Antiques Roadshow guest stunned over huge value of rare Dad's Army script
The Antiques Roadshow uncovered a piece of television history over the weekend - as a guest produced a hand-written script of classic comedy Dad’s Army, sparking gasps from the experts.
The long-running antiques show was in Roundhay Park in Leeds on Sunday, with guests bringing a range of items to be assessed and valued by the experts. But Clive Farrahar was left astonished when one guest produced for him a copy of a Dad’s Army script.
The much-loved wartime comedy ran for nine seasons on the BBC - airing from 31 July 1968 until 13 November 1977 and consisting of an impressive 80 episodes. The show starred Arthur Lowe as Captain George Mainwaring who was in charge of a hapless group of Local Defence Volunteers who defended Britain from Nazis during the Second World War.
Clive was gobsmacked to see handwritten pages forming a script from one of the episodes - and admitted he was unsure how to estimate their value. Speaking to his guest, the antiques expert gasped: “These pieces of paper are terribly rare. I can't imagine that there are any more around.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was surprised by the estimate value of a Dad's Army script (BBC)"Well I suppose I have got to value it now… which is the most difficult thing because I don't think I've got anything to compare it with. I would say you have something between five and ten thousand pounds."
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Clive continued: “Which sounds like a lot of money but when you think of how rare these scripts can possibly be, this - which I think is just the most golden piece of Dad's Army - is where the heart of Dad's Army is, so congratulations.”
The script was for an episode titled Sgt - Save My Boy which aired in 1970 and was the fourth episode of the fourth series. The synopsis for the episode states: “Pike gets caught up in barbed wire - just as his mum is paying the platoon a visit.” Pike was played by Ian Lavender - who passed away on Saturday at the age of 77.
The guest received the hand written script after interning at the BBC (BBC)Those gathered around for the scene being filmed gasped in surprise. The guest who brought the item to be valued had worked as an intern for the BBC when the show had been filming. He was left speechless by the evaluation. He had been sent the script by the screenwriter as he helped him during production.
Clive asked: “I can't believe that I'm actually handling the original script from one of Dad's Army's programmes. He sent you this?”
The script came with a letter which said: “Thank you for your letter, I'm enclosing a manuscript of a Dad's Army programme. Unfortunately, the first page is missing. The original is in my own bad handwriting. I can write better than this but in trying to keep up with my thoughts, legibility goes out of the window.”
The last remaining Dad's Army cast member Ian Lavendar, third right, died at the weekend (PA)Dad's Army fans were united in grief over the weekend as news broke that Ian Lavendar had died aged 77. A Dad's Army's Twitter account post announced the news, saying: "We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of the wonderful Ian Lavender. In what truly marks the end of an era, Ian was the last surviving member of the Dad’s Army main cast.
"His wonderful performance as Private Frank Pike will live on for decades to come. He leaves behind a legacy of laughter enjoyed by millions. We will dedicate this year’s tour to his memory. Our thoughts and love are with Ian’s wonderful wife Miki, their family and close friends."
Lavender's agent, Hilary Gagan, confirmed to PA that his client had died. Gagan also shared that Lavender had been ill for some time and that his wife and sons were by his side. The actor, from Birmingham, was only 22 when he first appeared in Dad’s Army. He went on to have a successful acting career, with many fans knowing him from his time in EastEnders.
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