Jonathan Ross Special airs

Dad's Army tribute airs on BBC1

Tonight saw the broadcast of the celebratory programme recorded to mark the 40th anniversary of Dad's Army. Jonathan Ross was joined by Ian Lavender, Bill Pertwee, Frank Williams, Pamela Cundell, Jimmy Perry and David Croft in a one-off special looking back on the programme, its origins and examined the careers of the actors involved. Ross was also joined by 'celebrity' fans Ronnie Corbett, Jon Culshaw and John Thompson.

Ross presented in his usual, laid back demeanor, but the most notable thing for me was how this programme was edited. At complete odds with the original audience of Dad's Army, this programme was made in the era of disposable television. This was clearly demonstrated by Ross spending longer talking to the celebrity guests than the cast and writers themselves. Now to a degree I understand that it is important to have current stars feature to maintain the interest of the casual viewer, but it was criminal the way Jimmy and David were limited to just five minutes between them. Both Frank Williams and Bill Pertwee were hardly given any airtime at all.

Lastly there was the tribute to those cast members no longer with us - which was poignant, if fleeting. However the way John Le Mesurier was hardly mentioned was generous given that you could be forgiven for not realising that James Beck actually starred in the programme. I am not sure that Beck's name was actually mentioned by Ross even once.

Disappointing for me, but at least they didn't carry out the threat to include the audience singing the theme tune.

Despite my gripes, it was fantastic to see the cast as they are today on prime time (ish) telly once again - and it was fantastic to see Ian, Pam and Jimmy clearly loving being in the limelight once again. The set used was fantastic - it's a shame to think that we may never see it again. If only they could sell that one to Bressingham.....

Here's to the next 40 years.