View source for It Sticks Out Half a Mile

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{{Short description|British radio sitcom (1983-84)}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox radio show
| name = It Sticks Out Half a Mile
| image = 
| image_size = 
| caption = 
| other_names = 
| format = [[Sitcom]]
| runtime = 30 minutes
| start_time = 
| end_time = 
| runtime_note = 
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| home_station = [[BBC Radio 2]]
| syndicates = [[BBC Radio 4 Extra]]
| television = {{Plainlist|
*''Walking the Planks'' (1985)
*''[[High & Dry (1987 TV series)|High & Dry]]'' (1987)
}}
| presenter = 
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[John Le Mesurier]]
* [[Ian Lavender]]
* [[Bill Pertwee]]
* [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]]
}}
| writer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Harold Snoad]]
* [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]]
}}
| producer = Martin Fisher
| rec_location = [[Paris Studios]], London
| first_aired = {{Start date|1983|11|13|df=yes}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1984|10|2|df=yes}}
| num_series = 1
| num_episodes = 13
| open_theme = 
| othertheme = 
| end_theme = 
| sponsor = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| podcast = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}

'''''It Sticks Out Half a Mile''''' is a British radio [[sitcom]] that was first broadcast on [[BBC Radio 2]] from 1983 to 1984. Starring [[John Le Mesurier]], [[Ian Lavender]], [[Bill Pertwee]] and [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]], the series served as a sequel to the television [[World War II|wartime]] sitcom ''[[Dad's Army]]'', for which writers [[Harold Snoad]] and [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]] had previously written [[Dad's Army#Radio series|radio adaptations]].

Following the end of ''Dad's Army'', writers Snoad and Knowles wrote a pilot episode starring [[Arthur Lowe]] and John Le Mesurier, reprising their roles of [[Captain Mainwaring]] and [[Sergeant Wilson]] from that series. Recorded in 1981, the episode was left unbroadcast due to Lowe's death in April 1982; it was subsequently broadcast for the first time in 2004 on [[BBC 7]].

In consequence, Snoad and Knowles introduced Lavender and Pertwee, reprising their roles of [[Private Pike]] and [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|Warden Hodges]], and [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]] as secretary Miss Perkins, to produce a thirteen-episode series. The series followed the group's attempts to renovate a near-decrepit pier in the seaside town of Frambourne-on-Sea. Ratings were strong enough for a second series to be commissioned. However, Le Mesurier's death in November 1983 resulted in the series's end.

The series spawned two television adaptations. The first, ''Walking the Planks'', was broadcast on [[BBC One|BBC1]] in 1985. Despite achieving positive viewing figures, the pilot was not commissioned for a full series. In consequence, Snoad and Knowles took their concept to [[Yorkshire Television]], who produced a series titled ''[[High & Dry (1987 TV series)|High & Dry]]'', which ran for seven episodes in 1987.

==Plot==
''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'' serves as a sequel series to the television wartime sitcom ''[[Dad's Army]]'', which followed a platoon of [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]] soldiers during the [[Second World War]]. The sequel series follows the lives of two of the members of the Home Guard platoon, the former [[Sergeant Wilson|Sergeant Arthur Wilson]] and [[Private Pike|Private Frank Pike]], and their nemesis, the former [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges]], three years after the war in 1948.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite news |date=13 November 1983 |title=Recall for ''Dad's Army'' |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000566/19831113/187/0019 |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=The Sunday Post |pages=19 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> 

