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''Dad's Army'' is a BBC television sitcom about the British Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on the BBC television from 1968 to 1977. The sitcom ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio version based on the television scripts, a feature film and a stage show. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still repeated worldwide. The Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, either because of age (hence the nickname "Dad's Army") or by being in professions exempt from conscription. ''Dad's Army'' deals almost exclusively with over age men, and featured older British actors, including Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Arnold Ridley and John Laurie. Younger members in the cast included Ian Lavender, Clive Dunn (who played the oldest guardsmen, Lance Corporal Jones), Frank Williams, James Beck (who died suddenly during production of the programme's sixth series in 1973), and air raid warden Bill Pertwee. In 2004, ''Dad's Army'' was voted fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom. It had been placed 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 and voted for by industry professionals.〔(British Film Institute TV100 ) URL accessed 4 June 2006〕 The series has influenced popular culture in the United Kingdom, with the series' catchphrases and characters being well known. It highlighted a forgotten aspect of defence during the Second World War, although it greatly distorted the true history and function of the Home Guard. The ''Radio Times'' magazine listed Captain Mainwaring's "You stupid boy!" among the 25 greatest put-downs on TV. In 2014 it was announced that Bill Nighy, Sir Michael Gambon, Toby Jones and Sir Tom Courtenay are among the stars who will appear in a big-screen remake, set to be released in 2016. == Origins == Originally intended to be called ''The Fighting Tigers'', ''Dad's Army'' was based partly on co-writer and creator Jimmy Perry's experiences in the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV, later known as the Home Guard). Perry was only 17 years old when he joined the 10th Hertfordshire Battalion. His mother did not like him being out at night and feared he might catch cold; he partly resembled the character of Frank Pike. An elderly lance corporal in the outfit often referred to fighting under Kitchener against the "Fuzzy Wuzzies" (Hadendoa) and was the model for Corporal Jones. Other influences included the work of comedians such as Will Hay whose film ''Oh, Mr Porter!'' featured a pompous ass, an old man and a young man which gave him Mainwaring, Godfrey and Pike. Another influence was the Lancastrian comedian Robb Wilton, who portrayed a work-shy husband who joined the Home Guard in numerous comic sketches during WW2. Perry wrote the first script and gave it to David Croft while working as a minor actor in the Croft-produced sitcom ''Hugh and I'', originally intending the role of the spiv, later called Walker, to be his own.〔 Croft was impressed and sent the script to Michael Mills, the BBC's Head of Comedy. After addressing initial concerns that the programme was making fun of the efforts of the Home Guard, the series was commissioned. In his book ''Dad's Army'', Graham McCann explained that the show owes much to Michael Mills. It was he who renamed the show ''Dad's Army''. He did not like Brightsea-on-Sea so the location was changed to Walmington-on-Sea. He was happy with the names for the characters Mainwaring, Godfrey and Pike but not with other names and he made suggestions: Private Jim Duck became Frazer, Joe Fish became Joe Walker and Jim Jones became Jack Jones. He also suggested adding a Scot. Jimmy Perry had produced the original idea but needed an experienced man to see it through. Mills suggested David Croft and so their partnership began. When an episode was shown to members of the public, to gauge audience reaction prior to broadcast of the first series, the majority of the audience thought it was very poor. The production team put the report containing the negative comments at the bottom of David Croft's in-tray. He only saw it several months later, after the series had been broadcast and had received great acclamation.〔''Last Word'', BBC Radio 4, 30 September 2011 – in an obituary for David Croft, quoted by Jimmy Perry.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dad's Army」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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