Five, four

Continuing my countdown of the Top Ten TV shows ever made.

5: Dad’s Army

I have come to the conclusion that Dwayne is a witch. Or possibly a warlock. How else can you explain his uncanny ability to predict that Dad’s Army would make an appearance in my Top Ten TV list? I suggest we burn him at the stake immediately.

Few Americans have even heard of Dad’s Army. Yet most have had regular exposure to Benny Hill and Are You Being Served. For this reason alone I am surprised we have not yet been the subject of a US retaliatory strike. Although I suppose you did send us America’s Next Top Model (which as far as I’m aware is actually against the Geneva Convention)

In a nutshell, Dad’s Arm follows the exploits of a group of Home Guard, a volunteer force in the Second World War who were either too old or too young for enlistment in the regular army, but undertook training in order to assist in repelling invasion (which at times was an extremely real threat).

The show, made in the 1970’s, the very definition of an ensemble comedy. Its wonderful characters are still beloved by the nation thirty years after the last program was made. Captain Mainwaring, Sergeant Wilson, Lance-Corporal Jones, and Privates Walker, Pike, Frazer and Godfrey. Each one was fantastically drawn and masterfully portrayed by a cast of A-list veteran actors.

Dad’s Army is real Sunday teatime viewing. Gentle and innocent without the bite of more modern comedy. But that doesn’t make it any less funny. At times it has made me laugh so hard that I was in physical pain. There is no greater compliment than that.

While searching on the youtube for a decent clip to put up I came accross this spoof which made me chuckle.

4: Jeeves and Wooster

If this list was Top Ten Books rather than Top Ten TV Shows then I can guarantee that a PG Wodehouse novel would be in slots one through to nine (with the number ten position going to Christopher Brookmyre’s Country of the Blind). Wodehouse was simply a comic genius, and Jeeves and Wooster were amongst his finest creations.

Of course the transfer to television of any book is problematic, and the TV version of Jeeves and Wooster only captures about half of the sheer joy of Wodehouse’s work. The thing that’s missing is Wodehouse’s sparkling prose. Hints of it emerge in dialog and the character names (Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps and Gussie Fink-Nottle to name but two), but you really do have to read the books to get the full effect. The fact that the TV still reaches number four in my list just testifies to the overwhelming wonderfulness of the original source material.

But as much as I’m tempted, I must resist turning this into a seven thousand word essay on the genius of PG Wodehouse. I am supposed to be talking about the telly.

The show itself could not have been better cast. America may have just discovered Hugh Laurie, but we had him first. At the time he appeared born to play the role of Bertie Wooster, but now with the advent of House we realise he was just born to play any role at all. Stephen Fry, who is possibly the most beloved man in England these days, was also magnificent as Jeeves.

The production values were very high as well. The shows are often an amalgamation of two or three Wodehouse short stories but have been joined together almost seamlessly. And, unlike in Poirot, the producers avoid ramming art deco sets and locations down the viewers throat at every single opportunity.

You can get all four seasons of Jeeves and Wooster from Amazon for just £22.97. At that price you’d be a jolly fool not to. Pip pip and tinkerty tonk.

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