The actor, writer and composer Jimmy Perry, OBE has died aged 93. After serving in the Home Guard and eventually joining the Royal Artillery and going to Burma, Perry came back to the UK to train at RADA. He became a Redcoat at Butlin's. His experiences in the Home Guard were used as the basis of Dad's Army, co-written with David Croft. Perry desperately wanted to play the spiv, Walker, but was deemed unsuitable. Perry and Croft went on to write It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi! based on his experiences again. Their final sitcom together, You Rang, M'Lord?, was also based in the past. Jimmy composed the theme tunes for all four sitcoms, all of which had a period feel. The Dad's Army theme Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr. Hitler? won him an Ivor Novello in 1971 for Best TV Signature Tune. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/23/dads-army-creator-jimmy-perry-dies-aged-93 RIP Jimmy. Thanks for some amazing sitcoms that sparked my love of comedy and are still just as good today - in fact, the BBC are still showing reruns!
