Dad's Army

Don't Forget the Diver - S4-E2

Factual error: While Capt. Square is looking through his binoculars at what he thinks is Mainwaring's platoon marching with their rifles, a 1960's Bedford lorry drives past on the road behind them.

Battle of the Giants! - S4-E14

Factual error: When Mainwaring is driving the van and Jones is in the back suffering from malaria, just after Pike shouts out that Jones has changed colour, if you look out the side window you can see a triangular road sign. These did not come into use until the 1960s.

The King Was in His Counting House - S5-E7

Factual error: Captain Mainwaring is transferring money from his bank to another branch after it has been bombed. He has the money in a basket and is transporting it on a horse and cart when some of the money starts blowing out of the basket. Pike, Wilson, Walker, and Jones are riding bicycles behind him. They stop to pick up the money and just before Jones tells Pike to ride after Mainwaring to tell him about the money, you can see a silver car parked on the left hand grass verge in the direction Mainwaring is heading. This car was obviously made long after World War Two finished.

The Test - S4-E10

Factual error: In several scenes during the cricket match while the Walmington platoon are bowling/fielding, cars can be seen on the road behind the cricket ground that were made well after the 1940s.

Battle School - S3-E2

Other mistake: When the train stops Godfrey gets off to relieve himself but when he is climbing back in to the carriage the train appears to be already moving at speed because the background projection started moving too early.

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Mainwaring: In the words of the great E.C Cochran. "Early to bed, early to rise, no jolly good if you don't advertise."

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The Royal Train - S6-E3

Question: A set of complicated events mean that Captain Mainwaring and some other members of the platoon have to drive a railway engine. After they leave the railway station it turns out that the railway engine has no brake wheel and cannot stop. The ARP warden, the mayor of Walmington, the vicar and verger take the brake wheel, jump on a handcar and chase after the engine. Catching up with the engine, they throw the brake wheel to Captain Mainwaring. The engine then reverses, so they must pedal the handcar even faster to avoid being run over. Could four men (all obviously in late middle age, and past peak fitness) pedal a handcar to outrun a railway engine at full steam? When the engine reverses, why do they pedal the handcar to stop being run over? Why don't they jump off the handcar, then pull the handcar off the track? (Also it takes the engine less than a minute to reverse. In reality, it would take several minutes to change a moving railway locomotive from forward to reverse).

Rob Halliday

Answer: The show is a comedy, this was played for comedic effect and to show that in times of extreme fear, in this case about to be crushed by a steam train, the men had an adrenaline surge strong enough to pedal fast enough.

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