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Ian Lavender, the last remaining cast member of beloved BBC sitcom Dad’s Army, has died. He was 77.

An X statement from the official Dad’s Army Radio Show account announced that Lavender, who played Private Frank Pike in the sitcom that ran for a decade, ending in 1977, had died on Friday.

“We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of the wonderful Ian Lavender,” said the statement. “In what truly marks the end of an era, Ian was the last surviving member of the Dad’s Army main cast. His wonderful performance as Private Frank Pike will live on for decades to come.”

The statement added that Lavender, who appeared in the 2016 Dad’s Army movie and whose other work included EastEnders, Parsley Sidings and Rising Damp, “leaves behind a legacy of laughter enjoyed by millions.” It said it would dedicate this year’s Dad’s Army tour to Lavender’s memory.

British publicist and marketing consultant Freddie Ross Hancock, whose clients included Sophia Loren, Julie Andrews and Benny Hill, and helped bring the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to New York, has died in the city at the age of 92.

Born Freda Ross in 1930 in North London, she learned the public relations business working for the Holland America cruise line for two years, after which she joined the Universal Film Corporation of America as assistant head of publicity in the U.K.

In the early 1950s she set up her own publicity firm, Freda Ross Associates, representing performers such as Benny Hill, Dick Emery, Bob Monkhouse, Terry Scott and Hugh Lloyd. She met comedian and actor Tony Hancock in 1954 when she was 24, and persuaded him to take her on as his publicist.

In 1959 Ross and Hancock began an affair, although he was married, but they lived together openly from...

Val Guest’s cinema quest for his own semi-docu style pays off in this fine, intelligent police investigation into a gruesome dismemberment murder. U.K. favorite Jack Warner is the main detective, Guest’s actress wife Yolande Donlan is a ‘person of interest,’ and the illusion of reality is enhanced by real locations in Greenwich, Brighton, Lewes and points between. It’s an excellent legwork murder mystery, with good atmosphere and colorful characterizations — within the dry ‘serious business’ format, of course.

Jigsaw

Blu-ray

Cohen Media Group

1962 / B&w / 2:35 widescreen / 108 97 min. / Street Date April 5, 2022 / Available from Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Jack Warner, Ronald Lewis, Yolande Donlan, Michael Goodliffe, John Le Mesurier, Moira Redmond, Christine Bocca, Brian Oulton, Ray Barrett, Norman Chappell, John Barron, Joan Newell, Geoffrey Bayldon, Julie Samuel.

Cinematography: Arthur Grant

Art Director: Geoffrey Tozer

Film Editor: Bill Lenny

From the novel Sleep Long, My Love by Hillary Waugh

Produced,...

Fierce Irish rebels go head-to-head with Brit occupation forces, and James Cagney is first on the barricades. Michael Anderson’s thriller about terror violence in 1921 Dublin has suspense, beautiful cinematography in real Irish locations, and a standout cast: Don Murray, Glynis Johns, Dana Wynter, Michael Redgrave, Cyril Cusack and Sybil Thorndike — plus added-value players Richard Harris, Donal Donnelly and Niall MacGinness. Cagney’s surgeon-turned guerilla doesn’t yell “Top of the World!” but he’s as psychotic as Cody Jarrett: he wants to shoot both the leading ladies. Included is a good interview with Don Murray.

Shake Hands with the Devil

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1959 / Color B&w / 1:66 widescreen/ 111 min. / Street Date January 4, 2022 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95

Starring: James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns, Michael Redgrave, Sybil Thorndike, Cyril Cusack, Marianne Benet, Robert Brown, John Cairney, Harry H. Corbett, Eileen Crowe, Allan Cuthbertson, Donal Donnelly, Richard Harris,...

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“Spies With Scruples”

By Raymond Benson

In comparing Masquerade (1965) with a recent review of Arabesque (1966) here at Cinema Retro, this time we have yet another mid-1960s “comedy-spy thriller,” a genre that was crowding the cinemas in those days because of the success of Double-o-You-Know-Who.

In contrast to Arabesque, this one is a British production, directed by the prolific and often brilliant Basil Dearden, and it utilizes London locations as well as spots in Spain. And yet, despite the thoroughly British DNA running through 95% of the movie, it stars American Cliff Robertson as the hero, David Fraser, a sort of CIA type who seems to approach all the danger around him with misplaced naivete and amused detachment.

The script marks the first appearance of the great William Goldman in a screen credit (co-writing with Michael Relph). It’s based on Vincent Canning’s novel,...

