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116-423: William Thomson Hay FRAS (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures , is often cited as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the third highest-grossing star in

232-737: A Royal Charter from William IV . In 1846 the RAS absorbed the Spitalfields Mathematical Society , which had been founded in 1717 but was suffering from a decline in membership and dwindling finances. The nineteen remaining members of the mathematical society were given free lifetime membership of the RAS; in exchange, their society's extensive library was donated to the RAS. Between 1835 and 1916 women were not allowed to become fellows, but Anne Sheepshanks , Lady Margaret Lindsay Huggins, Agnes Clerke , Annie Jump Cannon and Williamina Fleming were made honorary members. In 1886 Isis Pogson

348-411: A Scot . Jimmy Perry had produced the original idea, but needed a more experienced partner to see it through, so Mills suggested David Croft and this launched the beginning of their professional association. When an episode was screened to members of the public to gauge audience reaction prior to broadcast of the first series, the majority of the audience thought it was very poor. The production team put

464-413: A satirical approach towards how authority figures are portrayed. This is notable with Hay himself, who often played an incompetent authority figure who struggled not to be found out, but whose idiocy was discovered by those around him. In 2009 a biography of Hay by Graham Rinaldi was published with a foreword by Ken Dodd . Hay never published an autobiography during his lifetime; however, when ill in

580-470: A trade magazine for members, Astronomy & Geophysics . The history of journals published by the RAS (with abbreviations used by the Astrophysics Data System ) is: Full members of the RAS are styled Fellows, and may use the post-nominal letters FRAS . Fellowship is open to anyone over the age of 18 who is considered acceptable to the society. As a result of the society's foundation in

696-541: A "stupid boy". Arthur Lowe twice appeared on the BBC children's programme Blue Peter . The first time, in 1973, was with John Le Mesurier, in which the two appeared in costume and in character as Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson. Together they viewed and discussed a mural painted by schoolchildren, featuring the characters from the show at a Christmas party, among whom was Mainwaring's unseen wife Elizabeth – or rather, what

812-735: A 1933 interview with the Daily Mail he stated "If we were all astronomers, there'd be no more war." He was a friend of William Herbert Steavenson , who would go on to become the President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1957. Just before Hay died, a few items of his equipment were donated to the British Astronomical Association. He also has an asteroid named in his honour - Asteroid 3125 Hay. In 1907 Hay married Gladys Perkins (1889–1982), whom he had known since he

928-890: A bigger reaction from audiences than he did. He had been seeking to break up their partnership in previous years, and it was only due to his film Hey! Hey! USA being somewhat unsuccessful that the writers and producers successfully talked him into bringing Moffatt and Marriott back. Hay left Gainsborough and began working with Ealing Studios in 1940, in an attempt to break up his partnership with Moffatt and Marriott. Claude Hulbert and Charles Hawtrey were Hay's sidekicks in his first film for Ealing, The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941). Both would return to act with Hay in subsequent films - Hawtrey in The Goose Steps Out (1942) and Hulbert in Hay's final film, My Learned Friend (1943). John Mills , who had appeared in Hay's first film, Those Were

1044-742: A clergyman involved in horse betting in Dandy Dick , a fraudster who lies about his career as a distinguished sea captain in Windbag the Sailor , and a prison warden, Dr Benjamin Twist , in Convict 99 , who obtains his job under false pretences. He is often compared to W. C. Fields , who typically portrayed characters similar to those of Hay, being misanthropic, self-centered scoundrels who nevertheless remain sympathetic. Hay had become interested in film making while touring in

1160-515: A colleague of his sister, who was a teaching mistress. The characterisation was initially performed in drag as a schoolmistress, but he transferred the character to a headmaster. The acts in which Hay performed the schoolmaster sketch became known as "The Fourth Form at St. Michael's". Hay toured with the act and appeared in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa (where he added Afrikaans to his languages). His wife, Gladys, often played

1276-537: A different cast was released in 2016. In 2019, UKTV recreated three missing episodes for broadcast in August that year on its Gold channel under the title Dad's Army: The Lost Episodes. It starred Kevin McNally and Robert Bathurst as Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson . Originally intended to be called The Fighting Tigers , Dad's Army was based partly on co-writer and creator Jimmy Perry 's experiences in

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1392-510: A feeling of relief, and we laugh". From 1934 to 1943, he was a prolific film star in Britain and was ranked the third highest grossing star at the British box office in 1938, behind George Formby and Gracie Fields . He is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and influential British comedians of all time. Hay worked with Gainsborough Pictures from 1935 to 1940, during which time he developed

1508-715: A new generation of fans. As of October 2023, the organisation has over 8000 members. The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a memorial bench to Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt in October 2018, in Cliddesden , Hampshire , the filming location for 'Buggleskelly' in Oh, Mr. Porter! . The bench was unveiled by Pete Waterman . The humour of Hay's films has been described as subversive and similar to that of fellow English comedian Frank Randle . His films are often characterised as exhibiting traits of anti-authoritarianism and having

1624-473: A number of his films. Moffatt played Albert, the overweight, insolent schoolboy reminiscent of Billy Bunter, while Marriott was the toothless old Harbottle. The trio appeared in six films together between 1936 and 1940, Windbag the Sailor , Oh, Mr. Porter! , Convict 99 , Old Bones of the River , Ask a Policeman and Where's That Fire? . Hay's 1937 film alongside Moffatt and Marriott, Oh, Mr. Porter!

