Lads' Army
Lads' Army is a reality game show specifically of the kind that constitutes a historically derived social experiment – other examples being The 1900 House and The Frontier House. Shown on ITV, Bad Lads Army is based on the premise of subjecting today's delinquent young men to the conditions of conscripts to British Army National Service of the 1950s to see if this could rehabilitate them.
| Lads' Army | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Bad Lads' Army (2004) Bad Lads' Army: Officer Class (2005) Bad Lads' Army: Extreme (2006) |
| Genre | Reality Game show |
| Voices of | Kevin Whately (2002) Dennis Waterman (2004–6) |
| Composer(s) | Daniel Pemberton |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | Twenty Twenty |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Productions UK |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Original release | 3 June 2002 – 29 August 2006 |
The programme was derived from an earlier one called simply Lads Army (a play on Dad's Army) in which a number of volunteers underwent four weeks of basic training for 1950s National Service. Unlike the three sequel series (the ones whose titles began with "Bad"), the original programme's experiment was merely to see if 18-24 year old members of the modern British public could cope with the 1950s training, and how they compared to the public of that period. The success of the original series led to the experiment being repeated with the recruits having committed criminal offences, often given the option to undergo the training by courts as an alternative to serving pending sentences, to explore the proposition that it would be beneficial to reinstate National Service for petty criminals and delinquents as an alternative to more conventional sentences.
The programme format is relatively simple. The recruits are issued period uniforms and equipment and fed, quartered and trained according to the standards of the era. Their free time is limited to visits to the NAAFI with period refreshments and facilities. The recruits form a single platoon made up of two sections, each under the care of a section commander, either Richard Nauyokas (in series 3 Nauyokas was replaced by Glen Thomas [who appeared as the Company Sergeant Major in series 2], although he still appeared as a relief corporal) or Joe Murray. During training the sections compete against each other, building a sense of competition but also of teamwork and loyalty. Success brings modest rewards. Praise is given for whole-hearted attempts at tasks. The NCOs and officers running the training are all, or have been, professional British soldiers.
Each season had a slightly different format to its predecessors, although the theme of 1950s military training is common to all seasons. The 3rd season (known as Bad Lads' Army: Officer Class) had the volunteers train to become officers while the 4th season (known as Bad Lads' Army Extreme) had the volunteers train to become paratroopers.
Within each series a small number of the recruits have either walked out (after a 24-hour cooling off period), or been ejected. The majority of the remainder claim some benefit from the experience and some have chosen the British Army as a career at the end of it.
The narrator for the first series was Kevin Whately, then Dennis Waterman took over until the show ended in 2006.
Seasons 1-3 had included interviews with celebrities who had completed National Service in the 1950s, including Joss Ackland, Michael Aspel, Brian Blessed, Richard Briers, Paul Daniels, Frederick Forsyth, Bernard Manning, Nosher Powell, Andrew Sachs and Brian Sewell. During re-airings of the first series, the interviews were edited out.