The man with eyebrows that can kill! Not really, but that’s the impression given by the poster illustration. The Baker/Berman producing team gave their Hammer/Terence Fisher imitation a decent production — good color, autopsy-grade gore, female victims in low-cut gowns — but neither Jimmy Sangster’s script nor the flat direction bring it to life. Donald Wolfit is the resurrected mad doctor stealing transfusion blood and committing murders with the help of his deformed servant Victor Maddern but the highlight is the strong performance from favorite scream queen Barbara Shelley. Artus’ fancy special edition Blu is Region A friendly, although the DVD is Pal and all the extras are French-only.

Blood of the Vampire

Blu-ray + DVD

Artus Films

1958 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 87 min. / Le Sang du Vampire / Street Date April 6, 2021 / Available from Amazon.fr / 29.99 €

Starring: Donald Wolfit, Vincent Ball, Barbara Shelley, Victor Maddern, William Devlin, Andrew Faulds, John Le Mesurier, Bryan Coleman,...

To mark the release of Odette and I Was Monty’S Double on 11th June, we’ve been given 3 of copies of each to give away on Blu-ray.

Odette

A classic tale of bravery and courage during WWII, Odette tells the true story of female war hero Odette Hallowes. After volunteering her services to the Special Operations Executive, Odette is dispatched into Nazi occupied France and thrown into an intense world of espionage. Whilst on a deadly mission working for the French Resistance, her cover is blown and Odette is captured and interrogated by ruthless Gestapo officers. But, even after being brutally tortured and sentenced to death in a concentration camp, Odette still refuses to reveal any information concerning her original mission and her fellow spies.

I Was Monty’s Double

This classic movie directed by John Guillerman has been beautifully restored as part of the Vintage Classics Collection. It...

Director Bryan Forbes tries his hand at comedy. His nostalgic Victorian farce features an eclectic choice of Brit stars — established greats John Mills & Ralph Richardson, the freshly-minted Michael Caine, reigning jester Peter Sellers and even a debut for the collegiate pranksters Peter Cook & Dudley Moore. It’s a beaut of a production with a charming John Barry music score… but the result yields more indulgent smiles than out-and-out laughs.

The Wrong Box

Region A+B Blu-ray

Powerhouse Indicator

1966 / Color / 1:75 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date November 23, 2018 / available from Amazon UK / £14.99

Starring: John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Nanette Newman, Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Lawson, Thorley Walters, Gerald Sim, Irene Handl, Norman Bird, John Le Mesurier, Norman Rossington, Diane Clare, Tutte Lemkow, Charles Bird, Vanda Godsell, Jeremy Lloyd, James Villiers, Graham Stark, Dick Gregory, Valentine Dyall, Leonard Rossiter, André Morell, Temperance Seven, Andrea Allan, Juliet Mills.

Cinematography:...

Saucy Jack has long been meat for the horror mill; my first experience with him was Time after Time (1979), where he time traveled to the future and found he was just another serial killer. But in 1888 he was the first, logging around five prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London; big numbers for the day and the fact that the case was never solved has turned the Ripper’s exploits into its own cottage industry. As for Jack’s indelible horror image, that starts proper with Jack the Ripper (1959), an effective and grisly independent British shocker brought back to life in a cracking new Blu-ray release from Severin Films.

Released in the U.K. in May of ’58 by Regal Films International, Jack the Ripper was picked up by producer Joseph E. Levine (Magic) and distributed by Paramount stateside in early ’59; some alterations were made for the U.S. release, including...

Jack the Ripper

Blu ray

Severin Films

1959 / 1.33:1 – 1:66:1 / 84 Min. / Street Date – January 29, 2019

Starring Lee Patterson, Eddie Byrne

Cinematography by Robert Baker, Monty Berman

Directed by Robert Baker, Monty Berman

Jack the Ripper arrived in America with the kind of fanfare usually reserved for visiting royalty. Thanks to Joseph E. Levine’s million dollar promotional blitz the British shocker rode a wave of irresistible ballyhoo including a soundtrack LP and a typically salacious Monarch paperback that promised a walk on the wild side for adventurous ticket buyers.

Jack was the talk of the schoolyard but once the movie hit theaters it disappeared as quickly as its namesake. Since 1960 the elusive thriller has dipped in and out of sight like the Loch Ness monster until recently surfacing on a new Blu ray from Severin Films – viewers can be forgiven for thinking it should have stayed at the bottom of the lake.

