Daily Mirror - 26.08.2019

mirror.co.uk MONDAY 26.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR^11

DM1ST

New Dad’s Army was

just like the real thing

BIRTHDAY Chihuahua

Rescue dog

Taf f y reaches

21 yrs young

TAFFY the chihuahua has
just celebrated his 21st
birthday – and could be
Britain’s oldest dog.
Owners Handsley and
Michelle Townhill said it
was “love at first sight”
when they adopted him,
aged 14, from the Dogs
Trust in Shrewsbury.
And Taffy still enjoys
two walks a day – despite
reaching 147 in dog years.
Handsley, of Winsford,
Cheshire, said: “When we
first met him, he was scared
but he stole our hearts.”
Louise Campbell, from
the Dogs Trust, said: “This
is a fantastic happy ending
for Taffy. He was in need of
an understanding family.”
■ Guinea pig Bear has hit
13 years old, almost twice
her life expectancy, as
owner Edith Rotherham
takes her for beach walks
near her home in Grimsby.

BY STEPHEN WHITE

EXTORTIONATE Popcorn

Popcorn, fuel

and latte are

worst rip-offs

CINEMA popcorn topped
a poll of rip-off items, with
59% of people believing it
is too pricey, followed by
movie drinks and sweets.
Petrol, takeaway coffee
and smartphones were
also on the list.
Those surveyed were fed
up with forking out too
much for branded over-
the-counter medicines,
bottled water and items in
a hotel minibar.
And discount website
vouchercodes.co.uk, which
carried out the survey,
found 40% expect to get
fleeced at service stations.
The site’s Anita Naik
said: “There is a clear
consensus as to which
products we find most
annoying in terms of price.”
„Top 10 Cinema popcorn: 59%. Cinema
sweets etc: 52%. Mini-bar: 37%. Fuel: 26%.
Printer ink: 23%. Smartphones: 22%.
Branded medication: 20%. Tobacco: 17%.
Bottled water: 16%. Takeaway coffee: 15%.

BY DAVID JARVIS

By The Vicar, Frank Williams, 88

for a couple,

and I had to

let them down

gently that I

wasn’t a real

priest. People

often ask me:

“Why are the

episodes still so popular?” I think it is

nostalgia and they capture a time when,

although we were at war, everyone was

pulling together.

And it’s a family show with no bad

language, a few innuendos and slapstick.

Kids love it too. I went to a talk at a

church recently and when I got to the

vicarage a gentleman said: “I want you

to meet your youngest fan.”

It was his three-year-old grand-

daughter and he said: “She prefers Dad’s

Army to Postman Pat.”

I have since found out that so many

children watch the show. It’s lovely.

I think the nicest thing about these

Gold remakes is fans can now slot the

three lost episodes into their Dad’s Army

collections to complete the whole set.

They really do work.

Now, as the vicar himself might

say, “Be quiet, Mr Yeatman” – I

want to watch them again!

Dunn. And I loved Timothy West as

Godfrey. It was a surprise to see the

verger pop up in A Stripe For Frazer

which is aired tonight. It reminded me

he was in the show longer than I was.

I think they have also done a marvel-

lous job recreating the church hall and

Mainwaring’s office.

And it is good they recorded in front

of a live audience like we used to.

I am also pleased Under Fire, which

goes out tomorrow, kept the anti-Nazi

jokes. They are funny. They are jokes

against the Nazis – not anti-German.

That’s an important distinction.

I do find this whole idea that

Dad’s Army is to blame for

Brexit as rather absurd.

It’s no surprise that this show

has followed me through the

years, even though it actu-

ally ended in the 1970s.

I have been mistaken

for a vicar too. I was

once asked to perform

a marriage ceremony

saying the lines. Like when Wilson pulls

faces as Mainwaring is talking to him.

And vice versa.

I couldn’t wait to watch the other two

episodes straight after.

Gold and the cast have done a marvel-

lous job. I am sure fans will love it too.

In fact when I was watching them I

did get a bit carried away and actually

thought I was watching the real thing.

I truly think if they were around to see

it, Croft and Perry would approve. The

new team have done them justice.

They have captured the essence of the

show. It was quite incredible. It was

fascinating how they did it. I even

forgot the episodes were in black

and white when they first aired.

The relationship between Main-

waring and Wilson (Kevin McNally

and Robert Bathurst) was so

accurate. I thought Kevin

Eldon as Jonesy was spot

on. He was just like Clive

SITCOM Frank, right, in show

with Teddy Sinclair as the verger

WHEN I first heard that Gold

were remaking three lost

episodes of Dad’s Army, my

immediate thought was: “Well,

I’m not in these!”

These stories, which were wiped from

the BBC archives in the 1960s, were from

series two and my character didn’t arrive

until series three.

But I will admit, I did think: “This is a

risk.” I was worried fans might not enjoy

seeing a new set of actors playing the

likes of Captain Mainwaring and

Sergeant Wilson, originally portrayed by

Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier.

Having had a small part in the 2016

Dad’s Army film with the likes of Toby

Jones, I thought the actors in the movie

played interpretations of the characters

because the script was not by the show’s

creators David Croft and Jimmy Perry,

who are no longer with us.

However, these remakes are different.

They are original episodes from the

original writers.

I watched The Loneliness of the Long

Distance Walker and immediately

thought they really got the style and

camera angles right.

David often thought the best

moments on film were when he

captured the reactions from the actors

being spoken to – rather than those

ORIGINALS

Left, John Le

Mesurier with

Clive Dunn &

Arthur Lowe

Frank, who played the vicar Timothy Farthing in the original Dad’s

Army sitcom, gives his verdict on last night’s remake of lost episode

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker and two further lost

episodes A Stripe For Frazer and Under Fire which air tonight and

tomorrow on Gold at 8pm. He speaks to Peter Dyke.

They have

captured

the essence

of the show.

It was quite

incredible

FRANK SINGS PRAISES OF

TEAM BEHIND REMAKES

AN ACT

OF WAR

Cast in one

of the Gold

remakes

A GOOD CALL Robert

Bathurst as Sgt Wilson

g

That’s animpo

Ido findt

Dad’s Arm

Brexitasrat

It’s no surp

has followe

years, ev

ally en

Ih

for a

onc

a m

ncredible.It was

y did it. I even

were in black

y first aired.

etween Main-

Kevin McNally

) was so

Kevin

spot

Clive

ON TV: SEE PAGE 33

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