The Man and the Hour

The Man and the Hour
Series {{{Series}}}, Episode 1
Air Date	31 July 1968
Written by	{{{writer}}}
Director	David Croft
Producer	{{{Producer}}}
Length	30 minutes
Original Audience Figures	{{{Original Audience Figures}}}
Previous episode	None
Next episode	Museum Piece
List of episodes

The Man and the Hour was the first episode of the show and was first broadcast on 31 July 1968 on the BBC.

Synopsis

On the outbreak of World War II, a local bank manager, George Mainwaring, takes it upon himself to form a unit of Local Defence Volunteers in the town of Walmington-on-Sea.

Plot

thumb|298px|leftIt starts in present day (1968) England with Captain Mainwaring announcing to his former platoon that he is backing Britain. A flash back shows on a TV screen showing scenes from World War II and the British Army.

It then starts in Swallows Bank (1940), Walmington-on-Sea. Wilson, Pike and Mainwaring are laying sandbags at the window. Mainwaring then receives a message saying that he can set up a LDV unit to protect Britain. He finds out more about this on the wireless, having been told by a clerk, Janet King, that Anthony Eden is about to make a Ministerial broadcast. Pike is told to go round to all the LDV volunteers and tell them to meet in the church hall.

At the church hall, many people are waiting and Mainwaring (now the self-appointed commander) begins to enrol them. He makes Wilson his Sergeant and Jones his Lance-Corporal. An ARP warden bursts in and tells the commander to "shove off" because he needs the hall for an ARP lecture. He is forced to let him use it and informs the platoon to meet in the hall later.

Later, Captain Mainwaring and Sergeant Wilson are inspecting the platoon, Godfrey has a gun and Mainwaring believes that he should have it because he is the officer, but Godfrey refuses. The platoon are told about tanks and how to defeat then. The platoon play at being tanks and how to destroy them. Mrs Pike arrives to pick up Pike because it's his bed time. The uniform (armbands) and weapons (pepper) arrive. It is not what the platoon expected. They are handed out.

Mainwaring gives a speech and the platoon cheer.

Notes

• This was the only Dad's Army episode to feature an audience laughter track during the opening titles
• A scene involving the fire brigade wanting to use the hall for practice was also filmed, but was cut from the final programme, it is unknown whether, the scene still exists
• This episode was originally planned for transmission on Monday 5 June