Ben Elton
The writer, Ben Elton, is a self-confessed fan of Dad's Army, and as such many of the characters were influenced by the show. Fowler's relationship with Grim is very similar to that of Captain Mainwaring to Warden Hodges, in that they are both on the same side yet enemies. Also, Constable Goody is rather like Private Pike in being a 'stupid boy' who irritates Fowler. Constable Gladstone's habit of interrupting a briefing with a story about life in Trinidad is similar to Lance Corporal Jones's penchant for reminiscing about Sudan during Captain Mainwaring's speeches. Other references include in the episode Rag Week, when Fowler is briefly seen walking out of a shop called "Mainwaring's".
Ben Elton has not been shy to appear in the programme himself. In the first series the "WANTED" poster behind Fowler's desk in the briefing room is an E-FIT of Elton. He even takes a cameo role in the Christmas special episode, Yuletide Spirit.
Read more about this topic: The Thin Blue Line (TV series)
Famous quotes by ben elton:
“Sympathy for victims is always counter-balanced by an equal and opposite feeling of resentment towards them.”
—Ben Elton (b. 1959)