Dad’s Army creator Jimmy Perry dead at 93

Jimmy Perry, the creator of one of British TV comedy’s biggest hits Dad’s Army, has died, aged 93.
Perry also created hit beloved shows It Ain’t Half Hot Mum, Hi-de-Hi and You Rang M’Lord? with producer David Croft.
Dad’s Army ran from 1968 for 80 episodes over nine years, and was adapted for the big screen earlier this year (16).
Perry was born in 1923 in Barnes, London.
His biggest hit was inspired by his own experiences in his local home guard following the outbreak of World War Two in 1939. Ian Lavender’s TV character, Private Pike, was based on himself.
He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and briefly managed the Palace Theatre in Watford, England, before branching out as a writer.
Perry also served as an entertainer at a Butlin’s holiday camp in Britain. His experiences there inspired the TV hit Hi-de-Hi, which ran for eight years on the BBC.