The BEST episodes of Dad's Army
Every episode of Dad's Army ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Dad's Army!
Introducing the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, a bunch of hapless old and young men who have kept people all over the world very amused since the 1960s. Writers Jimmy Perry and David Croft made each episode of Dad's Army as funny as the previous one, with an element of humour which has survived decades. It has many of the most memorable catchphrases of any sitcom and due to its public embracing, is one of the most repeated shows in television history. The BBC keeps an episode on queue in case of a fault at Television Centre and it even successfully invaded the big screen with a memorable, well-loved Dad's Army feature film made by Columbia Pictures.
#1 - Mum's Army
Season 4 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/20/1970
Capt. Mainwaring decides to enlist women to the platoon to assist with the war effort. After initial interviews go rather less than satisfactory, a Mrs. Fiona Grey walks into his office and into his life. Mainwaring is flattered that Fiona not only has similar views to him about the war, but also is complementary about his persona. He finds himself falling in love. Unfortunately the men very quickly realise and start to gossip behind his back and Fiona decides to leave, but can Mainwaring get to the station in time to stop her?
#2 - All is Safely Gathered In
Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/24/1972
Godfrey asks for a holiday from the platoon in order to help an old girlfriend who runs a farm to bring in the harvest. Recognising it as vital to the war effort, Mainwaring assigns the whole platoon to help.
#3 - Battle School
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/1969
The platoon travels to a secret location to be trained at a battle school. After a long train journey and a march in which they get hopelessly lost, they arrive late and end up missing two meals and the third is virtually inedible. Starving and tired the platoon tackles the assault course in which they try their best to get back at Mainwaring for getting them lost. The platoon then has to capture the 'enemy's camp' held by Capt. Rodrigues and his men. This task looks impossible but can Mainwaring save the day and win back the respect of his troops? Meanwhile Walker tries to raid the nearby farm to get food for his starving comrades.
#4 - The Showing Up of Corporal Jones
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/28/1968
Just when the platoon finally gets its uniforms, LCpl. Jones is told that unless he can complete the assault course in 15 minutes he will have to leave, so Mainwaring and the rest of the platoon think of a plan to help him.
#5 - Shooting Pains
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 9/11/1968
When news that the Prime Minister is to pay a visit to the area a shooting contest is held to see which of the local platoons will form the Guard of Honour. Walker gets a crack shot from the theatre touring show (Barbara Windsor) to take part as a member of the platoon but a surprise is in store for everybody.
#6 - Something Nasty in the Vault
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/9/1969
The bank takes a direct hit during an air raid, but the bomb fails to explode, leaving Mainwaring and Wilson stuck in the vault with it. When the bomb disposal officer leaves to collect the right tools, the platoon members take matters into their own hands.
#7 - Room at the Bottom
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/16/1969
Capt. Mainwaring is found not to have held the King's Commission so he is reduced to the ranks and Sgt. Wilson takes over command of the platoon. After a disastrous war game against the Eastgate Platoon, his men ask the Colonel for him to be reinstated.
#8 - Sons of the Sea
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/11/1969
Capt. Mainwaring has the idea of small armed patrols to wreak havoc upon the enemy using a small re-processed boat the bank has acquired. After a practice on the river they get lost in the fog, and thinking they have drifted across the channel and are about to be captured by the Germans, they are in for a shock when they find out where they really are.
#9 - When Did You Last See Your Money?
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/1/1972
When Jones arrives at the bank to deposit £500 from local shopkeepers for the servicemen's canteen, he realises his packet contains half a pound of sausages instead of the money.
#10 - The Deadly Attachment
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/31/1973
The platoon finally gets to grips with the enemy when it has to guard some Nazi submariners. But the Germans turn the tables on Mainwaring and try to escape, resulting in Jones ending up with a grenade down his trousers.
#11 - The Honourable Man
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/28/1973
When a relative of Sgt. Wilson dies, he inherits his title. Then, when a Russian factory worker visits the town to boost Anglo-Russian relations, Mainwaring is asked to present the key to the town - until the mayor hears about Wilson's title, and asks Mainwaring to step down.
