"My British Buddy" is the second episode of the sixth series of the British television sitcomDad's Army. It was originally transmitted on BBC 1 on Wednesday 7 November 1973.
Synopsis
Following Pearl Harbor, the Americans have joined the fight against Nazism, and the first small contingent of troops arrives in Walmington-on-Sea. Mainwaring tells them to make themselves at home, which they promptly do – with the platoon's girlfriends. When the British are told they do not know the right temperature to serve beer, and the Americans are told they do not know when to enter a war, a fight breaks out. A photographer from the local paper is on hand to record the special relationship.
Plot
The Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard unit has received exciting news; as Captain Mainwaring puts it, the long dark tunnel is now illuminated by a bright light shining for all to see. He is not, as Pike initially believes, referring to the blackout, but to the arrival of the Americans in World War II. A detachment of American troops will be arriving in Walmington-on-Sea within the week, and the Home Guard intend to treat them to a traditional British welcome. It is Lance Corporal Jones who has the brilliant idea of treating their visitors to a darts match in the local pub, to which the platoon will bring their girlfriends. All initially goes well with the meeting of two nations. Mainwaring is surprised by the informality of the American Colonel Schultz, and the colonel is somewhat nonplussed both by Frazer's unique rendition of the Robert Burns poem "Scots Wha Hae" and Jones' complicated explanation of where the term 'limeys' originated, but all seems to be going well, with a number of pleasing propaganda photos taken. It starts to go wrong when the American soldiers are told to make themselves feel at home – and thus immediately start flirting with the Home Guard's girlfriends, who all promptly forget about their boyfriends when faced with the attention of the handsome young Americans. Matters are not helped by the ungracious American response to warm beer and the lack of Scotch due to war privations, and when Warden Hodges struts in and begins telling the Americans that their late entry into the First and Second World Wars is not greatly appreciated, it does not take long for a fight to break out. The next day, Mainwaring is ordered by his superiors to make a formal apology to the Americans, and thus restore Anglo-American relations and offset any potential German propaganda value out of the fight. Resentful at being made the scapegoat, he intends to make a formal statement detailing how his platoon were not responsible for the violence; but as every member of the platoon was a more than willing participant in the fight, it soon becomes a moot gesture. Mainwaring is surprised, however, by the arrival of Colonel Schultz, who, having learned of the extent of British hardship during the war, and somewhat ashamed of his earlier ingratitude, has arrived to offer his apologies on behalf of his unit, and to give the men a gift of chocolate. This would seem to be repairing the friendly relations – until the Home Guard learn of a dance in the American mess to which their girlfriends are all invited. It does not take long for Jones to provoke the American colonel to violence once again, or for Mainwaring to receive yet another black eye.
