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One
of the few surviving members of the cast of Dad's Army
has written his autobiography. Frank
Williams was the vicar in the famous comedy, which still
attracts audiences of over 9 million, constantly at odds
with Captain Mainwaring and his Home Guard platoon over
their misuse of his church hall.
Dad's
Army ran for nine series and more than 80 episodes,
with the vicar, and his lugubrious sidekick the verger (played
by Edward Sinclair), becoming more prominent characters
in each.
Not
surprisingly, Frank Williams' book is packed with marvelous
behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Dad's Army, as well
as intimate portraits of the cast members, including Arthur
Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Arnold Ridley and John Laurie. Particularly
affecting are the author's reminiscences of the cast's days
in Thetford, Norfolk - the scene of most of Dad's Army's
location filming.
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As the
book records, the author was already a well-established
character actor in the early days of television drama, and
his reputation as a comedy actor was assured by his role
as Captain Pocket in The Army Game.
The
character of a vicar came easily to him, given his lifelong
commitment to the Church of England. Some time after the
end of Dad's Army, Frank was persuaded to stand for
election to the General Synod, and was even a member of
the Crown Appointments Commission for five years.
He continued
to find himself playing clerics on the stage and TV, his
ecclesiastical rank apparently increasing with his age.
Now in his seventies, Frank Williams still performs in pantomime
and - inspired by the fact that some of the Dad's Army
cast were over 70 when the series began - remains open to
the possibility that 'there is still something new out
there waiting for me'.
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