Contestants:
Series 1 - (Lads Army)
WATERLOO PLATOON RECRUITS:
| 1 Section
CPL Richard Nauyokas |
Ages: | Occupation: | STATUS: | 2 Section
CPL Joe Murray |
Ages: | Occupation: | STATUS: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ade Adebayo | 21 (1981) | University Student | PASSED OUT | Paul Claydon | 20 (1982) | Unemployed | LEFT |
| William Bate | 19 (1982) | Computer Engineer | PASSED OUT | Steve Daly | 21 (1981) | Sales Manager | PASSED OUT |
| John Cooke | 23 (1979) | Construction Site Manager | PASSED OUT | Tony Ellis | 22 (1980) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT |
| Jodie Copeland | 24 (1977) | Customer Service Executive | PASSED OUT | David Gardner | 20 (1981) | Gardener | PASSED OUT |
| Jamie Dodd | 23 (1978) | Musician/Pub Cellerman | LEFT | Gordon Hamilton | 21 (1981) | Club Bouncer | PASSED OUT |
| Matthew Faulkner | 22 (1980) | University Student | PASSED OUT | Chris Hampson | 21 (1981) | Genetics Student | LEFT |
| Michael Honzick | 18 (1984) | Design Student | PASSED OUT | Daniel Harrison | 24 (1977) | PASSED OUT | |
| Ross Pitman | 21 (1980) | Research Executive | PASSED OUT | Nicholas Holbrook | 22 (1980) | Business Researcher | PASSED OUT |
| Kenny Poulter | 19 (1983) | Postman | PASSED OUT | Alex Kingsy | 19 (1983) | Law Student | PASSED OUT |
| John Rossiter | 17 (1984) | School Student | PASSED OUT | Aaron Larson | 20 (1982) | Actor | LEFT |
| Nicholas Stanford | 23 (1979) | Personal Trainer | LEFT | Peter Leyland | 23 (1978) | Mechanical Engineer | PASSED OUT |
| John-Paul Watts | 24 (1977) | PASSED OUT | Dan Neal | 22 (1979) | Bartender | PASSED OUT | |
| Tom Woolfe | 22 (1979) | Rugby Coach | LEFT | Thomas O’ Hanlon | 21 (1980) | PASSED OUT | |
| William Wood | 22 (1980) | University Student | LEFT | Adam Spires | 20 (1982 | Needlecrafter | PASSED OUT |
| Lee Wooten | 21 (1981) | University Student | LEFT | Sam Webb | 17 (1984) | PASSED OUT | |
| James Willingham | 20 (1982) | University Student | PASSED OUT | Paul Eagle | 22 (1980) | Labourer | PASSED OUT |
Series Overview:
PASSED OUT = Recruit was present at the final stages of training, at the Passing Out Parade.
LEFT = Recruit quit or was discharged before making it to the final parade.
David Gardner received the “Best Recruit” award, James Willingham was awarded the platoons “Most Improved Recruit”. 2 Section won “Best Section”.
During the series, Tom Woolfe was dishonourably discharged/back squadded from the camp. Paul Clayden, Lee Wooten, and Chris Hampson chose the leave voluntarily. Jamie Dodd and Aaron Larson were medically discharged from the camp. William Wood’s exit is unknown as his exit never aired.
After William Wood and Paul Clayden left, William Bate and Paul Eagle were drafted in as replacement recruits.
Captain Richard Owen, Waterloo Platoon’s CO, died after the filming of the series in 2014, age 48.
Series 2 - (Bad Lads Army)
MONTGOMERY PLATOON RECRUITS:
| 1 Section
CPL Richard Nauyokas |
Ages: | Occupation: | STATUS: | 2 Section
CPL Joe Murray |
Ages: | Occupation: | STATUS: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tjobbe Andrew | 22 (1982) | Website Designer | PASSED OUT | Chris Andrew | 21 (1982) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT |
| Marcus Birks | 23 (1981) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT | Michael Blackham | 19 (1985) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT |
| David Butler | 21 (1983) | Joiner | PASSED OUT | Alan Brown | 23 (1981) | Unemployed | LEFT |
| Shaun Carr | 18 (1986) | Student | PASSED OUT | Luke Brown | 23 (1981) | Unemployed | LEFT |
| Peter Cray | 23 (1980) | Actor | PASSED OUT | Chris Davis | 19 (1985 | Student | PASSED OUT |
| Ashley Cummings | 18 (1986) | Student | LEFT | Damien Ellis | 23 (1980) | Graduate | PASSED OUT |
| Matthew Gilks | 21 (1982) | Builder | PASSED OUT | Daniel Kett | 21 (1982) | Civil Engineer | LEFT |
| Robert Grundy | 17 (1986) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT | Michael Lowes | 22 (1982) | Salesperson | PASSED OUT |
| Chris Harkin | 17 (1986) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT | Alex Rennie | 24 (1979) | Student | PASSED OUT |
| John Kyprianou | 23 (1980) | Barman | PASSED OUT | Shingi Sekerama | 19 (1985) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT |
| Mark Lamont | 20 (1984) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT | Robert Shutler | 22 (1983) | Student | PASSED OUT |
| Ashley Morton | 21 (1983) | Landscape Gardener | LEFT | Scott Simpson | 18 (1986) | Unemployed | LEFT |
| Wil Moynihan | 20 (1983) | Barman | PASSED OUT | Wayne Spiller | 24 (1980 | Student | PASSED OUT |
| Hassan Murtada | 24 (1979) | Scaffolder | PASSED OUT | Christopher Townsend | 20 (1983) | Barman/Student | LEFT |
| Robert Pembrook | 19 (1984) | Unemployed | PASSED OUT | Richard Weaver | 20 (1983) | Cinema Team Leader | PASSED OUT |
| N/A (No Replacement) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Stilianos Xidakis | 18 (1985) | High School Student | PASSED OUT |
Series Overview:
PASSED OUT = Recruit was present at the final stages of training, at the Passing Out Parade.
