Get Some In!

Hi, I have most of the series dotted around on various videos. It is a shame a lot of you haven't seen it again, for I'd like to know what the favourite lines/episodes would be your choice. I like the ones Marsh delivered to Leckie, of course with racist overtones (a big reason why it probably hasn't been repeated) "You're a Scottish spy, sent to infiltrate Her Majesty's 'English' Royal Air Force, and when our backs are turned, you're gonna lead a bunch of rebellious fairies over Hadrian's Wall!" Perhaps another good one is where Marsh 'nails' Lilley's boots - with him inside them still of course, to the floor! (For not swearing by saying 'blimey'!) Perhaps the best sadistic streak was when he 'defused' Lilley by mentioning he was a walking time-bomb. He got the latter to cross his legs, pull his beret down to his nose, put his hands in his pockets, then proclaims "You are now defused!" Of course '3' - F smith always got one over on him and poor Ken was the butt of his 'poofhouse' jokes. It got a little sentimental as it wore on, Leckie getting married to Corporal Wendy (Who also managed not to give in to Marsh). Marsh's megalomania showed through in having his stripes even sewn on to his pyjamas! Well done to the scriptwriters and the five actors. I actually went out with Robert Lindsay's nanny in the late 80's, she said then that Robert still had Mike Grady (Who played Ken in Citizen smith with him) and David Janson (Ken 'poofhouse' Richardson) round from time to time. This hopefully will be out on DVD. Update, as many of you know from 2011, the series made it on DVD, thankfully!

Welcome to the world, post war Britain and the subject is National Service in the RAF Regiment, as the theme music goes "now you're in the RAF you'll never see a plane". Fabulous cast, all of whom are covered elsewhere on this site but the episodes have to be seen to be believed. This program bears all the hallmarks of an illustrious age before any thoughts of a nanny state, no political correctness, no punches pulled, they just told it as it is. This series was pure entertainment and it is a complete shame that only people of my generation got to enjoy it. Previous reviewers on this site have nailed it on the head and I can only back it up. If you have seen "Bad Lads Army", supposed reality TV, this knocks it into a cocked hat, and this is "drama". Please, BBC, put this out on DVD and put me down for the first copies.

This is perhaps only viewed as a somewhat nostalgic memory. I was a volunteer in the army starting life as a boy soldier engineer at Chepstow but due to being thick moving on to the cavalry in what was then known as the ROYAL SCOTS GREYS. My training was at Catterick and while the live in barracks were new much of our time was spent in the wooden hut like buildings learning things like Guard duty. Yes her we would meet the character represented by Alfred Marks but thankfully not the drunk liable to destroy a career of a just starting soldier. I must admit that I never met a Corporal Marsh type in my training days as a boy soldier or my Catterick days. I was and do not remember a swearing at me or us instructor or a bully so cannot fully appreciate the humour of such comedies other than as a stereotypical effort. corporal Marsh was no Sgt Major Shut up Williams as in 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'. Perhaps the RAF was not able to conjure up a background such as the army did with here and the ARMY GAME with Bootsie and Snudge. How could a public that had more perceived knowledge of the military as it being the army understand that in Get some in we are historically told is an effeminate old fashioned hair oiled RAF. Do not understand this gel headed perception This is trying to show the RAF doing its best to be animal like its senior arm. A load of Wannabes possibly. Admittedly it does have the RAF Regiment which is effectively the same as the army but in RAF blue. It guards airfields but is not an aggressive arm to my knowledge. Due to this it can spend more hours perfecting those now non essential drill movements making them a most accomplished drill smart unit that can carry out a choreographed movement lasting some time and envied. The real ARMY in times gone by did this under fire. But conversely I was with 23 Parachute Field Ambulance for some time and I can relate that for the parachute period of training the Paras are not entrusted with this but it is carried out by the RAF. Perhaps due to a less aggressive training attitude giving the lie to Marsh's training principles.

While this has not been a positive review the series did crate a diversion recently for me but in its day due to my service commitments missed so much. I did however see It Ain't half hot mum start and even the last few series as I had left the army by then. Get some in did not match up. Dads army coming from a different viewpoint also was much superior. While I can empathise with any conscript in any part or the services it does not always transfer on to the silver screen. This is a vehicle for making money and not to give history lessons or create nostalgia. I do not think that our actors were notable other than the swine Selby. The turn out in uniform shows that no one had much interest in realism unlike dear Windsor Davies who would not have looked out of place in the real world. Marsh while having been a CORPORAL for 8 years mu have had previous service. Assuming that he worked his way through the ranks I can give him a another three years from joining the RAF. This make surely his entrance at about 1944. Not a ribbon in sight for one entrusted with the moulding of recruits. In truth Marsh should never have been given this task. Training post wartime took on a new and more enlightened role. While I enjoyed this for a little nostalgia and the ability to laugh at idiotic behaviour. It is not a classic as suggested by I suppose Riff Raff veterans. In any case allow me to say that any ex service man who willingly gave his all, I do not mean gave his life, for his unit/ship/etc is to be applauded. May I be able to enjoy a good laugh at all the comedic situations that story tellers can without malicious intent conjure up for our entertainment. My overall thinking is that it showed National service with the RAF as opposed to the usual Army fare. It did introduce some new people into the TV world. Robert Lindsay of course its main export.

When this was first broadcast in the mid-1970's it quickly became one of my Dad's favourites. He had completed his own National Service with the RAF at exactly this time so he could sympathise with the 'erks' and what they endured under Corporal Marsh. He said his introduction to service life was arriving at an RAF station in the pouring rain after travelling from one end of England to the other (taking him at the base nearest to his home would, of course, defy service logic). He was given two damp blankets, and shown to an empty hut - and I mean empty, not even a bed. He lay on the floor in his wet clothes and didn't close an eye all night.

Eventually, after training, he was posted overseas and it is fascinating to look in his photo album and realise these were the dying days of the British Empire: Palestine, South Africa, RAF Khartoum, even Iraq ("Saddam knew my father, father knew Saddam..."). On one occasion he was with a small patrol in the desert. They camped for the night and woke the next morning to find themselves lying on the open sand. Tents, equipment, anything they weren't actually wearing had gone and they never knew a thing. He said they could steal your socks without taking your boots off.

None of this has anything to do with reviewing the programme, but it does show it was grounded in real life. In its day it seemed very funny but nowadays it would be frowned on to call someone 'poofhouse' week after week on prime-time. I don't know why people can't see this as reflecting the ignorance of the person who uses this type of abuse - they insist it makes the show itself 'homophobic'. It was well-written and acted and there are far worse quality programmes around today.

The nation should be re-exposed to the world of Corporal Marsh. I cannot believe some of the so rubbish that can be bought today masquerading as comedy. This is a genuine comedy from the days when comedy was funny. The marching chant of 'Corporal Marsh is very nice' in series 1 is a TV small classic moment and this programme has a number of classic moments. Please release this on DVD or re-run it again on TV so that we all can enjoy such a moment. There is not a weak episode or series and the characters are strong throughout. The relationship between Percy and Alice was worthy of a spin off series. This is possibly the writers best work although I am sure that others will argue otherwise.