Kurt at 01:18, 10 January 2023

2023-01-10T01:18:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:18, 9 January 2023
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{about\|the Dad's Army episode\|the music hall duo\|Bob and Alf Pearson}}~~
	~~{{unreferenced\|date=June 2014}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2012}}~~
	{{Infobox television episode		{{Infobox television episode
	\| series = [[Dad's Army]]		\| series = [[Dad's Army]]

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2022-08-26T20:08:59Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 15:08, 26 August 2022
(No difference)

en>Gonnym: /* top */link series; fixes

2021-11-03T09:53:27Z

top: link series; fixes

New page

{{about|the Dad's Army episode|the music hall duo|Bob and Alf Pearson}}
{{unreferenced|date=June 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Dad's Army]]
| image =
| caption =
| series_no = 8
| episode = 7
| director = [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]
| story = [[Jimmy Perry]] and David Croft
| producer = David Croft
| airdate = 26 December 1975
| length = 40 minutes
| guests =
| prev = [[The Face on the Poster]]
| next = [[The Love of Three Oranges (Dad's Army)|The Love of Three Oranges]]
}}
"'''My Brother and I'''" is the second Christmas episode of the British comedy series ''[[Dad's Army]]''. It was originally transmitted on Friday 26 December 1975. The episode features a [[dual role]] played by [[Arthur Lowe]], in his regular role of [[Captain Mainwaring]] and as Mainwaring's estranged brother [[Barry Mainwaring|Barry]].

==Synopsis==
Just as [[Captain Mainwaring]] gives the go-ahead for a [[sherry]] party, his drunken brother [[Barry Mainwaring|Barry]] turns up to spoil the occasion.

==Plot==
As Mainwaring and the [[platoon]] return from an exhausting route march, he discovers Wilson reading Pike's ''[[Hotspur (comic)|Hotspur]]'' comic. There is a letter written in Pike's handwriting hidden amongst the pages. Mainwaring reads it and is instantly disgusted. He convenes an impromptu [[parade]], where he confronts Pike about the letter, and asks Wilson to read it. It says that the [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] will only spot any parachutists if they land in a [[public house]], and that their section made sure there were no parachutists in eleven pubs in two hours!

Mainwaring makes the platoon promise that he will not hear any more stories about his men drinking. He goes on to say that he has offered to be the host for a sherry party for local civil dignitaries and army officers. Jones' section (sans Frazer, because he's "meeting" a client in Eastbourne) volunteer themselves as stewards. When they leave, Mainwaring praises his men, declaring them indispensable. Wilson asks if Mainwaring was harsh about the public house business, but Mainwaring does not think he was, and blames it on the way he was brought up: every member of his family knew when to stop.

Meanwhile, on board a train carriage, a drunken figure with more than a passing resemblance to Mainwaring downs a [[hip flask]] of [[Scotch whisky|Scotch]]. The train stops at [[Eastbourne]], and Frazer joins the man in the carriage, and quickly learns that the drunken man is Mainwaring's [[black sheep]] brother Barry, and that he is on his way to [[Walmington-on-Sea|Walmington]] to collect a [[Pocket watch#Hunter-case watches|half-hunter watch]] that, he claims, Mainwaring stole from him after their father's demise. Frazer is more than happy to tell Mainwaring that his brother is in town.

A few days later, Mainwaring tells Wilson that he is not ashamed of his brother, but he feels that he let his talents go to waste, while he became a respected and trustworthy figure who can look the world full in the face. Barry rings and Mainwaring declines the call, leaving it to Wilson. Mainwaring tells Wilson to tell Barry that he will meet him at the Red Lion [[inn]].

When he gets there, he confronts Barry about the watch. Barry claims that their father intended to give Barry the watch for looking after him. Mainwaring scoffs at his attempts to look after their father, and refuses to hand over the watch. Barry blackmails his brother by saying that he will show him up at the sherry party if he does not. Mainwaring reluctantly hands over the watch, getting Barry's solemn oath that he will be out of Walmington on the 9:30 train.

The party goes well until Barry unexpectedly arrives, wanting to apologise for his earlier behaviour, and gets into a lengthy chat with Chief Warden Hodges, the [[Vicar]] and the [[Verger]]. Pike drags him into the dressing room, giving him a bottle of sherry to himself, in exchange for keeping his mouth shut. Mainwaring arrives, and Hodges gleefully tells him that he had a chat with his brother. Mainwaring is shocked and asks Wilson, Frazer, Jones, Sponge and Pike to get him out as soon as possible.

They try shoving him through the window, but he is too fat, so they carry a comatose Barry out in an empty cupboard. Wilson admits to Mainwaring that he retrieved the watch for him, but Mainwaring's heart of gold allows him to give the watch back to Wilson, and tells Wilson to give it back to Barry and wish him well.

==Notes==
#There is only one scene where both the Mainwaring brothers appear on screen at the same time. This is set in the bedroom at the Red Lion hotel where Barry is staying. Barry spends most of the scene sitting or lying on his bed whereas Captain Mainwaring stays close to the door. The camera angles during the scene are usually set so that only one of the brothers is seen at once, the other speaking out of vision, allowing Arthur Lowe to pre-record his dialogue for the unseen brother.

==Cast==
*[[Arthur Lowe]] as [[Captain Mainwaring]]/[[Barry Mainwaring]]
*[[John Le Mesurier]] as [[Sergeant Wilson]]
*[[Clive Dunn]] as [[Lance Corporal Jones]]
*[[John Laurie]] as [[Private Frazer]]
*[[Arnold Ridley]] as [[Private Godfrey]]
*[[Ian Lavender]] as [[Private Pike]]
*[[Bill Pertwee]] as [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|ARP Warden Hodges]]
*[[Edward Sinclair]] as [[Maurice Yeatman|The Verger]]
*[[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] as [[Reverend Timothy Farthing|The Vicar]]
*[[Penny Irving]] as Chambermaid
*[[Arnold Diamond]] as Major-General Anstruther-Stevens
*[[Colin Bean]] as Private Sponge

{{Dad's Army}}

[[Category:Dad's Army special episodes]]
[[Category:Dad's Army (series 8) episodes]]
[[Category:British Christmas television episodes]]
[[Category:1975 British television episodes]]

My Brother and I - Revision history

Kurt at 01:18, 10 January 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>Gonnym: /* top */link series; fixes