Dad's Army (TV Series) Things That Go Bump in the Night (1973) User Reviews

Very funny, but sad at the same time.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 15 May 2018]

Customary for sitcoms to have a 'scary' themed episode, Things that go bump in the Night being the Dad's Army entry. It features some hilarious sequences, Pike's costume, Pike's attempts to visit the bathroom, and of course the hilarious meeting in the corridor. Whilst I watched the sequences with the dogs and shed I was struck by how much that humour reminded me of what was to follow in Allo Allo, sketches that could have easily fitted in there. Very funny.

The late Jonathan Cecil was amusing as foppish Captain Cadbury.

I mentioned that it's sad, very much so, as it's the last episode to feature the wonderful James Beck as Walker, who tragically died during the making of this episode. Beck left a huge hole that somehow was never quite filled. This must have been tough for the cast to make, but nonetheless they did him proud, it's a hilarious episode.

Glorious, 9/10

A great premise wasted

[phantom_tollbooth · 5/10 · 16 July 2023]

The idea of a Dad's Army haunted house episode sounds full of promise but unfortunately Things That Go Bump in the Night fails to deliver. It begins with the platoon running out of petrol in a rainstorm and being forced to take cover in a large and apparently deserted house. Though the laughs are broad, they are in keeping with the Halloweenish spirit of the premise and for a while there's some fun to be had in people making each other jump and Pike wrapped in a huge bearskin rug. Unfortunately, Things That Go Bump in the Night fails to capitalise on the possibility for ghoulish fun for very long, revealing the truth about the house and the strange noises in the night while the episode is barely half over. It then switches to a daytime setting and a largely weak plot about the platoon being pursued by attack dogs, turning the whole thing into one of those running-around-in-a-field Dad's Army episodes that have never been my cup of tea. And, of course, there's the tragic detail of James Beck only appearing in the already-shot location footage, with his absence from the studio scene in the house being very conspicuous. This is a watchable enough episode for a while but the tonal shift largely kills it, making it another weak link in a largely disappointing sixth series.