Back in 1982 I was a 24 yr old, and today, I vividly remember watching this 'live' on TV, and will never forget my profound sense of shock, sadness and disbelief, when the very next morning I heard on BBC radio that he had died. All of which is why I found it quite unsettling to watch the interview again. What's more, by a remarkable co-incidence, I am typing this as a 66 year old, exactly the same age that Arthur was at that time! So any youngsters reading this take note! Get what you can out of life because whilst old age may be far away right now, yet with each passing year it will seem to come towards you faster and faster. Thank you so much for posting this, because the excellent interview gives a compulsive 'pen portrait' of Arthur, someone who was a true icon of both British 'big' and 'small screen' TV, not to mention British radio and theatre. Not the greatest 'star' ever, but without a shadow of doubt one of the greatest of his generation.
@@beingsshepherdLowe was a smoker and heavy drinker. Attenborough was born to wealthier parents and has clearly taken much better care of himself. Having said that, Lowe’s father and mother reached 83 and 96, respectively, so he wasted his good genes.
as a 64 yr old i must concur with your wise words...yes time passes inexorably faster and faster. Mr Lowe bought joy to many back in the day...and still does with youtube.
@@nkt1 I ‘get’ your valid point about the perils of smoking and excessive drinking, although given the career he had at least Arthur didn’t waste all of his genes.
The lady interviewing him is polite, respectful and lets him answer her without interruption. Today's interviewers could learn a thing or two from her.
No matter how many times I watch an episode or the series of Dad's Army, I never get tired of them, I can watch them, again and again, and still find them funny as though it's the first time. How many other TV shows can you say about that. RIP brothers, and thank you, for making my childhood sweeter even today.
I'm the same, one of my favourite episodes is the one where Arthur plays two roles, the drunken brother,he was absolutely hilarious 😂 he deserved an award for that part .
He left Pebble Mill and went to the Alexandra Theatre where he was due to give a performance of Home At Seven, where he collapsed due to a stroke in the dressing room. He was taken to hospital unconscious and died at 5am the next morning., never having regained consciousness. So you are witnessing his final hours in this interview. Pebble Mill was filmed n a studio in Birmingham and the Alexandra Theatre is also in Birmingham. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at Sutton Coalfield Crematorium. Thank you Mr Lowe for all the joy you brought me in Dad's Army.
@@roddlecoddle he was flexing his leg early on, like I do with restless legs. I did look it up but its not an early sign of a stroke, like arm pain in heart attack, but I did spot it like you did
@@UKAlanR yes it did. He suffered badly from sleep aponia. He could nod off during interviews or takes. I do know it can cause slurred speech because you dont always quite nod off
Restless leg syndrome, one of the symptoms of narcolepsy, and linked to stroke. Clearly the great man is really feeling it, but he soldiers on with grace. Chilling to watch this, in hindsight. How poignant to have engaged in a retrospective of his career, in what turned out to be his final hours. Legend and hero!❤
My Dad and I met John lemesuier one after noon in a back street of my home town BATH,AVON...when they were doing the Dads Army stage show...he didn't dissapoint us and was just like he was on TV. ...God bless all of them...& my Lovely kind Dad..
He was simply effortlessly funny & classy. I was born in 1990 but I've always loved this show. My dad tells me Lemesurier was in every British b/w movie (for any literal-minded interwebz viewers...I think that might be deliberate hyperbole 😁)
Completely & utterly...... Between him doing the Mr Men stories and John LeMesurier narrating Bod, that was the two main characters of Dad's Army covering two animation gems from my childhood. Richard Baker the newsreader did Mary, Mungo and Midge around the same time with the brilliant Richard Briers covering Roobarb & Custard, nevermind Kenneth Williams's genius for Willo The Wisp a few years later.......
Arthur, Warren Mitchell and Ronnie Barker are the standouts for me and an honourable mention to John Le Mesurier. Even in the weaker comedies like the one where he played the Irish priest he shone through, but only he will forever be Captain Mainwaring.
@@terrythekittieful yes i think to and as for the cast of dad's army the actors were absolutely perfect for the characters they played and no one else could have played those parts like only John Le Mesurier played sergeant Wilson as no other person could have.
@@johnjohns9501 That's why I knew in advance that the Dad's Army movie from 2016 would always lose out to the original series. Because it is simply unavoidable that you start comparing the actors from the film with the actors from the original series. And that comparison is always against the actors in the film. Besides the fact that the atmosphere in the film was not comparable to the atmosphere of the time and that the plot of the film was far too far-fetched compared to the episodes at the time.
I don’t know what others think, but actors like Arthur I could listen to all day. We don’t seem to get people like this any longer. The presenter was very professional. It was about him and not her unlike today’s interviewers/presenters. Sad he died this day after this. His memory lives on.
I am so tired of this silly remarks. There are hundreds of intelligent articulate actors today. It is just the idiot medium and the interviewers that don't draw them out due to the show's format.
More innocent? 1982? The exact year the in your face sitcom the Young Ones started, not to mention all the hard hitting cop and spy shows that had already been on in the late 70s like the Sweeney and the Professionals. There was nothing innocent about that era.
I used to watch Pebble Mill when I came home for lunch from school. I remember this interview well as iI was a big Dad's Army fan. I also remember the next day when they made the announcement that he had died on the same programme. Quite shocked and upset as I remember.
He gave this interview on April 14th, 1982., he died the following day. "On 14 April 1982, Lowe gave a live televised interview on Pebble Mill at One. At just after 6 p.m. the same day, he collapsed from the onset of a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. This was before a performance of Home at Seven in which he was due to appear with his wife, Joan. He was taken, unconscious, to Birmingham General Hospital, where he died at about 5 a.m, at the age of 66.
So sad to know he died a few hours later. Terrific character, he was obviously struggling through this interview .. slurred speech and slightly confused state are symptoms of possible stroke onset. I will always remember him for making me laugh as Captain Mainwaring no matter how many times I watch it
So sad,got the impression in this interview that Arthur was drunk at first,but then realized that he was in ill health.RIP Mr lowe and thanks for a wonderfull memory of my childhood watching Dad's Army with my Parents.
