Dad’s Army stamps: Royal Mail marks 50 years since sitcom’s first episode

Fans of Dad’s Army will be able to buy a special set of Royal Mail stamps issued to celebrate the programme’s 50th anniversary.

The BBC sitcom, which followed the wartime misadventures of a bumbling Home Guard troop led by the officious Captain Mainwaring, ran from 1968 to 1977

As well as Arthur Lowe as the pompous commanding officer, the show starred Clive Dunn as skittish old-timer Lance Corporal Jones and Ian Lavender as the child-like Private Pike.

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At its peak, Dad’s Army reached upwards of 18 million viewers, cementing its status as one of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms.

The Royal Mail’s commemorative collection includes eight stamps featuring characters alongside their familiar catchphrases, such as Captain Mainwaring’s withering “Stupid boy!” and Private Frazer’s frequent cry of “We’re doomed. Doomed!”.

Other stamps in the set portray some of the show’s most memorable moments, such as the infamous “Don’t tell ‘em, Pike” scene. They will be on sale from 26 June.

Ian Lavender, the only surviving member of the original cast, told the Daily Mail that the Royal Mail’s tribute to the show was overwhelming. “When you’re young you may dream of many things but one never thinks there is a possibility of being on a stamp!” he said.