LEFT = Recruit quit or was discharged before making it to the final parade.
Tjobbe Andrews, Matthew Gilks and Robert Shutler were given Officer Recommendations. This would be the goal of the following season. John Kyprianou received the Platoon’s Top Shot (the highest score in the shooting range). Marcus Birks received the Best Recruit award at the Pass Out Parade, with Robert Pembrook receiving the Most Improved award. 2 Section won Best Section. With 2 Section winning best section, CPL Murray was promoted to SGT at the Passing Out Parade.
Luke Brown, and Ashley Morton were dishonourably discharged. Scott Simpson, Daniel Kett and Chris Townsend chose to leave voluntarily. Ashley Cummings and Alan Brown's status' are unknown, as how they were discharged was never specified.
After Scott Simpson quit before even being issued a single item of kit or his uniform, Alex Rennie was drafted in as a replacement recruit.
Michael Lowes died after the filming of the series in 2010, age 28.
Series 3 - (Bad Lads Army: Officer Class)
CHURCHILL PLATOON RECRUITS:
| CO - CPL Glen Thomas | Ages: | Occupation: | Officer Potential: | 2 Section (Red)
NCO - CPL Joe Murray |
Ages: | Occupation: | Officer Potential: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Bailey | 22 (1983) | YES | Darren Adams | 19 (1986) | NO | ||
| Carl Bedford | 20 (1985) | NO | Ross Barrett | 20 (1984) | |||
| Chris Danns | 24 (1981) | NO | Steven Bedford | 20 (1985) | LEFT | ||
| Aaron Groom | 23 (1981) | NO | Ben Hains | 21 (1984) | NO | ||
| Les Harvey | 18 (1987) | NO | Darren Hardman | 22 (1982) | YES | ||
| Jack Kendall | 21 (1984) | Scaffolder | NO | Rifat Hassan | 22 (1982) | YES | |
| Simon Magil | 22 (1983) | YES | David Johnston | 24 (1980) | NO | ||
| Garry Miller | 20 (1985) | Office Junior | YES | Jonathan McDade | 17 (1987) | YES | |
| Adam Oakley | 19 (1986) | Royal Mail Sorter | LEFT | Simon Pietkewitz | 23 (1983) | YES | |
| Robert Page | 20 (1984) | YES | Benjamin Priestman | 22 (1982) | NO | ||
| Simon Pinkney | 23 (1981) | LEFT | Matthew Rawlings | 24 (1980) | NO | ||
| James Roberts | 20 (1984) | YES | Haydn Russell | 21 (1984) | NO | ||
| Robert Schofield | 21 (1983) | NO | Rocco Scalercio | 20 (1985) | NO | ||
| Dale Tate | 22 (1983) | LEFT | Taisen Coree-Smith | 24 (1981) | NO | ||
| Matthew Tate | 24 (1980) | LEFT | Adrian Turton | 24 (1980) | LEFT | ||
| Wesley Worrall | 21 (1983) | LEFT | Kirk Woodend | 21 (1984) | LEFT |
Series Overview:
YES = Recruit was selected for officer training.
