Dad's Army first aired

It Was Literally An Army of Dads

What’s the number one rated sit-com on British television at this moment in time? Check the stats and you will see that week in, week out Dad’s Army still tops the charts, despite the fact that it first appeared on this day way back in 1968. When the idea was first pitched, the BBC were worried about mocking the brave boys who fought in World War II and initial testing with audiences was disastrous.But through sheer grit and determination, much like that shown by the Home Guard of Wilmington-On-Sea, the show triumphed and ran for nine series and 80 much-loved episodes. As well as its constant repeating, its longevity is reflected by the fact that TWO new films were recently made about the show. The original was voted the fourth best sitcom of all time by the BBC and Captain Mainwaring's "You stupid boy!" catchphrase was considered one of the greatest put-downs ever to be seen on TV.