Universal appeal of Dad's Army is secret to its success

\'Dad\'s Army\' wasn\'t "the funniest thing on TV" but the secret to its success is appealing to the "entire family", its two surviving cast members have claimed.

Ian Lavender and Frank Williams played Private Frank Pike and Vicar Timothy Farthing respectively in the beloved BBC sitcom, which followed the misadventures and mishaps of a British Home Guard platoon serving in Walmington-on Sea during World War II.

The two actors believe the reason it\'s managed to stand the test of time - having first been shown on BBC One in 1968 more than 50 years ago - is because it can be enjoyed by viewers of all ages.

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Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, Ian, 74, said: "I don\'t think it was ever the funniest thing on TV, but the important factor was that everybody could watch it, and still can. It\'s something the entire family can watch and there aren\'t too many shows like that around now."

His sentiments were echoed by co-star Frank, 89, who added: "It\'s stood the test of time because it\'s not funny and it\'s not rude. As Ian said, it\'s perfect family viewing. A family can sit down together knowing their isn\'t going to be anything which will embarrass or offend anyone. Plus the plots are wonderfully simple. A group of men in extraordinary circumstances doing their best against the odds. The characters are well drawn and funny in themselves."

During the height of the show\'s success both men received their fair share of fan mail, although Ian admits he could never get any dates from the letters he was sent due to the age of the writers.

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He said: "The letters didn\'t start arriving until about series three. I always got letters from young girls or older ladies. I never got anything in between. Sadly, I wasn\'t an idol for 18 year olds!"