Dad's Army: Series 4, Episode 6 - Absent Friends - British Comedy Guide (original) (raw)
Mainwaring is shocked to find that in his absence most of the platoon have not turned up for parade and are instead playing darts with the ARP Wardens. Things get worse when Mainwaring is called upon to help with the arrest of a member of the IRA.
Broadcast details
Date
Friday 30th October 1970
Time
8pm
Channel
Length
30 minutes
Recorded
- Friday 7th August 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 |
| Bill Pertwee | Chief A.R.P. Warden Hodges |
| Edward Sinclair | The Verger |
| Janet Davies | Mrs Pike |
Guest cast
| Verne Morgan | Landlord |
|---|---|
| J.G. Devlin | Regan |
| Arthur English | Policeman |
| Patrick Connor | Shamus |
| Michael Lomax | 2nd ARP Warden |
Writing team
| Jimmy Perry | Writer |
|---|---|
| David Croft | Writer |
Production team
| David Croft | Director |
|---|---|
| David Croft | Producer |
| Paul Joel | Production Designer |
| Bud Flanagan | Theme Tune Vocals |
Press
Radio Times review
BBC sensitivity was such that for years we were deprived of this triumphant episode. It was off our screens for 42 years until 2012, its IRA subplot deemed too controversial. But the Irish question is very much an aside to an instalment so packed with gags, misunderstandings and drama that it fairly takes the breath away.
Contrasting phone manner offers a lot of initial fun: Wilson's hilariously fey "Hullo?"; a submissive Mainwaring deafened by his wife's receiver slamming. Soon the platoon teeters on the brink of mutiny (over a pub darts match, but there is real acrimony), Jones comes to regret his under-the-counter offer to the captain and Hodges muscles in on Mavis Pike. Is Wilson too much the gentleman to intervene?
You'll laugh, you'll be tense, you'll worry about 74-year-old Arnold Ridley getting roughed up by a burly henchman.
Mark Braxton, Radio Times, 30th November 2015