The Recruit (Dad's Army)

The Recruit is the seventh episode of the sixth series of the British television sitcom Dad's Army that was originally transmitted on 12 December 1973.

Synopsis

Captain Mainwaring is indisposed due to an ingrowing toenail, so Sergeant Wilson takes charge temporarily of the platoon. When, however, he allows the vicar and the verger to join the ranks, the rest of the men are far from happy.

Plot

With Captain Mainwaring absent from the platoon, Sergeant Wilson signs on two new recruits into the platoon, the Vicar and the Verger. When Mainwaring returns from hospital, he learns of the changes that Wilson has made and does not approve. However he can do nothing about it as the official papers for the Vicar and Verger have already been sent to GHQ. Mainwaring states that he will not go easy on the two of them.

On their first night on watch, the Vicar and the Verger have a run in with a young boy who gives them nothing but trouble. Unable to handle the situation, they call for rest of the section, who identify the boy as a local trouble maker. Mainwaring arrives and asserts his authority on the boy and tells him to clear off. The boy states that he is going to "tell his Uncle Willy," who turns out to be the Chief Warden, Hodges.

Hodges confronts Mainwaring and his platoon about the way they treated his nephew. After a war of words breaks out between Hodges and the platoon, his nephew states that "they are as bad as the Wardens," which prompts Hodges to turn his anger on his nephew and they both storm out of the church hall. After having a laugh, Mainwaring turns to the Vicar and the Verger and states that "this never would have happened if you had handled the situation properly." Upset with Mainwaring's attitude, the Vicar resigns, prompting the Verger to do the same.

Notes

This is the first episode not to feature James Beck, who was in a coma during its recording. James died shortly thereafter and is still credited during the end credits. Walker's absence in this episode is explained by a note left in Walker's place reading "Gone to the smoke". Following this episode the character was never seen, heard from nor referred to again after that.

Cast