1740-558: A number of roles in the production. The stage show, billed as Dad's Army—The Musical , was staged in Australia and toured New Zealand in 2004–2005, starring Jon English . Several sections of this stage show were filmed and have subsequently been included as extras on the final Dad's Army DVD. In April 2007, a new stage show was announced with cast members including Leslie Grantham as Private Walker and Emmerdale actor Peter Martin as Captain Mainwaring . The production contained

1856-598: A partnership with Graham Moffatt , playing an insolent overweight schoolboy, and Moore Marriott as a toothless old man. Hay's 1937 film, with Moffatt and Marriott, Oh, Mr. Porter! was credited by The Times as being "a comic masterpiece of the British cinema", while the writer Jimmy Perry cited the film as an influence on key character development for Dad's Army . Hay often portrayed incompetent authority figures who attempt to conceal their incompetence but whose true traits are gradually exposed. As well as being incompetent, his characters are often immoral; for example,

1972-421: A radio series, It Sticks Out Half a Mile , which followed Sergeant Wilson, Private Pike and Warden Hodges's attempts to renovate a pier in the fictional town of Frambourne-on-Sea following the end of the war. It was originally intended to star Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, but Lowe died after recording the pilot episode in 1981. In consequence, Bill Pertwee and Ian Lavender were brought in to replace him. In

2088-497: A record four times each. Baily's eight years in the role are a record (Airy served for seven). Since 1876 no one has served for more than two years in total. The current president is Mike Lockwood, who began his term in May 2024 and will serve for two years. The highest award of the Royal Astronomical Society is its Gold Medal , which can be awarded for any purpose but most frequently recognises extraordinary lifetime achievement. Among

2204-468: A schoolboy or the character Harbottle in his sketches. The Harbottle character was one of the most appreciated in Hay's act, a dim-witted, nearly deaf old man who is still in school because he's so backward. The character later featured in Hay's films portrayed by Moore Marriott . In a 1976 interview, Val Guest , who served as a screenwriter for many of Hay's films, recalled transposing Harbottle from school into other everyday situations. He famously performed

2320-474: A short information film, Go to Blazes alongside Thora Hird and Muriel George . The film was set during the Blitz and his role was a dim-witted father who tried unsuccessfully to defuse a bomb which had landed near his house, the bomb is only defused through the help of his daughter, portrayed by Hird. Also in 1942, he made an appearance in the propaganda film , The Big Blockade among other prolific actors of

2436-536: A speech by Neville Chamberlain .) Bud Flanagan's full version appears as an Easter egg on the first series DVD release and on the authorised soundtrack CD issued by CD41. Arthur Lowe also recorded a full version of the theme. The closing credits feature an instrumental march version of the song played by the Band of the Coldstream Guards conducted by Captain (later Lieutenant Colonel) Trevor L. Sharpe , ending with

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2552-444: A time before there were many professional astronomers, no formal qualifications are required. However, around three quarters of fellows are professional astronomers or geophysicists . Most of the other fellows are postgraduate students studying for a PhD in those fields, but there are also advanced amateur astronomers , historians of science who specialise in those disciplines, and other related professionals. The society acts as

2668-474: A wide angle shot as, armed, they run towards the camera, while bombs explode behind them. As the credits come to an end, the platoon run past the camera and the all clear siren rings, before the screen fades to black. The show's theme tune, " Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler? ", was Jimmy Perry's idea, written especially for the show and intended as a gentle pastiche of wartime songs. The other songs were authentic 1940s music recordings. Perry wrote

2784-509: A work-shy husband who joined the Home Guard in numerous comic sketches during World War II. Perry wrote the first script and sent it to David Croft while working as a minor actor in the Croft-produced sitcom Hugh and I , originally intending the role of the spiv , later called Walker, to be his own. Croft was impressed and sent the script to Michael Mills , the BBC's head of comedy, and

2900-580: Is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War . It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft , and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and

3016-503: Is it because there's something inherently funny in custard pies? Or in faces? Or in throwing things? No, no, and no! The real reason why we laugh is because we are relieved. Because we are released from a sense of fear. Wherever we may happen to be – in the cinema, theatre, or music-hall – we tend to identify with the actors we are watching. So that when a custard pie is thrown we fear for a moment that it has been thrown at us. And then, immediately we realise that it hasn't hit us, we experience

3132-428: Is often considered to be one of the greatest British comedy films of all-time. The British Film Institute included the film in its 360 Classic Feature Films list; Variety magazine described the movie as "amusing, if over-long", noting that there was "no love interest to mar the comedy"; and the cult website TV Cream listed it at number 41 in its list of cinema's Top 100 Films. The director Marcel Varnel considered

3248-700: Is second only to that of the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh in the UK. The RAS library is a major resource not just for the society but also the wider community of astronomers, geophysicists, and historians. The society promotes astronomy to members of the general public through its outreach pages for students, teachers, the public and media researchers. The RAS has an advisory role in relation to UK public examinations , such as GCSEs and A Levels . The RAS sponsors topical groups, many of them in interdisciplinary areas where

3364-449: Is shown as they walk across a smoke-filled battlefield. One of the actors in Dad's Army , John Laurie, also appeared in that film, and his performance in the end credits of The Way Ahead appears to be copied in the sitcom. Coincidentally, the film's lead character (played by David Niven ) is named Lieutenant Jim Perry. Following this sequence, the end credits roll, and the platoon is shown in

3480-462: Is still shown internationally. The Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, either because of age (hence the title Dad's Army ), medical reasons or by being in professions exempt from conscription . Most of the platoon members in Dad's Army are over military age and the series stars several older British actors, including Arnold Ridley , John Laurie , Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier . Younger members of

