Get Some In!

If "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" has suffered acutely from Politically Correct retro-censorship, being rarely repeated (and then only the odd episode that gets past the new puritans), "Get Some In!" has been officially airbrushed out of late 70s British sitcom history. The total ban on repeats of this series means that I have not seen it since it was originally aired. Set in the 1950s, when young British men were still obliged to undergo compulsory National Service in one of the armed forces, my recollections of this series take me back, nevertheless, to the late 1970s, when such National Service seemed a dim and remote memory (to teenagers like myself, smugly ineligible). It aired in that bizarre cusp or hinge of time between decadent hippie-dom (concept albums, and rock stars in mansions) and early punk, and sought to demythologise the wizard-prang, pipe-between-the-teeth image of the RAF by showing the lowly, earthbound National Service recruits to the air force ("Though you're in the RAF, you'll never see a plane" went one line of the theme song). The recruits ("erks", if memory serves) were the standard-issue collection of heterogeneous types, running the gamut of the English class system and its miscellaneous sub-categories, most notably including the brilliant David Janson, subsequently much under-used, and the no less brilliant Robert Lindsay, in his first starring role (pre-"Citizen Smith"). Presiding over these raw recruits was the fearsome NCO, Tony Selby, a superb utility actor who had graced "The Avengers", "Ace Of Wands" and many another must-see British series of the late 60s and early 70s. With a strong cast, and what seemed at the time to be funny scripts, it is puzzling that this series has never re-aired, but perhaps it reflected too closely the PC insensitivities of the 50s. Our loss!

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.

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 probably one of the more under-rated comedies of the seventies. Whilst a number of it's contempories have gone on to cult status, this seems to have been forgotten.

I don't know whether it has dated, but they should try showing it again as it would make a refreshing change from the endless repeats of Dad's Army!