Bert Hodges arrives in the [[seaside resort|seaside town]] of Frambourne-on-Sea (which is located on the same stretch of coastline as ''[[Dad's Army]]'''s [[Walmington-on-Sea]], on the South Coast of [[England]]){{sfn|McCann|2012|p=287}} with a plan to restore the town's near-decrepit [[pier]] back to its former glory. To achieve this goal, Hodges meets [[Private Pike|Frank Pike]], now twenty-two and working at [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]], to convince him to enter a partnership to raise the needed funds. Pike's "uncle" (actually Pike's father),<ref>{{cite web |last=Braxton |first=Mark |date=27 July 2018 |title=Dad's Army 50th anniversary: Ian Lavender looks back at the making of a comedy classic |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/dads-army-50-years-ian-lavender-interview-bbc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020231217/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/dads-army-50-years-ian-lavender-interview-bbc/ |archive-date=20 October 2023 |access-date=15 October 2023 |website=[[Radio Times]] |publisher= |quote="At the end of the last episode, I said to David Croft, 'I just have to ask you one thing: is Uncle Arthur my father?' And he looked at me and said, 'Of course he is!'"}}</ref> Arthur Wilson, is now the bank manager of the Frambourne branch of Swallow's Bank, so Hodges convinces Pike to ask Wilson for the £5,000 [[loan]] needed to purchase the pier. When Wilson refuses to invest such a sum of money in a such a venture, Pike [[blackmail|blackmails]] Wilson over an [[affair]] that occurred when Wilson first moved to Frambourne. Wilson reluctantly agrees to give Hodges and Pike the loan, and the pier's [[renovation]] begins, but not without its challenges.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite episode |title=The Business Proposition |series=It Sticks Out Half a Mile |last=Snoad |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Snoad |last2=Knowles |first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Knowles (actor) |network=[[BBC Radio 2]] |date=13 November 1983 |series-no=1 |number=1}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Gillian |date=15 November 1983 |title=Tarnished memories |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-tarnished-memories/144294056/ |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |pages=13 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328150718/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-telegraph-tarnished-memories/144294056/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The trio are met with opposition from Fred Guthrie, the lone chief attendant in charge of supervising the pier, while Wilson must ward off the advances of Miss Perkins, the chief cashier at Swallow's Bank, who is in love with him.

==Cast and characters==
[[File:It_Sticks_Out_Half_a_Mile_cast.png|thumb|The cast of ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'' (left to right): [[Ian Lavender]] (Pike), [[John Le Mesurier]] (Wilson), [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]] (Miss Perkins), [[Bill Pertwee]] (Hodges).]]

=== Main ===
* [[John Le Mesurier]] as [[Sergeant Arthur Wilson|Arthur Wilson]], a former [[Sergeant]] in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]], who is now the manager of the Frambourne-on-Sea branch of Swallow's Bank.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Grimes |first=Andrew |date=19 November 1983 |title=On form to the end |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/manchester-evening-news-on-form-to-the-e/144294106/ |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=[[Manchester Evening News]] |pages=56 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328155138/https://www.newspapers.com/article/manchester-evening-news-on-form-to-the-e/144294106/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=It Sticks Out Half A Mile characters |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/characters/ |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=22 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222063810/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/characters/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Possessing a calm and relaxed attitude to life,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Dad's Army characters |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/dads_army/characters/ |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204122214/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/dads_army/characters/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Wilson reluctantly acts as Pike and Hodges's financial advisor upon their purchase of Frambourne Pier.<ref name=":8" />
* [[Ian Lavender]] as [[Private Pike|Frank Pike]], a former Home Guard [[Private (rank)|Private]] who now works in [[ironmongery]] at [[Woolworths (United Kingdom)|Woolworths]].<ref name=":9" /> A young, naïve man, and also a dreamer,<ref name=":2" /> he enters a partnership with Hodges to renovate Frambourne Pier.<ref name=":1" /> Pike's age is incorrect in this series. When ''[[Dad's Army]]'' began, it was set in 1940, and Pike was stated as being seventeen.<ref name=":2" /> However, eight years later in ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'', set in 1948, Pike is stated as being twenty-two, when he should actually be twenty-five.<ref name=":8" />
* [[Bill Pertwee]] as [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|Bert Hodges]], a former Chief [[Air Raid Precautions|ARP]] Warden, who enters a partnership with Pike to renovate Frambourne Pier.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":1" /> An uncouth and brash man, he was previously Pike and Wilson's rival during the war years,<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":2" /> however, Hodges decides to work together with Pike and Wilson to renovate the pier. In a 1998 interview with Dave Homewood, the founder of the [[New Zealand]] branch of the [[Dad's Army Appreciation Society]], [[Bill Pertwee]] admitted that the character of Hodges was "very different" in this series, and agreed that he had become a "bit less rough".<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Homewood |first=Dave |date=2008 |title=Dad's Army - Interviews |url=https://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Dads_Army_Interviews.html#Bill |access-date=24 December 2023 |website=Dad's Army - An Appreciation |archive-date=13 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213071327/https://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Dads_Army_Interviews.html#Bill |url-status=live }}</ref> Hodges's first name in ''Dad's Army'' is William, but in ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'', his first name has changed to Bert.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]] as Miss Perkins, the chief cashier at Swallow's Bank. Known for her irritating laugh, she is in love with her manager, Wilson.<ref name=":1" />