3596-681: The Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society . The RAS is the UK adhering organisation to the International Astronomical Union and a member of the UK Science Council . The society was founded in 1820 as the Astronomical Society of London to support astronomical research. At that time, most members were ' gentleman astronomers ' rather than professionals. It became the Royal Astronomical Society in 1831 on receiving

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3712-681: The Harold Jeffreys Lectureship in geophysics , the George Darwin Lectureship in astronomy , and the Gerald Whitrow Lectureship in cosmology . Each year, the society grants a handful of free memberships for life (termed honorary fellowship) to prominent researchers resident outside the UK. The society occupies premises at Burlington House , London, where a library and meeting rooms are available to fellows and other interested parties. The society represents

3828-474: The air-raid warning siren sounding all-clear. It is accompanied by a style of credits that became a trademark of David Croft: the caption "You have been watching", followed by vignettes of the main cast. The series also contains genuine wartime and period songs between scenes, usually brief quotations that have some reference to the theme of the episode or the scene. Many appear on the CD soundtrack issued by CD41, being

3944-519: The professional body for astronomers and geophysicists in the UK and fellows may apply for the Science Council's Chartered Scientist status through the society. The fellowship passed 3,000 in 2003. In 2009 an initiative was launched for those with an interest in astronomy and geophysics but without professional qualifications or specialist knowledge in the subject. Such people may join the Friends of

4060-635: The royal family and many military notables. This was at a private function at the Life Guards barracks in Windsor . It was not publicised in the newspapers due to security concerns. Hay's character during his radio series was called Dr Muffin, a name chosen so that the students could mock him with the name "Old Crumpet". In June 1932 he joined the British Astronomical Association , in November of

4176-483: The scientific journals Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society , Geophysical Journal International and RAS Techniques and Instruments , along with the trade magazine Astronomy & Geophysics . The RAS maintains an astronomy research library , engages in public outreach and advises the UK government on astronomy education. The society recognises achievement in astronomy and geophysics by issuing annual awards and prizes, with its highest award being

4292-525: The verger of the local church (St Aldhelm's) or by Captain Square and the neighbouring Eastgate Home Guard platoon. The group, however, does have some encounters related to the enemy, such as downed German planes, a Luftwaffe pilot who parachutes into the town's clock tower, a U-boat crew and discarded parachutes that may have been German; a Viennese ornithologist appears in " Man Hunt " and an IRA suspect appears in " Absent Friends ". The humour ranges from

4408-421: The " Fuzzy-Wuzzies ". Mainwaring's catchphrase to Pike is "You stupid boy", which he uses in many episodes. Other cast members used catchphrases, including Sergeant Wilson, who regularly asked, "Do you think that's wise, sir?" when Captain Mainwaring made a suggestion. The early series occasionally included darker humour, reflecting that, especially early in the war, the Home Guard was woefully under-equipped but

4524-420: The "Fuzzy Wuzzies" ( Hadendoa ), and was the model for Lance Corporal Jones . Other influences included the work of comedians such as Will Hay , whose film Oh, Mr Porter! featured a pompous ass, an old man and a young man; together, this gave Perry the ideas for Mainwaring, Godfrey and Pike. Film historian Jeffrey Richards has cited Lancastrian comedian Robb Wilton as a key influence; Wilton portrayed

4640-511: The "Monty on the Bonty" sketch, with Lowe as Captain Bligh and the others as crewmen on HMS  Bounty . Lowe, Le Mesurier and Laurie again made a cameo appearance as their Dad's Army characters in the 1977 Morecambe & Wise Christmas Special. While Elton John is following incomprehensible instructions to find the BBC studios, he encounters them in a steam room. On leaving, Mainwaring calls him

4756-611: The 1940s, he had begun writing one, entitled I Enjoyed Every Minute . Excerpts from this unpublished autobiography were included in the 2009 book. Roy Hudd defined Hay as the "supreme master" of sketch comedy . Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society The society holds monthly scientific meetings in London, and the annual National Astronomy Meeting at varying locations in the British Isles . The RAS publishes

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4872-458: The 1980s and 1990s and on television on the BBC Saturday night entertainment show Noel's House Party on 27 November 1993. During its original television run, Dad's Army was nominated for multiple British Academy Television Awards , although only won "Best Light Entertainment Programme" in 1971. It was nominated as " Best Situation Comedy " in 1973, 1974 and 1975. In addition, Arthur Lowe

4988-505: The 25 greatest put-downs on TV. A 2001 Channel 4 poll ranked Captain Mainwaring 21st on its list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters . In 2004, Dad's Army came fourth in a BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom . It was placed 13th in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes , drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, and voted for by industry professionals. A second feature film of Dad's Army with

5104-550: The DVD release Dad's Army: The Missing Episodes , with a specially filmed introduction by Ian Lavender. Dad's Army was less affected than most from the wiping of videotape , but three second-series episodes remain missing: episode nine " The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker ", episode eleven " A Stripe for Frazer " and episode 12 "Under Fire" . (All three missing episodes were among those remade for BBC Radio with most of

5220-534: The Days returned to act as his sidekick in The Black Sheep of Whitehall . The Goose Steps Out (1942) for Ealing was an effective piece of anti- Nazi slapstick . In the film, Hay acts as a British spy posing as a Nazi agent and teaches Nazi students about British customs. When lecturing them on this topic, he tells the students that the V sign (often used in Britain as an insult) is a mark of respect, and instructs