Jabberwocky

Blu-ray

Criterion

1977/ 1:85 / 105 Min. / Street Date November 21, 2017

Starring Michael Palin, Harry H. Corbett, John Le Mesurier

Cinematography by Terry Bedford

Written by Charles Alverson, Terry Gilliam

Music by Hector Berlioz, Modest Mussorgsky

Edited by Michael Bradsell

Produced by Sanford Lieberson

Directed by Terry Gilliam

The prospect of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky directed by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam promised a brave new world of sophisticated nonsense; The Mad Hatter meets the Ministry of Silly Walks.

Equally appetizing was the thought of illustrator John Tenniel’s hideous creature brought to life by Gilliam, the Python’s premiere visual satirist. But Gilliam, working in a chaotic British climate that saw Harold Wilson being upstaged by the Sex Pistols, had other ideas, exemplified by the film’s title sequence which rolls by over some of Pieter Bruegel’s most unnerving canvasses.

The Dutch artist was no Pollyanna (his most famous painting was...

170 fims from unknown sources released for free online.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has launched a collection of more than 170 films known as the Orphan Works.

Source: BFI National Archive

The Little Match Girl (1914), D. Percy Nash, part of the Orphan Works collection

Including features, shorts, corporate films, adverts, animation and documentary, the collection is comprised of works that have unknown or uncontactable rights-holders.

The BFI archive team has performed due diligence on the films by attempting to contact the copyright owners, and as such the organisation is now able to show them for free online.

The digitally-restored films will be available to view on BFI’s Youtube channel in the UK and internationally.

Actors featuring in the works include Christopher Lee, David Jason, Honor Blackman, John Le Mesurier, Lupino Lane, Madeleine Carroll, Norman Beaton, Peter Ustinov and Richard Burton. There are also interviews with footballing legends such as George Best,...

170 fims from unknown sources released for free online.

The British Film Institute (BFI) has launched a collection of more than 170 films known as the Orphan Works.

Source: BFI National Archive

The Little Match Girl (1914), D. Percy Nash, part of the Orphan Works collection

Including features, shorts, corporate films, adverts, animation and documentary, the collection is comprised of works that have unknown or uncontactable rights-holders.

The BFI archive team has performed due diligence on the films by attempting to contact the copyright owners, and as such the organisation is now able to show them for free online.

The digitally-restored films will be available to view on BFI’s Youtube channel in the UK and internationally.

Actors featuring in the works include Christopher Lee, David Jason, Honor Blackman, John Le Mesurier, Lupino Lane, Madeleine Carroll, Norman Beaton, Peter Ustinov and Richard Burton. There are also interviews with footballing legends such as George Best, Jack and Bobby Charlton...

'The Pink Panther' with Peter Sellers: Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy hit and its many sequels revolve around one of the most iconic film characters of the 20th century: clueless, thick-accented Inspector Clouseau – in some quarters surely deemed politically incorrect, or 'insensitive,' despite the lack of brown face make-up à la Sellers' clueless Indian guest in Edwards' 'The Party.' 'The Pink Panther' movies [1] There were a total of eight big-screen Pink Panther movies co-written and directed by Blake Edwards, most of them starring Peter Sellers – even after his death in 1980. Edwards was also one of the producers of every (direct) Pink Panther sequel, from A Shot in the Dark to Curse of the Pink Panther. Despite its iconic lead character, the last three movies in the Pink Panther franchise were box office bombs. Two of these, The Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther, were co-written by Edwards' son,...

'Ben-Hur' 1959 with Stephen Boyd and Charlton Heston: TCM's '31 Days of Oscar.' '31 Days of Oscar': 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Ben-Hur' are in, Paramount stars are out Today, Feb. 1, '16, Turner Classic Movies is kicking off the 21st edition of its “31 Days of Oscar.” While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is being vociferously reviled for its “lack of diversity” – more on that appallingly myopic, self-serving, and double-standard-embracing furore in an upcoming post – TCM is celebrating nearly nine decades of the Academy Awards. That's the good news. The disappointing news is that if you're expecting to find rare Paramount, Universal, or Fox/20th Century Fox entries in the mix, you're out of luck. So, missing from the TCM schedule are, among others: Best Actress nominees Ruth Chatterton in Sarah and Son, Nancy Carroll in The Devil's Holiday, Claudette Colbert in Private Worlds. Unofficial Best Actor...

