David Croft, genius behind nearly 50 years of TV comedy, dies at 89
“Now settle down” poor old David Croft after a really good innings has finally gone to the green room in the sky. Of his genius this article reports: “There is a strong case for arguing that the classic English sitcom has revolved around the 3 Cs – character, catchphrase and class – and the Croft franchises were the apotheosis of this approach. The shows tended to give a well-respected British actor a new level of national celebrity: Arthur Lowe’s Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army, Mollie Sugden’s Mrs Slocombe in AYBS?, Gorden Kaye as Rene in ‘Allo, ‘Allo. The main comedy would generally come from a stand-off between a snob and a member of the lower orders. And these central figures would have signature sayings that still spool through the head of any viewer who grew up watching them: stupid boy!, are you free?”
Rural Coastal issues are my “bag” and I often think of real people I deal with who would have not been out of place in Walmington on Sea or the Hi-de-Hi holiday camp. Indeed if the world were really more like these places I suspect it would be a better place!!