5336-643: The Local Defence Volunteers (LDV, later known as the Home Guard ) and highlighted a somewhat forgotten aspect of defence during the Second World War. Perry was only 16 when he joined the 10th Hertfordshire Battalion. His mother did not like him being out at night, and feared he might catch a cold; he partly resembled the character of Private Pike . An elderly lance corporal in the 10th Hertfordshire often referred to fighting under Kitchener against

5452-634: The Narkover vein of humour in the work of Daily Express columnist, Beachcomber . Hay's film was widely seen as subversive towards authority, and it was granted an 'A' (adult) certificate by the British Board of Film Classification . Boys Will Be Boys is widely regarded as Hay's break-out film. Writing for The Spectator , Graham Greene described the film as "very amusing", and Hay's portrayal of Dr. Smart as "competent", though Green thought Claude Dampier 's portrayal of Second Master Finch (Hay's adversary)

5568-516: The Orchestra of the Band of the Coldstream Guards . The version played over the opening credits differs slightly from the full version recorded by Flanagan; an edit removes, for timing reasons, two lines of lyric with the "middle eight" tune: "So watch out Mr Hitler, you have met your match in us/If you think you can crush us, we're afraid you've missed the bus." (The latter lyric is a reference to

5684-600: The RAS, which offers popular talks, visits and social events. The Society organises an extensive programme of meetings: The biggest RAS meeting each year is the National Astronomy Meeting , a major conference of professional astronomers. It is held over 4–5 days each spring or early summer, usually at a university campus in the United Kingdom. Hundreds of astronomers attend each year. More frequent smaller 'highlight' meetings feature lectures about research topics in astronomy and geophysics, often given by winners of

5800-707: The UK. Many comedians have acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer. Hay was born at 23 Durham Street in Stockton-on-Tees , County Durham . He was one of two sons and three daughters of William Robert Hay (1859–1920) and his wife, Elizabeth (1859–1910) (née Ebden). When Will Hay Jr. was less than a year old the family moved to Lowestoft in Suffolk . By his late teens, Hay had become fluent in Italian, French and German and secured employment as an interpreter. Hay decided to become an actor when he

5916-480: The United Kingdom, often in collaboration with other scientific societies and universities. The Royal Astronomical Society has a more comprehensive collection of books and journals in astronomy and geophysics than the libraries of most universities and research institutions. The library receives some 300 current periodicals in astronomy and geophysics and contains more than 10,000 books from popular level to conference proceedings. Its collection of astronomical rare books

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6032-407: The United States in the 1920s, although, at the time he doubted he had a future in this field. Having returned to Britain, Hay started work at Elstree Studios in 1934 where he made three films, Those Were the Days , Radio Parade of 1935 and Dandy Dick . Hay's work at Gainsborough was his most successful, and source of his reputation as a great comic actor. During this period he became one of

6148-653: The Vicar and Jimmy Perry as General Haverlock-Seabag. A pilot episode for an American remake called The Rear Guard , adapted for American viewers by Arthur Julian , was produced by the ABC and broadcast on 10 August 1976, based on the Dad's Army episode " The Deadly Attachment ". Set in Long Island , the pilot starred Cliff Norton as Captain Rosatti, Lou Jacobi as Sergeant Raskin and Eddie Foy Jr. as Lance Corporal Wagner. The pilot

6264-523: The adaptation, while wartime BBC announcer John Snagge set the scene for each episode. Different actors were used for some of the minor parts: for example Mollie Sugden played the role of Mrs Fox , and Pearl Hackney played Mrs Pike. The first episode was based on the revised version of events seen in the opening of the film version, rather than on the television pilot. The series ran for three series and 67 episodes from 1974-76. The entire radio series has been released on CD. Knowles and Snoad developed

6380-477: The beach at North Landing, Flamborough Head , Yorkshire and at nearby Bridlington . It opened in February 2016 to mainly negative reviews. In 1975, Dad's Army transferred to the stage as a revue, with songs, familiar scenes from the show and individual "turns" for cast members. It was created by Roger Redfarn, who shared the same agent as the series' writers. Most of the principal cast transferred with it, with

6496-667: The cast included Ian Lavender , Clive Dunn (who, despite being one of the younger cast members, played the oldest guardsman, Lance Corporal Jones ) and James Beck (who died suddenly during production of the sixth series in 1973). Other regular cast members included Frank Williams as the vicar, Edward Sinclair as the verger, and Bill Pertwee as the chief ARP warden. Following the death of Lavender in 2024, there are now no surviving principal cast members. The series has influenced British popular culture , with its catchphrases and characters being widely known. The Radio Times magazine listed Captain Mainwaring 's "You stupid boy!" among

6612-501: The children thought she looked like (Mainwaring remarks "Good grief. What a remarkable likeness!"). Arthur Lowe made a second appearance as Captain Mainwaring on Blue Peter with the Dad's Army van , which would appear in the forthcoming London-Brighton run, and showed presenter John Noakes the vehicle's hidden anti-Nazi defences. Later that year, Lowe, Le Mesurier, Dunn, Lavender and Pertwee, along with Jones's van , appeared in character at

6728-529: The class swot D'arcy Minor, and Billy Nicholls playing the dumb Beckett. The series lasted for four months and was cancelled, it is said, due to Hay's dispute with the BBC over the quality of the scripts. Just before Christmas, the show went live at the Victoria Palace for six weeks. The sketch was performed one more time at a gathering of variety entertainers at midnight on 4 May 1945 (4 days before VE Day ) before

