Number Engaged

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Number Engaged is the fifth episode of the ninth and final series of Dad’s Army. It first aired on 6 November 1977 on BBC1.

Plot
The platoon is guarding a two-mile stretch of telephone wires that are crucial for the war effort. During the night an air raid hits, and in the morning they discover an unexploded bomb tangled in the wires. Frazer can’t cook breakfast because he’s busy catching trout, so Mainwaring asks Pike to make porridge using Frazer’s recipe: one jug of water per mug of porridge. Frazer’s cooking advice leads to huge leftovers, enough to feed hundreds, which angers Mainwaring. The Vicar arrives for the morning Holy Communion service. While praying, they spot the bomb in the wires. They try to remove it; Wilson suggests using a construction crane. Jones is hoisted onto the wires but can’t reach the bomb, and when he slips, the bomb falls into Pike’s pot of porridge. Mainwaring apologizes to Pike for calling him stupid. Jones then can’t get down from the wires and receives a non-fatal electric shock.

Trivia
The episode features regulars from other Jimmy Perry–David Croft comedies: Kenneth MacDonald and Stuart McGugan (It Ain’t Half Hot Mum) and Felix Bowness (Hi-de-Hi!). Stunts were performed by Jim Dowdall and Derek Ware.

Filming
Studio sequences were shot on 15 July 1977 at BBC Television Centre in London. Outdoor scenes were filmed at Black Rabbit Warren in the Stanford Training Area, Norfolk, and at Sapiston Green in Sapiston, Suffolk.