The man was brilliant. Its funny he looks older than 66 here. Dad's army is timeless, it hasn't aged, no other comedy has had the continued lifespan it has
I had never seen this before and watching it is undoubtedly very sad, especially when I learned from other comments that it was later this same day when he had a stroke and never regained consciousness. Definitely hard to believe that he was only 66 at the time, because he seems much older. It's clear that he was an intelligent, thoughtful and very funny man, which makes his passing so many years ago sad to this day. He was a comic genius and watching "Dad's Army" now is still as funny as it ever was. Along with "Fawlty Towers", it surely has to rate as one of the best ever sitcoms on British television. And it's hard to believe that Arthur wasn't even the first choice to play Captain Mainwaring, being only the third choice after Thorley Waters and Jon Pertwee turned it down. As good as Pertwee was as the third Doctor Who, I just couldn't imagine anyone else being as good as Arthur Lowe in the role, he was so perfect for the character. And off course it would be impossible to forgot the great John Le Measurier as Wilson and John Laurie as Private Fraser. Like the "Carry On" series of films, Dad's Army is one of the very few things I never get bored of watching or laughing it. It's still just as funny today and that's mainly down to Arthur Lowes deadpan Captain Mainwaring.
Dads Army was one of those programmes where every character was typecast to perfection, I have watched the 'lost episodes' on UK Gold and the new movie but unfortunately they didn't even come close to the original actors. It did struggle a bit after the death of James Beck but it still remains one of the best sit coms to grace our screens.
@@Muirton66 The recast ‘lost episodes’ and the recent movie are desperately unfunny and painful to watch. In the case of the lost episodes, it’s clearly not the fault of the scripts, because they used the original ones, but the cast who just don’t have the comedic genius of Lowe, LeMeasurier, Laurie, Dunn etc. The same thing happened when they remade an episode of “Are You Being Served” recently and that, again, was desperately unfunny to watch.
Jon Petrwee ( who was a former stand up comedian as well as a fine actor) wouldn't have been better or worse in the role: he would've been different. Did you know that Leonard Rossiter was the writers first choice to play the Sargent in It Ain't Half Hot Mum, the part which made a star of second choice Windsor Davies?
@@phillipecook3227 Jon Pertwee was indeed a fine actor and would certainly have been very different to Arthur Lowe, and if he had accepted the role, then obviously we wouldn't have known any different. Fortunately, he turned it down and for that we should be eternally grateful. Leonard Rossiter as first choice to play the Sergeant in It Aint Half Hot Mum is certainly new to me and seems a particularly strange choice in retrospect. It's well known that David Jason had been cast as Corporal Jones prior to Clive Dunn accepting the role and that Some Mothers Do Ave Em was originally written with Ronnie Barker in mind to play Frank Spencer.
I can recall watching this interview at lunchtime and even then Arthur did not seem well though it was a great shock that he died so quickly afterwards. With the more recent loss of 'Pike' all the regulars have now gone to a better 'ole, bless 'em.
That just goes to show the power of excellent scriptwriting and having an extraordinarily talented cast. It's proved to be a timeless comedy, am sure viewers, especially of the younger generations will continue to watch and enjoy this comedy classic.
My dad used to take me to Pebble Mill studios in the early 1980s when I was in junior school and he was a guest player/batsman when the Beeb used to have a staff Sunday league cricket team. Met many local stars and national famous stars of tv and music, many that have long since passed away. A more innocent genteel time of old Britain from a bygone era.
I still watch episode's of Dads Army and loved Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring. I don't think we will see the likes of him again. A truly brilliant actor as were all the cast and the writing was first rate.
Great interview and judging by the studio windows, it was a good day outdoors for 1982.These interviews are wonderful time capsules. Arthur soldiered on to the end with his ill health. Legendary actor and gentleman. I must start re-watching Dad's Army. RIP.
I don't think Dad's Army wud have worked without Arthur, it's the last thing I watch b4 I go to sleep at night and have done for the last 12yrs, I never tire of it, its pure genius.
Jon Pertwee was very nearly Mainwaring but was on a tour of America at the time and so missed out. David Jason was a possible for Jones and it seemed he had won the role but Clive Dunn became available and was seen as less of a challenge to "age" in make-up.
It's amazing to think that the Dad's Army series lasted almost twice as long as WWII did, Artur Lowe played Arthur Lowe in every part I've ever seen him in and I cannot imagine any other actor playing Captain Mainwaring other than Arthur Lowe. Sadly, almost all of the cast are now no longer with us, with the sad recent death of Ian Lavenderike who played Private Pike, when I heard it was like the passing of a part of my youth. RIP Arthur Lowe.
Arthur Lowe is a favourite of mine. Even the mention of his name brings a warm feeling and a smile to my face. He was being very self-deprecating and humble by giving all credit to the writers. He was a very gifted actor and made the character live. His physical comedy was supreme. I'm thinking of the episode of Dad's Army in which he gets drunk playing a whisky drinking game with the top brass officers, then returns to the camp of his own men, bumping his head, swinging around a support pole and saluting himself as his hat falls sideways. Utterly brilliant! The casting was excellent and many of the actors were very talented. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Pertwee (Hodges) and spending the night as a guest at his house. He was a remarkable talent and able to pull off the most amazing impersonations. A lovely gentleman. I like the deference and respect shown by the interviewer, but believe it wasn't a great interview at all. In fact, it was a perfect example of how not to conduct an interview. She would tell us how he met his wife, the fact that they are still together and left him with no choice but to respond: "Yes". This happens numerous times, with Arthur Lowe just affirming the information again and again. A good interviewer, of the Aspel, Parkinson, Cavett calibre, would have said: "How did you meet your wife?" or even "Your wife?". This would have elicited a fuller response from Arthur Lowe. She tells him he enjoyed working on a project. He can only affirm. She tells him he gets cross instead of asking him: "Does it sometime make you cross when.....?" He would have had to deny or explain it, not leaving the audience a bit confused with this out-of-context insider knowledge. When he was just about to tell us why he doesn't like sitting around on holiday with his feet in the sand, she interrupts what he is saying and summarises his next sentence in anticipation, bringing his flow of thought to a stop. So, I feel that he carried the interview and had to make the effort to keep it flowing.
