The story of the greatest British sitcom and its enduring appeal by the acclaimed author of Morecambe & Wise.

In the summer of 1968, BBC1 screened the pilot edition of a situation-comedy about the British Home Guard. It was not widely expected to catch on, but it did. Decades after the final series ended, Dad's Army is still capable of attracting massive audiences whenever and wherever it is repeated and is generally considered to be the finest sitcom this country has ever produced.

Great sitcoms project back into our homes a wryly exaggerated vision of what it is that makes us who we have no choice but to be; when we laugh at Dad's Army we laugh at ourselves. Walmington-on-Sea's community of comic characters was brought to life by a brilliant ensemble of performers who, through a mixture of temperament and design, became more and more like the characters they played.

Arthur Lowe, unforgettable as the pompous Captain Mainwaring, had it written into his contract that he should not be obliged to remove his trousers in any scene, and refused to take his script home to study because 'I'm not having that rubbish in the house', while the urbane John Le Mesurier, who relaxed by listening to jazz at Ronnie Scott's and savouring vintage wines and spirits, exhibited an elective affinity for Sergeant Wilson. The writers, in turn, were inspired to make the characters more like the actors.

In Dad's Army, acclaimed author Graham McCann provides an entertaining and meticulously researched account of the show's history and an insightful analysis of its enduring appeal. With contributions from the people who planned, produced and performed the programme, and material drawn from the BBC archives, Dad's Army is the definitive story of a very British comedy.

First published: Monday 15th October 2001