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We're Doomed: The Dad's Army Story is touching, humorous and ultimately heartwarming piece of television...

New Dad’s Army casts are like buses: you wait ages for one to come along, and then when two turn up at once they don’t like it up ‘em. While it’s never been far from the public consciousness, the sitcom about the Home Guard of Walmington-on-Sea seems to have experienced a surge in popularity over the last few years, with repeats on BBC Two having become a Saturday night staple - only a few weeks ago, it was the programme with the highest Appreciation Index for the whole of a Saturday which included Strictly, The X Factor, I’m A Celeb and the Doctor Who finale. And with the new Dad’s Army film starring Toby Jones and Bill Nighy set for release in February, it’s the perfect...

Don't panic! Your first look at BBC Two's upcoming Dad's Army origins drama is here.

We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story tells of the struggles creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft had to endure to get the classic comedy on screen.

The stills show Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter and Game of Thrones actor Richard Dormer as Perry and Croft, respectively, and John Sessions as a dead ringer for Arthur Lowe.

EastEnders star Shane Richie will play Bill Pertwee in the one-off film, with the rest of the Dad's Army actors portrayed by Julian Sands (as John Le Mesurier), Mark Heap (as Clive Dunn), Kevin Bishop (as James Beck), Michael Cochrane (as Arnold Ridley) and Ralph Riach (as John Laurie).

Meanwhile, Keith Allen will appear as TV executive Paul Fox and Sally Phillips will play Croft's wife Ann.

The drama has been written by Stephen Russell (Shameless) and...

New Line Cinema/Lucasfilm/Universal Pictures/MGM

As far as the cinema scene is concerned, The Lord of the Rings trilogy essentially put the fantasy genre back on the map. After years and years of uninspired, awkward fantasy pictures filled with tired cliches and naff renderings of mystical lands, strange creatures and magic that just plainly didn’t gel, New Zealand director Peter Jackson made fantasy cool again with his outright epic adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s most famous series of novels.

Jackson’s approach was, essentially, to bring Tolkien’s books to life as something akin to a more realistic, hack and slash-styled action movie franchise; less “fantastical” and a whole lot grittier (with a violent edge to match). This turned out to be something of an overall masterstroke, of course – people were blown away when the first flick, The Fellowship of the Ring, hit theatres back in 2001 – the...

There's already a Dad's Army movie remake on the horizon, and now there's going to be a drama based around its origins.

EastEnders star Shane Richie will play Bill Pertwee in BBC Two's Making Dad's Army, a one-off film about the classic and beloved British sitcom.

The drama will focus on the show's original idea in 1967 up until its first broadcast in 1968, and the struggles creators Jimmy Perry and David Croft had to endure to get it on screen.

Friday Night Dinner's Paul Ritter will play Perry, while Game of Thrones actor Richard Dormer will portray Croft.

The rest of the Dad's Army actors will be played by John Sessions (as Arthur Lowe), Julian Sands (as John Le Mesurier), Mark Heap (as Clive Dunn), Kevin Bishop (as James Beck), Michael Cochrane (as Arnold Ridley) and Ralph Riach (as John Laurie).

Meanwhile, Keith Allen will play TV executive Paul Fox,...

In the history of soggy underwater adventures, none have been been soggier than this A.I.P. Panavision curiosity from England. Four out of five insomniacs agree: it has the most awkwardly mis-matched cast of players in fantasy film history... starting with a chicken. Kl Studio Classics Savant Blu-ray Review 1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 84 min. / City in the Sea / Street Date August ll, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95  Starring Vincent Price, Tab Hunter, David Tomlinson, Susan Hart, John Le Mesurier, Harry Oscar, Derek Newark, Roy Patrick, Herbert the Rooster. Cinematography Stephen Dade Film Editor Gordon Hales Original Music Stanley Black Written by Charles Bennett, Louis M. Heyward, David Whitaker based on City in the Sea by Edgar Allan Poe Produced by Daniel Haller Directed by Jacques Tourneur

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

By 1965 American-International Pictures was looking in all directions, trying to hit on new themes to replace the monsters...

