Gorilla Warfare (Dad's Army)
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"Gorilla Warfare" is the third episode of the seventh season of the British comedy series ''
Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...
''. It was originally transmitted on Friday 29 November 1974.


Synopsis

Mainwaring casts himself as a highly important
secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
whom his
platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...
must escort to a clandestine destination.


Plot

The platoon arrives at the church hall and load their equipment onto Jones' van, ready for a weekend exercise. Mainwaring briefs the men on the exercise, which concerns
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...
. The objective of the exercise is to transport a highly important agent (Mainwaring) to a selected destination while avoiding the best efforts of counter-agents GHQ has put out to capture him. The importance of the exercise does not stop Godfrey and Wilson bringing a few luxury items, to the consternation of Mainwaring. Mainwaring then takes the opportunity to ridicule Captain Square and the Eastgate platoon, after their attempt at the exercise the previous week resulted in Square being captured after only an hour. Unbeknownst to Mainwaring, the
Verger A verger (or virger, so called after the staff of the office, or wandsman (British)) is a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches. Etymology The title of ''verger'' a ...
and Warden Hodges are watching them, discussing their plans to sabotage the platoon's efforts on the orders of Captain Square, who has offered them £1 each to foil Mainwaring. The platoon embarks on the exercise with various adventures, such as ignoring two
nuns A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
who need help with their car and checking a baby's pram for a wireless receiver. Making surprisingly good progress, they also manage to avoid the schemes of Hodges and the Verger who, while walking through some woodland, are suddenly pursued by what appears to be a
gorilla Gorillas are herbivorous, predominantly ground-dwelling great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or fi ...
. Meanwhile, a man in a white coat approaches Mainwaring with a story about a missing gorilla, trained by the
War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...
for war work. Sensing a ploy, the men dismiss this information, even when Hodges, having taken refuge in a tree, tells them of the animal he and the Verger encountered. That evening, the platoon arrive in an outlying barn to spend the night in. Frazer tells them the "Story of the Auld Empty Barn" ("There was nothing in it!"). Unbeknownst to them, the gorilla enters and hides in the straw unnoticed. After the men go to sleep, the gorilla sneaks away and returns to GHQ, where it is revealed to be an officer, Lieutenant Wood in disguise, spying on the platoon. The following morning Mainwaring and his men attempt the final leg of the exercise, to transport Mainwaring to the special destination. Pressed for time after Mainwaring's inept skills with a
compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
get them nowhere, he and Jones commandeer Hodges' motorbike, with the rest of the platoon following in the van. Before they set off, Hodges returns, having called the
RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...
and summoned their help. They have provided him with a large
hypodermic A hypodermic needle (from Greek ὑπο- (''hypo-'' = under), and δέρμα (''derma'' = skin)), one of a category of medical tools which enter the skin, called sharps, is a very thin, hollow tube with one sharp tip. It is commonly used w ...
, though Mainwaring still brushes aside any suggestion of a gorilla, until it suddenly appears brandishing a revolver. They race away on the motorbike, with the gorilla hijacking it. A panicking Jones tries to incapacitate it with the hypodermic, but jabs Mainwaring with it by mistake, causing him to lose control and veer off the road, but Jones manages to get hold of the pistol. As the rest of the platoon arrive, the gorilla implores them not to shoot, revealing himself as Lieutenant Wood. The Colonel arrives to congratulate the men on winning the exercise, while a slumped Mainwaring passes out.


Cast

*
Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad' ...
as
Captain Mainwaring Captain George Mainwaring () is a fictional Home Guard captain, first portrayed by Arthur Lowe in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. In the 2016 movie he is played by Toby Jones and in the 2019 remake of three missing episodes he is p ...
*
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation co ...
as
Sergeant Wilson Sergeant Arthur Wilson is a fictional British Home Guard, Home Guard platoon sergeant and Bank teller, bank chief clerk, first portrayed by John Le Mesurier in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. Background Wilson was born in 1887, and ...
*
Clive Dunn Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (9 January 19206 November 2012) was an English actor. Although he was only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC sitcom ' ...
as
Lance Corporal Jones Lance Corporal Jack Jones is a fictional Home Guard platoon lance corporal and veteran of the British Empire, first portrayed by Clive Dunn in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. His catchphrases are "Don't panic!", "Permission to speak, s ...
*
John Laurie John Paton Laurie (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (196 ...
as
Private Frazer Private James Frazer is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and undertaker, first portrayed by John Laurie in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. He is noted for his catchphrases "We're doomed!" and "Rubbish!" Personality Frazer was bo ...
*
Arnold Ridley William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, earlier in his career known for writing the play '' The Ghost Train'' and later in life in the British TV sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968–1977) as ...
as
Private Godfrey Private Charles Godfrey MM is a fictional Home Guard platoon member, first portrayed by Arnold Ridley in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. and in the 1971 ''Dad's Army'' film. He is retired and was previously a tailor for the Civil Se ...
*
Ian Lavender Arthur Ian Lavender (born 16 February 1946) is an English stage, film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Private Pike in the BBC sitcom ''Dad's Army'', and is the last surviving major cast member of the series following the ...
as
Private Pike Private Frank Pike is a fictional Home Guard private and junior bank clerk, first portrayed by actor Ian Lavender in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. He was appointed as the platoon's information officer by Captain Mainwaring in The Ma ...
*
Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was a British comedy actor. He played the role of Chief ARP Warden Hodges in the sitcom ''Dad's Army''. Early life Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 1926 ...
as ARP Warden Hodges *
Edward Sinclair Edward Sinclair Perry (3 February 1914 – 29 August 1977) was an English actor who played the role of verger Maurice Yeatman in ''Dad's Army''. He also made appearances in ''Z-Cars'' and ''Danger Man''. The earliest work in his belated m ...
as The Verger *
Talfryn Thomas John Talfryn Thomas (31 October 1922 – 4 November 1982) was a Welsh character actor, best known for supporting roles on television in the 1970s, including those of Private Cheeseman in ''Dad's Army'' (1973–1974) and Tom Price in '' ...
as Private Cheeseman *
Robert Raglan Robert Raglan (7 April 1909 – 18 July 1985) 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'' (1954 ...
as The Colonel *
Robin Parkinson Christopher Robin Parkinson (25 October 1929 – 7 May 2022) was an English actor known for his comedy roles. He was the second actor to portray Monsieur Ernest Leclerc in '' 'Allo 'Allo!'' (22 episodes: series 7 to 9), after the death of Derek ...
as Lieutenant Wood *
Erik Chitty Erik Chitty (8 July 1907 in Dover, Kent – 22 July 1977 Brent, Middlesex), was an English stage, film and television actor. Early life Chitty was the son of a flour miller, Frederick Walter Chitty and his wife Ethel Elsie Assistance née Fr ...
as Mr. Clerk * Rachel Thomas as The Mother Superior *
Michael Sharvell-Martin Michael Sharvell-Martin (2 February 1944 – 28 October 2010) was a popular British television and stage actor whose career spanned more than three decades. He was a familiar character actor on British television screens, guest-starring in sever ...
as The Lieutenant *
Verne Morgan Verne may refer to: People Surname *Jules Verne (1828–1905), French early science-fiction writer *Adela Verne (1877–1952), English pianist and minor composer *Kaaren Verne (1918–1967), German actress *Larry Verne (1936–201 ...
as The Farmer * Joy Allen as The Lady with the pram {{Dad's Army Dad's Army (series 7) episodes 1974 British television episodes