=== Recurring ===

* [[Glynn Edwards]] as Fred Guthrie, the chief attendant at Frambourne Pier. He complains of various ailments, including a [[perforated eardrum]].<ref name=":0" />
* [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]] as Ernest Woolcot, a talkative know-all with a deep knowledge of piers.<ref name=":4">{{Cite episode |title=The Friends of Frambourne Pier |series=It Sticks Out Half a Mile |last=Snoad |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Snoad |last2=Knowles |first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Knowles (actor) |network=[[BBC Radio 2]] |date=26 February 1984 |series-no=1 |number=6}}</ref>
* [[Hilda Braid]] as Mrs Briggs, a kindly widower.<ref name=":4" />
* [[Janet Davies (actress)|Janet Davies]] as [[Mrs Pike|Mavis Pike]], Pike's mother and Wilson's secret lover.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":2" />

==Episodes==
All episodes, including "Loyal Support", the original pilot, were recorded at the [[Paris Theatre|Paris Studios]] in London.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":7" /> "Loyal Support" was produced by [[Jonathan James-Moore]], while the regular series was produced by Martin Fisher.<ref name=":7" />

===Original pilot (1981)===
{{Episode table|caption=|background=#800000|overall=|series=|title=|aux3=20|airdate=20|airdateR=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/7c7b18fff9bd94ae8b59fe4175a64308 |title=Some of Our Archives Were Missing |last= |first= |website=[[BBC Genome Project]] |date=29 May 2004 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=3 September 2023 |quote= |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903052819/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/7c7b18fff9bd94ae8b59fe4175a64308 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Perry" /> |aux3T=Recorded|aux3R=<ref>{{cite web |title=It Sticks Out Half a Mile Pilot - Loyal Support |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/episodes/0/1/ |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |access-date=3 September 2023 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903052821/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/episodes/0/1/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|episodes={{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 1
| EpisodeNumber2      = 1
| Title               = Loyal Support
| Aux3                = 19 July 1981
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|2004|05|29|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->[[Sergeant Wilson|Arthur Wilson]] is now manager of the Frambourne-on-Sea branch of Swallow's Bank. He discovers that he has an appointment with [[Captain Mainwaring|George Mainwaring]], his former Home Guard Captain. Mainwaring informs Wilson that he wishes to purchase the decrepit Frambourne Pier, with an intention on restoring it. He thus requires an expensive loan from Wilson's bank. Guest starring [[Josephine Tewson]] (Miss Baines), [[Timothy Bateson]] (Guthrie), [[Anthony Sharp]] (Charles Hunter), [[Duggie Brown]] (Stephen Rawlings), [[Sydney Bromley]] (Percy Short), Haydn Wood (the Man).
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}}}}

