The BBC did remake Secret Army. They called it 'Allo 'Allo.... As a kid I remember that first episode of Allo Allo followed in the same slot as secret army the week after the much more dramatic series ended. The comparison was quite shocking and I remained shocked right up to the point my mind was distracted by the sight of helge in her suspenders! I'm off to see dad as army tomorrow...will report back
It's receiving lukewarm reviews in the press and from the influential Mark Kermode on Radio 5Live. The general view seems to be that an excellent cast is let down by a poor script. Michael Gambon as Godfrey gets the best notices.
I will await your appraisal. Not getting good reviews by the critics but often the viewing public disagree.
I might try and get to see it over the weekend. Maybe the best hope will be that it makes enough profit to make a decent prequel or two...
Ok. Was it any good? It's a hard question to answer as the original series and film were not the most accurate representations of history and tended to farcical situations. It was therefore reasonably accurate to the series. However it broke from the norm as it was set in 44 and the squad had sadly deminished to only the core characters. Wilson. Pike. Fraisure, Jones, maInwaring, Godfrey and walker. Of these Toby Jones and micheal Gambon are well suited to match the original cast. It also features mainwerings wife! and a cast of women as ATFS and other towns folk. But found these too be sketchily portrayed except possibly Mrs pike. There are quite a few funny moments and numerous double entendre to keep the script rolling. Locations were well chosen to portray the period look and the CGI where used just about acceptable if not entirely believable. In tradition, the plot line was simplistic and will gloss over the military inconsistencies and other plot holes Overall it's an 6/10 score from me....its.the sort of film that you would expect to watch on BBC2 over christmass.
by 1944 wouldnt Pike have been old enough to have been called up ? Explained that he had flat feet. Also was there not an episode when Pike was drafted to the RAF but was rejected on health grounds
Aged 17 when the series begins, he is not old enough to join the army, although presumably he has reached, or is nearing, his 18th birthday when he is about to receive call-up papers in When You've Got to Go; in the event, it is revealed that he has a rare blood type that excludes him from military service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_Pike
As well as Pike being called up it would be a major surprise if Godfrey had not joined the great regiment in the sky given his age and health. Some of the scenes were shot (sorry) locally and as I have a wife with a sharp eye and an inquisitive mind I need to await the release of the DVD so every time I get a kick and the question "where is that being filmed now" I can rewind and play the bit again so we can discuss. Brian
Watched in on the plane to USA a few weeks ago. Had a few giggles watching it. Not the best film ever made but helped pass the time on the flight , it was better than I thought it was going to be. Youngest son liked it so much he watched it on the way home too.
Went back to my "Bible" on the original series, namely "Dad's Army" by Bill Pertwee and see that you can still get a used copy for as little as £1.97 on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dads-Army-Bill-Pertwee/dp/1844861058 I still have my pristine hard back copy which has never let me down when I want to check up on a particular episode. Ron