User Reviews

After a fantastic episode to open the fifth series in Asleep in the Deep, Dad's Army continues with a more conventional but still confidently entertaining second episode. The most interesting thing about Keep Young and Beautiful is how it explores a fear of ageing. That hasn't really been glimpsed so far in a series which just accepts the advanced years of its cast members but here we see several members of the platoon trying to turn back the hands of the clock. It's not quite as simple as it being a matter of vanity though. They're trying to avoid falling foul of a new order that the older members of the Home Guard be transferred to the ARP and the younger ARP wardens to the Home Guard. While this spooks Hodges into trying to appear older, it also makes certain members of the platoon consult Fraser for the sort of drastic work he performs on corpses. While a lot of this is played for broad farce, there's an underlying existential dread to the material that keeps it interesting. Particularly memorable is a scene in which Mainwaring tests out a toupee and Wilson wears corsets. Their interplay, especially Wilson's uncontrollable laughter at the unveiling, is the highlight of the episode.