TotalTelly.co.uk

Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV

Dad's Army : Complete BBC Series 8 [2007]


RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £4.47 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Dad’s Army is the popular BBC comedy series set in the fictional south coast seaside town of Walmington-On-Sea during World War 2. Alternating moments of gentle character comedy with broad slapstick, it recounts the misadventures of the local voluntary defence force (or 'Home Guard') consisting of men too old or 'unfit' for military service. They are led by the pompous Mainwaring, manager of the local bank, and consist of the suave, mild-mannered Sergeant Wilson , Lance-Corporal Jones, the town's butcher and an old soldier prone to hysteria, cockney spiv Walker, dour Scots undertaker Frazer, gentle, elderly and incontinent Godfrey and dim-witted mummy's boy, Pike, whose mother is 'friendly' with Wilson. They are based in the Church hall where there is much friction between Mainwaring, the effeminate Vicar, his creeping Verger and ARP Warden Hodges (the grocer) who calls Mainwaring 'Napoleon' and strongly dislikes him. The 80 episodes (the last 68 made in colour) have been frequently repeated, many are available on video and there was a 1971 cinema version. A British institution, familiar to most people throughout the country.

Editorial
Synopsis

The eighth and penultimate series of this war-time sitcom favourite. The show sees veteran soldiers The Home Guard--led by ineffectual Captain Mainwaring--preparing for an imminent Nazi invasion.

The latest and the greatest
Review date: 2007-04-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

Dad's Army the complete eighth series is the latest and the greatest release in the saga. It comprises of all six episodes on a single disk, giving you nearly three hours of viewing pleasure for less than a tenner. Being a fan of Dad's Army, I feel that this season was probably the best and all episodes are outrageously funny and enjoyable. Episode one `Ring Dem Bells,' and episode three `Is There Honey Still For Tea?' are especially good. As usual the DVD contains a photo gallery and an interview with a cast member - this time Clive Dunn. While these special features are good, personally I would like to see more as there is a lot of history and story behind Dad's Army. Nevertheless considering the price and the viewing entertainment, it's a small fault as Dad's Army represents British comedy at its best.

Similar Products

Reviews


Episodes
Review date: 2007-03-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

Unfortunately, Amazon do not list the six episodes on this DVD, possibly because they repeat three of them previously sold on the video "Is there honey still for tea?". I was happy to purchase this DVD for I prefer the better quality of a DVD over video format, but, for those of you with an existing video library of Dad's Army episodes already, I list the episodes provided on this DVD:- 1 Ring dem bells, 2 When you've got to go, 3 Is there honey still for tea?, 4 Come in, Your time is up, 5 High finance, 6 The face on the poster. Episodes 3,4 & 5 are on the old Video I mentioned above. (Remember all you US and Canadian residents who would like to watch these Region 2 DVDs that it is possible to purchase a multi-region DVD player in the USA over the internet).

Dad's Army: The Twilight Year
Review date: 2007-03-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

We've waited a long old time for the Beeb to bring this one out, but it's worth the wait. Although Dad's Army ceased to be really funny after the death of James Beck, this is still marvellous watching. Having dropped Talfryn Thomas's irritating stereotypical Welshman, the writers seemed to decide to pitch for the nostalgia part instead of the sitcom one. It works. Rarely a hold-your-sides moment, but the charm and warm glow are never absent either. This series also saw a much greater use than before of location shoots, perhaps reflecting the smaller cast budget. In four of the six episodes, there is outside filming, often of beautiful locations that are perfectly chosen to reflect the script. The scripts also show different sides of some of the characters. So, for instance, in "Is there Honey still for Tea" Frazer shows his soft and honourable side, while Ian Lavender was given the chance to demonstrate much greater maturity and versatility as an actor, veering from the grown-up to the teenaged with never a crack in it. The plots may be more than absurd at times (the Dad's Army crew as filmstars?) but they are not badly done and the cast deal with them beautifully. For all the tendency to stereotype Mainwaring, Wilson and Jones, this is a good series and well worth getting. The Clive Dunn extra is an odd one - the only feature to date for a living cast member - but it didn't actually add very much to what I already knew. Frustratingly, there is still no sign either of season 9 or the Christmas specials. Maybe if this one sells well, the BBC will get their act together!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Graham McCann
Jimmy Perry
Clive Dunn
Ian Lavender
David Croft

Creators:
Graham McCann (Primary Contributor)
Clive Dunn (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503160128
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2007-03-05
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region code: 2
Running time: 179 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007-03-05
Language: English (Original Language)

Add to Cart

© 2006 Darren Hester, DesignsByDarren.com, Some Rights Reserved.
Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional