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Post by Katie on Oct 5, 2010 3:51:57 GMT 12
Series 4 Episode 6: Absent Friends
Broadcast on 30/10/70
Mainwaring arrives at the church hall unexpectedly; he has decided not to attend the Lodge meeting in London because his wife hates being left alone during air raids. Wilson and Pike are the only people on parade, the rest are down the pub playing darts with the ARP wardens, even though Wilson would rather they didn't! Mainwaring turns a blind eye so long as Wilson gets them back within ten minutes: but he fails. Mainwaring decides to go with Wilson and Jones to the pub. He talks to his men but they're not prepared to return.
Back at the church hall someone from GHQ phones: an armed IRA suspect has been found in Ivy Crescent, and the Police require the Home Guard's help. With the rest of the platoon AWOL it's up to Mainwaring, Wilson, Jones and Pike to apprehend the suspect. They arrest an Irishman and take him back to the church hall, but when his brother arrives a fracas ensues. Mainwaring's attempt to resolve matters ends in failure, and it's down to Wilson to sort them out single handed.
Also appearing: Bill Pertwee (ARP Warden), Janet Davies (Mrs Pike), Edward Sinclair (the Verger), JG Devlin (Regan), Arthur English (Policeman), Patrick Connor (Shamus), Verne Morgan (Landlord), Michael Lomax (2nd ARP Warden).
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Post by jonboy on Oct 5, 2010 5:59:36 GMT 12
This episode was one I had forgotten all about until I bought the dvd, it appears that due to the reference to the IRA that it was felt it should not be repeated on TV which I feel is a little harsh as its not the main element of the story which is more about Mainwaring losing the respect of his men, there are several funny moments when Jones thinks Mrs Mainwarings craving for oxtail must mean that she is expecting & when Pike & Jones are the only ones on parade, the hero of the hour is Sgt Wilson who manages to subdue the Irishman & his friends & scare Hodges to death for flirting with Mrs Pike
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 5, 2010 7:47:00 GMT 12
You have to remember that British broadcasters were banned from on high from showing anything about the IRA in any context whatsoever. Even in the later years of peace deals, when Jerry Admas was on the news his voice was never heard as it was banned, and you'd see him on screen talking wih an actors voice over the top saying exactly what he'd said. So the blanket ban was quite a powerful weapon against the terrorists.
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Post by Molly on Oct 5, 2010 8:33:27 GMT 12
This episode is yet another favourite for me. The loyalty of the men is tested, yet in the end their conscience gets the better of them. Of course, there is also a lot of humour in Wilson taking on all the intruders who have come to get the suspect back. Perhaps my favourite line from this episode is Mainwaring declaring "We shall be using jujitsu" :-)
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Post by jonboy on Oct 5, 2010 20:14:31 GMT 12
I know about the IRA broadcast ban but that was not introduced in the UK till 1988 but my source says it has not been repeated on the BBC since 1971, the IRA ban was lifted a while ago - they are currently repeating some of the shows on the beeb so we will see what happens.
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Post by mattvinyl on Oct 7, 2010 4:37:54 GMT 12
I think I saw the chap who plays the old boy in this in an episode of Steptoe and Son yesterday - alongside Leonard Rossiter. Not my favourite episode, but quite good fun, nonetheless. Fraser has one of his classic 'I never doubted you for a single minute!' moments and the Jujitsu line is indeed brilliant! I also like Wilson's vagueness in particular in this one "I wonder what she sees in him?" 
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Post by Dave Homewood on Nov 26, 2010 14:21:21 GMT 12
I just came across this clip from the classsic kiwi comedy The Billy T James Show from the 1980's which shows we never had the IRA ban here in NZ.
Billy is the one playing O'Reilly, and the other actor is Peter Rowley.
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Post by ianb on Jul 7, 2011 1:42:24 GMT 12
This is such an underated episode. In my opinion one of the very best. It is a shame that owing to the IRA References near the end it has not been shown on TV since the 1970s! The episode is a very simple premise 'When The Cat is Away (ie - Mainwaring!) The Mice will Play (ie - The Platoon) This sets up some wonderful lines and character interactions. The script and performances are perfect. What we see here is that although the Platoon falls apart under the laid back leadership (if you can call it that!) of Wilson, there is no doubting the bravery of the man when it is called upon at the end! Superb episode. Too many favourite moments to list!
