Product Description

When we laugh at Dad's Army we laugh at ourselves, and more than 30 years after it was first broadcast, millions of us are still laughing - whenever and wherever it is repeated. With contributions from the people who planned, produced and performed the programme, and material drawn from the BBC archives, acclaimed author Graham McCann has written was should prove to be the definitive story of a very British comedy. This is the story of a classic British sit-com and its enduring appeal.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #155734 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
'A hugely entertaining read.' Daily Telegraph 'A splendid new "biography" of the comedy.' Observer 'I knew I would enjoy Graham McCann's book because he started exactly where I would have started: with the best joke a British sitcom has yet devised.' Roland White, Sunday Times 'Excellent. All but essential.' Omer Ali, Time Out 'More than a showbiz yarn. McCann's engaging book pays homage to the great catchlines ("They don't like it up 'em") and the great punchlines ("Don't tell him, Pike!").' Jonathan Sale, Independent 'Irresistible.' John Dugdale, Literary Review

The Times
'Plenty of insight, particularly how much each actor resembled his character.'

The Times
'McCann's hugely entertaining book is one to relish.'

Customer Reviews

Absolutely fabulous!
I was too young to watch Dad's Army the first time round,but I've been an avid fan of the repeats,and I've been waiting for a book as good as this to appear.It covers all the ground - the evolution of the show itself,the spin-off film,stage show and radio adaptations,the BBC scuffles,the relationships within the cast - and it draws on fresh interviews with the surviving figures associated with this wonderful sitcom.The author's research is incredibly thorough,and he writes really beautifully with a dry wit that sgt Wilson would have appreciated.If you want to know about the show,the era and the achievement,this,without doubt,is the book to get.

Awfully good!
This book about the tv show explains how Jimmy Perry first thought up the idea of a sitcom about the Home Guard,and how he came to collaborate with director David Croft and the BBC to create one of the most effective and endearing tv programmes of the past 30 years.The author has clearly double-checked all of his facts(unlike the other writers who've produced books on this topic)and talked to all of the right people.I loved it.

A TRIUMPH
I got hold of a copy of this book as soon as it came out, d the author's previous efforts on Cary Gant and Morecambe and Wise.I wasn't disappointed.He researches his books so diligently,and writes so well and so intelligently,they are a pleasure to read as well as a uniquely entertaining education.This latest book tells the riveting story of how a bright idea evolved into a classic television show.It captures an entire era in popular entertainment,and makes you love the show even more than you did before.As books on TV go,this,to borrow a phrase from the author,is a class apart.