6844-402: The class to make a synchronised V sign to a portrait of Adolf Hitler . This scene is often considered one of the most iconic from a British comedy film . During Hay's tenure with Ealing he was credited as a director in three of his films, The Black Sheep of Whitehall , The Goose Steps Out and My Learned Friend . In all three, he co-directed with Basil Dearden . In 1942, he starred in

6960-471: The end of us, but we're ready for that, aren't we, men?" says Mainwaring. "Of course," replies Frazer. Other actors who appeared in small roles include Timothy Carlton , Don Estelle , Nigel Hawthorne , Geoffrey Hughes , Neville Hughes , Michael Knowles , John Ringham , Fulton Mackay , Jean Gilpin , Anthony Sagar , Anthony Sharp , Carmen Silvera and Barbara Windsor . Larry Martyn appeared as an unnamed private in four episodes, and later took over

7076-539: The episodes " A Stripe for Frazer ", " The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker ", " Room at the Bottom " and " The Deadly Attachment ". In August 2017, a new two-man stage show titled, Dad's Army Radio Hour , opened at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe It starred David Benson and Jack Lane. Between them, the pair voiced the entire cast of Dad's Army , including incidental characters. The episodes adapted from

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7192-586: The event the revised cast recorded a 13-episode series. John Le Mesurier died in November 1983, making another series impossible. The last radio recording of Dad's Army occurred in 1995, when Jimmy Perry wrote a radio sketch entitled The Boy Who Saved England for the "Full Steam A-Hudd" evening broadcast on BBC Radio 2 , transmitted on 3 June 1995 on the occasion of the closure of the BBC's Paris studios in Lower Regent Street. It featured Ian Lavender as Pike, Bill Pertwee as Hodges, Frank Williams as

7308-552: The exception of John Laurie, who was replaced by Hamish Roughead. Following James Beck's death two years earlier, Walker was played by John Bardon . Dad's Army: A Nostalgic Music and Laughter Show of Britain's Finest Hour opened at Billingham in Teesside on 4 September 1975 for a two-week tryout. After cuts and revisions, the show transferred to London's West End and opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 2 October 1975. On

7424-515: The film as among his best work, and it was described in 2006, by The Times in its obituary for writer Val Guest , as "a comic masterpiece of the British cinema". Jimmy Perry , in his autobiography, wrote that the triumvirate of Captain Mainwaring , Corporal Jones and Private Pike in Dad's Army was inspired by watching Oh, Mr Porter . Both Moffatt and Marriott were absent from Hay's 1938 film, Hey! Hey! USA with American comedy actor Edgar Kennedy being cast as Hay's sidekick instead;

7540-573: The film was a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to crack the American market. In his Gainsborough films, Hay wore a wig, which made it appear as if he was balding. Hay decided to break up the partnership with Moffatt and Marriott after their 1940 film Where's That Fire? due to his concern that their act was becoming repetitive. He was known to dislike working with the pair, describing their partnership as "a three legged stool". He had also expressed concern that Moore Marriott , who portrayed Harbottle, received

7656-563: The film, the cast returned to working on the fourth television series. The film's UK première was on 12 March 1971 at the Columbia Theatre, London. Critical reviews were mixed, but it performed well at the UK box-office. Discussions were held about a possible sequel, to be called Dad's Army and the Secret U-Boat Base , but the project never came to fruition. A second film, written by Hamish McColl and directed by Oliver Parker ,

7772-428: The final episode does not return to 1968. Later episodes are largely self-contained, albeit referring to previous events and with additional character development. As the comedy in many ways relies on the platoon's lack of participation in the Second World War, opposition to their activities must come from another quarter, and this is generally provided by Chief Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Warden Hodges, and sometimes by

7888-489: The finish of the 1974 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run . The cast appeared in a 1974 public information film , in character but set in the modern day, in which the platoon demonstrated how to cross the road safely at Pelican crossings . Lowe and Le Mesurier made a final appearance as their Dad's Army characters for a 1982 television commercial advertising Wispa chocolate bars. Clive Dunn made occasional appearances as Lance Corporal Jones at 1940s themed events in

8004-572: The first five women to be elected to Fellowship. One of the major activities of the RAS is publishing refereed journals. It publishes three primary research journals: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society for topics in astronomy; Geophysical Journal International for topics in geophysics (in association with the Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft ); and RAS Techniques & Instruments for research methods in those disciplines. The society also publishes

8120-675: The following year, when he had plans to become a film producer but, in 1947, his friend Marcel Varnel , who had directed many of Hay's films, died in a car accident, and Hay postponed his plans. He made his last public appearance on Good Friday (15 April) 1949. Hay died at the age of 60 on 18 April 1949 after suffering a stroke at his flat in Chelsea, London . His body was buried in Streatham Park Cemetery in London. Those who were present at Hay's final appearance described him as showing no sign of illness, and said he had discussed his plans for

8236-558: The frontline in the event of a German invasion across the English Channel . The first series has a loose narrative thread, with Captain Mainwaring's platoon being formed and equipped, initially with wooden guns and LDV armbands, later on with full army uniforms; the platoon is part of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment . The first episode, " The Man and the Hour ", begins with a scene set in

8352-458: The future. Comedians who have cited Hay as an influence include Ken Dodd , Eric Morecambe , Tommy Cooper , Harry Worth , Harry Enfield , Jimmy Perry and David Croft . Ronnie Barker also cited Hay as an influence, and in 1976 hosted a documentary on BBC Radio that discussed Hay's life and career. 'The Will Hay Appreciation Society' was founded in 2009 by British artist Tom Marshall and aims to preserve Hay's legacy and bring his work to

