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4th episode of the 8th series of Dad's Army

"Come In, Your Time Is Up"

Dad's Army episode

Episode no.

Series 8
Episode 4

Directed by

David Croft

Story by

Jimmy Perry and David Croft

Original air date

26 September 1975 (1975-09-26)

Running time

31 minutes

Episode chronology

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"Is There Honey Still for Tea?"

Next →
"High Finance"

List of episodes

"Come In, Your Time is Up" is the fourth episode of the eighth series of the British situation comedy Dad's Army. It was originally broadcast on Friday, 26 September 1975.

Synopsis

While out camping, the platoon discover a German aircrew in an inflatable dinghy on a lake.

Plot

Because of a double-booking, the platoon are forced to use the Vicar's garden for a parade. However, Mainwaring's attempts to give them a serious lecture on fieldcraft are interrupted by the persistent concerns of Mr Blewitt. As Mainwaring tries to demonstrate the use of the platoons new bivouac tents, and the best way to eat a hedgehog, Mr Blewitt objects to their "improper" use of the garden and repeatedly reports them to the irritated Vicar. The scene ends with Pike almost accidentally setting fire to the lawn and getting drenched with water by Mr Blewitt.

The following weekend the platoon are in the countryside to try out their bivouac tents. They also make rabbit stew for dinner due to the lack of any hedgehogs in the area. To Mainwaring's annoyance, Warden Hodges' van appears as he has brought out the Vicar, Verger and the Sea Scouts for a camp of their own. This will interfere with the platoon's male bonding, as "comrades under the stars", and Mainwaring suspects Hodges has brought them to that specific spot to deliberately upset him. The joke is on Hodges, however, when he finds he has run out of petrol and is forced to spend the night out there as well.

During the night, a Nazi plane appears overhead on fire, and the men get up with their rifles. However, there is nothing they can do about it, and go back to bed. The following morning, they spot three Nazi pilots floating on a rubber dinghy in the middle of the nearby lake, clearly having bailed out of the plane the previous night. Requisitioning the Sea Scouts' raft, Mainwaring and his men go out to parley with the pilots, using Hodges as an interpreter because of his knowledge of German. Pike suggests they shoot through the dinghy and sink them, but his Captain reminds him about "being a sporting nation and playing with a straight bat". Their efforts meet ridicule as the Germans, despite rising their hands, do not surrender and instead laugh when Hodges falls in the water while trying to tie a rope to their dinghy. It appears the Germans are waiting for nightfall so they can slip ashore and escape.

Knowing that they cannot shoot men with their hands up, the platoon come up with an elaborate plan involving Jones swimming underwater and bursting the dinghy with his bayonet. With predictably disastrous results, the plan goes wrong, and Hodges once again ends up in the water. This time he is taken prisoner by the Germans, who then proceed to open fire on the Scouts' boat. An angry Mainwaring draws his revolver and orders his own men to "Let 'em have it men!", but Wilson points out they will hit Hodges.

Pike comes to the rescue, using a bow borrowed from the Scouts to fire a number of arrows into the dinghy, causing it to start sinking. At last the Germans, realising the game is up, try to surrender. Mainwaring shouts out to Hodges to "ask the Germans if they can swim" to which Hodges replies "I don't care about them! I'm the one who can't swim!"

Cast

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

Notes

The runtime of this episode is 31 minutes.

References

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