Paul Fox as Controller of BBC1 commissioned Monty Python's Flying Circus. I mention this because according to this drama he is portrayed as a humourless berk.
Then again We're Doomed: The Dad's Army Story needed drama and the best they could come up with. Some BBC bigwigs were short-sighted, did not like it and might not had broadcast it.
As for the rest Paul Ritter plays it broad as Jimmy Perry, the frustrated actor who turns to writing and writes about his time in the Home Guard.
He was very much the Private Pike, fresh faced type. However Jimmy Perry had appeared a lot on television over the years to talk about his successful writing career and he seemed little like the character portrayed here.
John Sessions known both for acting and impressions does a good turn as Arthur Lowe. Julian Sands a perennial contender for the worst actor in the world award fails to convince as John Le Mesurier. Incidentally Le Mesurier has popped up in other biopics such as Tony Hancock's and Hattie Jacques.
However to me it was the story of Jimmy Perry and David Croft getting an idea for a sitcom off the ground which is still getting great ratings even today with its umpteenth repeat on BBC2.
We have had several making of drama documentaries in the last few years. The best so far has been The Road to Coronation Street, which had a heart and grittiness of the launch of a seminal programme.
This just was pleasant. There was some sweet moments such as Arnold Ridley talking with Perry about hitting hard times and had to sell off his rights to his plays.
There was the joke about Jon Pertwee being interested in the part until being told how much he was going to be paid. John Laurie being irate that Private Fraser had no fully formed character but he never turned down a part.
It was nice to see Roy Hudd as Bud Flanagan recording the theme song. It was meant to be Flanagan & Allen but Chesney stopped performing due to his severe ill health. Ironically it was the final work done by Flanagan, Chesney lived until the early 1980s.
