--- name: "Jimmy Perry" canonical: "https://film.one/person/jimmy-perry" roles: ["Writer"] born: "9 September 1923" died: "23 October 2016" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_as: "writer" average_over: 1 updated: "2026-09-18T09:24:40.475721+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Jimmy Perry Writer. Born 9 September 1923 in Barnes. Died 23 October 2016. ## Details - **Work:** Writer - **Born:** 9 September 1923, Barnes - **Died:** 23 October 2016 - **Active:** 1968–1980 - **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 acting, 1 writing - **Frequently works with:** [David Croft](https://film.one/person/david-croft.md) - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1960s 86 (1), 1980s 74 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Perry, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q735304, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0675126/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/85540 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Hi-de-Hi!*](https://film.one/tv/hi-de-hi.md) (74) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Jimmy Perry > Jimmy Perry's gift was to make familiar weaknesses funny without making their owners contemptible. In *Dad's Army*, his partnership with David Croft earns our affection, though familiar behaviour sometimes has to stand in for a fresh joke. Arthur Lowe's captain in *Dad's Army* (1968) is determined to preserve his dignity, even when his pomposity makes that difficult. Jimmy Perry and David Croft let us see the effort, and give us reasons to care about it. We were unexpectedly moved by Lowe because the struggle to maintain his standing remains visible beneath the fuss. This is where Perry's writing is strongest: he can make a man tiresome without making us want him to leave. In *Dad's Army*, Perry and Croft build the comedy around men who take their standing seriously and understand their own weaknesses rather less well. Once we know them, we can anticipate the response before it arrives. Lowe and John Le Mesurier make that repetition worth tolerating; across nine series, familiarity gives the performances room to become precise. The wartime setting lends the fussing weight without requiring a speech to explain why it matters. That knowledge of people came from observation. Perry's Home Guard service fed *Dad's Army*, while his wartime concert-party experience supplied *It Ain't Half Hot Mum* (1974). His work in holiday camps also furnished material, and the final Croft collaboration, *You Rang, M'Lord?* (1988), drew on family stories of domestic service. The settings changed, but he kept finding material in work and hierarchies he had encountered himself or heard about at home. Croft matters to any account of what Perry did well. Perry brought ideas and characters drawn from real people; his co-writer and producer brought production and scripting experience. We cannot sensibly credit Perry alone for what works in *Dad's Army*. Perry's solo projects, including *Room Service* (1979) and *High Street Blues* (1989), were less successful. Even in *Dad's Army*, affection has its costs. Some episodes settle into an expected rhythm, with an established response where the situation needs further development. The writing is happier examining individual vanity than pressing its criticism of authority, which limits how sharp the comedy can become. Start with *Dad's Army* for the ensemble and for the patience Perry and Croft extend to awkward men. Do not expect every familiar routine to earn its place. ## Biography Jimmy Perry was a British television comedy writer and creator, best known for his long-running collaborations with producer David Croft. He created and co-wrote the BBC sitcom *Dad's Army* (1968–1977), which ran for 80 episodes, and *Hi-de-Hi!* (1980–1988). Perry drew on his own experiences for much of his work, including service in the Home Guard during the Second World War and time as a Butlin's Redcoat. After the war he trained at RADA and worked as an actor before turning to writing. With Croft he also created *It Ain't Half Hot Mum* (1974–1981) and *You Rang, M'Lord?* (1988–1993). Perry composed the theme tunes for several of the series, including the Ivor Novello Award-winning "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?" for *Dad's Army*. He was appointed OBE in 1978. *Sources: bbc.com, theguardian.com, bbc.co.uk.* ## On Fi1m (2) ### Performed in (1) - *Dad's Army* (1968), Fi1m 86, as Charlie Cheeseman — [page](https://film.one/tv/dads-army.md) ### Wrote (1) — the average rests on these - *Hi-de-Hi!* (1980), Fi1m 74, Writer, Creator — [page](https://film.one/tv/hi-de-hi.md) ## Complete filmography (15) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Dad's Army at the BBC* (2025), series, Creator - *Dad's Army* (2016), Characters - *John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely* (2012), Acting - *Missing Presumed Wiped* (2001), Acting - *Don't Panic: The Dad's Army Story* (2000), Acting - *You Rang, M'Lord?* (1990), series, Writer, Creator - *Behind The Screen* (1988), series, Acting - *Hi-de-Hi!* (1980), series, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/hi-de-hi.md) - *Room Service* (1979), series, Creator - *The Rear Guard* (1976), series, Creator - *It Ain't Half Hot Mum* (1974), series, Writer, Creator - *Lollipop Loves Mr Mole* (1971), series, Writer - *Dad's Army* (1971), Screenplay, Idea - *Wilton's: The Handsomest Hall in Town* (1970), Writer - *Dad's Army* (1968), series, Charlie Cheeseman, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/dads-army.md) ## Gallery - ![Jimmy Perry](https://film.one/media/person/60432/gallery-68cd6360eeb3.jpg) Jimmy Perry — Rob enwiki (Robert Weedon), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Jimmy_Perry.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![Jimmy Perry](https://film.one/media/person/60432/gallery-fdbce2bef87f.jpg) Jimmy Perry — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jimmy-perry