Ring Dem Bells
Encyclopedia
"Ring Dem Bells" is the first episode of the eighth series of the British
comedy series Dad's Army
, originally broadcast on September 5, 1975. Location filming took place in Norfolk in the summer of 1975 and the studio scenes were recorded at BBC Television Centre
on 3rd May 1975. The title is a references to the Duke Ellington
's 1930 song of the same name
.
In the episode, the platoon are going to be featured in a film to help the war effort
, but are annoyed to find they are playing the Nazis. Chaos ensues when they are mistaken for real German soldiers, triggering an invasion
alert.
The episode is particularly noted for Ian Lavender
's performance as which Private Pike pretends to be a German officer. BBC Audience research at the time stated that he had "surpassed himself" in a story which had given him the "chance to display his versatility and comedy talent". Ian Lavender has since stated that this is one of his favourite episodes.
. Private Pike, a keen cinema-goer, is very excited but once the film producers arrive to measure them for uniforms, it becomes clear that the platoon are going to be playing the Nazis. Despite his protests, Captain Mainwaring is informed that they will be only in the distance anyway. Mainwaring is measured for his uniform, but they do not have an officer's, or indeed any uniform to fit him. Instead, Wilson and Pike are chosen to be the officers. Mainwaring is excused from appearing in the film by the Colonel.
In the next scene, the platoon are dressed as German
soldiers for their parts. Pike is enjoying his turn as an officer, goosestepping
around and acting like the German officers he has seen at the cinema. Mainwaring informs the platoon that they must stay inside Jones' van to avoid being spotted and creating an alarm.
Once they reach the filming location, they are met by the producer who says that the filming has been postponed due to a problem with the lead actors, much to Mainwaring's disgust. Mainwaring halts outside the "Six Bells" public house
to telephone Headquarters. Pike sees the pub and persuades Wilson that, now they are officers, they should all go for a drink. Thus the platoon converge upon the pub dressed as Nazis, much to the shock of the landlord
. The landlord tells his barmaid to warn the village.
Mainwaring discovers what has happened and orders the men outside, where they are met by an angry mob. They accuse Mainwaring of being a quisling
. The landlord telephones Walmington
to tell the Home Guard that Nazis are heading that way. Unfortunately, the telephone is answered by Hodges and the Vicar, who assume the landlord is drunk. After seeing the backs of the platoon, who are still dressed as Nazis they decide to sound the alarm by ringing the church bells.
Wilson realises what has happened and Mainwaring tells Pike to phone Headquarters to inform them it isn't an invasion. Pike returns laughing to inform Mainwaring that the whole south coast was on red alert and the Brigadier
himself wanted to know what "blithering idiot" was responsible. Pike informs Mainwaring that he has made him an appointment to see the Brigadier on Monday.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
comedy series Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, originally broadcast on September 5, 1975. Location filming took place in Norfolk in the summer of 1975 and the studio scenes were recorded at BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre
BBC Television Centre at White City in West London is the headquarters of BBC Television. Officially opened on 29 June 1960, it remains one of the largest to this day; having featured over the years as backdrop to many BBC programmes, it is one of the most readily recognisable such facilities...
on 3rd May 1975. The title is a references to the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
's 1930 song of the same name
Duke Ellington discography
This is the discography of Duke Ellington. The majority of these recordings are listed under the year they were recorded, rather than released. Reissues are listed for most of the recordings released before the 1950s, as the original 78s are rare...
.
In the episode, the platoon are going to be featured in a film to help the war effort
War effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort refers to a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force...
, but are annoyed to find they are playing the Nazis. Chaos ensues when they are mistaken for real German soldiers, triggering an invasion
Invasion
An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
alert.
The episode is particularly noted for Ian Lavender
Ian Lavender
Arthur Ian Lavender , better known as Ian Lavender, is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.-Early life and career:...
's performance as which Private Pike pretends to be a German officer. BBC Audience research at the time stated that he had "surpassed himself" in a story which had given him the "chance to display his versatility and comedy talent". Ian Lavender has since stated that this is one of his favourite episodes.
Plot
The platoon are to be featured in a film to help the war effortWar effort
In politics and military planning, a war effort refers to a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force...
. Private Pike, a keen cinema-goer, is very excited but once the film producers arrive to measure them for uniforms, it becomes clear that the platoon are going to be playing the Nazis. Despite his protests, Captain Mainwaring is informed that they will be only in the distance anyway. Mainwaring is measured for his uniform, but they do not have an officer's, or indeed any uniform to fit him. Instead, Wilson and Pike are chosen to be the officers. Mainwaring is excused from appearing in the film by the Colonel.