8468-425: The grounds that they were offensive. The replacement titles featured the animated sequence of swastika -headed arrows approaching Britain. Originally in black and white, the opening titles were updated twice; firstly in series three, adding colour and improved animation, and once again in series six, which made further improvements to the animation. There were two different versions of the closing credits used in

8584-468: The group is jointly sponsored by another learned society or professional body: The first person to hold the title of President of the Royal Astronomical Society was William Herschel , though he never chaired a meeting, and since then the post has been held by many distinguished astronomers. The post has generally had a term of office of two years, but some holders resigned after one year e.g. due to poor health. Francis Baily and George Airy were elected

8700-572: The initial casting announcements as Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson , with Bernard Cribbins portraying Private Godfrey . The full cast was announced in January 2019, with McNally, Bathurst and Cribbins joined by Kevin Eldon , Mathew Horne , David Hayman and Tom Rosenthal . However, Bernard Cribbins subsequently withdrew from the project, and was replaced as Godfrey by Timothy West . In common with many British sitcoms of that era, Dad's Army

8816-468: The interests of astronomy and geophysics to UK national and regional, and European government and related bodies, and maintains a press office, through which it keeps the media and the public at large informed of developments in these sciences. The society allocates grants to worthy causes in astronomy and geophysics, and assists in the management of the Paneth Trust . Dad%27s Army Dad's Army

8932-421: The lyrics and composed the music with Derek Taverner. Perry persuaded one of his childhood idols, wartime entertainer Bud Flanagan , to sing the theme for 100  guineas (equivalent to £2,400 in 2023). Flanagan died less than a year after the recording. At the time it was widely believed to be a wartime song. The music over the opening credits was recorded at Riverside Studios, Flanagan being accompanied by

9048-470: The missing episode "A Stripe for Frazer" and the 1968 Christmas Night with the Stars segment "Present Arms" were recovered. The soundtrack of "A Stripe for Frazer" has been mixed with animation to replace the missing images. The audio soundtrack for the "Cornish Floral Dance" sketch, from the 1970 episode of Christmas Night with the Stars , has also been recovered. In 2018, UKTV announced plans to recreate

9164-473: The most prolific film stars in Britain. On three occasions, British film exhibitors voted him among the top ten box office stars in an annual poll run by the Motion Picture Herald. He was ranked 8th in 1936, 4th in 1937 and 3rd in 1938. His first film for the studio was Boys Will Be Boys , whose screenplay was written by Hay himself. The movie's satire on the public school system was loosely based on

9280-405: The official DVD releases in this form. This episode has benefited from colour recovery technology, using a buried colour signal (chroma dots) in the black-and-white film print to restore the episode to colour and was transmitted on 13 December 2008 on BBC Two. The newly restored colour version of "Room at the Bottom" was eventually made commercially available in 2023, when it appeared as an extra on

9396-550: The opening night there was a surprise appearance by Chesney Allen , singing the old Flanagan and Allen song Hometown with Arthur Lowe. The show ran in the West End until 21 February 1976, disrupted twice by bomb scares and then toured the country until 4 September 1976. Clive Dunn was replaced for half the tour by Jack Haig (David Croft's original first choice for the role of Corporal Jones on television). Jeffrey Holland , who went on to star in several later Croft sitcoms, also had

9512-404: The original cast, adapted from the original TV scripts. Audio recordings of all three were included as bonus features on The Complete Series DVD Collection .) Two further series two episodes, " Operation Kilt " and " The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage ", were thought lost until 2001. Two of the three missing episodes have since been performed as part of the latest stage show. In 2008, soundtracks of

9628-689: The original radio scripts were " The Deadly Attachment ", " The Day the Balloon Went Up ", " Brain Versus Brawn ", " My British Buddy ", " Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel " and " Mum's Army ". The production featured three episodes not adapted for the radio series " When You've Got to Go ", " My Brother and I " and " Never Too Old ". The show was well received by critics and the David Croft estate for its respectful and uncanny performances. In 2019,

9744-417: The original screenplay. This was expanded by Cohen to try to make it more cinematic; Columbia executives made more changes to plot and pacing. As finally realised, two-thirds of the film consists of the creation of the platoon; this was the contribution of Perry and Croft, and differs in a number of ways from the formation of the platoon as seen in the first series of the television version. The final third shows

9860-423: The part of Walker in the radio series following the death of James Beck. The former cricketer Fred Trueman appeared in " The Test ". The show's opening titles were originally intended to feature footage of refugees and Nazi troops , to illustrate the threat faced by the Home Guard. Despite opposition from the BBC's head of comedy Michael Mills, Paul Fox, the controller of BBC1 , ordered that these be removed on

9976-423: The platoon in action, rescuing hostages from the church hall where they had been held captive by the crewmen of a downed German aircraft. Neither the cast nor Perry and Croft were happy with the result. Perry argued for changes to try to reproduce the style of the television series, but with mixed results. Filming took place from 10 August to 25 September 1970 at Shepperton Studios and on location. After shooting

10092-440: The production changed its name to Dad's Army Radio Show and continued to tour nationally throughout the UK until the end of 2021. The majority of the television scripts were adapted for BBC Radio 4 with the original cast, although other actors played Walker after James Beck's death (which took place soon after recording and before transmission of the first radio series). Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles were responsible for

