| "Branded" | |
|---|---|
| Dad's Army episode | |
| Episode no. | Series 3 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Harold Snoad |
| Story by | Jimmy Perry and David Croft |
| Original air date | 20 November 1969 |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
"Branded" is the eleventh episode of the third series of the British comedy series Dad's Army. It was originally transmitted on Thursday 20 November 1969. In the episode's plot, Private Godfrey (played by Arnold Ridley) admits that he was a conscientious objector during the Great War.
On a night of programmes devoted to Dad's Army, Jimmy Perry named it his favourite episode.[1] "When we told Arnold that we'd written a part especially for him, he was absolutely delighted. When he read the script, he said, 'Jimmy, even if you just say quite simple things, it's good to mention "conchies"...because they went through hell, a lot of them; and a lot of them had high principles...I'm very honoured to play it.'...John Laurie and Arnold Ridley had both served in the First World War, and both served in the Battle of the Somme...John Laurie managed to come through it OK, but Arnold Ridley was dreadfully, badly wounded...We all knew about the war. I think, perhaps...that's what gives Dad's Army, as Clint Eastwood says in Pale Rider, gives that 'little bit of edge'...It's quite [a] serious [episode]. And in the end, dear old Godfrey is proved to have more courage than all the rest of them put together".[2]