View source for Wake Up Walmington

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series    = [[Dad's Army]]
| image     =
| caption   = 
| series_no = 9
| episode   = 1
| director  = [[Bob Spiers]]
| story     = [[Jimmy Perry]] and [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]]
| airdate   = {{Start date|1977|10|02|df=yes}}
| length    = 30 minutes
| guests    = 
| prev      = [[The Love of Three Oranges (Dad's Army)|The Love of Three Oranges]]
| next      = [[The Making of Private Pike]] 
}}
"'''Wake Up Walmington'''" is the first episode of the ninth and final series of the British comedy series ''[[Dad's Army]]''. It was originally transmitted on 2 October 1977.

==Synopsis==
When nobody seems to be too concerned about the war, the [[platoon]] dress up as [[fifth column]]ists to give the townsfolk a fright.

== Plot ==
It is now a few years into the war, and the platoon are having firing practice at a [[English country house|country house]]. However, they are rudely interrupted and told to "keep the noise down" by the arrogant butler. Back at the church hall, Mainwaring and Wilson discuss how complacency is setting in amongst the townsfolk, and how people are seeing them as "Geriatric Fusiliers". As they discuss it, they are interrupted by [[Air Raid Precautions|ARP]] Warden Hodges, who is in tears after Mr Bluett verbally attacked him for trying to do his job, and how people do not seem to be taking the war seriously.

Remembering the national reaction after the platoon were [[Ring Dem Bells|recently mistaken for enemy agents]] during a training exercise, Mainwaring decides to get his men to masquerade as fifth columnists in "very sinister clothes" to scare the townsfolk and become appreciated again, and to prevent a repeat of last time he informs the Colonel at GHQ of the plan, called "Operation Wake-Up". Taking pity on him, Mainwaring invites Hodges to join them, which he gratefully accepts.

The platoon (with the exception of Godfrey, who remains at the church hall to act as their contact man) meet up at their "secret base", although things get out of hand with disguises: Mainwaring wears an [[eyepatch]] over his glasses, Pike is dressed as an American [[gangster]], Frazer is in his [[undertaker]] attire, and Jones is dressed as a [[nun]]. Mainwaring finds Jones' disguise unbearable and makes him wear his regular clothes instead.

The platoon and Hodges begin roaming the countryside, acting menacingly. At first, their efforts to frighten the locals are unsuccessful. They first stop a man in a truck and ask him where the [[aerodrome]] is (with Jones attempting a foreign accent) but the annoyed man just drives off, splashing Mainwaring with mud. Next, the men pretend to interrogate Hodges and assault him. A big man arrives and recognises Jones as the local butcher, and Hodges, who had short-changed the man some time before, and punches the latter in the face out of vengeance. Lastly, the platoon come across a group of men and assume from their similar clothing that they are real fifth columnists. Mainwaring questions them, even getting his [[Webley Revolver|revolver]] out, but one of the men casually disarms him and they all begin arguing.

However, the platoon finally manages to cause some concern with their talk of "blowing up an aerodrome", but the frightened locals send out for the Home Guard. With Mainwaring's platoon absent from their post, the neighbouring Eastgate platoon, led by Captain Square, are called out, using [[Jones' van (Dad's Army)|Jones' van]] (which is still at the church hall) as transport. Tracking the platoon down to the disused [[flour mill]] they are using as their base, Square and his men open fire, covering them in flour.

The men realise that Square had fallen for their trick. Mainwaring calls him a fool, and the episode ends with the two of them exchanging insults.

== Cast ==
*[[Arthur Lowe]] as [[Captain 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]]
*[[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] as [[Reverend Timothy Farthing|The Vicar]]
*[[Edward Sinclair (actor)|Edward Sinclair]] as [[Maurice Yeatman|The Verger]]
*[[Geoffrey Lumsden]] as Captain Square
*[[Sam Kydd]] as the Yokel
*[[Harold Bennett]] as Mr Bluett
*[[Robert Raglan]] as The Colonel
*Charles Hill as the Butler
*[[Jeffrey Holland (actor)|Jeffrey Holland]] as the Soldier
*Barry Linehan as the Truck Driver
*[[Colin Bean]] as Private Sponge
*[[Alister Williamson]] as Bert
*Michael Stainton as Frenchy

== Notes ==
#In this episode, Pike dresses up as a [[Chicago]] gangster, Mainwaring wears an eye-patch and Jones dresses up as a [[nun]].  In the war there were numerous reports that German parachutists were disguising themselves as nuns, something referenced several times in the series.
#At the "Six Bells" country pub, one character describes [[Dover]] as being "about twenty miles away". Later this pub is described as "five miles from Walmington", on the [[Dymchurch]] road. This implies that Walmington is in the vicinity of [[Hythe, Kent|Hythe]], [[Kent]].
#This was Captain Square's last appearance in the programme.
#When Mainwaring and Square are arguing at the end, Mainwaring mentions that he is not a member of the golf club, a fact previously established in ''[[The Honourable Man]]''.
#The opening scene with the platoon having a firing practice was filmed at [[Lynford Hall]], [[Norfolk]].

==Sources==
*Croft, David; Perry, Jimmy; Webber, Richard (2003). ''Dad's Army: The Complete Scripts''. Orion.  {{ISBN|0-7528-6024-0}}

{{Dad's Army}}

[[Category:Dad's Army series 9 episodes]]
[[Category:1977 British television episodes]]