Arnold Ridley

Uh, that's...

He was played by Arnold Ridley, and Arnold Ridley, who must have been, um, certainly in his 70s, probably in his 80s at the time he did Dad's Army, had, while a young man in the '20s, I think, written a play called, I think, The Ghost Train, and it had run in the West End very successfully for ages.

And if you have a play in the West End, you can do very, very well indeed, you know.

And then it continued to be performed by semi-pros and amateurs, you know, for, for decades, you know.

[laughs] And so Arnold Ridley didn't really need the Dad's Army money.

I'm sure he liked it.

Right.

We present Arthur Lowe, John LeMessurier and Clive Dunn in Dad's Army.

Episode 20, Sons of the Sea, featuring John Lorry, Arnold Ridley and Ian Lavender.

Here is the news, and this is John Snagg reading it.

As the lights flicker out all over Europe, and whole nations tremble in the shadow of the swastika, here in this green and pleasant land, our grateful thanks go out to that fearless band, the men of Britain's Home Guard, whose constant vigilance keeps the home fires burning bright.

We're going to walk back down that line and pick up all those rifle bolts, every one of them.

Come on.

In that episode of Dad's Army from the original television series by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, you heard Arthur Lowe as Captain Manoring, John LeMessurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn, Corporal Jones, John Lorry, Private Fraser, Arnold Ridley, Private Godfrey, Ian Lavender, Private Pike, and Timothy Bateson as everybody else.

Sons of the Sea, the last episode in the present series, was adapted for radio by Michael Knowles and Harold Snowde and produced by John Dyess.

It's embarrassing.

Nicholas Ridley, who's the son of Arnold Ridley, who was in Dad's Army and wrote Ghost Train.

There we are.

I haven't spoken to him for ages, actually, but he spells his Nicholas without an H.

We present Arthur Lowe, John LeMessurier and Clive Dunn in Dad's Army.

Episode 19, No Spring for Fraser, featuring John Lorry and Arnold Ridley with this week's guests, Edward Sinclair, Joan Cooper and Timothy Bateson.

Here is the news, and this is John Snagg reading it.

The date is 1941, and war has become an integral part in the lives of every man, woman, and child in these islands of ours.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

In that episode of Dad's Army from the original television series by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, you heard Arthur Lowe as Captain Bannering, John LeMessurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn, Corporal Jones, John Lorry, Private Fraser, Arnold Ridley, Private Godfrey, Edward Sinclair, The Verger, Joan Cooper, Miss Baker, and Timothy Bateson as Mr. Blewett.

No Spring for Fraser was adapted for radio by Harold Snowden and Michael Knowles and produced by John Dias.

I've mentioned those middle-aged men who'd fought in the First World War.

Interestingly, among them, we've talked about Private Godfrey a lot, who's played by the brilliant actor Arnold Ridley.

Now, Arnold Ridley himself, we see him as a doddery old man.

Imagine him in 1940. a middle-aged man just joining his local home guard platoon in Caterham in Kent I think he came to the home guard with an amazing amount of military experience himself Arnold Ridley had fought in the First World War.

He had been at the Battle of the Somme.

He had seen horrors beyond imagination.

He was absolutely, as I say, his bravery was beyond compare.

Now, imagine that.

present Arthur Lowe, John LeMessurier and Clive Dunn in Dad's Army.

Episode 17, Room at the Bottom, featuring John Laurie and Arnold Ridley, with this week's guests, John Ringham and Jack Watson.

Here is the news, and this is John Snagg reading it.

The date is 1941.

I'm sure we'll sort it all out in time.

Meanwhile, Pep should like to borrow my pen now.

In that episode of Dad's Army, from the original television series by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, you heard Arthur Lowe as Captain Manoring, John LeMessurier, Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn, Corporal Jones, John Lurie, Private Fraser, Arnold Ridley, Private Godfrey, John Ringham, Captain Turner, and Jack Watson as Sergeant Gregory.

Room at the Bottom was adapted for radio by Michael Knowles and Harold Snowde and produced by John Dyles.