Many tributes have rightly been paid to the comedy writer David Croft, who died recently at the age of 89.
Some of the shows which Croft co-wrote formed part of the fabric of my upbringing during the 1970s, particularly Dad's Army, Are You Being Served? and It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
One of the most powerful and effecting pieces of his work was Branded, an episode from the third series of Dad's Army. During this episode, Private Godfrey discloses to his superiors that he wishes to leave the platoon, and that he was a conscientious objector during World War One.
The military background of Croft and co-writer Jimmy Perry is very evident in the attention to detail in the script. They managed to deal with this emotive theme very sensitively within the context of a comedy programme.
The writers contrast the gung-ho attitude of Captain Mainwaring and others with the principled and humane stand taken by Godfrey, but also seek to stress that this was all taking place in the white-heat of a major war. People were expected to make terrible and difficult choices at that time.
From a modern and purely objective perspective, Godfrey's integrity and honesty are more endearing than Mainwaring's bluster. When it is revealed that Godfrey won the Military Medal for his work as a medical orderly in The Great War, his compassion and humility are shown once again. We should not judge people by narrow criteria.
In short, Branded has the ability to cause one to laugh, cry and think deeply, all within its thirty minute duration. Quite an achievement....
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