===Series 1 (1983-84)===
{{Episode table|caption=|background=006100|overall=|series=|title=|aux3=20|airdate=20|airdateR=<ref name="ISOHAM BBC Genome">{{cite web |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=%22It+Sticks+Out+Half+A+Mile%22#search |title=It Sticks Out Half a Mile |last= |first= |website=[[BBC Genome Project]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=3 September 2023 |quote= |archive-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705220933/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=asc&q=%22It+Sticks+Out+Half+A+Mile%22#search |url-status=live }}</ref>|aux3T=Recorded|aux3R=<ref name="DAAS">{{cite web |title=It Sticks Out Half A Mile |url=https://www.dadsarmy.co.uk/It-Sticks-Out-Half-A-Mile.html |website=[[Dad's Army Appreciation Society]] |access-date=3 September 2023 |archive-date=3 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903062912/https://www.dadsarmy.co.uk/It-Sticks-Out-Half-A-Mile.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178–180}}|episodes={{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 1
| EpisodeNumber2      = 1
| Title               = The Business Proposition
| Aux3                = 11 September 1982
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|11|13|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->[[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|Bert Hodges]] approaches [[Private Pike|Frank Pike]] with a proposal to renovate Frambourne Pier. However, the duo require a loan to fund their venture. Hodges suggests that Pike ask his uncle, bank manager Arthur Wilson, for the loan. Guest starring [[Edward Burnham]] (Mr Short), [[Robin Parkinson]] (Mr Hunter), [[Gordon Peters]] (Mr Rawlings) and [[Spencer Banks]] (Council Employee).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 2
| EpisodeNumber2      = 2
| Title               = The Bank Loan
| Aux3                = 19 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|11|20|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Pike and Hodges have secured the loan from Wilson's bank. The two men convince Wilson to venture onto the pier in order to inspect their purchase. However, they meet opposition from pier chief attendant Fred Guthrie. Guest starring [[Glynn Edwards]] (Guthrie) and [[Michael Bilton]] (Mr Johnson).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 3
| EpisodeNumber2      = 3
| Title               = Who Owned the Pier?
| Aux3                = 23 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|11|27|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Hodges recruits Wilson to assist him and Pike in conducting research into the history of Frambourne Pier. Meanwhile, Pike organises to reconnect the pier to the electricity board. Guest starring Glynn Edwards (Guthrie), [[Barrie Gosney]] (Mr Watkins/the Electrician), James Bryce (the Bank Cashier/the Librarian), and [[Stuart Sherwin]] (Electricity Showroom Assistant).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 4
| EpisodeNumber2      = 4
| Title               = Inspecting the Piles
| Aux3                = 23 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|12|04|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Hodges and Pike bribe Wilson into helping them inspect the [[deep foundation|piles]] of the pier. Having supplied themselves with a radio, a hammer, and a boat, they set off at night on the water.
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 5
| EpisodeNumber2      = 5
| Title               = Pike in Love
| Aux3                = 19 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|12|11|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Pike has a new girlfriend, but his engagements with her threaten further plans for the pier's renovation. Meanwhile, Hodges discovers that the pier [[ballroom]] requires a replacement of deckchairs. Guest starring [[Carol Hawkins]] (Avril), [[Janet Davies (actress)|Janet Davies]] (Mrs Pike), and [[Gordon Salkilld]] (the Telephone Engineer).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 6
| EpisodeNumber2      = 6
| Title               = The Friends of Frambourne Pier
| Aux3                = 26 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1983|12|18|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Hodges receives the estimates for the pier's renovation. He discovers that the high labour costs involved would prove unreasonable. Miss Perkins suggests that Hodges, Pike and Wilson hire volunteers to help with the renovation. Guest starring Glynn Edwards (Guthrie), [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]] (Ernest Woolcot) and [[Hilda Braid]] (Mrs Briggs).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 7
| EpisodeNumber2      = 7
| Title               = The First Meeting
| Aux3                = 5 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|01|01|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Due to Wilson's time spent helping Pike and Hodges renovate the pier, Mrs Pike believes that Wilson is having an [[affair]]. Meanwhile, the first meeting of the Friends of Frambourne Pier Association (FOFPA) is held. Guest starring Glynn Edwards (Guthrie), Michael Knowles (Ernest Woolcot), Hilda Braid (Mrs Briggs), Michael Bilton (Elderly Man), [[Madi Hedd]] (Woman), Jill Lidstone (Young Lady).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 8
| EpisodeNumber2      = 8
| Title               = Marooned
| Aux3                = 8 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|01|08|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Pike and Hodges decide to access the pier [[theater (structure)|theatre]], the only place they have not been able to access before. Together with Wilson and Miss Perkins, the four of them cross the forty-foot gap by [[bosun's chair]]. Guest starring Paul Russell (Derek).
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}}
{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 9
| EpisodeNumber2      = 9
| Title               = The Fancy Dress Night
| Aux3                = 5 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|01|15|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->In order to attract more interest in the pier and to earn some much-needed funds for repairs, Pike suggests that a [[costume party|fancy-dress party]] be held at the pier theatre. Guest starring Janet Davies (Mrs Pike), Michael Knowles (Ernest Woolcot), Hilda Braid (Mrs Briggs), [[Gordon Clyde]] (Willoughby Smallpiece), Miranda Forbes (Waitress).
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{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 10
| EpisodeNumber2      = 10
| Title               = The Builder
| Aux3                = 26 February 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|08|21|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Pike and Hodges require a builder for the pier. Pike organises to meet the builder, Mr Fisher, later that day, although Hodges is opposed to the idea. Guest starring Glynn Edwards (Guthrie), [[Stella Tanner]] (Myrtle Spivy), Gordon Clyde (Mr Fisher), [[Carol Harrison]] (the Builder's Receptionist), [[Katherine Parr (actress)|Katherine Parr]] (Irish Nun).
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{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 11
| EpisodeNumber2      = 11
| Title               = War Damage
| Aux3                = 8 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|09|04|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->Miss Perkins suggests that Pike and Hodges apply for [[War Damage Commission|war damage]] compensation from the government to help restore the pier, so Pike and Hodges, along with a reluctant Wilson, travel to [[Whitehall]]. Guest starring [[Reginald Marsh (actor)|Reginald Marsh]] (Sir Wensley Smithers), Michael Bilton (Mr Thorndyke/Civil Servant 3), Gordon Clyde (Civil Servant 1 and 5), [[Jon Glover]] (Civil Servant 2 and 4).
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{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 12
| EpisodeNumber2      = 12
| Title               = The Pin Up Girl
| Aux3                = 15 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|09|18|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->The photos in the pier's [[What the Butler Saw (mutoscope)|What the Butler Saw]] machines need updating. Pike and Hodges task Wilson in persuading Miss Perkins to pose as the model. Meanwhile, Hodges attempts to join the local rotary club in order to gain contacts to help restore the pier. Guest starring Robin Parkinson (Mr Hunter), [[Christopher Biggins]] (Dudley Watkins).
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{{Episode list
| EpisodeNumber       = 13
| EpisodeNumber2      = 13
| Title               = Hidden Treasure
| Aux3                = 15 March 1983
| OriginalAirDate     = {{Start date|1984|10|02|df=yes}}
| ShortSummary        = <!-- Don't add copyrighted text, e.g. from the show's website -->While mending the pier [[turnstile|turnstiles]], Pike, Hodges and Guthrie discover a booklet revealing the general location of a jewel-studded golden seahorse [[brooch]], hidden somewhere on the pier. Pike suggests they seek guidance from Madame Zara, a [[fortune teller]]. Guest starring Glynn Edwards (Guthrie), [[Betty Marsden]] (Madame Zara).
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}}}}