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Post by jrt2345 on Feb 22, 2012 0:18:01 GMT 12
I like the Irish brother, a true Irish man. The great bit is when Wilson beats up the man but sucks his thumb, not like a tough man who wouldn't do it, but still tough.
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james
Verger
I'd like to volunteer for that sir
Posts: 52
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Post by james on May 20, 2012 5:54:00 GMT 12
Just watching this and one scene makes me wonder.
When Mainwaring tells them to do something and Frasier says "You can not make us" it does appear as they were only volunteers they couldn't actually be made to do anything they didn't want to even turn up if they just didn't feel like it that day. t was kinda good to see the discipline they did have if most of the time if they didn't actually have to listen
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Post by stephen68 on May 21, 2012 2:07:38 GMT 12
I think James that Captain Mainwaring would have been with in his rights to order them as he was a commisioned officer and they were in uniform so therefore on active service, he would have been able to discipline the men if he so wished. But because of the successful outcome i think he chose to let the issue slide as long as it did not happen again
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 22, 2012 22:28:08 GMT 12
His name is Frazer, not Frasier.
The Home Guard was part of the Army. Each and every member was sworn in and came under the same military discipline as any regular soldier. In reality Frazer could have been severely disciplined, he was in essence refusing to obey a direct order, and in encouraging others to do so too, invoking a mutiny. In those days the punishment for that was to be shot.
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james
Verger
I'd like to volunteer for that sir
Posts: 52
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Post by james on May 24, 2012 9:10:58 GMT 12
His name is Frazer, not Frasier. The Home Guard was part of the Army. Each and every member was sworn in and came under the same military discipline as any regular soldier. In reality Frazer could have been severely disciplined, he was in essence refusing to obey a direct order, and in encouraging others to do so too, invoking a mutiny. In those days the punishment for that was to be shot. Yeah I know about the spelling don't know why/how I made that mistake  I do wonder if in the HG as they really need every last man if often if they did do anything wrong like in this episode blind eyes were often turned as it may of been more trouble than what it was worth
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 24, 2012 23:10:22 GMT 12
I think discilpine in the real Home Gaurd was much more along Army lines than Dad's Army lines. Once you signed on the dotted line and were sworn in you were serving your country and came under Kings Regulations like any other service man. There were some allowances made for the Home Guard, being part time etc, but it was still an Army. Not a "flipping holiday camp" as the Sgt Major might say.
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Post by stephen68 on May 25, 2012 0:52:19 GMT 12
I wouldn't have liked to have been German soldier landing in the Uk because some of the traps they set were blood curdling, they might have been aged men some of them, but they would have went down fighting taking as many German soldiers as possible.
To Britain's Home Guard cheers
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 25, 2012 10:16:37 GMT 12
Absolutely right Stephen. And even if the Germans had conquered Britain there was already a massive secret network of specially trained Home Guard commandoes who would have become the leaders of the British Resistance movement. They had lots of nasty plans for their Nazi overlords.
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Post by biggles on May 28, 2012 6:00:18 GMT 12
hey dave not to go off topic, but what do you think of the conspiracy theorists who beleive that the rothchilds and the `bankers` funded the war....
and whilst we are on that topic, isnt manewaring a banker ;D makes you wonder
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 28, 2012 12:36:48 GMT 12
Which side of the war are you referring to? German or Allied?
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Post by laceys on Oct 8, 2016 9:08:18 GMT 12
This is one of the best episodes, mainly because i find Wilson kind of precious, in a strange way, especially when he says "That would be sneaking!"
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Post by Alan Hayes on Aug 1, 2019 11:59:08 GMT 12
This one was the other half of my 51st anniversary celebration and another good episode, though one I am less familiar with (which was why I chose it).
One thing that came as a surprise was to hear Mavis calling Hodges by the nickname "Wally" in the pub bar. I thought the accepted first name for Bill's character was "William" (no doubt after the actor), but "Wally" would imply a full name of Walter or Wallace. Odd...
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