Ron Moody as Fagin in 'Oliver!' based on Charles Dickens' 'Oliver Twist.' Ron Moody as Fagin in Dickens musical 'Oliver!': Box office and critical hit (See previous post: "Ron Moody: 'Oliver!' Actor, Academy Award Nominee Dead at 91.") Although British made, Oliver! turned out to be an elephantine release along the lines of – exclamation point or no – Gypsy, Star!, Hello Dolly!, and other Hollywood mega-musicals from the mid'-50s to the early '70s.[1] But however bloated and conventional the final result, and a cast whose best-known name was that of director Carol Reed's nephew, Oliver Reed, Oliver! found countless fans.[2] The mostly British production became a huge financial and critical success in the U.S. at a time when star-studded mega-musicals had become perilous – at times downright disastrous – ventures.[3] Upon the American release of Oliver! in Dec. 1968, frequently acerbic The...

Stars: Peter Cushing, André Morell, Christopher Lee, Marla Landi, David Oxley, Francis De Wolff, Miles Malleson, Ewen Solon, John Le Mesurier, Helen Goss, Sam Kydd, Michael Hawkins, Judi Moyens, Michael Mulcaster | Written by Peter Bryan | Directed by Terence Fisher

I’ve always been a Sherlock Holmes fan, and my horror leanings turned me to The Hound of the Baskervilles, a story I grew to love. It is evident by all different movies based on the tale and their popularity, that I’m not the only one. One of the best has to be Hammer’s with Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes. This is why when Arrow Video revealed their Blu-ray release I looked forward to seeing it, especially with the amount of behind the scenes material on the disc.

When Charles Baskerville is found slain on Dartmoor, the next in line Sir Henry Baskerville (Christopher Lee) inherits the estate, and...

The cast of the upcoming 'Dad's Army' remake has been revealed. Blake Harrison - who plays goofy Neil Sutherland in 'The Inbetweeners' - is to take on the role of Private Pike, who was originally played by Ian Lavender, in the upcoming film adaptation of the classic sitcom set during World War II. 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' actor Toby Jones, 48, will play Captain Mainwaring - who was leader of the somewhat inefficient members of the Home Guard in the fictitious town of Walmington-on-Sea - replacing Arthur Lowe. Bill Nighy will take over from John Le Mesurier as Mainwaring's right-hand man...

Oliver Parker’s big-screen remake of classic BBC comedy, Dad’s Army, has unveiled a host of new recruits.

The literal chief among the recently-announced cast members is Toby Jones, who is onboard to play Captain Mainwaring, the no-nonsense leader of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard. Alongside Jones is Bill Nighy, who plays his second-in-command Sergeant Wilson. In the 70s show, these two roles where famously played by Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier, respectively.

First announced back in November 2012, this latest incarnation of the beloved sitcom will also star Catherina Zeta-Jones as Rose, a glamorous journalist who is due to document a story on the eccentric platoon — no mean feat, mind you. Rounding off the cast list Tom Courteany, Michael Gambon, Danny Mays and Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison.

Shooting is due to begin filming on location this month, and filming will take place entirely in Yorkshire.

The eccentric platoon of...

The all-star cast for the big-screen reboot of the classic sitcom Dad's Army has been revealed.

Bill Nighy, Toby Jones and Michael Gambon are among the actors to feature in the film, written by Hamish McColl and directed by Oliver Parker.

The BBC One comedy was created by Jimmy Perry and the late David Croft and originally aired between 1968 and 1977.

Here's our guide of who's playing the seven main platoon members below:

Captain George Mainwaring

Marvellous actor Toby Jones takes on the pompous, patriotic bank manager and pillar of the community Captain George Mainwaring, played by Arthur Lowe in the BBC comedy.

Sergeant Arthur Wilson

Bill Nighy will be playing privately educated, former city banker Sergeant Arthur Wilson, who is of a cheerful and carefree disposition yet exudes an aura of mystery. He's at odds with Captain George Mainwaring over his privileged background.

Wilson was originally played by the late British actor John Le Mesurier.

The all-star cast for the big-screen reboot of the classic sitcom Dad's Army has been revealed.

Bill Nighy, Toby Jones and Michael Gambon are among the actors to feature in the film, written by Hamish McColl and directed by Oliver Parker.

The BBC One comedy was created by Jimmy Perry and the late David Croft and originally aired between 1968 and 1977.

Here's our guide of who's playing the seven main platoon members below:

Captain George Mainwaring

Marvellous actor Toby Jones takes on the pompous, patriotic bank manager and pillar of the community Captain George Mainwaring, played by Arthur Lowe in the BBC comedy.

Sergeant Arthur Wilson

Bill Nighy will be playing privately educated, former city banker Sergeant Arthur Wilson, who is of a cheerful and carefree disposition yet exudes an aura of mystery. He's at odds with Captain George Mainwaring over his privileged background.