I watch Dad's Army every day and still love it. Sad to see Arthur Lowe having greatly aged and slow down so much in the 5 years since Dad's Army ended, not to mention tragically passing the same day as this interview (just learning that last fact through the comments here). Quite a legend.
Sad to hear that news, about Arthur's death the following day. I saw this video last night and was upset to see such a fine actor showing his age. R.I.P. Arthur Lowe
Marvellous actor. He once played the mayor of my home town in a film and some scenes were filmed at my school in the 1960s. Was lucky enough to meet him and get his autograph in my hymn book!!
May whoever is looking after the legendary wonderful Arthur Lowe be taking great care of this wonderful man. ❤ As interesting and welcoming as ever Arthur's last curtain call.
Omg, I remember watching Pebble Mill as a teenager. Anyone remember the first appearance on here of new talent Kate Bush. After the performance the live audience thought her voice was a joke. Muffled laughter and then like warm applause. No one knew then how popular she was to become.
Ah, the nostalgia! I remember watching this. I'd ridden home on my Raleigh bike from school for lunch. Used to watch Painting With Nancy and Mum liked The Sullivans. Happier days.
They don't like it up em, fuzzy wuzzies and so on ... not exactly clean. Your rose tinted spectacles need a polish. I over all enjoyed the show, but what makes one show "clean" and another made today not so, is very subjective.
What a lovely character actor Arthur was - in the episode of Dads Army “My Brother and I” we really got to see his full range; the pompous Mainwaring that we were all used to and the drunken Bon vivant Brother that he played so beautifully. What a tremendous cast back in the day, sadly all gone now with the passing of Ian “don’t tell him Pike!” Lavender.
Saw the Dads Army stage show in Newcastle at the Theatre Royal back in the 70s.......just of the best things I've ever seen!! Original TV cast, obviously loving being actually live on stage!! Still got the program!! Great memory for me and my new girlfriend back then....now my wife!!
@@lindarowe8550 I first remembered him from Coronation Street. He seemed to be able to fit seamlessly into a variety of characters both on stage and on tv. He gave us such great entertainment.
as a 12 year old i was lucky enough to meet Arthur at Pinewood Studios one day. i always remember that as he was the first actor to shake me by the left hand. He was, like John Laurie, very personable and downright nice.
Very interesting to listen to Arthur Lowe speaking in this interview. He is very self deprecating and complimentary about the writers of Dad's Army. The mannerisms of Captain Mainwaring are plain to see and he was obviously a very good actor, despite his thoughts on learning the lines. Truly great, timeless comedy from great writers and great actors
Very sad to think he died that April at only 66. Both he and his wife were heavy drinkers, and he smoked heavily. I'm not sure if he had a few before this interview. At least we have him on "tape" which will last for years to come. Dad's Army has a timeless quality and unlike many of the sit coms of that time it is still funny. They are all gone now. RIP.
Loved Dads Army. I was 8 in 1968. Watched it at our nanny’s house. Still watch it now whether I search for it or it’s shown on BBC 2. My daughter loves these old comedies too. She serves in the military so loves it even more. God Bless Arthur.
The view out of the window was in so many programmes. Pebble mill closed in 2004 due to lease issues and because some of the building was impac5ed by concrete cancer. Great to see this interview.
He was excellent at non-verbal gestures not to mention a very good actor in my view. Dad’s Army is still incredibly funny. A team so fortunate to come together.
I definitely remember watching this live and thinking that he was not well. I was sad at the news the next day that he had passed away, but I was not shocked, as I was sure he was not himself when on Pebble Mill. RIP. Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowes performance as Captain Mainwairig was so good it made the other characters on the show better . Dad's army's sucess is largely down to him
I have watched Dads Army so many times icant count them. will continue to watch them ansd laugh evcen though i can almost do the line for line. Great cast all sadly missed, a golden era
There have been so very many comedians throughout the decades on both stage and screen who have entertained us. Personally, very few have been held in such high regard and genuine love as Arthur Lowe, primarily because of his Captain Mainwaring character. How many times have you watched Dad's Army, never tiring of every episode and Mainwaring's pomposity? I thought the world of him then and continue to do so today. It is very challenging to watch this particular clip. It's hard to understand him, his speech is so slurred. Equally, hours later he would be dead. Why his wife didn't go to his funeral is very peculiar. God bless you Arthur. You are still making us laugh today.
I seen Arthur Lowe at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on a school trip in 1976, he was staring in an Alan Ayckbourn play "Bedroom Farce" and this started a life long love of the theatre and live entertainment. Now in my sixties I have been lucky enough to indulge my love of the theatre the world over and it all started with this wonderful actor. Thank you Arthur.
From Wikipedia... "On 14 April 1982, Lowe gave a live televised interview on Pebble Mill at One. At just after 6 pm the same day, he collapsed from the onset of a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. This was before a performance of Home at Seven in which he was due to appear with his wife, Joan." RIP Mr Lowe :)
They all live on through their work. Especially Dads Army that I believe has never been off screen in any year since it’s original transmission. It’s one repeat I never mind popping up when channel surfing as it’s still such an amazingly well crafted show. All elements are just spot on. Everything. Lovely interview. I loved seeing the stars of the past and present on Pebble Mill At One as they were so interesting polite and real stars who carried themselves so well in interviews. Thank You for sharing this fantastic video.
I watched this live as a child, with my Dad, and we both thought he was a bit drunk. Sadly probably he had already had a mini-stroke and didnt realise.
Arthur was a brilliant comic actor and mastered the facial expressions that facilitate that art. If that’s him at 66 he was old before his time and it is sad we didn’t get much more from him. Even now he makes me laugh uncontrollably with his pompous Mainwaring role. Rest in Peace and thank you Arthur
Oh yes, no internet and only 3 channels to watch. I was 10 in 1982 and I remember climbing the walls with boredom a lot of the time, despite being big into reading. Phoning anyone was too expensive, and if you lived any distance from friends you were stuck and isolated. If you were curious about any subject, you'd have to wait to go to the library and hope there was book anywhere close to what you wanted. Sexism and homophobia was rife and it was perfectly acceptable to hit kids in those days. But none of that was as bad as the existential fear of being obliterated by nuclear war at any time. Oh yes, great times.