==Production==
=== Development ===
When ''[[Dad's Army]]'' ended after nine series in 1977, there were discussions about either continuing the series on the [[ITV network]] or for a [[sequel]] series to be produced which would follow the [[Walmington-on-Sea]] platoon as members of the [[town council]] in post-war Walmington. However, [[Harold Snoad]] and [[Michael Knowles (actor)|Michael Knowles]] instead submitted the idea for ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'' to the [[BBC Radio|BBC's radio department]].{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}} Initially, the writers had intended the series to be produced for television, but the BBC suggested that a radio series would be more appropriate.<ref name="Perry" /> The idea was well-received, and a pilot episode was commissioned.{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}} 

The pilot episode, titled "Loyal Support", starred [[Arthur Lowe]] and [[John Le Mesurier]], reprising their roles of [[Captain Mainwaring]] and [[Sergeant Wilson]] respectively. The episode followed Mainwaring, who, returning from [[Switzerland]] with his wife, arrives in Frambourne-on-Sea and approaches Swallow's Bank for a loan to purchase the town's decrepit pier. He is shocked to discover that the bank manager is his former [[Home Guard]] [[Sergeant]] Arthur Wilson. Wilson, reluctantly, agrees to give Mainwaring his loan, and together they meet the local town council to purchase Frambourne Pier.{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}}{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=105}}

During the [[World War II|Second World War]], seaside piers had sections removed from them in order to prevent [[Wehrmacht|German forces]] from using them to access the mainland. Shortly after the war, piers across the United Kingdom were dilapidated and poorly maintained; the series depicts this era in Britain's post-war history.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sadler |first=Nigel |title=British Piers: The Postcard Collection |publisher=[[Amberley Publishing]] |year=2017 |isbn=9781445661216 |location=[[Stroud]], [[Gloucestershire]] |pages=4–5}}</ref>

