No point in remaking the classic comedies
THIS has been a very bad week for British comedy.
First, Helen Fielding announced that she was writing a third Bridget Jones novel. And second, there has been talk of making a film of Dad's Army with, unbelievably, a woman in the role of Captain Mainwaring.
Has everyone involved gone completely mad? Both Bridget and Dad's Army were, in very different ways, quite brilliant manifestations of comedy that were very much of their time.
Bridget emerged as the figurehead of a very new type of person, almost unheard of previously: the attractive single lady in her 30s who is independent but for some reason just cannot get a man (and in the books, unlike the films, there's a fair bit of anger about this).
Dad's Army, meanwhile, was the most superb example of gentle ensemble playing touching on particularly British social issues including class, snobbery and pretension leavened with patriotism and the British bulldog spirit.
Dad's Army and Bridget Jones were manifestations of comedy that were very much of their time
The writing also bordered on genius. For goodness sake let it rest.
Bridget had her day: Colin Firth has been making ominous remarks about Bridget and Mark Darcy being married, which is not what the books were about at all.
The 30-something singleton spoke for her generation: a middle-aged married Bridget would speak for no one.
As for Dad's Army, it is hard to know where to start with what would be wrong with this film.
Suffice to say they don't have the original cast or writers and to have a female Captain Mainwaring would totally destroy the central relationship, that between Mainwaring and Sgt Wilson.
Miranda Hart has been mentioned as a possible lead. Stay away, Miranda. This one is quite definitely going to end in tears.
