‘Dad’s Army’ is set to make a television comeback – 50 years after it ended.
The well-loved sitcom, which originally ran from 1968 until 1977, is being revived next year as TV bosses at Gold attempt to remake three lost episodes – ‘The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Walker’, ‘Stripe For Frazer’ and ‘Under Fire’ – using the original scripts penned by Jimmy Perry and David Croft.
Gold boss Pete Thornton told the Daily Star newspaper: "We’ve been working on this project for several years and will be respecting the genius of the original series. If ever there was a time to ‘stick to the script’ then this is it."
Producers are currently on the hunt for a stellar cast for the remake and reportedly have their eye on Sir David Jason to play Captain Mainwaring, Hugh Laurie as Sgt Arthur Wilson and EastEnders’ Danny Dyer as Private Joe Walker.
Pete, head of scripting at UKTV, added: "The Lost Episodes are currently being cast, with an extensive hunt on to find the perfect candidates to take on the daunting task of bringing these much-loved comedy characters to life once more."
Bosses are also reportedly keen to get original cast member Ian Lavender – who played Private Frank Pike – on board for the new episodes, which will be filmed in front of a live studio audience at the beginning of 2019.
‘Dad’s Army’ – which starred the likes of Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Arnold Ridley and John Laurie – was based on the hapless exploits of an elderly British Home Guard during the Second World War.
It ran for nine series – racking up 80 episodes in total – and regularly brought in audiences of more than 18 million viewers.
There was also a radio version based on the television scripts, a feature film and a stage show. The television programme is still aired around the world now.
Dad’s Army to make TV comeback?