Lowe had struggled to record the pilot, owing to his [[narcolepsy]], which caused him to slur his words and fall asleep part way through recording;<ref name="Perry" /> however, he and Le Mesurier enjoyed working with each other on the pilot and agreed to return to their roles once further episodes had been written.{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=287}}{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=289}} If the ratings were strong, the possibilities of adapting the series for television were discussed.{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=290}} Snoad and Knowles were writing the rest of the scripts for a full series when, on 15 April 1982, Arthur Lowe died. The series was shelved, the existing pilot episode was left unbroadcast,{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}}{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=290}}<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=It Sticks Out Half A Mile |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/04/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210063814/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2013/04/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile |archive-date=10 February 2025 |access-date=10 February 2025 |website=BBC Media Centre |language=en}}</ref> and the tape was wiped, but co-writer Snoad retained a copy which he later returned to the BBC.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Perry" /> A short excerpt of this pilot was played on a documentary entitled ''[[The Archive Hour]]: Radio's Lost Property'' on 1 November 2003,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 November 2003 |title=The Archive Hour: Radio's Lost Property |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/11ae478030d547eeade042cbe21cd8ee |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222063806/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/11ae478030d547eeade042cbe21cd8ee |archive-date=22 December 2023 |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=[[BBC Genome Project]] |publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref> with the complete programme being heard on a [[BBC 7]] compilation entitled ''Some of Our Archives Were Missing'' on 29 May 2004.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Perry">{{cite book |editor1-last=Perry |editor1-first=Christopher |editor2-last=Coward |editor2-first=Simon |editor3-last=Down |editor3-first=Richard |title=The British Television Pilot Episodes Research Guide 1936–2015 |date=2015 |publisher=Kaleidoscope Television Archives |location=[[Handsworth Wood]], [[London]] |isbn=978-1-900203-62-3 |pages=115–116}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Some of Our Archives Were Missing with Stuart Maconie |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0089b35 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126054604/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0089b35 |archive-date=26 January 2025 |access-date=30 March 2024 |website=[[BBC Radio 4 Extra]] |language=en-GB}}</ref>

It was believed that the aborted series had ended; however, Lowe's wife, actress [[Joan Cooper]], assured Snoad and Knowles that the series should continue,<ref name=":10" /> since her husband had believed that it "had so much potential".{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}} Snoad and Knowles thus convinced the BBC that the idea could still be viable, so a second pilot, titled "The Business Proposition", was recorded on 11 September 1982,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Roland |date=11 September 1982 |title=He ain't half a clever writer, mum! |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002487/19820911/016/0016 |access-date=29 March 2024 |work=Sandwell Evening Mail |pages=16 |via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> with [[Ian Lavender]], [[Bill Pertwee]] and [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]] joining the cast. This being a success, twelve more episodes were commissioned as part of a thirteen-part series.{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=178}}<ref name=":5" />{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=292}}

=== Writing ===
As part of their contracts with the BBC, Snoad and Knowles were obligated to write fifteen scripts for the series, even though two episodes were ultimately never recorded.{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=104}} The writing process began when Snoad and Knowles met to discuss the storylines for each episode. They would then separate, write an episode each, and meet again to discuss the episodes they had written.{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=105}} In consequence, the only episodes written by the two writers together were the original pilot, "Loyal Support", and the second pilot, "The Business Proposition".{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=105}} According to Michael Knowles, he was more adept at writing dialogue and Snoad was better at writing plots and storylines.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=8 November 2014 |title=''The Frequency of Laughter: A History of Radio Comedy: 1980-1985'' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04nqpcf |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=[[BBC Sounds]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214005150/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b04nqpcf |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Aftermath ===
In a 1998 interview, Bill Pertwee, when prompted, believed that, had John Le Mesurier not died, the BBC "probably would have done another series".<ref name=":6" /> This was supported by Lavender, who, in 1999, revealed that there were again discussions about adapting the series for television after the first series had aired.<ref name=":6" /> However, it was not until 2014 that news of a second series having been commissioned was confirmed. Producer Martin Fisher, speaking in a separate interview recorded before 2014, recalled that the first series "went out and [was] quite popular" with the public. Fisher was editing the final episode when he received the news that Le Mesurier had died, which "spelt the end of a second series, which had already been commissioned".<ref name=":7" />

The series was notable in that it featured some of Le Mesurier's final performances,<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" />{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=294}} being the final radio series he recorded before his death on 15 November 1983,{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=308}} two days after the first episode, "The Business Proposition", was broadcast.<ref name=":3" /> Pertwee later recalled, in May 2000, that the series "was like one last get-together, one last party with great friends".{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=294}}