Wilson was originally played by the late British actor John Le Mesurier.

Don’t panic! Don’t panic!The full cast for Oliver Parker’s remake of the classic Jimmy Perry-David Croft sitcom, Dad’s Army, has finally been announced, and it reads like a Who’s Who-do-you-think-you-are-kidding-Mr-Hitler of British acting talent. We know that there’ll be scepticism and cynicism in some quarters about this update of a beloved institution, but here at Empire Towers, we’re genuinely enthused and excited by the prospect. And when we tell you the names of the cast involved, belying Captain Mainwaring’s famous order, hopefully you’ll share that excitement.On board as the fastidious, uptight Captain Mainwaring, leader of the beleaguered Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, we have Toby Jones, replacing the legendary Arthur Lowe. As his right-hand man, the eternally suave Sgt. Wilson, Bill Nighy steps into John Le Mesurier’s shoes; perfect casting if ever we saw it.Speaking of perfect casting,...

News Simon Brew 28 Apr 2014 - 06:38

Bill Nighy and Toby Jones are being lined up for a new take on Dad's Army...

A new modern day take on Dad's Army is heading to cinemas, it's been revealed. The news broke over the weekend that Jimmy Perry, the creator of the show (along with the late David Croft), has agreed to the project, with the Telegraph reporting that it's "on the condition he doesn't have to do anything".

Toby Jones is being lined up to take on the role of Captain Mainwaring in the film, with Bill Nighy set to play Sergeant Wilson. The pair inherit roles originally played by Arthur Lowe and John Le Mesurier.

Damian Jones is to produce the film, although we don't know yet who's writing and directing it. More as we hear it...

Telegraph.

Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here.

A new feature film for Dad's Army starring Toby Jones and Bill Nighy has been announced.

Jones will play Captain George Mainwaring - a role which belonged to Arthur Lowe in the original BBC comedy - while Nighy will take on Sergeant Arthur Wilson, made famous by John Le Mesurier.

The film will be produced by original Dad's Army writer Jimmy Perry and BAFTA-winning Damian Jones, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Damian, who has worked on Adulthood and The Iron Lady, praised the "universal appeal" of the franchise.

The plot will remain faithful to the show, with Captain Mainwaring commanding a makeshift troop of soldiers and defending his hometown against the invading German army.

80 episodes of the comedy were aired between 1968 to 1977, while a feature film also launched in 1971.

Toby Jones has featured in the Hunger Games series as Claudius Templesmith, as well as ITV's Titanic miniseries and 2006 film Infamous.

Nighy...

A new feature film for Dad's Army starring Toby Jones and Bill Nighy has been announced.

Jones will play Captain George Mainwaring - a role which belonged to Arthur Lowe in the original BBC comedy - while Nighy will take on Sergeant Arthur Wilson, made famous by John Le Mesurier.

The film will be produced by original Dad's Army writer Jimmy Perry and BAFTA-winning Damian Jones, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Damian, who has worked on Adulthood and The Iron Lady, praised the "universal appeal" of the franchise.

The plot will remain faithful to the show, with Captain Mainwaring commanding a makeshift troop of soldiers and defending his hometown against the invading German army.

80 episodes of the comedy were aired between 1968 to 1977, while a feature film also launched in 1971.

Toby Jones has featured in the Hunger Games series as Claudius Templesmith, as well as ITV's Titanic miniseries and 2006 film Infamous.

Nighy...

Television director in the glory days of the BBC, who went on to make feature films

Alan Bridges, who has died aged 86, was a leading director during the glory days of the BBC, from the mid-60s to the early 70s. Today, whenever media pundits analyse the history of television drama, they wax lyrical about The Wednesday Play and its successor Play for Today, bemoaning the virtual disappearance of the single play.

By the time Bridges started working in the Wednesday Play slot, he was already one of the BBC's most experienced TV directors – he had directed excellent 10-part adaptations of two 19th-century classics, Great Expectations and Les Misérables (both in 1967) – but he relished the "right to fail" ethos at the BBC, enjoying working with exciting contemporary writers.

While continuing to have a distinguished television career into the 80s, adeptly moving from the popular to the experimental, from the modern to the classical,...

Our mother, Jean Harvey, who has died aged 83, declared at the age of six that she wanted to be an actress. She went on to a successful stage and screen career, receiving widest recognition for her work in television over more than 30 years.