NO = Recruit was not selected for officer training.
LEFT = Recruit left the series, either voluntarily, due to being dishonourably discharged or a medical discharge.
The Passing Out Parade never stated who received “Best Recruit”, or “Most Improved Recruit”, as well as which Section were the winners overall.
Wesley Worrall, Steven Bedford, and Matthew Tate were dishonourably discharged from the camp, Kirk Woodend chose to leave voluntarily and Adam Oakley was medically discharged, Dale Tate (Matthew Tate's brother) deserted the section and never returned to the Platoon; his brother deserted with him, but later returned. Simon Pinkney and Adrian Turton left the camp, however their exits were never aired.
After Wesley Worrall and Steven Bedford were discharged, Chris Danns and Matthew Rawlings were drafted in, as replacement recruits.
Robert Page initially was selected for officer training but quit before training began and was forced to return to unit.
At the end of the final episode, the narrator stated that 11 of 24 who passed out had subsequently applied to join the British Army.
Robert Page died after the filming of the series, in 2020, age 36.
Transmissions
| Season | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2002 | 5 July 2002 | 10 |
| 2 | 8 July 2004 | 26 August 2004 | 8 |
| 3 | 28 July 2005 | 8 September 2005 | 7 |
| 4 | 11 July 2006 | 29 August 2006 | 7 |
Ratings
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[1]
Series 1
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | ITV1 weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2002 | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | 5 June 2002 | 6.14 | 15 |
| 3 | 10 June 2002 | 6.27 | 14 |
| 4 | 14 June 2002 | 5.47 | 18 |
| 5 | 17 June 2002 | 5.28 | 23 |
| 6 | 21 June 2002 | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | 24 June 2002 | 5.98 | 14 |
| 8 | 25 June 2002 | 5.19 | 16 |
| 9 | 28 June 2002 | 4.93 | 18 |
| 10 | 5 July 2002 | 5.42 | 18 |
Series 2
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | ITV1 weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 July 2004 | 6.48 | 15 |
| 2 | 15 July 2004 | 6.58 | 13 |
| 3 | 22 July 2004 | 6.23 | 15 |
| 4 | 29 July 2004 | 5.45 | 17 |
| 5 | 5 August 2004 | 5.64 | 16 |
| 6 | 12 August 2004 | 5.41 | 17 |
| 7 | 19 August 2004 | 5.44 | 16 |
| 8 | 26 August 2004 | 4.72 | 16 |
| 1 Section
CPL Richard Nauyokas |
Ages: | STATUS: | 2 Section
CPL Joe Murray |
Ages: | STATUS: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tjobbe Andrew | 22 (1982) | PASSED OUT | Chris Andrew | 24 (1979) | PASSED OUT |
| Marcus Birks | 23 (1981) | PASSED OUT | Alan Brown | 23 (1981) | LEFT |
| Michael Blackham | 19 (1985) | PASSED OUT | Luke Brown | 23 (1981) | LEFT |
| David Butler | 21 (1983) | PASSED OUT | Chris Davis | 19 (1984) | PASSED OUT |
| Shaun Carr | 18 (1986) | PASSED OUT | Damien Ellis | 23 (1980) | PASSED OUT |
| Peter Cray | 23 (1981) | PASSED OUT | Chris Harkin | 17 (1986) | PASSED OUT |
| Ashley Cummings | 18 (1986) | LEFT | Daniel Kett | 21 (1982) | LEFT |
| Matthew Gilks | 21 (1983) | PASSED OUT | Michael Lowes | 22 (1982) | PASSED OUT |
| Robert Grundy | 17 (1986) | PASSED OUT | Alex Rennie | 24 (1979) | PASSED OUT |
| John Kyprianou | 23 (1980) | PASSED OUT | Shingi Sekerama | 19 (1985) | PASSED OUT |
| Mark Lamont | 20 (1984) | PASSED OUT | Robert Shutler | 22 (1983) | PASSED OUT |
| Ashley Morton | 21 (1983) | LEFT | Scott Simpson | 18 (1986) | LEFT |
| Wil Moynihan | 20 (1983) | PASSED OUT | Wayne Spiller | 24 (1980) | PASSED OUT |
| Hassan Murtada | 24 (1979) | PASSED OUT | Christopher Townsend | 20 (1983) | LEFT |
| Robert Pembrook | 19 (1985) | PASSED OUT | Richard Weaver | 20 (1984) | PASSED OUT |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | Stilianos Xidakis | 18 (1985) | PASSED OUT |
NOTES
PASSED OUT = Recruit was present at the final stages of training, at the Passing Out Parade.
