O
ver 5 0 years after
audiences first
tuned into the
wartime antics of the
hapless Walmington-
on-Sea Home Guard
in Dad’s Army, three
missing episodes of the
beloved sitcom are being
brought back to life.
Gold’s Dad’s Army:
The Lost Episodes
sees Kevin McNally as
Captain Mainwaring and
Robert Bathurst as
Sgt Wilson as they head
up a new cast using
original scripts to
recreate instalments
that initially aired in 1969
but have since vanished.
Big shoes
‘There were nerves on
the set. But we’re not
treading on the A team’s
performances – we’re
understudies!’ says
Unforgotten star Kevin.
‘You can’t see the
originals any more so
we’re just giving our
loving recreation.’
The episodes, which
also star Mathew Horne
and Timothy West, find
Mainwaring and his
platoon involved in
a variety of scrapes.
‘They have a different
style but they’re just as
funny as 5 0 years ago,’
says Kevin. ‘And I tried
to slip in a “You stupid
boy!” in one episode.’
Kevin was thrilled to
step into the shoes of
the original Captain
Mainwaring, Arthur
Lowe, and play such an
iconic character, and he
experienced an odd but
comforting coincidence.
‘For one scene they
brought out this suit for
me,’ he smiles, ‘and the
last person who’d hired
it was Arthur Lowe for
the Dad’s Army movie
in 19 7 1!’ Q
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E
than’s really been through the
wringer in the past couple of
years, with his brother Cal’s
death, Alicia’s departure and a
Huntington’s disease diagnosis to
come to terms with. It’s no wonder
that last week’s terrorist attack has
tipped him over the edge.
‘He certainly struggles after the
event,’ says George Rainsford, who
plays the doctor. ‘It’s Ethan, so of
course he thinks the way to fix
everything is to throw himself back
into work and help people. Rather
than wallowing in the attack he’s got
something to do – but that means he
is ignoring the underlying issue of
probable PTSD and he doesn’t deal
with what has happened.’
Crossing a line
This week, Ethan becomes more
involved with a patient than he
should when his old university friend,
Theo, arrives at the ED alongside
his grown-up daughter, Effie, who
has been diagnosed with cystic
fibrosis. Theo hopes Ethan might
be able to get her on to a special
clinical trial and, as often happens
with Ethan, he finds himself
getting emotionally involved.
‘He goes out of his way to help
Theo and Effie, which is Ethan’s way
of trying to forget what’s happened
to him,’ says George. ‘But, this being
Casualty, there are various twists
and turns along the way!’
It’s the start of a busy time for
Ethan in the emergency department,
as part of a series that will portray
how the pressures of the modern
NHS take their toll on the staff.
‘A huge workload is being put on
Dylan, who’s running the department;
and Dylan’s putting it on Ethan,
below him,’ says George. ‘There’s a
big storyline coming up about how
everyone is passing on their duties
and struggling under the weight
of their responsibilities. It’s a true
reflection, I suspect, of what it’s
like working for the NHS.’ Q
CASUALTY
Saturday, 9.10pm BBC1 Drama
More at whatsontv.co.uk/casualty
Pushed to
the limit
Ethan’s struggling to cope in the
aftermath of the terrorist attack
Reporting
for duty!
Kevin McNally plays Captain
Mainwaring in a recreation of
missing Dad’s Army episodes
In command...
Kevin takes on
the iconic role
Risky... Ethan’s state
of mind leads to an
emotional decision
Losing control... Dylan is
in charge, but not coping
DAD’S ARMY:
THE LOST
EPISODES
Sunday-Tuesday, 8pm
Gold Comedy
new
Roll call... The new
cast are remaking
three lost episodes