Her most famous role was in Compact (1962), one of the BBC's first soaps, as the editor of the magazine from which the show took its title. She appeared in several classic serials, including North and South (1975) and two versions of Jane Eyre, playing Mrs Reed in the 1973 adaptation and Mrs Fairfax in 1983. Her favourite TV role was as Sally, the wife of Max (George Cole) in A Man of Our Times (1968), for which she received a Bafta nomination.

Jean was born near Birmingham, daughter of Dorothy and Frederick Hillen-Harvey, and studied at the city's Central School of Speech and Drama before joining Birmingham Rep as a junior member,...

What can be said about Michael Palin that hasn’t been said already? Perhaps calling him a Renaissance man, or comparing him to a shark that never stops swimming. He’s something different to each generation, be it as a member of Monty Python; a unique explorer and travel presenter neither in the vein of Alan Whicker or Karl Pilkington; a filmmaker; a geographer and railway enthusiast; or as a man of letters both fictional and non-fictional. His works spans every cultural medium imaginable short of painting and sculpture, though chances are he indulges those in his spare time as well.

Palin and Python are back in the news not just for court cases, but for the shock announcement they’re reuniting for a limited amount of shows at the O2 arena next summer. It will be the first time since 1988 they’ve performed together, albeit without the late Graham Chapman.

Above: Spectacular full-scale derailment from the 1931 version of The Ghost Train (and also the 1941 version).

Arnold Ridley is fondly remembered in the UK as one of the stars of seventies sitcom Dad’s Army, about an incompetent and mainly superannuated group of volunteer soldiers in the WWII home guard, a show which made Ridley a national star at age 72 (it continued until he was 81). His sweetly doddering persona made a brilliant foil to the petulant Arthur Lowe, the dithering John Le Mesurier and gloomy Scot John Laurie.

One day, shooting on location in a graveyard, one of Ridley’s younger co-stars mused, “Hardly worth your leaving, is it, Arnold?” A rather harsh bit of humor: if you find it too mean, take comfort in the fact that the young thesp predeceased Ridley by some years, owing to liver failure. What larks!

But looong before Dad’s Army, Arnold Ridley found...

Charlton Heston movies: ‘A Man for All Seasons’ remake, ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ (photo: Charlton Heston as Ben-Hur) (See previous post: “Charlton Heston: Moses Minus Staff Plus Chariot Equals Ben-Hur.”) I’ve yet to watch Irving Rapper’s melo Bad for Each Other (1954), co-starring the sultry Lizabeth Scott — always a good enough reason to check out any movie, regardless of plot or leading man. A major curiosity is the 1988 made-for-tv version of A Man for All Seasons, with Charlton Heston in the Oscar-winning Paul Scofield role (Sir Thomas More) and on Fred Zinnemann’s director’s chair. Vanessa Redgrave, who plays Thomas More’s wife in the TV movie (Wendy Hiller in the original) had a cameo as Anne Boleyn in the 1966 film. According to the IMDb, Robert Bolt, who wrote the Oscar-winning 1966 movie (and the original play), is credited for the 1988 version’s screenplay as well. Also of note,...

Odd List Robert Keeling Dec 20, 2012

We delve back into more than a century of A Christmas Carol movies to find the best and worst adaptations of Dickens' festive tale...

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the classic story of a time travelling pensioner who sees dead people, is a festive fairytale which has itself become part of Christmas folklore. In terms of favourite Christmas tales, Rudolph and Frosty may wrap up the children's vote, but for most people, it's Dickens’ seminal work which would get the nod.

The story was written by Dickens in order to tackle the relatively new issue of urban poverty, and in particular the growing underclass of impoverished townsfolk produced by the Industrial Revolution. With the rapid shift away from conventional farming and trade practices, and with the rise in new technological advancements, many people were suddenly without work and without the necessary skills to find a job.

From The King's Speech to the Great British Bake Off, this year's arts winners ignored the safety-first rules of surviving a downturn

The year began and now ends with an odd little movie, showing an unusual approach to dialogue, becoming an improbable smash. Released in January, The King's Speech, which struggled to be funded and then to be filmed, conjured a global box office triumph and four-Oscar haul from the story of a character who could barely speak. Going even further, The Artist, coming out at the end of this month, seems likely to repeat the feat with characters who never talk at all.

This cinematic neatness is more than coincidence. It's a shibboleth of recessions that consumers become cautious, drawn to proven brands, a theory producers use to excuse a slew of remakes and sequels. But a rare hopeful aspect of the economic emergency is that this has been...