@@snufkinmatt162Ever heard of public transport? My friends were miles away. We found ways to meet up and it gave is independence at a young age. We all had mopeds at 16, cars at 17. The streets were a lot safer to walk at night. We didn't have off-the-scale levels of anxiety, depression, identity confusion. We had no food banks, utility bills, rents and mortgages didn't preclude young people from getting on the housing ladder. Pubs and clubs, the High Street, all were thriving compared to the crumbling, failing, angst-ridden gloom fest that is Britain today.
Bless him. Sad when you hear him speak of plans unfulfilled. Used to like Pebble Mill (shame it's gone) understated but turned up loads of gems like this. A plus of being ill off school 😂 Shame she didn't mention the Mr Men.
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Now in 2024 The last of the cast of Dads Army has passed. Ian Lavender. RIP to all of them, who have given so many so much happiness over the years.
PLATOON---R.I.P.
‘Don’t tell him your name Pike’
And will continue to for me. Have seen the 'don't tell him Pike' episode so many times but still makes me laugh.
Let's hope there's a reunion for them in the afterlife and a lemonade awaiting Pike on his arrival as the last to the bar...
I didn’t know he had passed as I don’t buy papers or listen to any news. So very sad.
Back in 1982 I was a 24 yr old, and today, I vividly remember watching this 'live' on TV, and will never forget my profound sense of shock, sadness and disbelief, when the very next morning I heard on BBC radio that he had died. All of which is why I found it quite unsettling to watch the interview again. What's more, by a remarkable co-incidence, I am typing this as a 66 year old, exactly the same age that Arthur was at that time! So any youngsters reading this take note! Get what you can out of life because whilst old age may be far away right now, yet with each passing year it will seem to come towards you faster and faster.
Thank you so much for posting this, because the excellent interview gives a compulsive 'pen portrait' of Arthur, someone who was a true icon of both British 'big' and 'small screen' TV, not to mention British radio and theatre. Not the greatest 'star' ever, but without a shadow of doubt one of the greatest of his generation.
He died from _old age_ at 66? Look at his huge stomach.
David Attenborough's currently 31 years older.
@@beingsshepherdLowe was a smoker and heavy drinker. Attenborough was born to wealthier parents and has clearly taken much better care of himself. Having said that, Lowe’s father and mother reached 83 and 96, respectively, so he wasted his good genes.
as a 64 yr old i must concur with your wise words...yes time passes inexorably faster and faster. Mr Lowe bought joy to many back in the day...and still does with youtube.
@@fahrbloosky Absolutely correct! Cheers!
@@nkt1 I ‘get’ your valid point about the perils of smoking and excessive drinking, although given the career he had at least Arthur didn’t waste all of his genes.
The lady interviewing him is polite, respectful and lets him answer her without interruption. Today's interviewers could learn a thing or two from her.
Who is she? Excellent interviewer.
I believe that’s Marjorie Lofthouse.. in the days when presenters were classier.
Also feminine, intelligent and interesting.
What a pity Cathy Newman wasn''t old enough. Had she done the interview it'd have been, "So what you're saying is, war is funny?"
Yes, superb interviewer.
❤️ him as narrator in Mr Men.. as a kid could listen to him . He was great story teller... 👍
Superb
I didn’t know that ,now you mention it I remember the name on the tapes I had as a kid in the 70’s
Yeah, loved listening to him narrate the Mr Men stories too.
@@Bewareofthedog69 both of the TV series narrated and voiced by him are on TH-cam in their entirety
"Mr Funny... lived in a teapot" 😂 got it on 12", sublime xxx
No matter how many times I watch an episode or the series of Dad's Army, I never get tired of them, I can watch them, again and again, and still find them funny as though it's the first time. How many other TV shows can you say about that. RIP brothers, and thank you, for making my childhood sweeter even today.
PERFECT comment.
@@homebrandrules Thank you, friend. Much appreciated.
I think it is because it takes you back to better times when life was a little more gentle, respectful, and culturally intact.
I couldn't agree more with you!@markhenry192
I'm the same, one of my favourite episodes is the one where Arthur plays two roles, the drunken brother,he was absolutely hilarious 😂 he deserved an award for that part .
RIP Arthur Lowe. I still watch Dads Army to this day. He always will be Captain Mainwearing
Even Mainwaring.
@@kyawkyawwin1 Ta, for the spelling error lol
Don't tell him Pike !
You may be interested to know that Jon Pertwee turned it down...
Bank manager ❤
This was when Britain was great god bless them all
There was nothing “great” about Britain in the early eighties. It was a dreadful time.
I remember the early 80s the country was in recession and life was miserable and bleak.
My fondest memory of Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwearing was when he also playing his brother. That was ahead of the game.
Yes, what a episode that was. He could play his alcoholic brother with total authenticity. It showed you what an actor he was.
On train remember it well
Po-face!
Arthur Lowe died the following day. RIP. Thank you for the characters and the laughs.
He left Pebble Mill and went to the Alexandra Theatre where he was due to give a performance of Home At Seven, where he collapsed due to a stroke in the dressing room. He was taken to hospital unconscious and died at 5am the next morning., never having regained consciousness. So you are witnessing his final hours in this interview. Pebble Mill was filmed n a studio in Birmingham and the Alexandra Theatre is also in Birmingham. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at Sutton Coalfield Crematorium. Thank you Mr Lowe for all the joy you brought me in Dad's Army.
@@bonariablackie4047 Maybe the bit at the end with his feet was a sign of something not right.
@@roddlecoddle he was flexing his leg early on, like I do with restless legs. I did look it up but its not an early sign of a stroke, like arm pain in heart attack, but I did spot it like you did
@@turnerthemanc reading above about his death being so soon afterwards, I reflect even more on his speech seeming to change late on the interview.
