Dad's Army News - December 2001

Compiled by Andy Howells

Make History - Your Help Is Needed!

December 6th 2001

Paul Carpenter of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society has forwarded some important information for all Dad's Army fans which we are pleased to mention at www.dadsarmy.tv

The BBC are to re-record the studio audience soundtrack on the recently discovered Dad's Army episodes 'The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage' & 'Operation Kilt' prior to showing them over the Christmas period, and are giving fans the chance to be participate in this historic recording.

Bratby was a painter , novelist and teacher, born in London. He studied at the Royal College of Art 1951-1954. He won Abbey Minor, Italian Government and Royal College of Art Traveling Scholarships in 1954, he won the Daily Express young artists competition. He taught at Carlisle Art College and the
Royal College of Art 1957-1958. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1956 and gained the Guggenheim award in 1958. He painted over 1500 portraits by 1991.

A retrospective was held at the National Portrait Gallery in 1991.There are several books on the artist. In the 1950's a group
of artists and writers known as "the angry young men" assaulted and helped overcome Victorian traditionalism. Among them was the painter John Bratby, one of the leaders of the so called "Kitchen Sink" school. He was widely acclaimed at the outset of his career after his first solo exhibition at the Beaux Arts Gallery in 1954. He was recognised by the RA as a brilliant painter and was elected ARA in 1959 and RA in 1971.

For further information contact Greg Page-Turner on e-mail at greg@artware.freeserve.co.uk

Dad's Army :The Lost Episodes Broadcast Confirmed!

December 24th 2001

The ultimate Christmas present for Dad's Army fans this year will be the broadcast on 28th December of the two recently returned season 2 episodes "Operation Kilt" and "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage". Both The programmes will form the part of Dad's Army evening on BBC2.

The evening will kick off at 8pm with the broadcast of the much anticipated and previously mentioned on these pages BBC Scotland production "Missing Presumed Wiped" . Directed by Kathryn Ross and produced by May Miller, the programme will go behind the scenes as to how the two episodes were recovered and will include interviews with Jimmy Perry and David Croft amongst others. The programme promises to have some different from usual clips from various Dad's Army episodes, some of which have been suggested by myself!

8.30pm will see the broadcast of "Operation Kilt", the first episode of Season 2 and unseen on British Television since 1969. In this episode the platoon undergo a new style of training. This is followed at 9.00pm by "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage", again, unseen on British Television since 1969, in which the platoon get ready for an invasion alert and attempt to defend Walmington from Godfrey's Cottage.

A repeat of last years documentary presented by Victoria Wood, Don't Panic: The Dad's Army Story closes the proceedings from 9.30pm until 10.20pm.

BBC Wales will be broadcasting the programmes an hour later than scheduled in England.

Sir Nigel Hawthorne

December 26th 2001

Sir Nigel Hawthorne, famous for playing civil servant Sir Humphrey in the BBC TV series "Yes Minister", has died of a heart attack. The 72-year-old had just come out of hospital, where he had been having chemotherapy after fighting pancreatic cancer for almost two years. He died peacefully at home in Hertfordshire with his partner, theatre manager Trevor Bentham, by his side.

Brought up in Cape Town, South Africa, Sir Nigel had spent the first 20 years of his careerin theatre. He only found fame and success as an actor when he was approaching the age of 50. in 1969, he made a cameo appearance in the first colour episode of "Dad's Army" "The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" as the Angry Man, whose bike is commandeered by Captain Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) so Lance-Corporal Jones (Clive Dunn) can return to his shop to get the keys for his van in an air-raid exercise.

Sir Nigel remembered in Bill Pertwee's book "The Story of Dad's Army" his brief association with the series and his friendship with creator Jimmy Perry.

"I remember that we were just about to open The Marie Lloyd Story at Stratford East directed by the legendary Joan Littlewood. The Stage manager told me that another of the actors was unhappy in his dressing room and could he share it with me. Hardly had he sat down than Jimmy Perry began to regale me with stories of his script-writing attempts. One script he told me was being given a second look by the BBC. It was all about the Home Guard, and I remember thinking in my ignorance at the time 'not many laughs here!'! The Rest Is History.

I met Jimmy some years later, when the series had become a much loved favourite, on the platform at Notting Hill Underground. I was very out of work while he was glowing with success.He asked me if I'd like to be in the series. My heart leapt. A regular perhaps! No, just one line. I was the Angry Man in "The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" and said "'ere! that's my bike!" when someone tried to nick it. But at least I was in Dad's Army, and very, very proud to be so."

Sir Nigel hit the big time with former Prime-Minister, Margaret Thatcher's favourite show "Yes Minister", later "Yes Prime Minister", which won him a CBE and a succession of BAFTA's. In 1992 he took the Olivier award for the stage version of "The Madness of King George", the film also winning him a coveted Oscar nomination.

He was awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours List of 1999, the year he played King Lear in the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sir Nigel's agent, Ken McReddie, said the cancer treatment had been going well and the heart attack was unexpected.

"He was a brilliant actor and a wonderful friend. I feel very sad and extremely cut up."