10208-750: The recipients best known to the general public are Albert Einstein in 1926, and Stephen Hawking in 1985. Other awards are for particular topics in astronomy or geophysics research, which include the Eddington Medal , the Herschel Medal , the Chapman Medal and the Price Medal . Beyond research, there are specific awards for school teaching (Patrick Moore Medal), public outreach (Annie Maunder Medal), instrumentation ( Jackson-Gwilt Medal ) and history of science (Agnes Mary Clerke Medal). Lectureships include

10324-571: The report containing the negative comments at the bottom of David Croft's in-tray. He only saw it several months later, after the series had been broadcast and received a positive response. The series is set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea , located on the south coast of England, not far from Eastbourne . The exterior scenes were mostly filmed in and around the Stanford Training Area (STANTA) , near Thetford , Norfolk . Walmington, and its Home Guard platoon, would be on

10440-490: The same day as each highlight meeting. These are aimed at professional scientists in a particular research field, and allow several speakers to present new results or reviews of scientific fields. Usually two discussion meetings on different topics (one in astronomy and one in geophysics) take place simultaneously at different locations within Burlington House, prior to the day's highlight meeting. They are free for members of

10556-413: The same versions used in the series. The television programme lasted nine series and was broadcast over nine years, with 80 episodes in total, including three Christmas specials and an hour-long special. At its peak, the programme regularly gained audiences of 18.5 million. There were also four short specials broadcast as part of Christmas Night with the Stars in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972; one of which

10672-570: The same year he became a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society . He is noted for having discovered a Great White Spot on the planet Saturn in 1933. Hay kept his career in astronomy separate from his comedy career and published Through My Telescope under the name of W.T. Hay , using the same title when giving lectures on astronomy. Hay was an advocate for education on astronomy and considered those who had an interest in astronomy "the only men who see life in its true proportion". In

10788-414: The schoolmaster routine at the 1925 Royal Command Performance before King George V and Queen Mary . Hay published a magazine piece entitled Philosophy of Laughter , in which he discussed the psychology of comedy. In the essay he rhetorically asks, "Why does every one of us laugh at seeing somebody else slapped in the face with a large piece of cold custard pie? Is it because we're all naturally cruel? Or

10904-559: The series was commissioned. In his book Dad's Army: The Story of a Classic Television Show , Graham McCann explains that the show owes much to Michael Mills. It was he who renamed the show Dad's Army . He did not like Brightsea-on-Sea, so the location was changed to Walmington-on-Sea . He was happy with the names for the characters Mainwaring, Godfrey and Pike , but not with other names, and he made suggestions: Private Jim Duck became James Frazer , Joe Fish became Joe Walker and Jim Jones became Jack Jones. He also suggested adding

11020-430: The show. The first version, used in series one and two, simply showed footage of the main cast superimposed over a still photograph, with the crew credits rolling over a black background. The better-known closing credits, introduced in series three, were a homage to the end credits of The Way Ahead (1944), a film which had covered the training of a platoon during the Second World War . In both instances, each character

11136-551: The society's awards . They are normally held in Burlington House in London on the afternoon of the second Friday of each month from October to May. The talks are intended to be accessible to a broad audience of astronomers and geophysicists, and are free for anyone to attend (not just members of the society). Formal reports of the meetings are published in The Observatory magazine. Specialist discussion meetings are held on

11252-552: The society, but charge a small entry fee for non-members. The RAS holds a regular programme of public lectures aimed at a general, non-specialist, audience. These are mostly held on Tuesdays once a month, with the same talk given twice: once at lunchtime and once in the early evening. The venues have varied, but are usually in Burlington House or another nearby location in central London. The lectures are free, though some popular sessions require booking in advance. The society occasionally hosts or sponsors meetings in other parts of

11368-438: The subtle (especially the class -reversed relationship between grammar school-educated Mainwaring, the local bank manager, and public school-educated Wilson, his deputy at the bank) to the slapstick (the antics of the elderly Jones being a prime example). Jones had several catchphrases , including "Don't panic!" (while panicking himself), "They don't like it up 'em!", "Permission to speak, sir?", "Handy-hock!" and his tales about

11484-481: The then-present day of 1968, in which Mainwaring addresses his old platoon as part of the contemporary '" I'm Backing Britain " campaign. The prologue opening was a condition imposed after initial concerns from Paul Fox , the BBC1 controller, that it belittled the efforts of the Home Guard. After Mainwaring relates how he had backed Britain in 1940, the episode proper begins; Dad's Army is thus told in flashback , although

11600-402: The three missing episodes for broadcast on its Gold channel. Mercury Productions, the company responsible for Saluting Dad's Army , Gold's 50th anniversary tribute series, produced the episodes, which were directed by Ben Kellett. The recreations were broadcast in August 2019, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of their original broadcast by the BBC. Kevin McNally and Robert Bathurst were

11716-548: The time, including Leslie Banks , John Mills and Michael Redgrave . His final film, My Learned Friend in 1943 has been described as a masterpiece of black comedy and has been cited as paving the way for the future Ealing comedy films Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) and The Ladykillers (1955). Due to ailing health, My Learned Friend was Hay's final film. Hay was scheduled to star in another film for Ealing in 1943, Bob's Your Uncle , but his diagnosis of cancer prevented him from proceeding. Hay's tenure with Ealing

11832-421: Was 15. They legally separated on 18 November 1935. However, they never divorced and Gladys cited the reason for this was that she was a Roman Catholic. They had two daughters and a son: Gladys Elspeth Hay (1909–1979), William Edward Hay (1913–1995) and Joan Athol Hay (1917–1975). Following his separation from Gladys in 1935, he was in a long-term relationship with Randi Kopstadt, a native of Norway. Off-screen, Hay

