A controversial episode of Dad’s Army spent more than two decades on the BBC’s banned-from-broadcast list. The episode, taken from the beloved British sitcom’s fourth season, was originally transmitted on October 1970 and repeated only once before finally being aired again in November 1992.
Jimmy Perry and David Croft first introduced the world to Dad’s Army in July 1968. Over nine years, the programme followed the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon in World War II, a team of local volunteers who were deemed ineligible for military service.
Whether the exception was granted through age, medical reasons or being in professions exempt from conscription, the militia of men worked with their peers to defend their home town from a potential Nazi invasion. Often, Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson and the likes of Private Pike found themselves embroiled in some bizarre situations.
The series, which has lived on through its memorable catchphrases and eccentric characters, starred the likes of John Laurie and Arnold Riley, as well as BAFTA-winning actor Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier.
Despite being considered one of the BBC’s finest sitcoms, Dad’s Army wasn’t without its controversy. And one episode that initially raised eyebrows was Absent Friends.
Originally transmitted on 30 October 1970, Absent Friends is the sixth episode of Dad’s Army’s fourth series. It saw the platoon taking advantage of Captain Mainwaring’s absence and getting involved in a pub darts match against a group of Air Raid Precautions (ARP) wardens. The plot also involved the team tracking down a suspected member of the Irish Republican Army.
After it was aired in 1970, it was repeated once on the BBC in 1971. However, unlike other episodes, it didn’t make it back on air until 1992.
Presumably due to the controversy the plot caused, the episode’s subsequent radio adaptation - broadcast six years later - saw the IRA suspect being replaced by an escaped convict.
Despite the upset, Dad’s Army went on to launch a film with all the original cast in 1971. Meanwhile, a feature film remake was released in February 2016 starring Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring and Bill Nighy as Sgt. Wilson. In December 2015, We're Doomed, a docudrama chronicling the behind-the-scenes making of the show aired. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.
The late Ian Lavender, who was best known for his role as fictional Home Guard private and junior bank clerk Private Frank Pike, once revealed the two episodes he cherished. According to the star, who died in February last year, Ring Dem Bells and The Deadly Attachment were his all-time favourites.
He also previously expressed how immensely proud he is of the role that made him a household name.
"If you asked me, 'Would you like to be in a sitcom that was watched by 18 million people, was on screen for 10 years, and will create lots of work for you and provide not just for you but for your children for the next 40-odd years'… I'd be a fool to have regrets," he told The Guardian in 2014.
