National Service recruits •
Ken Richardson. A former
grammar school pupil, Ken is very well-mannered much to the disgust of Corporal Marsh. Due to his education, he often finds himself on the receiving end of insults from Corporal Marsh such as "poofhouse" and "Nance" (short for "Nancy Boy", i.e.
homosexual). Far from being homosexual, Richardson falls quickly for the charms of Lilley's sister Agnes, and later for Mrs. Fairfax - an officer's wife. Richardson is kind to all the other national servicemen, despite exhibiting obvious differences from them. Played by
David Janson. •
Jakey Smith, a former
Teddy Boy from
London. Jakey soon finds himself at odds with Corporal Marsh, and dislikes the whole concept of National Service. He has little or no respect for authority but is at heart a decent individual. Marsh delights in calling him "Edward VII", an allusion to his former Teddy Boy culture, though on leave Jakey finds himself no longer accepted amongst the Teds. Played by
Robert Lindsay (Series 1–4) until Lindsay left to star in his own show
Citizen Smith, and then by
Karl Howman (Series 5). •
Matthew Lilley, a mild mannered vicar's son who plays the
harpsichord. Raised to be God-fearing, Lilley prides himself on not hating anybody - not even Marsh. Though naturally shy, Matthew is usually the first to object to Corporal Marsh's shady schemes. Marsh sometimes calls him "Holy Joe" or "Christopher Robin" - the latter an allusion to the poem
Vespers by
A.A. Milne (in which the first and final stanzas end with the line "Christopher Robin is saying his prayers"). In series 3 and 4 Lilley shows a phobia for blood and body parts which causes him to faint but nevertheless he scores high as a medic and passes the exam. Played by Gerard Ryder. •
Bruce Leckie. A Scotsman from
Glasgow and is a supporter of
Glasgow Rangers, Bruce has a very cynical view of life and is a pessimist. Cpl. Marsh called him "Jockstrap" and "Jock". Like Jakey, he does not like being conscripted for National Service. Bruce is very shy around women but eventually falls in love with and finds happiness with Corporal Wendy (Jenny Cryst), though this happiness is short-lived as after Bruce completes his trade training they are both posted to different RAF stations, but get married in series 4. Played by
Brian Pettifer.
Officers and instructors • Corporal
Percy Marsh GM. Corporal, later Sergeant, later Corporal, later AC1, later Corporal, Marsh is a drill instructor who becomes the bane of the recruits' lives. A man with a sadistic sense of humour and few (if any) friends, he continually makes his charges' lives miserable. He has an
eidetic memory and an eerie aptitude for mental arithmetic, which are sometimes mistaken for high intelligence. Marsh always craves promotion but his own schemes usually backfire preventing him from attaining his goal. At the end of series 4 he is demoted for cheating in an exam, though he later regains his rank by faking an act of heroism (for which he also receives the
George Medal). Played by
Tony Selby. • Squadron Leader
Clive Baker. Medical Officer of RAF Skelton and later anatomy instructor at RAF Midham. Played by
John D. Collins. • Flight Lieutenant
Roland Grant. Officer commanding C Flight and Marsh's superior at Skelton. He dislikes Marsh's bullying but his
public school code of conduct prevents him from doing much about it; when forced to exert his authority he generally sides with Marsh. Played by
David Quilter. • Group-Captain Ruark. Played by
Nigel Pegram. • The Padre. A mild-mannered priest who caters for the recruits' spiritual needs - though only Lilley ever has much to do with him. Played by
Tim Barrett.
Other characters •
Alice Marsh. Corporal Marsh's wife. She is constantly irritated by her husband's lack of advancement in the RAF, but she is a kind-hearted woman and is good to the recruits, much to the irritation of Marsh. She left him during the fourth series, only to return in the end. Played by
Lori Wells. •
Mrs Fairfax. Wife of one of the senior officers, a beautiful and compassionate lady who despises Marsh and is kind to recruits. Richardson develops a
crush on her in Series 2. Played by
Angela Thorne. •
Corporal Wendy Williams/Leckie. A
WRAF corporal who marries Bruce Leckie in the fourth season. Played by Jenny Cryst. ==Episodes==