The acting and script are much improved from series 4; Corporal Jones' anecdotes are even more pointless and tiresome (exactly as intended), Private Godfrey's lines are somewhat less predictable (he isn't asking to "be excused" quite so often), and Private Pike is even more gormless than before. The tension between Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson has been raised a notch or three, and looks set to explode at any moment.

Once again the DVD production is let down by poor extras - a small window into the life of John Laurie (Fraser), who certainly sounds like a more interesting man than the time he's given suggests, and a photo gallery containing mostly stills from the episodes in black and white.

But that doesn't detract from the episodes themselves, and the DVD is still worth the money.

A classic running at full steam!
Review date: 2006-03-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

The fifth series is superb. That simple statement cannot be underplayed because the writing, the acting, the pathos (especially between Wilson and Maimwaring), and the comic pacing (i.e. unlike todays comedies they never feel the need to cram every moment with half arse jokes but they also deftly expore a full range of emotions).

My major criticism is of the BBC chiefly because they are so lazy in their presentation. The extra on John Lawrie is very intriguing but it is so short and one gets the impression that it has merely scratched the surface of this interesting man's life and part in Dad's Army. Apart from this small feature there is nothing for a sitcom that in it's heyday (and repeats) was watched regularly by about 20 million viewers. For instance, a commentary for the series would be fabulous I would love to know how Arthur Lowe reacted and performed the scenes with the wig in "Keep Young and Beautiful" but alas this was not to be.

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