Latest news with #DadsArmy
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Iconic sitcom Dad's Army RETURNS with huge stars for BBC's VE Day celebration as fans praise the 'amazing' cast and call for TV reboot
The iconic wartime sitcom Dad's Army was given a surprise reboot on Thursday, as the BBC marked the 80th Anniversary of VE Day with a star-studded concert. The famous comedy originally aired on BBC from 1968 to 1977, and focused on a group of soldiers from the United Kingdom's Home Guard during World War Two. A whole new cast of names who played the famous soldiers for a one-off sketch, including Iain Glen, Dylan Llewellyn, Nigel Havers, Jim Howick, Kevin Eldon, Daniel Mays and David Bradley. The concert, which took place at London's Horseguards Parade, is the last of many events this week to mark the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, which was the day the Second World War finally came to an end in Europe in 1945. And the specially-written sketch went down a storm with viewers, with one even calling for a permanent TV revival of Dad's Army. Posts on X included: 'This Dad's Army segment is amazing. If you close your eyes you would think it was the original cast;' 'Absolutely brilliant! Bring back Dad's Army with this cast!' 'Close my eyes and you'd think you were watching the original actors on Dad's Army;' 'Dad's Army is brilliant! Perfectly cast and they should really get them together for a new TV show;' However, some fans were less impressed, with posts including: 'Good Lord. That Dad's Army skit was dreadful;' 'Be better of putting on a 1972 episode of Dad's Army. Charles isn't impressed #veday80.' The comedy, which featured the misadventures of a Home Guard platoon in the fictional Walmington-on-Sea on the south coast of England, ran from 1968 to 1977 with 80 episodes produced. It featured Ian Lavender as hapless Private Pike, Clive Dunn, who played Lance Corporal Jones, and Arthur Lowe as Captain George Mainwaring. Sadly the last of the surviving Dad's Army stars, Ian, passed away in February this year aged 77. And the specially-written sketch went down a storm with viewers, with one even calling for a permanent TV revival of Dad's Army However, some viewers were less impressed, with one suggesting they should have re-aired a scene from a classic Dad's Army episode The news of the actor's death was announced on the Dad's Army's official social media account as they paid tribute. Lavender was cast in the classic comedy series at the age of 22 in 1968. Shortly before his death the actor revealed he would take his cast members' secrets to the grave. He said how the show's iconic cast were so close they shared secrets with each other that they 'never told their wives'. Ian admitted that he once promised co-star John Laurie (who played Private James Frazer) that he would never divulge the secrets they shared. Lavender told the We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast: 'I talked with John [Laurie] for so many hours. He said, "There are things I've told you I've never told my wife, or my daughter. You must promise me you must never tell anybody yourself".' He went on to gush about his fellow co-stars and recalled filming as 'great fun' 10 weeks every year with 'wonderful people who became great friends'. Lavender also revealed that the cast were shocked with the show's success after the first series originally failed to find an audience. The post announcing his death read: 'We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of the wonderful, Ian Lavender. In what truly marks the end of an era, Ian was the last surviving member of the Dad's Army main cast.' Elsewhere, Their Majesties, King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, smiled as they made an appearance for an evening of music, along with Prince Edward, 61, and his wife Sophie, 60. The mother-of-three stunned in an all-white ensemble, rewearing an effortlessly elegant Cream Tailored Bouclé and Chiffon Midi Dress by Self-Portrait. The artists included the cast of World War II musical Operation Mincemeat, West End legend Samantha Barks - offering her powerful rendition of We'll Meet Again - Fleur East, Calum Scott, John Newman, Toploader and Tom Walker. Elsewhere, Brian Cox - celebrated for his role in Succession - delivered a moving re-enactment of Winston Churchill's iconic wartime speech. On May 8, 1945 the nation celebrated Victory in Europe (VE) Day with church bells ringing out across the country and people gathering to revel in the end of hostilities, with crowds gathering outside Buckingham Palace calling for King George VI. e until August 15 that year.
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Dad's Army reboot for very special reason as fans divided despite 'amazing' cast
As the country celebrated the 80th anniversary of VE Day, viewers sat down for a special concert on BBC. Alongside a number of musical performances, including Fleur East with Strictly Come Dancing, there was several heartbreaking stories from veterans and war survivors. However, through the tears came joy as viewers praised a special reboot of wartime classic sitcom, Dad's Army. The one-off included a star-studded cast of Kevin Eldon, Iain Glen, Nigel Havers, Sir Derek Jacobi, Larry Lamb, Alex Macqueen and Daniel Mays." The performance was met with delight, with Twitter /X users sharing their praise on the social media platform. One user wrote: "This Dads Army segment is amazing. If you close your eyes you would think it was the original cast. #VEDay80" Another gushed: "That Dad's Army skit was brilliant #VEDay80," with a third adding: "#VEDay80 Dad's Army is brilliant! Perfectly cast and they should really get them together for a new tv show." A fourth echoed the comments, saying: "dad's army sketch was hilarious! @JimHowick you were brilliant, so so so funny." However, among the praise were some negative responses. One user complained: "Be better of putting on a 1972 episode of Dad's Army. Charles isn't impressed #veday80" And another complained over the original script: "They should've renacted one of the popular Dad's Army scenes. That didn't flow very well. #VEDay80" Earlier in the proceedings, King Charles echoed his grandfather King George VI as he delivered his historic speech. The King heralded the 'service and sacrifice of the wartime generation' in a speech, echoing the words of his late grandfather, King George VI. In his own historic address to the nation, the monarch said 'while our greatest debt is owed to all those who paid the ultimate price, we should never forget how the war changed the lives of virtually everyone'. As war rages once more in Europe and the Middle East, Charles said it was our duty to 'rededicate ourselves not only to the cause of freedom but to renewing global commitments to restoring a just peace where there is war, to diplomacy, and to the prevention of conflict.' Repeating the words of 'our great wartime leader', Prime Minister Winston Churchill, he said: 'Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war.'