@@UKAlanR yes it did. He suffered badly from sleep aponia. He could nod off during interviews or takes. I do know it can cause slurred speech because you dont always quite nod off
Restless leg syndrome, one of the symptoms of narcolepsy, and linked to stroke. Clearly the great man is really feeling it, but he soldiers on with grace. Chilling to watch this, in hindsight. How poignant to have engaged in a retrospective of his career, in what turned out to be his final hours. Legend and hero!❤
Totally agree we'll said a gentleman who was graceful thoughtful and a hugely intelligent actor.
“Don’t tell him, Pike!” - possibly the best one liner ever. Thanks for all the laughs lads, may you never leave our screens.
And then there was none. R.I.P. Ian Lavender.
What a great show that was. Arthur seems a lot older than 66 - he died a few hours after this interview.
Absolutely beautiful interview done by a very polite lady. RIP Arthur Lowe
What a brilliant interviewer respectful and talented.
He obviously wasn't well enough for this, but he ploughed through. Tough as nails, just like Captain Mainwaring.
Exactly, his speech seemed blurred, and he looked agitated. showing signs of a stroke imo.
He was an exceedingly heavy drinker as were others in the cast @@YORKEE
@@stevensgoodallsg Indeed. He was only 66 years old here and looks about 80 years old. Drinking and smoking ages people more quickly.
@@Romulan2469 I'm 4 years younger than he was in this video.
@@marcse7en He was in poor health.
Part of my childhood and still is at 56... I adore the intire cast..
My Dad and I met
John lemesuier one after noon in a back street of my home town BATH,AVON...when they were doing the Dads Army stage show...he didn't dissapoint us and was just like he was on TV. ...God bless all of them...& my Lovely kind Dad..
John was my hero of the show. A wonderful character not given to bombast or bullshit. I loved him.
God Bless ❤
He was simply effortlessly funny & classy. I was born in 1990 but I've always loved this show. My dad tells me Lemesurier was in every British b/w movie (for any literal-minded interwebz viewers...I think that might be deliberate hyperbole 😁)
Captain Mainwaring was one of the finest comic creations ever. Deeply flawed yet admirable at the same time. Few can pull that off. A comic genius.
So well played by Lowe at times that I hated Mainwaring. He could be an absolute bastard to my hero Wilson at times.
How I miss those days. Dads Army the highlight of the week. How this country has changed. Great actor a legend.
You are not alone Dave. RIP England too
@@BrianWMay Give it a rest.
@@MrThecarebear No
@King Royal TROLL ALERT
@@BrianWMay good riddance
The voice of my childhood, with Captain Mainwaring and the Mr Men books. Sorely missed
just had to go watch an episode of the Mr Men never made the connection at the time
Watch Mr Topsy-turvy. His narrative in that was fabulous.
Oh Lord, The Mr Men..... Absolutely bloomin brilliant!!!!!!!..... Should be put back on the TV and let the kids of today watch it....
Absolutely Pall
Completely & utterly......
Between him doing the Mr Men stories and John LeMesurier narrating Bod, that was the two main characters of Dad's Army covering two animation gems from my childhood.
Richard Baker the newsreader did Mary, Mungo and Midge around the same time with the brilliant Richard Briers covering Roobarb & Custard, nevermind Kenneth Williams's genius for Willo The Wisp a few years later.......
One of Britain's best ever actors, we all miss him
Arthur, Warren Mitchell and Ronnie Barker are the standouts for me and an honourable mention to John Le Mesurier. Even in the weaker comedies like the one where he played the Irish priest he shone through, but only he will forever be Captain Mainwaring.
@@terrythekittieful yes i think to and as for the cast of dad's army the actors were absolutely perfect for the characters they played and no one else could have played those parts like only John Le Mesurier played sergeant Wilson as no other person could have.
@@johnjohns9501 That's why I knew in advance that the Dad's Army movie from 2016 would always lose out to the original series. Because it is simply unavoidable that you start comparing the actors from the film with the actors from the original series. And that comparison is always against the actors in the film. Besides the fact that the atmosphere in the film was not comparable to the atmosphere of the time and that the plot of the film was far too far-fetched compared to the episodes at the time.
Sad to watch. He was dead within 16 hours of this live broadcast. Absolute legend.
I love the lady's speech, accent. Its all disappeared these says
I don’t know what others think, but actors like Arthur I could listen to all day. We don’t seem to get people like this any longer. The presenter was very professional. It was about him and not her unlike today’s interviewers/presenters.
Sad he died this day after this. His memory lives on.
I am so tired of this silly remarks. There are hundreds of intelligent articulate actors today. It is just the idiot medium and the interviewers that don't draw them out due to the show's format.
Arthur Lowe was one of the greatest actors of his generation. Not just comedy and dad's army. He played many characters on TV and the stage
A lovely man from a more innocent time of TV. God bless him. ❤
More innocent? 1982? The exact year the in your face sitcom the Young Ones started, not to mention all the hard hitting cop and spy shows that had already been on in the late 70s like the Sweeney and the Professionals. There was nothing innocent about that era.
I used to watch Pebble Mill when I came home for lunch from school. I remember this interview well as iI was a big Dad's Army fan. I also remember the next day when they made the announcement that he had died on the same programme. Quite shocked and upset as I remember.
He gave this interview on April 14th, 1982., he died the following day.
"On 14 April 1982, Lowe gave a live televised interview on Pebble Mill at One. At just after 6 p.m. the same day, he collapsed from the onset of a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. This was before a performance of Home at Seven in which he was due to appear with his wife, Joan. He was taken, unconscious, to Birmingham General Hospital, where he died at about 5 a.m, at the age of 66.
I was 5 days old
I do not think i knew this, how sad, i loved Dads army and still do, every character fitted the persona so well
Sad day. He was great
So sad to know he died a few hours later. Terrific character, he was obviously struggling through this interview .. slurred speech and slightly confused state are symptoms of possible stroke onset. I will always remember him for making me laugh as Captain Mainwaring no matter how many times I watch it
Rest in peace captain manering you won't be forgotten by my family
A completely brilliant series, full of memorable characters. Arthur Lowe was hilarious.
RIP Arthur Lowe, the world of comedy is a sadder place without your good self.
I watched this as a 10 year old, when Arthur Lowe started swinging his legs, I remember my Dad saying, "Something's wrong".
