User Reviews

The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones was the first episode of Dad's Army to be produced in colour, although it was originally transmitted in black and white due to the BBC's full colour service not being available until later that year. But that was not the only change for the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard. There's a noticeable increase in the confidence of the series 3 episodes, with the show having largely found its feet regarding character and tone. The recurring cast has been expanded, with first appearances here by Frank Williams' Vicar, Pamela Cundell's Mrs. Fox and Harold Bennett's Mr. Bluett. There's also a noticeably expanded role for Bill Pertwee, who's Warden Hodges had cropped up a few times in the first two series but was not yet the chief antagonist he'd become. Also expanded was the amount of episodes ordered, with the standard 6 episode series becoming a 14 episode run instead. Dad's Army was a hit and this kind of confidence from a broadcaster often leads to greater confidence in a show's creators, as it so clearly has here.

Despite all the improvements, The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones isn't a great episode. It's a bit slow moving and silly, with the focus on the conversion of Jones's butcher's van into a military vehicle not really having a lot of comic potential, and the final, feeble slapstick routine showing how working with a big prop can sometimes just be a comedic liability. But while it's not hilarious, this episode is pleasant in a leisurely, world-building sort of way. There's a nice, lengthy scene of Jones working in his butcher shop which is light on jokes but helps us get to know the man and his trade more intimately, showing us a situation, away from the church hall military parades, where Jones is in command, in this case over the hordes of women vying for his meat (!). There are some funny scenes, mostly belonging to Jones and Walker, in particular a well-shot gag in with they have a conversation in Jones's cold-room and get progressively more frozen each time the camera cuts back and forth between them. But overall, strong gags are thin on the ground in The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones. Still, it's testament to the effectiveness of these characters that, by this point, just spending time with them is desirable anyway.