Dad's Army has long had a place in the hearts of the British public, and the TV misadventures of this motley crew of Home Guard recruits, led by the pompous Captain Mainwaring, are still regularly repeated - much to the delight of the show's fans.

It was therefore no surprise that the news that Jimmy Perry and David Croft's comic creations were to be given a silver screen outing was greeted with a certain amount of trepidation.

The original cast of Dad's Army

Much of the original series' magic derived from the perfect chemistry shared by actors such as Arthur Lowe (Cpt Mainwaring), Clive Dunn (LCpl Jones) and John Le Mesurier (Sgt Wilson).

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So who would the film's director Oliver Parker cast to play these much-loved characters?

Check out our comparisons of the roll call of stars appearing in the film and their predecessors, who helped make the show a comedy classic the first time around.

Captain Mainwaring

Toby Jones is Captain Mainwaring in the movie

Private Pike

Will the Inbetweeners' Blake Harrison live up to the character of Private Pike?

Sergeant Wilson

Will Bill Nighy play a better Sergeant Wilson?

Private Frazer

The role of Private Frazer is played by Bill Paterson in the movie

Private Godfrey

Will Michael Gambon prove to be a better Private Godfrey?

Lance Corporal Jones

Lance Corporal Jones is played by Tom Courtenay in the new remake

Private Joe Walker

Danny Mays is the new Private Joe Walker