I saw it live in April 1982. I was 17.
I was 10 and my dad said the same thing: somethings not right, his voice is slurred
Heartbreaking to see Arthur so frail but still switched on . An absolute legend of British acting and comedy ❤️
Dead at 5 AM the next morning, he had fourteen hours to live when he did this interview, and had no idea he was living his last day on earth.
Wow, that's a harrowing thought. And yet he was still very sharp!
He suffered a stroke around four and half hours after this interview (6pm, the show started at 1pm) and passed away in hospital.
None of us do
Yeah most people have no idea if they're living their last day on Earth
He's slurring his words noticeably here. I'm not surprised. He could well have already had a stroke.
So sad,got the impression in this interview that Arthur was drunk at first,but then realized that he was in ill health.RIP Mr lowe and thanks for a wonderfull memory of my childhood watching Dad's Army with my Parents.
The man was brilliant. Its funny he looks older than 66 here.
Dad's army is timeless, it hasn't aged, no other comedy has had the continued lifespan it has
I had never seen this before and watching it is undoubtedly very sad, especially when I learned from other comments that it was later this same day when he had a stroke and never regained consciousness. Definitely hard to believe that he was only 66 at the time, because he seems much older. It's clear that he was an intelligent, thoughtful and very funny man, which makes his passing so many years ago sad to this day. He was a comic genius and watching "Dad's Army" now is still as funny as it ever was. Along with "Fawlty Towers", it surely has to rate as one of the best ever sitcoms on British television. And it's hard to believe that Arthur wasn't even the first choice to play Captain Mainwaring, being only the third choice after Thorley Waters and Jon Pertwee turned it down. As good as Pertwee was as the third Doctor Who, I just couldn't imagine anyone else being as good as Arthur Lowe in the role, he was so perfect for the character. And off course it would be impossible to forgot the great John Le Measurier as Wilson and John Laurie as Private Fraser. Like the "Carry On" series of films, Dad's Army is one of the very few things I never get bored of watching or laughing it. It's still just as funny today and that's mainly down to Arthur Lowes deadpan Captain Mainwaring.
Dads Army was one of those programmes where every character was typecast to perfection, I have watched the 'lost episodes' on UK Gold and the new movie but unfortunately they didn't even come close to the original actors. It did struggle a bit after the death of James Beck but it still remains one of the best sit coms to grace our screens.
@@Muirton66 The recast ‘lost episodes’ and the recent movie are desperately unfunny and painful to watch. In the case of the lost episodes, it’s clearly not the fault of the scripts, because they used the original ones, but the cast who just don’t have the comedic genius of Lowe, LeMeasurier, Laurie, Dunn etc. The same thing happened when they remade an episode of “Are You Being Served” recently and that, again, was desperately unfunny to watch.
Oh that is sad, only 66 too eh?
A shame, but of course immortalized in Dad's Army
Jon Petrwee ( who was a former stand up comedian as well as a fine actor) wouldn't have been better or worse in the role: he would've been different. Did you know that Leonard Rossiter was the writers first choice to play the Sargent in It Ain't Half Hot Mum, the part which made a star of second choice Windsor Davies?
@@phillipecook3227 Jon Pertwee was indeed a fine actor and would certainly have been very different to Arthur Lowe, and if he had accepted the role, then obviously we wouldn't have known any different. Fortunately, he turned it down and for that we should be eternally grateful. Leonard Rossiter as first choice to play the Sergeant in It Aint Half Hot Mum is certainly new to me and seems a particularly strange choice in retrospect. It's well known that David Jason had been cast as Corporal Jones prior to Clive Dunn accepting the role and that Some Mothers Do Ave Em was originally written with Ronnie Barker in mind to play Frank Spencer.
I can recall watching this interview at lunchtime and even then Arthur did not seem well though it was a great shock that he died so quickly afterwards. With the more recent loss of 'Pike' all the regulars have now gone to a better 'ole, bless 'em.
Timeless entertainment. All classic characters. RIP Ian Lavender.
Totally brilliant. God bless him.
I still watch, Dad's Army to this day.
Oh god so do i. Even my grandson absolutely loves dads army
Me to watch dads army very often
That just goes to show the power of excellent scriptwriting and having an extraordinarily talented cast. It's proved to be a timeless comedy, am sure viewers, especially of the younger generations will continue to watch and enjoy this comedy classic.
Yes same here that comedy never ages it's as funny now as it was then
Dad's Army is an absolute timeless classic.... Brilliant, just brilliant...
Grew up on Pebble Mill in the 70s - I was very young at the time.
My dad used to take me to Pebble Mill studios in the early 1980s when I was in junior school and he was a guest player/batsman when the Beeb used to have a staff Sunday league cricket team. Met many local stars and national famous stars of tv and music, many that have long since passed away. A more innocent genteel time of old Britain from a bygone era.
My childhood right there. Great actor, great piece of art, Dads Army.
Thanks Arthur.❤
Best comment here,sums everything up in two words.
I used to watch this with mum when i wasnt at school thats many mang years ago now i miss you mum xxx
I still watch episode's of Dads Army and loved Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring. I don't think we will see the likes of him again. A truly brilliant actor as were all the cast and the writing was first rate.
Best interviewer I've seen in the last 30 years....👏👏
Great interview and judging by the studio windows, it was a good day outdoors for 1982.These interviews are wonderful time capsules. Arthur soldiered on to the end with his ill health. Legendary actor and gentleman. I must start re-watching Dad's Army. RIP.
I don't think Dad's Army wud have worked without Arthur, it's the last thing I watch b4 I go to sleep at night and have done for the last 12yrs, I never tire of it, its pure genius.
I heard somewhere that the writers wanted thorley Walter's to play captain mannering but he turned it down.
@@lindarowe8550 I don't know who that is but thank God he did turn it down ,
Only Arthur Lowe can play manwaring
@@da90sReAlvloc Thorley Walters has been in a few british comedy films. He was good but I think like you Arthur was great
Jon Pertwee was very nearly Mainwaring but was on a tour of America at the time and so missed out. David Jason was a possible for Jones and it seemed he had won the role but Clive Dunn became available and was seen as less of a challenge to "age" in make-up.
