Dad’s Army remake gets first trailer

Oliver Parker is directing the remake of the classic Jimmy Perry/David Croft sitcom, which features a wide array of big British talent including Toby Jones (as Captain George Mainwaring himself), Bill Nighy (as Sergeant Arthur Wilson), Michael Gambon (as Private Godfrey), Tom Courtenay (as Corporal Jones), Bill Paterson (as Private Frazer), Daniel Mays, (as Private Walker) and Blake Harrison (as Private Pike).

Civic leaders have said they wanted to make a firm association with Dad’s Army ahead of the film’s release next year.

The first trailer for ‘Dad’s Army’ has arrived, and first glance suggests it’s very much a chip off the old, much-loved block.

An East Yorkshire seaside resort is planning to twin with the fictional Dad’s Army town of Walmington-on-Sea.

Scenes for a new film of the BBC hit were filmed in Bridlington’s old town, doubling as wartime 1940s Britain.

Mayor John Copsey and town crier David Hinde came up with the idea.

Mr Hinde, who was an extra in the film and was chosen to lead a procession of around 400 people down the high street, added: “We’ve already seen that shooting the film here has had a big economic impact because bookings are up 134 per cent but we want to capitalise on that”. Hinde has a cameo in the movie as Walmington’s town crier. “We’re already consulting on creating a new Dad’s Army trail to co-incide with that”.

Usually when a town twins with another it means local schoolchildren take part in language exchanges and the mayor from one pops up to cut the odd ribbon in the other. Last November York twinned with Jorvik, the historical name for the North Yorkshire city, and in 2002 Wincanton in Somerset was twinned with Ankh-Morpork from the bestselling Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett.

It is 1944 and World War II is reaching its climax.

Sometimes the twins share a common bond.

Dad’s Army is released on 6 February 2016.