#12 - The Recruit
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/12/1973
Capt. Mainwaring has gone into hospital for an operation on ingrowing toenails. Meanwhile Wilson as acting CO has asked the vicar and the verger to join the platoon to make up the numbers. Note: This is the first episode not to feature James Beck as Pte. Joe Walker, although Beck is still included in the closing credits.
#13 - The Man and the Hour
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/31/1968
After listening to a radio broadcast asking for men to form what has been named Local Defence Volunteers (later to be renamed the Home Guard), George Mainwaring, a local bank manager, decides to act and form the platoon of his own accord. He appoints himself as Captain and recruits his chief bank clerk Arthur Wilson as the platoon sergeant as well as enlisting the bank's office boy Frank Pike. Several of the local tradesmen - including James Frazer, a philatelist shopkeeper; retired shop worker Charles Godfrey; Jack Jones the butcher and black market businessman Joe Walker - also volunteer their service for 'King and Country.' And so, The Walmington-on-Sea LDV is born.
#14 - A Brush with the Law
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/15/1972
When the light is left on in the church hall, Chief Warden Hodges suspects that Mainwaring is the culprit and takes him to court. The verger knows what happened, but Hodges will not let him tell the truth.
#15 - The Bullet is Not for Firing
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/2/1969
When a low-flying German aircraft attacks Warmington-on-Sea, the platoon, under the command of LCpl. Jones, fires at the aircraft and uses up all its ammunition. Mainwaring is furious and orders an investigation.
#16 - Museum Piece
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 8/7/1968
With the shortage of weapons, Capt. Mainwaring goes to the local museum to see if any of the guns on display can be used by the platoon.
#17 - Command Decision
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 8/14/1968
Capt. Mainwaring, worried about the lack of weapons, gets a visit from Col. Square, an old soldier who offers to donate some guns from his collection, providing he can take command of the platoon. Mainwaring agrees until he sees the state of the guns.
#18 - Big Guns
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/23/1969
The platoon is given a heavy naval artillery piece but the town's bandstand, a rare example of Victorian ironwork, stands in its field of fire. The town council insists it must be preserved but Mainwaring reasons that a demonstration of the gun's capabilities will quiet any protests.
#19 - The Day the Balloon Went Up
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/30/1969
The platoon captures a runaway barrage balloon, and while trying to secure it, Capt. Mainwaring is carried aloft.
#20 - War Dance
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/6/1969
The platoon holds a dance where Pike is going to announce his engagement to a local girl. Sgt. Wilson tries to get him to change his mind but Pike will not be put off.
#21 - Menace from the Deep
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/13/1969
The platoon is assigned guard duty on an isolated, disused pier for a week. However, thanks to Pike's poor judgement over how to moor the boat, they end up stranded with no contact with the mainland and no food. Attempts at Morse code only prompt Hodges to pursue the platoon to get them to 'Put that light out!' and he ends up stranded himself. If that wasn't enough, Jones spots a stray mine under the pier, but does Hodges have a solution that'll 'bowl them over'?
#22 - Things That Go Bump in the Night
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/5/1973
The platoon gets lost on a wild and stormy night and has to take shelter in an old and deserted house that is used for training tracking dogs. When Pike gets his uniform wet he changes it for an old German uniform, but when the dogs get loose, they chase Pike and the platoon across the fields. Note: Last regular appearance of James Beck as Pte. Joe Walker. Walker only appears in the external scenes as Beck was taken ill shortly before the studio scenes were recorded.
#23 - The Captain's Car
Season 7 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/13/1974
Lady Maltby offers her Rolls Royce to Capt. Mainwaring for use as his staff car. After the car has been disguised with camouflage paint, it has to be repainted black, because the mayor's car has run out of petrol, and there's no official car to greet a visiting VIP.
#24 - Turkey Dinner
Season 7 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/20/1974
After the platoon accidentally shoots a turkey, attempts are made to return it to the local farmer, but he will not accept it so the men come up with the idea of providing a dinner for the local OAPs.
#25 - When You've Got to Go
Season 8 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/12/1975
Pike finally gets his call up papers and is to join the RAF, but when his blood donation to the Red Cross is checked it is found to be from a rare group and he is designated exempt from military service. Then he has to find a way to break the news to the platoon.