It worked because the whole cast was perfect.
It's amazing to think that the Dad's Army series lasted almost twice as long as WWII did, Artur Lowe played Arthur Lowe in every part I've ever seen him in and I cannot imagine any other actor playing Captain Mainwaring other than Arthur Lowe. Sadly, almost all of the cast are now no longer with us, with the sad recent death of Ian Lavenderike who played Private Pike, when I heard it was like the passing of a part of my youth.
RIP Arthur Lowe.
Arthur Lowe is a favourite of mine. Even the mention of his name brings a warm feeling and a smile to my face. He was being very self-deprecating and humble by giving all credit to the writers. He was a very gifted actor and made the character live. His physical comedy was supreme. I'm thinking of the episode of Dad's Army in which he gets drunk playing a whisky drinking game with the top brass officers, then returns to the camp of his own men, bumping his head, swinging around a support pole and saluting himself as his hat falls sideways. Utterly brilliant! The casting was excellent and many of the actors were very talented. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Pertwee (Hodges) and spending the night as a guest at his house. He was a remarkable talent and able to pull off the most amazing impersonations. A lovely gentleman.
I like the deference and respect shown by the interviewer, but believe it wasn't a great interview at all. In fact, it was a perfect example of how not to conduct an interview. She would tell us how he met his wife, the fact that they are still together and left him with no choice but to respond: "Yes". This happens numerous times, with Arthur Lowe just affirming the information again and again. A good interviewer, of the Aspel, Parkinson, Cavett calibre, would have said: "How did you meet your wife?" or even "Your wife?". This would have elicited a fuller response from Arthur Lowe. She tells him he enjoyed working on a project. He can only affirm. She tells him he gets cross instead of asking him: "Does it sometime make you cross when.....?" He would have had to deny or explain it, not leaving the audience a bit confused with this out-of-context insider knowledge. When he was just about to tell us why he doesn't like sitting around on holiday with his feet in the sand, she interrupts what he is saying and summarises his next sentence in anticipation, bringing his flow of thought to a stop. So, I feel that he carried the interview and had to make the effort to keep it flowing.
I watch Dad's Army every day and still love it. Sad to see Arthur Lowe having greatly aged and slow down so much in the 5 years since Dad's Army ended, not to mention tragically passing the same day as this interview (just learning that last fact through the comments here). Quite a legend.
Sad to hear that news, about Arthur's death the following day.
I saw this video last night and was upset to see such a fine actor showing his age.
R.I.P. Arthur Lowe
He was only 67 when he died
@@Ozone280 66 though he looks closer to mid 70's
@@brianmorrison9168 He actually died that night.
@@gordontaylor5373 thanks for that .. very sad.
Marvellous actor. He once played the mayor of my home town in a film and some scenes were filmed at my school in the 1960s. Was lucky enough to meet him and get his autograph in my hymn book!!
Brilliantly Sad and Poignant interview by the lovely Marjorie Lofthouse
I've still got the audio cassette of him reading the Mr Men stories! What a timeless voice!
May whoever is looking after the legendary wonderful Arthur Lowe be taking great care of this wonderful man. ❤ As interesting and welcoming as ever Arthur's last curtain call.
Omg, I remember watching Pebble Mill as a teenager. Anyone remember the first appearance on here of new talent Kate Bush. After the performance the live audience thought her voice was a joke. Muffled laughter and then like warm applause. No one knew then how popular she was to become.
and not to forget the part he played in Spike Milligan's "The Bedsitting Room" and Eric Sykes's "The Plank"
Ah, the nostalgia! I remember watching this. I'd ridden home on my Raleigh bike from school for lunch. Used to watch Painting With Nancy and Mum liked The Sullivans. Happier days.
I can’t believe it’s 40 years ago, time waits for no man
When legend actually means something,Arthur superb and wonderfully naturally immensely funny man.God bless Arthur.
What a true gentleman and well loved and respected actor..R.I.P Arthur
Wonderful man and a wonderful timeless, clean family show Dad's Army was.
They don't like it up em, fuzzy wuzzies and so on ... not exactly clean. Your rose tinted spectacles need a polish. I over all enjoyed the show, but what makes one show "clean" and another made today not so, is very subjective.
@@phily8093 Oh for god's sake.
@@phily8093 On whose behalf are you offended? Or do you just like to project how progressive you are?
@@tc5273 I didn't say I was offended. I just think this "good old days" is nonsense.
@@phily8093 certainly better than the present.
What a lovely character actor Arthur was - in the episode of Dads Army “My Brother and I” we really got to see his full range; the pompous Mainwaring that we were all used to and the drunken Bon vivant Brother that he played so beautifully. What a tremendous cast back in the day, sadly all gone now with the passing of Ian “don’t tell him Pike!” Lavender.
Saw the Dads Army stage show in Newcastle at the Theatre Royal back in the 70s.......just of the best things I've ever seen!! Original TV cast, obviously loving being actually live on stage!! Still got the program!! Great memory for me and my new girlfriend back then....now my wife!!
Nice. Enjoy these moments; they'll never come again.
A fabulous night. Seems like yesterday. Wish it was tomorrow.
Cool!
Its good to see a true legend of stage and screen treat with respect and courtesy by this excellent interviewer. We miss Him and his knowledge and Wit
He was a truly wonderful actor, his wide ranging characters proved that.
Yes I liked him in Potter with nanny who was in father dear father another great show
@@lindarowe8550 I first remembered him from Coronation Street. He seemed to be able to fit seamlessly into a variety of characters both on stage and on tv. He gave us such great entertainment.
How thoughtful and wise Arthur was. Such a gentleman.
as a 12 year old i was lucky enough to meet Arthur at Pinewood Studios one day. i always remember that as he was the first actor to shake me by the left hand. He was, like John Laurie, very personable and downright nice.
He sadly died about sixteen hours after this interview took place ☹
It's refreshing to hear that important distinction between intelligence and cleverness.
