User Reviews

Like Battle School before it, All is Safely Gathered In is a not particularly funny episode which gets by on how well made it is. As the platoon gather to assist Godfrey's widowed friend Mrs. Prentice in harvesting her crops, there's a lot of corny slapstick about Jones falling into machinery and losing his trousers. There's also a weak subplot involving Hodges suddenly deciding he's going to be nice to everyone in the aftermath of narrowly avoiding a German bombing. It's under-explored and wildly overplayed by Bill Pertwee. On the plus side, the location shooting is handsomely realised and the bucolic setting makes for a pleasant watch. Godfrey's relationship with his friend Mrs. Prentice is very sweet too. The final shot of them peacefully holding hands as the platoon drunkenly brawl with the wardens makes for a lovely ending.

Much confusion as Godfrey keeps asking to be excused and of course blustering Mainwaring consistently refuses him. The real reason is not the obvious this time, but rather that he wants to go and help his old sweetheart gather in the harvest. Why the old codger doesn't simply come out and say so is beyond me, and so it is up to Wilson to inform the Captain of the real need for excusing Godfrey. Once he discovers that it's to help with the harvest, Mainwaring exclaims that this is vital work and the platoon set off to help. Meanwhile, Hodges has had an epiphany and has decided that Mainwaring actually is a good man and deserves his help. More confusion as Hodges' good intentions are mocked and dismissed by the platoon. At the farm there is an antiquated threshing machine which ex-farmer Frazer is ordered to operate - the fact that he was actually a shepherd does not stop him succeeding. There follows much slapstick with Jones falling in the hopper and losing his trousers so he ends up wearing the scarecrow's (surprise, surprise), Pike messing on with a tommy gun which he has somehow persuaded Mainwaring that he should keep and going around annoying everyone with his shrill da-da-da-da-da, Walker frolicking in various haystacks with the good time land girls and Hodges having trouble holding the horse. Anyway, once all is safely gathered in they hit the potato wine and the poor vicar's thanksgiving service turns into a drunken brawl.

Thus we have all the usual elements of the show with the additional joy of the nostalgic setting. I actually remember this when it was originally broadcast! Jersey, November 1972.