Dad's Army creator David Croft dies at 89

Sitcom-lovers are mourning a sad loss today, with the death of David Croft, writer and producer for a string of classic British sitcoms including Dad's Army, Hi-De-Hi, Are You Being Served? and 'Allo 'Allo.

David Croft died peacefully at home in Portugal, his family announced. He was 89.

Inspired by his wartime experiences, and those of co-creator Jimmy Perry, Dad's Army was David's first sitcom to reach TV screens, and remains one of his most fondly remembered, still repeated worldwide over 40 years later. Mining similar wartime memories, It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a big hit in the 1970s.

He went on to repeat the success with Are You Being Served? and, in the 1980s, Hi-De-Hi and 'Allo 'Allo. He retired after his last series, Oh, Dr Beeching!, which used many of the Hi-De-Hi cast, in 1993.

Croft's legacy contributed heavily to the golden age of British sitcoms, with former colleagues citing their family-friendly nature. 'There were no swear words in his shows. His programmes were the kind of thing you could sit in front of the TV and watch with your grandmother and grandchildren,' Melvyn Hayes, star of It Ain't Half Hot Mum, told the BBC.

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