Very interesting to listen to Arthur Lowe speaking in this interview. He is very self deprecating and complimentary about the writers of Dad's Army. The mannerisms of Captain Mainwaring are plain to see and he was obviously a very good actor, despite his thoughts on learning the lines. Truly great, timeless comedy from great writers and great actors
Very sad to think he died that April at only 66. Both he and his wife were heavy drinkers, and he smoked heavily. I'm not sure if he had a few before this interview. At least we have him on "tape" which will last for years to come. Dad's Army has a timeless quality and unlike many of the sit coms of that time it is still funny. They are all gone now. RIP.
A brilliant show in its day Pebble Mill at One always live and interesting miles better than todays crap
Considering this is only about 5 years after the final episode of Dads Army, it’s sad to see how much he had aged in those years
Loved Dads Army. I was 8 in 1968. Watched it at our nanny’s house.
Still watch it now whether I search for it or it’s shown on BBC 2.
My daughter loves these old comedies too. She serves in the military so loves it even more.
God Bless Arthur.
The view out of the window was in so many programmes. Pebble mill closed in 2004 due to lease issues and because some of the building was impac5ed by concrete cancer. Great to see this interview.
About 18 hours from passing away ❤
I loved all the characters but Captain Mainwaring was my absolute favourite. Arthur Lowe; brilliant.
His 'looks' could be so funny, especially towards that stupid boy.
He was excellent at non-verbal gestures not to mention a very good actor in my view. Dad’s Army is still incredibly funny. A team so fortunate to come together.
I definitely remember watching this live and thinking that he was not well. I was sad at the news the next day that he had passed away, but I was not shocked, as I was sure he was not himself when on Pebble Mill.
RIP. Arthur Lowe
Wonderful childhood memories of him..much loved and missed
Arthur Lowes performance as Captain Mainwairig was so good it made the other characters on the show better . Dad's army's sucess is largely down to him
I have watched Dads Army so many times icant count them. will continue to watch them ansd laugh evcen though i can almost do the line for line. Great cast all sadly missed, a golden era
There have been so very many comedians throughout the decades on both stage and screen who have entertained us. Personally, very few have been held in such high regard and genuine love as Arthur Lowe, primarily because of his Captain Mainwaring character. How many times have you watched Dad's Army, never tiring of every episode and Mainwaring's pomposity? I thought the world of him then and continue to do so today. It is very challenging to watch this particular clip. It's hard to understand him, his speech is so slurred. Equally, hours later he would be dead. Why his wife didn't go to his funeral is very peculiar. God bless you Arthur. You are still making us laugh today.
I seen Arthur Lowe at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on a school trip in 1976, he was staring in an Alan Ayckbourn play "Bedroom Farce" and this started a life long love of the theatre and live entertainment. Now in my sixties I have been lucky enough to indulge my love of the theatre the world over and it all started with this wonderful actor. Thank you Arthur.
poor soul if you listen carefully you could see he was i,ll god rest his soul.
Thank you Arthur Lowe for making me laugh for all these years
Gosh, he was only 66 when he passed away...he looked and sounded much older. RIP Arthur.
Alcohol will do that too you.
he was ill
@@roberttilton7927 So will severe illness.
He looks and sounds 86, very sad what alcohol does to you
He and his wife were both acholoics.
A great actor's lovely last interview a few hours before his death.
From Wikipedia... "On 14 April 1982, Lowe gave a live televised interview on Pebble Mill at One. At just after 6 pm the same day, he collapsed from the onset of a stroke in his dressing room at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. This was before a performance of Home at Seven in which he was due to appear with his wife, Joan."
RIP Mr Lowe :)
Love the series and love the actors in Dads Army will always be remembered.
They all live on through their work. Especially Dads Army that I believe has never been off screen in any year since it’s original transmission. It’s one repeat I never mind popping up when channel surfing as it’s still such an amazingly well crafted show. All elements are just spot on. Everything. Lovely interview. I loved seeing the stars of the past and present on Pebble Mill At One as they were so interesting polite and real stars who carried themselves so well in interviews. Thank You for sharing this fantastic video.
I watched this live as a child, with my Dad, and we both thought he was a bit drunk. Sadly probably he had already had a mini-stroke and didnt realise.
I loved the one where Mainwairing met his brother Barry..Arthur was great
Arthur was a brilliant comic actor and mastered the facial expressions that facilitate that art. If that’s him at 66 he was old before his time and it is sad we didn’t get much more from him. Even now he makes me laugh uncontrollably with his pompous Mainwaring role. Rest in Peace and thank you Arthur
Sad to see him like this. He was a consummate actor.
Bygone age.Really miss those days.No internet,no designer labels.Loved it😢
There was designer labels , but less of them and less hype on such things .
Oh yes, no internet and only 3 channels to watch. I was 10 in 1982 and I remember climbing the walls with boredom a lot of the time, despite being big into reading. Phoning anyone was too expensive, and if you lived any distance from friends you were stuck and isolated. If you were curious about any subject, you'd have to wait to go to the library and hope there was book anywhere close to what you wanted. Sexism and homophobia was rife and it was perfectly acceptable to hit kids in those days. But none of that was as bad as the existential fear of being obliterated by nuclear war at any time. Oh yes, great times.
@@snufkinmatt162Ever heard of public transport?
My friends were miles away. We found ways to meet up and it gave is independence at a young age. We all had mopeds at 16, cars at 17.
The streets were a lot safer to walk at night.
We didn't have off-the-scale levels of anxiety, depression, identity confusion.
We had no food banks, utility bills, rents and mortgages didn't preclude young people from getting on the housing ladder.
Pubs and clubs, the High Street, all were thriving compared to the crumbling, failing, angst-ridden gloom fest that is Britain today.
Hard to believe he was only 66 here. The poor man looks at least 20yrs older.
I regularly watched pebble Mill in my lunch break from school well my mum had it on so I had to watch it.lol
Bless him. Sad when you hear him speak of plans unfulfilled.
Used to like Pebble Mill (shame it's gone) understated but turned up loads of gems like this. A plus of being ill off school 😂 Shame she didn't mention the Mr Men.
Ah yes, not so ill to have to stay in bed, but well enough to be up and watch lunchtime TV... think we all did that! 😉
who is she?