Dad's Army creator Jimmy Perry has died, aged 93
Jimmy Perry, the man who created the most popular comedy series ever, has passed away at the age of 93.
Jimmy, who created Dad's Army, was also one of the brains behind Hi-de-Hi, You Rang M'Lord and It Ain't Half Hot Mum which he brought to the small screen with friend and producer David Croft.
The writer, who was born in 1923, grew up in London and joined the home guards in 1939 when the Second World War broke out. He drew on his experiences there to come up with ideas for Dad's Army, a series which ran for over 80 episodes in the nine years between 1968 and 1977. Many of the characters he created were based on soldiers he met during his time in the home guards.
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The character Private Pike, played by Ian Lavender, was based on Jimmy himself. Pike was frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".
Talking to the BBC last year, Jimmy told how the hit TV series nearly never got made.
"The BBC was so careful that they got market research involved," Jimmy told the Radio Times, adding that test screenings of the pilot episode were then showed to audiences.
"One woman said, 'I thought it was rubbish. The public want to forget about the war. They’re not interested. We’re fed up of having the war shoved down our throats... And that old man with the bald head doesn’t know his words!'"
Jimmy was awarded an OBE in 1978. He is survived by his wife, Gilda.
