The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones

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5th episode of the 5th series of Dad's Army

"The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones"

Dad's Army episode

Episode no.

Series 5
Episode 5

Directed by

David Croft

Story by

Jimmy Perry and David Croft

Original air date

3 November 1972 (1972-11-03)

Running time

30 minutes

Episode chronology

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"Getting the Bird"

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"If the Cap Fits..."

List of episodes

"The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones" is the fifth episode of the fifth series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on 3 November 1972.

Synopsis

The platoon, during the course of a weekend exercise, occupies a deserted barn to be denied to the enemy. As Mainwaring inspects the parade, Jones answers a phone call from Colonel Pritchard, who gives him the six-digit map reference "937641". Unfortunately, after writing down the first three digits, Jones' pencil snaps so he goes in search of a spare. Whilst he is gone, Godfrey answers the phone and writes down the last three digits but puts them in the wrong place, so the reference reads 641937. Arriving at the barn a few miles from their destination, Jones' van breaks down, so Mainwaring leaves Jones and Godfrey to guard the vehicles (and also to keep Jones away from the live ammunition) whilst the rest march on.

When Jones rings the exercise HQ to inform them the platoon has arrived, he is told he has got the wrong reference, which turns out to be the target for some 25-pounder artillery guns. Jones signs off laughing that he must have read the numbers wrong, but Godfrey assures him that 641937 is definitely where Captain Mainwaring went. Jones and Godfrey try phoning to stop the firing, but Godfrey has cut the telephone wire by accident. There is only one solution: Jones will have to reach the barn before it is blown up.

Radio episode

Notes

The reason why Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles changed the name of the TV episode for radio was because the name "A Question of Reference" (referring to the map reference) meant a bit more than "The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones".

Cast

Character	TV episode	Audio drama
Capt. George Mainwaring	Arthur Lowe
Sgt. Arthur Wilson	John Le Mesurier
Lcpl. Jack Jones	Clive Dunn
Pte. James Frazer	John Laurie
Pte. Charles Godfrey	Arnold Ridley
Pte. Joe Walker	James Beck	Larry Martyn
Pte. Frank Pike	Ian Lavender
ARP Warden Hodges	Bill Pertwee
Rev. Timothy Farthing	Frank Williams
Maurice Yeatman	Edward Sinclair
Col. Pritchard	Robert Raglan	Peter Williams
Signals Private	Larry Martyn	Michael Burlington
Artillery Officer	James Taylor

References

Croft, David; Perry, Jimmy; Webber, Richard (2000). The Complete A-Z of Dads Army. Orion. ISBN 0-7528-1838-4

External links

"The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones" at IMDb

Dad's Army

Characters

Episodes

Adaptations & spinoffs

Merchandise

Other articles

Episodes
Series 1	"The Man and the Hour" "Museum Piece" "Command Decision" "The Enemy Within the Gates" "The Showing Up of Corporal Jones" "Shooting Pains"
Series 2	"Operation Kilt" "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage" "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker"†‡ "Sgt. Wilson's Little Secret" "A Stripe for Frazer"†‡ "Under Fire"†‡
Series 3	"The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" "Battle School" "The Lion Has 'Phones" "The Bullet Is Not for Firing" "Something Nasty in the Vault" "Room at the Bottom" "Big Guns" "The Day the Balloon Went Up" "War Dance" "Menace from the Deep" "Branded" "Man Hunt" "No Spring for Frazer" "Sons of the Sea"
Series 4	"The Big Parade" "Don't Forget the Diver" "Boots, Boots, Boots" "Sgt – Save My Boy!" "Don't Fence Me In" "Absent Friends" "Put That Light Out!" "The Two and a Half Feathers" "Mum's Army" "The Test" "A. Wilson (Manager)?" "Uninvited Guests" "Fallen Idol"
Series 5	"Asleep in the Deep" "Keep Young and Beautiful" "A Soldier's Farewell" "Getting the Bird" "The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones" "If the Cap Fits..." "The King Was in His Counting House" "All is Safely Gathered In" "When Did You Last See Your Money?" "Brain Versus Brawn" "A Brush with the Law" "Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel" "Time on My Hands"
Series 6	"The Deadly Attachment" "My British Buddy" "The Royal Train" "We Know Our Onions" "The Honourable Man" "Things that Go Bump in the Night" "The Recruit"
Series 7	"Everybody's Trucking" "A Man of Action" "Gorilla Warfare" "The Godiva Affair" "The Captain's Car" "Turkey Dinner"
Series 8	"Ring Dem Bells" "When You've Got to Go" "Is There Honey Still for Tea?" "Come In, Your Time Is Up" "High Finance" "The Face on the Poster"
Series 9	"Wake Up Walmington" "The Making of Private Pike" "Knights of Madness" "The Miser's Hoard" "Number Engaged" "Never Too Old"
000!!Specials	"Santa on Patrol"† "Resisting the Aggressor Down the Ages" "Cornish Floral Dance"† "Battle of the Giants!" "Broadcast to the Empire" "My Brother and I" "The Love of Three Oranges"
† Missing episode has been reconstructed using animation. ‡ Missing episode has been recreated with new cast

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