Creator / Ian Lavender

"Don't tell him, Pike!"

"In the same way that no matter where you live in the world, you're British, wherever I might live, Birmingham is always my hometown. And I'm still proud of it."

Ian Lavender, born Arthur Ian Lavender, (16 February 1946 — 2 February 2024), was a British actor best known for his role as the "stupid boy" Private Frank Pike in Dad's Army.

Lavender joined the cast of Dad's Army when he was only 22, which helped him become a recognisable household name in the UK, and working with such experienced actors helped him develop his acting skills. After Dad's Army ended, he returned to the theatre and in The '70s began to appear in many low-farce films.

The '80s saw him take many small roles on TV and provide the voice of P.C. Pinkerton, before joining the cast EastEnders in 2001 and remaining for a further four years. In 2016, he had a Remake Cameo in Dad's Army (2016) as Brigadier Pritchard.

Lavender married Miki Hardy in 1993, and the two had two children. He was the last surviving main cast member of Dad's Army until he died at the age of 77.

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Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:

Film

• Dad's Army (1971) — Private Frank Pike
• Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975) — Rodney
• Carry On Behind (1975) — Joe Baxter
• Dad's Army (2016) — Brigadier Pritchard

Series

• Dad's Army, 80 episodes:
  • 80 episodes (1968-77) — Private Frank Pike
  • "The Two and a Half Feathers" (1970) — Lieutenant Franklin
• Z Cars, 2 episodes^{show list}"Dear Old Golden Rule Days...: Part 1", "Dear Old Golden Rule Days...: Part 2" (1969) — Donny Claythorpe
• Man About the House, episode "While the Cat's Away" (1974) — Mark
• Rising Damp, episode "Stand Up and Be Counted" (1975) — Platt
• Come Back Mrs. Noah, 6 episodes^{show list}"Pilot", "In Orbit", "To the Rescue", "Who Goes Home?", "The Housing Problem", "The Last Chance" (1977-78) — Clive Cunliffe
• Yes, Minister, 2 episodes^{show list}"The Challenge", "The Skeleton in the Cupboard" (1982) — Dr. Richard Cartwright
• P.C. Pinkerton, 13 episodes (1988) — Police Constable Bob Pinkerton
• Cluedo, episode "Christmas Past, Christmas Present" (1990) — Professor Peter Plum
• Keeping Up Appearances, episode "Hyacinth Is Alarmed" (1995) — Security Representative
• Peak Practice, episode "A Child I Dreamed" (1998) — Mr. Neville
• Goodnight Sweetheart, episode "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" (1998) — Michael Sparrow
• CASUAL+Y, 4 episodes:
  • 2 episodes^{show list}"Benny & the Vets: Part 1", "Benny & the Vets: Part 2" (1999) — Benny Jenkins
  • 2 episodes^{show list}"Close Encounters", "The Great Pretenders" (2007-08) — Gordon Cunningham
• Doctors, 4 episodes:
  • "A Friend in Need" (2000) — Ian Bardwell
  • "Off the Shelf" (2005) — Trevor Barnstaple
  • "Bad Boys" (2007) — Peter Rogers
  • "Quarantine" (2011) — Rowland Beckley
• EastEnders, 231 episodes (2001-17) — Derek Harkinson
• The Legend of Dick and Dom, episode "Rock Hard" (2009) — Nervous Priest
• Holby City, episode "Intuition" (2014) — Norman Lodge

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