==Release==
===Broadcast and archival status===
The first nine episodes of the series were broadcast from 13 November 1983 to 15 January 1984 on Sunday afternoons at 1:30 pm. Each episode was repeated the following Friday at 10:00 pm, from 18 November 1983 to 20 January 1984. Later in the year, following a repeat airing of the first five episodes beginning 17 July 1984, the final four episodes of the series were broadcast from 21 August to 9 October 1984 at 10:30 pm.<ref name="ISOHAM BBC Genome" />

Following its original airing and a repeat airing, the series was repeated for a second time on [[BBC Radio 2]], but a mix-up between different departments of the [[BBC]] resulted in most of the broadcast tapes being wiped.<ref name=":0" /> Since the series was believed to be of no interest to an overseas audience, none of the episodes were preserved by the [[BBC Transcription Services]].{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=181}} Off-air recordings of the series were unearthed during the [[BBC Archive Treasure Hunt|BBC's Treasure Hunt campaign]], which were later broadcast by the digital radio archive channel [[BBC 7]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Ian |date= |title=About It Sticks Out Half A Mile |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/about/ |access-date=22 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=22 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231222063807/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Up until 2000, the only episodes held in the BBC archives were "The Business Proposition", "The Bank Loan" and "Pike in Love", in addition to the original pilot, "Loyal Support", which had been returned by co-writer Harold Snoad prior to the BBC Treasure Hunt campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arnold |first=Steve |date=2005 |title=Share and Share Alike |url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/comedy/sharealike.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012221520/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/comedy/sharealike.html |archive-date=12 October 2007 |access-date=3 March 2024 |website=British Comedy}}</ref>{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=107}}

===Media releases===
The original pilot and the first three episodes of the series were released in September 2010, on a [[compact disc]] titled ''Classic BBC Radio Comedy: It Sticks Out Half a Mile''. A second CD, containing the next four episodes and titled ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile: Continued'', was released in February 2012. Both were also released as [[audiobook]]s. The whole series, including the original pilot, was subsequently released as a CD and audiobook in October 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=It Sticks Out Half A Mile Shop |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/shop/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015012028/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/it_sticks_out_half_a_mile/shop/ |archive-date=15 October 2023 |access-date=17 September 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |publisher= |quote=}}</ref>

The original pilot was released on the ''Dad's Army: The Complete Radio Series: Series 3'' compact disc in May 2015. The pilot was also released on the collector's edition of series three, released in March 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/dads_army/shop/ |title=Dad's Army (Radio) Shop |last= |first= |date= |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |publisher= |access-date=17 September 2023 |quote= |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015012028/https://www.comedy.co.uk/radio/dads_army/shop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Reception==
Reception for the series was mixed, with reviewers praising the performances of the central actors yet criticising the show's humour and its overall quality compared to ''Dad's Army''. According to Pertwee, large groups of people, many of whom were ''Dad's Army'' fans, lined up to attend the recording for the first episode of the series on 11 September 1982, a rare occurrence for radio programmes at that time.<ref name=":10" /> Andrew Grimes, writing in the ''[[Manchester Evening News]]'' after the first episode had aired, described the series as an "unexpected sequel". He praised Le Mesurier's performance, but noted that his comedic mannerisms, perfectly suited for television, were lost due to the series being on radio. Grimes wrote that Le Mesurier was "getting laughs that the dialogue did not by itself deserve", but observed that he was "mugging for the benefit of the studio audience" rather than for the general listening public.<ref name=":9" /> 

Conversely, ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''<nowiki/>'s Gillian Reynolds believed that the series "tarnishe[d] the memory" of ''Dad's Army''. Although praising the "worthy performances" of the lead characters, she criticised the "sad smut of the script" and wrote that the series "comes nowhere near to awakening that mixture of rueful nostalgia and ironic affection that ''Dad's Army'' did so well".<ref name=":11" />

