It Ain't Half Hot Mum
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It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom, broadcast between 1974 & 1981, set in India and later Burma during the Second World War.
The series was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and was an obvious attempt to capitalise on the success of their earlier work, Dad's Army. The humour was less subtle and the characters more stereotyped.
The setting was a British army camp where a Royal Artillery concert party was based. Battery Sergeant Major Williams played by Windsor Davies, viewed this collection of misfits, of whom he was in charge, with scorn. The platoon consisted of:
- the outrageously camp Bombardier "Gloria" Beaumont (Melvyn Hayes), who was frequently called upon to dress as a woman
- Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons (George Layton) (series 1 & 2)
- the diminutive Gunner "Lofty" Sugden (Don Estelle)
- the university-educated "Mister La-dee-da" Gunner "Paderewski" Graham (John Clegg)
- Gunner "Nosher" Evans (Mike Kinsey)
- Gunner "Nobby" Clark (Kenneth MacDonald)
- Gunner "Atlas" Macintosh (Stuart McGugan)
- Gunner "Parky" Parkins (Christopher Mitchell), whom the Sergeant Major favoured, believing him to be his son.
An alternative perspective was provided by the native Indian servants, Ranji (sometimes credited as Rangi or even Randi!) Ram (Michael Bates), Char Wallah Muhammed (Dino Shafeek) and Punkah Wallah Rumzan (Babar Bhatti).
In overall charge of the whole bunch of miscreants were Colonel Reynolds (Donald Hewlett) and Captain Ashwood (Michael Knowles).