11948-661: Was 21 after watching W. C. Fields perform a juggling act in Manchester . In the early years of the twentieth century Hay experienced some moderate success as a stand-up comedian and an after-dinner speaker. Hay's first professional job came when he was offered a contract to perform at a theatre in Belper . In 1914 Hay began working with the impresario Fred Karno who had previously helped Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin achieve success. He worked with Karno for four years. He first performed his schoolmaster character in 1910 which he based upon

12064-473: Was a box office success and his films were critically acclaimed, but have been described as not at the level of his Gainsborough films with Moffatt and Marriott. The half-hour weekly Will Hay Programme began in August 1944, and was broadcast live from the BBC Paris Theatre in Lower Regent Street. With him in his schoolmaster role, were his pupils, Charles Hawtrey playing the cheeky Smart, John Clark as

12180-481: Was a passionate aviator, and gave flying lessons to Amy Johnson . In 1946 while on holiday, Hay suffered a stroke which left the right side of his body crippled and also affected his speech. He was told by his doctors that he would in all likelihood only make a partial recovery. Following his stroke, he spent time in South Africa on the advice of his doctors, because of the climate. His health had improved slightly by

12296-482: Was also restaged as part of the Royal Variety Performance 1975. The first two series were recorded and screened in black-and-white, while series three to nine were recorded and screened in colour. Even so, one episode in series three, " Room at the Bottom ", formerly survived only as a 16mm black-and-white film telerecording, made for overseas sales to countries not yet broadcasting in colour; and remains on

12412-450: Was always wrapped in a blanket at certain hours and had his tea, and we all stopped talking while he was having his tea, and then we went on shooting. I don't remember him saying anything memorable, nothing I could remember at all. He was very funny when you saw him on the screen, but in life all those people are very, very strange." He was known to be a hypochondriac , and would often complain of illness to his colleagues when working. Hay

12528-448: Was considered a failure, so the original tapes were wiped . However, director Hal Cooper kept a copy of the pilot, which was returned to several collectors in 1998. Though further storylines were planned, the series failed to make it past the pilot stage. Lowe, Le Mesurier, Laurie, Beck, Ridley and Lavender (wearing Pike's signature scarf) appeared as guests in the 22 April 1971 edition of The Morecambe & Wise Show on BBC2 in

12644-405: Was described as being something of an eccentric, and a very serious and private man, and some thought he may have had a dark side due to his demeanour. Peter Ustinov , who made his film debut in The Goose Steps Out as a straight man to Hay, said in a 1990 interview when asked about working with him "Well, Will Hay wasn't very funny but I found that very few comics are"; he also said "And Will Hay

12760-496: Was erected in the Norfolk town of Thetford where most of the exteriors for the TV series were filmed. The statue features Captain Mainwaring sitting to attention on a simple bench in Home Guard uniform, with his swagger stick across his knees. The statue is mounted at the end of a winding brick pathway with a Union Flag patterned arrowhead to reflect the opening credits of the TV series and

12876-426: Was frequently nominated for "Best Light Entertainment Performance" in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1978. In 2000, the show was voted 13th in a British Film Institute poll of industry professionals of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes . In 2004, championed by Phill Jupitus , it came fourth in the BBC poll to find Britain's Best Sitcom with 174,138 votes. In June 2010, a statue of Captain Mainwaring

12992-495: Was released in 2016. The cast included Toby Jones as Captain Mainwaring, Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson, Tom Courtenay as Lance Corporal Jones, Michael Gambon as Private Godfrey, Blake Harrison as Private Pike, Daniel Mays as Private Walker and Bill Paterson as Private Frazer. Catherine Zeta-Jones , Sarah Lancashire and Mark Gatiss also featured. The film was primarily shot on location in Yorkshire. Filming took place on

13108-487: Was spun-off as a feature film which was released in 1971. Backers Columbia Pictures imposed arbitrary changes, such as recasting Liz Fraser as Mavis Pike and filming locations in Chalfont St Giles , Buckinghamshire , rather than Thetford in Norfolk , which made the cast unhappy. The director, Norman Cohen , whose idea it was to make the film, was nearly sacked by the studio. Jimmy Perry and David Croft wrote

13224-513: Was still willing to resist the Wehrmacht . For instance, in the episode " The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage ", the platoon believes the enemy has invaded Britain. Mainwaring, Godfrey, Frazer and Jones (along with Godfrey's sisters, who are completely unaware of the invasion) decide to stay at the cottage to delay the German advance, buying the regular army time to arrive with reinforcements; "It'll probably be

13340-507: Was the film's "finest performance". Many years later, the Radio Times Guide to Films gave Boys Will Be Boys three stars out of five, observing that the film contains "the blend of bluster and dishonesty that makes his films irresistible". During his time with Gainsborough Hay worked with Marcel Varnel , Val Guest , Charles Hawtrey , and Marriott Edgar , as well as Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt , who were Hay's straight men in

13456-541: Was the first woman to attempt election as a fellow of the RAS, being nominated (unsuccessfully) by her father and two other fellows. All fellows had been male up to this time and her nomination was withdrawn when lawyers claimed that under the provisions of the society's royal charter, fellows were only referred to as he and as such had to be men. A Supplemental Charter in 1915 opened up fellowship to women. On 14 January 1916, Mary Adela Blagg , Ella K Church, A Grace Cook , Irene Elizabeth Toye Warner and Fiammetta Wilson were

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