‘WHEN YOU’VE GOT TO GO’ (TV)
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In this episode, Private Pike gets called up to go into the RAF. This upsets his mum, as she doesn’t want her ‘little boy’ to go. The ‘Dad’s Army’ team soon treat Pike a fond farewell by giving him a special fish and chips supper. Now this is something I approve of. I want a fish and chips supper too. 😀
This episode also has the ‘Dad’s Army’ team donate pints of blood for a good cause in the blood donor service. A competition ensues between Mainwaring and Hodges. Hodges tries to get 50 pints of blood whilst Mainwaring tries to get 100 pints. Even Wilson tells Mainwaring that it’s very risky. 😀
I really enjoyed this episode. It’s a nice one for Pike, who could possibly leave the ‘Dad’s Army’ team for good and serve his country. It’s intriguing to see how the ‘Dad’s Army’ team wish Pike well. Wilson is the one who suggests that they give Pike the special fish and chips supper before he leaves.
Pikey has some very good funny moments in this episode. He does this strange ‘face thing’ with his eyes, which was funny to watch. He does it all the time in this episode. It gets on Mainwaring’s nerves. I liked it that they have fish and chips in this episode. Mind you, I fancy sausage and chips. 😀
The episode’s guest cast is as follows. There’s Janet Davies as Mr. Pike, Bill Pertwee as Chief Warden Hodges, Frank Williams as the Vicar, Edward Sinclair as the Verger and Eric Longworth as the Town Clerk. There’s also Tim Barrett (who I’ve seen as Malcolm in ‘Terry & June’) who guest stars as the Doctor.
No, no! Not that Doctor from ‘Doctor Who’! 😀 I mean the doctor who visits the church hall to collect blood from the ‘Dad’s Army’ team. The ‘Dad’s Army’ team manage to get their 100 pints of blood, as Jonesy saves the day by bringing in a group of Italian prisoners of war as well as a group of nuns. 🙂
The fish and chips supper scene at the episode’s end is very funny, especially when Jonesy mixes up Mainwaring’s meal with his. It then turns out that Pike isn’t leaving the ‘Dad’s Army’ team after all, since his blood group is pretty rare. But he still wanted to have his fish and chips supper anyway.
“You stupid boy!” is what Mainwaring says. 😀 ‘When You’ve Got To Go’ is a very good ‘Dad’s Army’ episode. It balances the two subplots of Pike’s leaving with a fish and chips supper along with the blood donor service storyline very well. I enjoy seeing this episode whenever I see it on DVD or on the TV.
‘When You’ve Got To Go’ (TV) rating – 9/10
‘WHEN YOU’VE GOT TO GO’ (AUDIO)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
In January 2024, Big Finish released a special audio release called ‘Dad’s Army: The Radio Show’. This features three audio adaptations of three ‘Dad’s Army’ TV episodes that weren’t adapted for the BBC radio series from 1974 to 1976. I was quite excited by this. 🙂
Mind you, this wasn’t exactly a full-cast collection of audio adaptations of the three ‘Dad’s Army’ TV episodes. The cast only features two actors in Jack Lane and David Benson, who voice many characters featured throughout the three episodes themselves.
Plus, the audio recordings of these three episodes were done in a theatre in front of a live audience – the Capitol Theatre in Horsham for this audio release, apparently. Jack Lane and David Benson have performed their ‘Dad’s Army: The Radio Show’ at many theatres.
Whilst I’ve enjoyed this audio version of ‘Dad’s Army’ performed by Jack Lane and David Benson, I would have preferred a cast of more than two actors playing the characters. It would have been nice if the 2019 live-action remake cast reprised their roles for audio.
Anyway, in terms of specifics, Jack Lane plays Captain Mainwaring, Lance Corporal Jones and Private Pike in the regular line-up. David Benson plays Sergeant Wilson, Private Frazer and Private Godfrey in the regular line-up. They’re very good in voicing their characters.
The episodes adapted for this audio release include ‘When You’ve Got to Go’ from Series 8, the Christmas Special ‘My Brother and I’, and the final episode ‘Never Too Old’ from Series 9. It was very fascinating to hear how these TV episodes were adapted for audio. 🙂
Regarding the ‘When You’ve Got to Go’ guest cast, Jack Lane plays Mrs. Pike. David Benson plays Chief Warden Hodges, the Vicar, the Verger, the Town Clerk, the Italian Sergeant, the medical Doctor, Private Sponge, and the Chip Shop Owner in this episode.
For the most part, the audio adaptation matches exactly to how the TV version of the episode plays out. There are omissions, including Jonesy mixing his fish and chips with Mainwaring’s. 😀 And instead of a ‘face thing’, Pike has a ‘noise thing’ that he does in the story.
‘When You’ve Got To Go’ (Audio) rating – 7.5/10
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