Many people in the industry will agree with me but can't speak up because they might lose their jobs. I have the advantage of being 90, so I can say what I like. It takes courage to face the past and confront sensitive issues. Sadly, by banning It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974) from our screens, the BBC is taking the cowardly way out.

What we portrayed in It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974) was the historical truth. It's a shame that it never gets repeated today as a whole younger generation would be able to enjoy it. It was at the time the only British sitcom to have been set outside of Britain. I've proposed doing a short film to introduce it which would explain how we came from having the biggest Empire in the world to having a multi-racial society. It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1974) helps us understand an important part of our history and the changes which came about.

[on Dad's Army: The Deadly Attachment (1973)] I said to David Croft, we have to have this real. We must get an actor who speaks fluent German. We got Philip (Philip Madoc) and he was marvellous.