The Box of Delights

N Conrad

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Over the years, the British TV networks have aired some amazing shows over the festive season. People will inevitably argue over the Christmas dinner table as to which of these shows are the best. In order to spare you all from such fierce debates we have decided to put together our list of the 10 best ever British TV Christmas shows.

1. The Snowman. As the debate about the best Christmas show rages on, it is ironic that the best ever British TV Christmas show is the one that contains absolutely no dialogue unless you count David Bowie’s cheesy intro scene. Raymond Briggs’ artwork and Aled Jones singing have ensured that this 80s cartoon will always remain at the top of this list.

2. The Box of Delights. Money was...

Terry Gilliam turned his surreal talents to directing in his debut solo feature, Jabberwocky. Andrew takes a look back at a flawed yet entertaining black comedy…

Firstly, before you read further, I just want to mention this: if you have any plans of seeing Jabberwocky but have not seen it before, then stop reading this immediately. I know it goes without saying that these articles contain spoilers, but this film is one where there's a significant chance of you not having seen it before. It's not Spider-Man 3, which a great many people have seen it (whether they like it or not).

Jabberwocky is a film which is all the more impressive if you go into it without being spoilered, and it may lose its inability to surprise if you read the rest of this article. However, if you want a cross between Monty Python And The Holy Grail and Brazil,...

Hattie Jacques, the young lodger, and poor John Le Mesurier – what a Carry On

Mary Portas: Secret Shopper - were we left short-changed?

What do you do when you walk into your own bedroom to find your wife in the sack with the lodger? Well, obviously you pull him off (no, not like that!), beat the crap out of him and toss him out into the street, whimpering and naked. Then you storm out, find someone younger and more attractive than your wife, and jump into bed with her, in order to restore some self-esteem.

Poor John Le Mesurier, played by Robert Bathurst in Hattie (BBC4), does pretty much the opposite. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry," he stammers, when he finds his wife Hattie Jacques Carrying On with her handsome young driver. He probably knew about it already, but had been trying – like a child with his eyes squeezed tightly...

The son of Hattie Jacques has praised Ruth Jones's performance in a one-off drama about the former Carry On star. Jones, who is best known for her role in Gavin and Stacey, is appearing in BBC biopic Hattie, prompting Jacques's son Robin Le Mesurier to applaud her portrayal. Hattie deals with the marriage between the actress and Dad's Army actor John Le Mesurier, as well as Jacques's (more)...

A hoard of lost TV dramas – starring the likes of Sean Connery, Maggie Smith and Derek Jacobi – have resurfaced. What do they say about TV then and now?

We have become used to the idea of major TV dramas being imported from America: series such as The Wire, The Sopranos and The West Wing. But a stash of programmes heading for Britain this month have a more complicated history. These are not strictly imports; rather, they are being returned to their country of origin.

The 65 plays – starring actors such as Sean Connery, Maggie Smith and Derek Jacobi – were transmitted by the BBC and ITV between 1957 and 1969, but were only seen once. Subsequently, if they were asked after by historians or biographers, they were found to be missing, presumed wiped, a frequent fate in a period when the preservation of TV programmes was an expensive business. However, during a recent stock-taking...

Ruth Jones has signed up to play Hattie Jacques in a new BBC biopic. Jones has agreed to appear as the Carry On star in Hattie, Pa reports. The programme will examine Jacques's secret affair with a younger man, which took place while she was married to Dad's Army actor John Le Mesurier. "Hattie Jacques is a comedy hero of (more)...

The School for Scoundrels actor Ian Carmichael, who has died aged 89, elevated muddled decency and likability to an art form

Ian Carmichael, who has died at the age of 89, was an actor with an incredible work ethic and appetite for the acting life: he filmed his last episodes of the period TV hospital drama The Royal just last year.

Before he became a TV regular with his performances as Bertie Wooster and Lord Peter Wimsey, he had been established as one of Britain's biggest post-war box office stars with innocent, guileless roles in classic Boulting Brothers films such as Private's Progress (1956) and I'm All Right Jack (1959). My favourite Carmichael film is also one of my favourite British films, and perhaps favourite films full stop. It is that tremendous 1960 comedy School for Scoundrels, the last film by the great, troubled director Robert Hamer (who made Kind Hearts And Coronets).

Based on the Stephen Potter Lifemanship books,...