In 2012, [[Graham McCann]], in his biography on [[John Le Mesurier]], wrote that, while the first episode was enjoyable, further episodes in the series would "fall rather flat". However, he went on to acknowledge that "the unforced rapport between Le Mesurier, Lavender and Pertwee kept the series sufficiently entertaining to justify it as a [[spin-off (media)|spin-off]]".{{sfn|McCann|2012|p=287}} In a 2021 article, Rhianna Evans from the [[British Comedy Guide]] wrote positively of the series, commenting that the central characters of Hodges, Pike and Wilson "all remain very recognisable" from their roles established in ''Dad's Army''. She noted that the series possessed a "character-driven, gentle-paced form of storytelling", and expressed admiration for the new characters introduced in the series, such as Miss Perkins and Guthrie, noting that "the new cast don't alter the style or tone of ''It Sticks Out Half A Mile'' from that laid down in ''Dad's Army'' at all". She concluded by writing that the series is "a continuation of the ''Dad's Army'' story that any fan would enjoy".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Rhianna |date=25 April 2021 |title=It Sticks Out Half A Mile: Discover the Dad's Army spin-off - Comedy Rewind |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy-rewind/it-sticks-out-half-a-mile/ |access-date=17 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207200309/https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy-rewind/it-sticks-out-half-a-mile/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Television adaptations==
There were two attempts to adapt ''It Sticks Out Half a Mile'' for television, without the ''Dad's Army'' characters. The first attempt was a pilot episode for [[BBC One|BBC1]], titled ''Walking the Planks.'' Filmed on location at a real pier,{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=106}} it starred [[Michael Elphick]] as Ron Archer (Hodges's equivalent), [[Richard Wilson (Scottish actor)|Richard Wilson]] as Richard Talbot (Wilson's equivalent), Gary Raynsford as Trevor Archer (Pike's equivalent) and [[Vivienne Martin (actress)|Vivienne Martin]] as Talbot's secretary, now called Miss Baxter.<ref name="DAAS" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Walking The Planks cast and crew credits |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/walking_the_planks/cast_crew/ |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226063350/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/walking_the_planks/cast_crew/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite being watched by eleven million viewers,{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=106}} the BBC did not commission a series.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=181}}{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=106}}

In consequence, Knowles and Snoad took the concept to [[Yorkshire Television]], who produced a seven-episode series titled ''[[High & Dry (1987 TV series)|High & Dry]]''.<ref name=":5" />{{sfn|Pertwee|2009|p=181}}{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=106}}<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=26 June 2014 |title=High and Dry |url=https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1980s/high-dry/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712052533/https://nostalgiacentral.com/television/tv-by-decade/tv-shows-1980s/high-dry/ |archive-date=12 July 2020 |access-date=30 March 2024 |website=Nostalgia Central |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the role previously performed by Elphick, [[Bernard Cribbins]] was cast, and [[Angus Barnett]] took over the role of Trevor Archer.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=High & Dry cast and crew credits |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/high_and_dry/cast_crew/ |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=[[British Comedy Guide]] |language=en |archive-date=26 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226063350/https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/high_and_dry/cast_crew/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Snoad and Knowles were unhappy with this series, since, unlike the pilot for the BBC, ''High & Dry'' was filmed solely in the studio; they believed this was the reason the series lasted for only seven episodes.{{sfn|Webber|2000|p=106}}

== See also ==

* ''[[Dad's Army]]''
* [[Dad's Army#Radio series|''Dad's Army'' radio series]]
* ''[[Share and Share Alike (radio series)|Share and Share Alike]]''
* ''[[High & Dry (1987 TV series)|High & Dry]]''

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Citation |last=McCann |first=Graham |author-link=Graham McCann |date=2012 |title=Do You Think That's Wise?: The Life of John Le Mesurier |url= |location=[[London]] |publisher=[[The Quarto Group|Aurum Press]] |isbn=9781845137908}}
* {{Citation |last=Pertwee |first=Bill |author-link=Bill Pertwee |date=2009 |title=Dad's Army: The Making of a Television Legend |url= |location=[[London]] |publisher=[[Conway Publishing]] |isbn=9781844861057}}
* {{Cite book |last=Webber |first=Richard |title=The Complete A-Z of Dad's Army |publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Orion Media]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-75281-838-4 |location=[[London]]}}

==External links==
*[https://www.dadsarmy.co.uk/It-Sticks-Out-Half-A-Mile.html ''It Sticks Out Half A Mile'' episode guide]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120825014437/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/treasurehunt/sounds/clip0.shtml BBC Treasure Hunt entry, with sound clip]
* {{British Comedy Guide|radio|it_sticks_out_half_a_mile}}

{{Dad's Army}}
{{Harold Snoad}}

[[Category:Dad's Army]]
[[Category:BBC Radio comedy programmes]]
[[Category:BBC Radio 2 programmes]]
[[Category:1983 radio programme debuts]]
[[Category:1984 radio programme endings]]
[[Category:1980s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:English-language radio programs]]