LEFT = Recruit quit or was discharged before making it to the final parade.
Tjobbe Andrews, Matthew Gilks and Robert Shutler were given Officer Recommendations. This would be the goal of the following season. John Kyprianou received the Platoon’s Top Shot (the highest score in the shooting range). Marcus Birks received the Best Recruit award at the Pass Out Parade, with Robert Pembrook receiving the Most Improved award. 2 Section won Best Section. With 2 Section winning best section, CPL Murray was promoted to SGT at the Passing Out Parade.
Luke Brown, and Ashley Morton were dishonourably discharged. Scott Simpson, Daniel Kett and Chris Townsend chose to leave voluntarily. Ashley Cummings and Alan Brown's status' are unknown, as how they were discharged was never specified.
After Scott Simpson quit before even being issued a single item of kit or his uniform, Alex Rennie was drafted in as a replacement recruit.
Michael Lowes died after the filming of the series in 2010, age 28.
Series 3
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | ITV1 weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 July 2005 | 5.13 | 15 |
| 2 | 4 August 2005 | 5.24 | 15 |
| 3 | 11 August 2005 | 5.23 | 15 |
| 4 | 18 August 2005 | 4.67 | 18 |
| 5 | 25 August 2005 | 5.05 | 15 |
| 6 | 1 September 2005 | 5.09 | 15 |
| 7 | 8 September 2005 | 5.40 | 18 |
| NCO'S/Officers Ranks: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| L/CPL's | SGT's | WO | OFFICERS |
| CPL Dean
CPL Hoodless CPL Joe Murray CPL Richard Nauyokas CPL Glen Thomas |
SGT Alistair Rae
SGT Tim Weston |
CSM Julian Whatley | MAJ Henry Dodds
CAPT Harry Lort Phillips |
LIST OF RECRUITS:
NCO - CPL Glen Thomas
NCO - CPL Joe Murray
NOTES
YES = Recruit was selected for officer training.
NO = Recruit was not selected for officer training.
LEFT = Recruit left the series, either voluntarily, due to being dishonourably discharged or a medical discharge.
Wesley Worrall, Steven Bedford, and Matthew Tate were dishonourably discharged from the camp, Kirk Woodend chose to leave voluntarily and Adam Oakley was medically discharged, Dale Tate (Matthew Tate's brother) deserted the section and never returned to the Platoon; his brother deserted with him, but later returned. Simon Pinkney and Adrian Turton left the camp, however their exits were never aired.
After Wesley Worrall and Steven Bedford were discharged, Chris Danns and Matthew Rawlings were drafted in, as replacement recruits.
Robert Page initially was selected for officer training but quit before training began and was forced to return to unit.
Simon Pietkewitz was awarded Most Improved Recruit. It was never specified who won Best Recruit, as well which section won Best Section award.
At the end of the final episode, the narrator stated that 11 of 24 who passed out had subsequently applied to join the British Army.
Robert Page died after the filming of the series, in 2020, age 36.
Series 4
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | ITV1 weekly ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 July 2006 | 3.87 | 19 |
| 2 | 18 July 2006 | 3.31 | 21 |
| 3 | 25 July 2006 | 3.14 | 21 |
| 4 | 1 August 2006 | 3.31 | 25 |
| 5 | 15 August 2006 | N/A | N/A |
| 6 | 22 August 2006 | N/A | N/A |
| 7 | 29 August 2006 | N/A | N/A |
References
- "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 22 October 2015.