Sergeant Wilson
Sergeant Wilson | |
---|---|
The Honorable | |
Occupation | Bank Chief Clerk Sergeant, Royal Artillery Captain, Middlesex Regiment |
Relatives | Unnamed Ex-Wife Unnamed Daughter Frank Pike ("nephew"/son) Lettice (aunt) |
Affiliated with | Home Guard |
The Hon. Sergeant Arthur Wilson is a fictional
Background
Wilson was born in 1887, and is carefree, cheerful and well-spoken, although more complex than he first seems. He is chief clerk of the Walmington-on-Sea bank and captain of the
Although Wilson is shown to have a very flirtatious nature, and Mrs Pike has on occasion been seen out with other men (such as Warden Hodges, or the dashing American Army soldiers that arrived in Walmington-on-Sea), their relationship seems to be enduring, with both Wilson and Mrs Pike expressing sincere distress during the various times when they believe the other has left them for someone else.
In "
In the post-war radio sequel It Sticks Out Half a Mile, Wilson claims to be 54 years old,[4] and born in 1894. The radio sequel also reveals that he did become the manager of Swallows bank at Walmington-on-Sea in 1947. It also reveals that Mrs Pike moved over to the same location when Wilson is transferred.
Personality
Wilson has a vague and dreamy personality and an aura of mystery. In appearance, he resembles Anthony Eden, and in the episode "Ring Dem Bells" loves to be told of his supposed resemblance to the actor Jack Buchanan (and is mocked for doing so by Mainwaring in the episode "The Love of Three Oranges"). He is a kind man, who goes with the flow of life. Wilson's dream-like manner is often mimicked by the platoon, mostly Privates Walker and Fraser, but the men like him, and some admire him (including Jones, Godfrey, and most of all Private Pike). Rather than bark orders as a sergeant would be expected to do, he asks "Would you mind awfully falling in, please?"
However, when pushed, a different Wilson emerges. In "
In social settings, Wilson is effortlessly charming, often to the frustration of Mainwaring (who is the exact opposite of Wilson in these situations), especially as many of the people Mainwaring is hoping to impress are people Wilson already knows quite well. Wilson even manages to charm Mrs. Mainwaring (albeit over the telephone, as she is never seen on screen), telling her "we understand him, don't we" in reference to her husband.
When it comes to women, Wilson is especially debonair, effortlessly flirting and attracting the attention of women, often to the exasperation of Mainwaring, who detests Wilson's flirtatious manner (such as when he is flirting with Mainwaring's nurse, some of the ladies signing up to join the Home Guard, or even the young woman serving drinks at a social event). In the episode "
Wilson's charm is not limitless, however; in the episode "
Relationship with Mainwaring
Tension and comedy between Wilson and Mainwaring is heightened by their difference in social class: Wilson had an upper middle class childhood and a public school education, prompting resentment from the lower middle class Mainwaring, who had to work his way up and views Wilson as having had it easy.[6] Mainwaring frequently emphasises his superior rank at the bank and in the Home Guard to maintain his authority and superiority over Wilson. Wilson undermines his superior through casual charm and frequent concern at Mainwaring's plans, querying, "Do you really think that's wise, sir?"
The contrasts are established in several ways: as a civilian, Mainwaring wears a
Conflict between the two reaches a head in "A. Wilson (Manager)?", in which Wilson is promoted as manager of another branch and also to second lieutenant in a neighbouring Home Guard Unit. Wilson finds out that he would have been promoted long ago if Mainwaring had not told his superiors that he was unsuitable for promotion. Mainwaring's resentment of Wilson's breeding is revealed. Wilson's new branch is bombed, so he has to return to Walmington.[8] His sign, "A. WILSON, manager", is among the debris. Mainwaring's first concern is to let Wilson know that GHQ is allowing him to keep his rank. Wilson is glad until Mainwaring throws him the sergeant's stripes.
Wilson thinks Mainwaring a pompous fool; in "A. Wilson (Manager)?", Wilson reminds Mainwaring that when he first wore his captain's uniform, he saw him walking up and down the high street all afternoon trying to find someone to salute him, but he had to make do with a
- Mainwaring: They'll never get through the Maginot Line.
- Wilson: Haven't you heard... They went around the side.
- Mainwaring: That's a typical shabby Nazi trick!
Mainwaring also routinely comments on Wilson's private life, specifically his relationship with Mrs Pike and her son (and their underling at the bank and fellow platoon member) Frank. Mainwaring often chastises Wilson to handle either Mrs Pike or Frank whenever they cause problems for him (usually revolving around Mrs. Pike's complaints to Mainwaring of how he treats her son, who she views as overly delicate). Wilson's response to this is usually a mix of nonchalance and exasperation, though in the episode "War Dance", he finally displays his irritation at Mainwaring's butting into his personal life; when Mainwaring refers to him as "Peter Pan" due to his reluctance to act as a father figure to Pike, Wilson drops his normal air of deference to his boss and platoon leader, and angrily replies "My god, Mainwaring, you can hit pretty low when it suits you!"
Despite their conflicts, however, Wilson and Mainwaring do share a respectful, if somewhat formal, sort of friendship. In the episode "Something Nasty in the Vault", Wilson and Mainwaring are trapped in the vault of their bank, desperately cradling an unexploded German bomb. During this time, they bond over their shared danger; at one point Mainwaring even scratches Wilson's nose for him when he develops a maddening itch.
Likewise, in the episode "Keep Young and Beautiful", when presented with the possibility that some of the members of their platoon may be reassigned to the ARP due to their age, Wilson points out to Mainwaring that he has no wish to leave the platoon and is actually very proud of what the two of them have achieved. On several occasions, Mainwaring informs Wilson that he considers him not just his subordinate (at both the bank and the platoon), but also a friend.
In the final episode, Wilson turns up at the wedding of Jones and Mrs Fox in a captain's uniform, having achieved the rank during the
Medals
Although Sergeant Wilson rarely wore his ribbons, in the First World War.
Other portrayals
In the feature film Dad's Army released in 2016, Wilson is played by Bill Nighy.[10]
Wilson is played by Robert Bathurst in a series of re-enactments of otherwise lost episodes of Dad's Army.[11]
Notes
- ^ The 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, nicknamed Pip, Squeak and Wilfred after a trio of cartoon characters of the period,
References
- ISBN 0-7528-4637-X.
- ^ a b c Webber, Perry, Croft, p.228
- ^ ISBN 978-0-241-89251-0.
- ^ Episode 4, "Inspecting the Piles".
- ^ Webber, Perry, Croft, p.11
- ^ Webber, Perry, Croft, p.132
- ^ Webber, Perry, Croft, p.99
- ^ a b Webber, Perry, Croft, p.227
- ^ Only in episodes "Battle of the Giants!" and "Never Too Old".
- ^ Amy Murphy (26 October 2014). "Dad's Army film: First photos of Catherine Zeta Jones, Toby Jones and Bill Nighy released". The Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ "Kevin McNally and Robert Bathurst to star in new Dad's Army". comedy.co.uk. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.