Dad's Army

Main characters

• Captain George Mainwaring, pronounced "Mannering" (Lowe) - the local bank manager, who appointed himself leader of his town's contingent of Local Defence Volunteers. Of the platoon, the only adult member with no prior combat experience (he served in France "during the whole of 1919--somebody had to clear up the mess") - and therefore no medals - a fact which sometimes caused tension with the other members of the Home Guard.
• Sergeant Arthur Wilson (Le Mesurier) - a diffident, upper-class bank clerk, Wilson was nonetheless Mainwaring's inferior in the bank and on parade; his suave, understated social superiority, public school education and handsome looks led to a certain amount of jealousy on Mainwaring's part. Formerly a Captain in the Royal Artillery during World War One. He fought at Mons, Gallipoli and the Somme.
• Lance-Corporal Jack Jones (Dunn) - born in 1870, Jones was an old campaigner who had participated, as a boy soldier, in the campaign of Kitchener of Khartoum in the Sudan between 1896 and 1898. By 1940 he worked as the town butcher, which occasionally enabled him to supplement his superiors' meat ration. Jones was leader of the platoon's first section.
• Private Joe Walker (Beck) - a black market "spiv", Walker was the only fit, able-bodied man of military age in Walmington-on-Sea's home guard. His absence from the regular armed forces was due to a corned beef allergy, although it was implied that Walker had probably found a way to play the system. Mainwaring often turned a blind eye to his profiteering as he could sometimes supply the platoon with useful items. On more than one occasion, Walker's willingness to use underhand tactics allowed Mainwaring's platoon to triumph over rivals in the Home Guard, Army and ARP.
• Private Frank Pike (Lavender) - a cossetted mother's boy and often the target of Mainwaring's derision, Pike was a junior bank clerk. Although never explicitly stated, it was often implied that Wilson and Pike's mother were having a relationship, and Pike called Wilson "Uncle Arthur". It was also occasionally implied that Wilson was Pike's father (although the writers only acknowledged this in interviews after the programme ended).
• Private James Frazer (Laurie) - a dour Scottish coffin maker, who is the local undertaker and a former sailor in the Merchant Navy, Frazer was tight with money, had wild staring eyes, and was known for issuing regular pronouncements of doom. In the early episodes Frazer was a the keeper of a philately shop.
• Private Charles Godfrey (Ridley) - the platoon's medical orderly, who had served in World War One as a stretcher bearer, winning the Military Medal before becoming a tailor. Godfrey was amiable, vague, and a martyr to his weak bladder.

Many of the characters' back-stories were filled in as the series progressed. After the death of James Beck, the platoon was joined by Welsh journalist Mr Cheeseman, played by Talfryn Thomas (a character called Charlie Cheeseman had appeared in the sixth episode, although the two were unrelated). Mr Cheeseman first appeared in the middle of series six as an incidental character, and appeared throughout series seven as a member of the platoon. He did not return for the eighth and subsequent series.

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In addition to the seven featured players, the platoon also included a 'back row' of anonymous extras, who filled the platoon up to size whilst on parade or display. Most of these extras did not speak; an exception was Private Sponge (Colin Bean). First appearing in the second series, he made more frequent appearances as the show went on, particularly after the death of Beck. In the first three episodes of the programme, an upper-class buffoon by the name of Bracewell was a minor character, not to be seen again.

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