonel / Captain Square |
| Rex Garner | Captain Ashley-Jones |
| Michael Knowles | Captain Reed |
| Anthony Sagar | Sergeant Major |
| Tom Mennard | Mess Orderly |
Writing team
| Jimmy Perry | Writer |
|---|---|
| David Croft | Writer |
Production team
| David Croft | Director |
|---|---|
| David Croft | Producer |
| Bob Rymer | Editor |
| Paul Joel | Production Designer |
| Bud Flanagan | Theme Tune Vocals |
Press
Radio Times review
This nigh-on perfect episode is The Arthur Lowe Show in all but name. A training weekend for the platoon enables Lowe to run through his sublime Mainwarisms: the "throat-clutching choke", the "skewed cap and glasses", and the rare but wonderful "trying desperately not to appear drunk". (Almost as funny is Sergeant Wilson's teddy-bear hiding - an Embarrassment Masterclass from John Le Mesurier.)
It all comes about as a result of Captain "What! What!" Square and a bunch of whisky-swilling officers leading Mainwaring astray, to the scowling disenchantment of Frazer and co. And it takes a genuine crisis to restore him in the eyes of his men...
"Fallen Idol" is delicious to the last drop, when an "Iris Out" homage to the silent era provides the show's best-ever sign-off.
Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 2nd February 2016