Colin Bean RIP 1927 to 2009

Private Sponge actor passes away

It is with great sadness that I report that Colin Bean passed away on Saturday 20 June 2009. Colin played Private Sponge throughout the whole of nine years Dad's Army was produced and was a keen supporter of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society for many years. An ever-present section leader in the Walmington-on-Sea platoon, Private Sponge was seen in the second rank in most parade scenes. As time moved on, he was given several speaking parts and a little character development. Colin's career was varied, but he will be best remembered for the part he played in Dad's Army.

In later years, Colin regaled audiences with stories about his time filming Dad's Army in the popular 'An Audience with Colin Bean' events, some of which were filmed and can be seen on YouTube.

The story is reported in Wigan Today and can be read here.

Rest in peace Colin, you will be most affectionately remembered.

Podcast 35

Locations Tour 2009

Apologies for the long interval since I've last blogged - been really busy at work, home and, you'll be pleased to hear, with loads of Dad's Army related stuff.

Firstly, the 2009 locations tour podcast is now online over at the main podcast page. Make sure you check out Episodes 35a and 35b. Frank Williams was an absolute gem - I really can't get enough of that man. He is so enthusiastic about Dad's to this day, and he is so eloquent and articulate when talking about his memories of filming Dad's Army. What is also clear is his affection for his co-stars. There is no hint of envy or jealousy about the fact that he played such a minor role compared to the regular cast members. What amazes me is how youthful he is on these tours - they are not short events (four hours without a loo stop!) and the terrain is often rough enough to challenge even the fittest of fans, but not only does Frank cope admirably, he positively enjoys himself. Anyway, as always, let me know what you think of this podcast by sending me an e-mail - james@dadsarmypodcast.com If you happen to be based in or live near London then keep an eye out on the blog for a Frank related event in November this year - can't say too much at present as we're still in the early stages of planning, but if its comes off then tickets will be as keenly sought after as Walker's silk parachute-knickers!

Dad's Army podcast on Twitter!

The podcast now has a Twitter page - www.twitter.com/dadsarmypodcast I'm very new to all this interwebby promotion stuff, but realise that the next generation of fans will expect there to be a very strong, online presence (other than the podcast itself), so this is my attempt to get with it. I will try to post all the latest dad's army and podcast news on this page so make sure you keep an eye on it, and post responses! Twitter is one of the easiest modern-day networking sites to use - all you need to do is sign up (takes two minutes) and click on 'follow' and you'll be kept up to date on all things Dad's Army.

And finally.....

Keep you ears peeled for a rather exciting announcement about the future of the podcast very soon. All very mysterious I know, but I should hopefully be able to announce something fairly major that will greatly enhance the enjoyment listeners' get out of the podcast over the few weeks. More soon.

Tour of Locations 2009

Perry and Croft weekend 2009

A set of photos taken on the tour of Dad's Army locations that took place on 9 May 2009 is now available by clicking on the slideshow to the right. The tour was organised by the Dad's Army Appreciation Society and visited several locations on the Ministry of Defence ground at Stanta. The MOD ground is usually a no-go area to members of the public so this specially arranged tour was a real treat. We were accompanied by Frank Williams who shared several of his memories whilst filming at Stanta.

As there was last year, there will be a podcast containing the commentary from Frank, and our tour guide Tony Pritchard of the Appreciation society. What Tony doesn't know about Dad's Army really isn't worth knowing! The recordings will form podcast 35 and be on-line as soon as I have had a chance to edit the numerous anecdotes I managed to record.

New podcast online

Episode 34

Episode 34 of the Dad's Army podcast is now on-line and available to listen to or download from the main podcast page.

This month, Paul Carpenter from the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society joins me for the whole episode and previews the premier event on the Society’s calendar, the 2009 Perry and Croft Day which is due to be held on Sunday 10 May at at Bressingham Steam Museum. Paul announces which stars will be appearing (subject to work commitments and good health) and provides an insight into what it takes to put on such an event.

We then discuss the first episode of Dad’s Army I ever saw, Don’t forget the Diver – an absolute classic series 4 episode from 1970.

Episode 35 of the podcast will feature a number of interviews with the stars of Dad’s Army - I hope to be talking to several of the cast and crew at Bressingham.

Take a listen to episodes 20 and 21 of the podcast to hear coverage of last years event.

As always, we’d love to hear from you so please send in your feedback to james@dadsarmypodcast.com.

New podcast on-line

Frank Williams stars in Episode 33

Episode 33 of the Dad’s Army podcast is now on-line and available to listen to over at the main podcast page or on iTunes. This month we are joined by none other than Frank Williams himself – the Reverend Timothy Farthing, to discuss the often controversial film interpretation of Dad’s Army.

The entire podcast team were present for this one – and Frank shares his experiences of being part of the production and talks about his many talented co-stars. The film has always divided fan opinion – some believing the series made a seamless transfer from TV to the silver screen whilst others believe it a travesty of the telly series. Why not have your say? E-mail us at james@dadsarmypodcast.com but above all, enjoy the podcast.

1975 Stage Show gets CD release

Sergeant Wilson's Little Secrets - secret no more!

The 1975 Dad's Army Stage Show recording is finally getting a release on CD. The release will be available to buy, courtesy of Warner Brothers, on 13 April 2009.

The recording features the original cast and is identical to the vinyl version released many years ago. Warner went back to the original recordings when mastering this release and found some extra material recorded by John Le Mesurier - which did not make it onto the original vinyl version - unfortunately the decision was taken not to include this additional material on the CD. it may however find the light of day in a future release but no further information is available at this time.

The Amazon listing for the CD is can be seen here.

Dad's Army and Beyond: The Frank Williams Story

Producer of new documentary interviewed on the Dad's Army podcast

Episode 32 of the Dad's Army podcast is now online and available to listen to from the main podcast page, or to download from iTunes.

This month we go through the latest Dad's Army news, sift through the podcast's mailbag and bring you an exclusive interview with Oliver Crocker - the Producer of Frank Williams new documentary, 'Dad's Army and Beyond, the Frank Williams story'. Oliver talks about filming with Frank and tells some fantastic stories.

Frank and Oliver have worked together before - in a typecasting busting move, Frank stars as a really nasty piece of work in the Devonfire production, Tanner. A trailer for the film is on YouTube and features Frank - you can view it here;

Episode 33 will feature Frank himself as he joins the entire podcast team talking about the sometimes controversial, Dad's Army movie. As always, please send in your feedback to james@dadsarmypodcast.com and enjoy the show.