In the next scene, the platoon are dressed as German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
soldiers for their parts. Pike is enjoying his turn as an officer, goosestepping
Stechschritt
The goose step is a special marching step usually performed on formal military parades and other ceremonies. While marching in parade formation, troops swing their legs in unison to a nearly horizontal position while keeping their knees locked. In many armed forces the step is modified to raise the...
around and acting like the German officers he has seen at the cinema. Mainwaring informs the platoon that they must stay inside Jones' van to avoid being spotted and creating an alarm.
Once they reach the filming location, they are met by the producer who says that the filming has been postponed due to a problem with the lead actors, much to Mainwaring's disgust. Mainwaring halts outside the "Six Bells" public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
to telephone Headquarters. Pike sees the pub and persuades Wilson that, now they are officers, they should all go for a drink. Thus the platoon converge upon the pub dressed as Nazis, much to the shock of the landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
. The landlord tells his barmaid to warn the village.
Mainwaring discovers what has happened and orders the men outside, where they are met by an angry mob. They accuse Mainwaring of being a quisling
Quisling
Quisling is a term used in reference to fascist and collaborationist political parties and military and paramilitary forces in occupied Allied countries which collaborated with Axis occupiers in World War II, as well as for their members and other collaborators.- Etymology :The term was coined by...
. The landlord telephones Walmington
Walmington-on-Sea
Walmington-on-Sea is a fictional seaside resort where the BBC Television sitcom, BBC radio series and film Dad's Army was based.Located on the channel coast of England in the county of Kent, the national "front line" following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during...
to tell the Home Guard that Nazis are heading that way. Unfortunately, the telephone is answered by Hodges and the Vicar, who assume the landlord is drunk. After seeing the backs of the platoon, who are still dressed as Nazis they decide to sound the alarm by ringing the church bells.
Wilson realises what has happened and Mainwaring tells Pike to phone Headquarters to inform them it isn't an invasion. Pike returns laughing to inform Mainwaring that the whole south coast was on red alert and the Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
himself wanted to know what "blithering idiot" was responsible. Pike informs Mainwaring that he has made him an appointment to see the Brigadier on Monday.
Cast
| Cast | Characters |
|---|---|
| Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:... |
Captain Mainwaring |
| John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor. He is most famous for his role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army.-Career:... |
Sergeant Wilson |
| Clive Dunn Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn OBE is a retired English actor, comedian and author, best known for his role as Lance-Corporal Jack Jones in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army.-Early life:... |
Lance Corporal Jones |
| John Laurie John Laurie John Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier... |
Private Frazer |
| Arnold Ridley Arnold Ridley Major William Arnold Ridley, OBE was an English playwright and actor, first notable as the author of the play The Ghost Train and later in life for portraying the elderly Private Charles Godfrey in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army .-Early life:Ridley was born in Walcot, Bath, England where... |
Private Godfrey |
| Ian Lavender Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender , better known as Ian Lavender, is an English stage, film and television actor, best known for his role as Private Frank Pike in the BBC comedy series Dad's Army.-Early life and career:... |
Private Pike |
| Bill Pertwee Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee MBE is a British comedy actor. He is best known for playing the part of antagonist ARP Warden Hodges in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.-Early and personal life:... |
ARP Warden Hodges |
| Jack Haig Jack Haig Jack Haig was a British actor who specialised in supporting roles, mainly in TV comedy.Haig was the son of music hall actors Bertha Baker and Charles Coppin, whose act went under the name "Haig and Esco". He was seen in a long list of British TV favourites: Hugh and I, Dad's Army, Are You Being... |
Mr Palethorpe, the Landlord |
| Robert Raglan Robert Raglan Robert Raglan was a British actor best known for his semi-regular role in Dad's Army, as Colonel Pritchard. He also starred in a number of other television series and films such as Fabian of the Yard and The Haunted House of Horror... |
The Colonel |
| Felix Bowness Felix Bowness Felix Bowness was an English comedy actor best remembered for his portrayal of the jockey Fred Quilly in the BBC sitcom Hi-de-Hi!.-Biography:... |
Special Constable Special Constabulary The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials.Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the... |
| John Bardon John Bardon John Bardon, is an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk.-Acting career:Bardon is best known for playing Jim Branning in the popular British soap opera EastEnders... |
Harold Forster |
| Hilda Fenemore Hilda Fenemore Hilda Lilian Fenemore was an English actress with a prolific career in film and television from the 1940s to the 1990s... |
Queenie Beal |
| Janet Mahoney Janet Mahoney Janet Mahoney is a British actress who has appeared in film and television roles. She appeared in the several films, including Doctor in Trouble, Mutiny on the Buses and Carry On Loving. She was also in episodes of the television series Dad's Army and Up Pompeii!.*-References:... |
Doris, the Barmaid |
| Adele Strong | Lady with the Umbrella |
| Colin Bean Colin Bean Colin Bean was a British actor best known for his role as Private Sponge in the Second World War sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 to 1977, appearing in76 of Dad’s Army’s 80 episodes.... |
Private Sponge |