Dad's Army script sells at auction after receiving four-figure sum at Antiques Roadshow

was a major hit for the when it hit the airwaves back in 1968. The wartime sitcom ran for nine series including the pivotal moment when TV switched from black and white to colour. The show garnered millions of fans who tuned into the show every week to watch the madness of the Home Guard unfold on screen.

It followed the farcical exploits of the Walmington-on-Sea platoon, led by Captain Mainwaring (played by Arthur Lowe) until its final episode in 1977. On New Year's Day, a handwritten script from the much-loved sitcom sold at auction for £6,500.

The script recently featured on evening show last year when the proud owner revealed his surprising connection to the writers of the show.

He told expert Clive Farahar: "I acquired it back in the mid-1990s, I had a work placement at the BBC attached to the comedy department.

"I did the week with David Croft's office and I wrote to David to thank him and afterwards he sent me this as a thank you. At the time I was thinking of going into script writing."

The guest also brought in the letter that the writer gave him with the script which read: "Thank you for your letter - I'm enclosing a manuscript of a Dad's Army program.

"Unfortunately, the first page is missing, but this is the manuscript for 'Sgt Save My Boy!' which went out a couple of weeks ago and the original is in my own bad handwriting. I can write better than this but in trying to keep up with my thoughts, legibility goes out the window."

The expert admitted that he struggled to place a value on the BBC script, explaining: "These pieces of paper are probably terribly rare, I can't imagine there are many more around, really.

"These would all be typed up and all the actors would have a copy, they'd all make their own notes on it, whereas this, the original nugget from where the whole thing came, was just completely discarded. Just give it to somebody who popped in for a week or so, it's amazing.

"I suppose I've got to value it, which is the most difficult thing because I don't think I've got anything to compare it with. I would say you have something worth between £5,000 and £10,000.

"It sounds like a lot of money but when you think how rare these scripts could possibly be, it makes sense. This is the most golden piece of Dad's Army, this is where the heart of Dad's Army is, so congratulations."

The manuscript was sold as part of an annual New Year's Eve British comedy, film, and TV auction at Bristol's Auctionem. It was handwritten by the show's co-creator David Croft for an episode entitled 'Sgt - Save My Boy!', which sees Private Pike stranded on a mined beach in need of rescue by the platoon.

It was sold with a separate letter by Mr Croft that said: "I can write better than this but in trying to keep up with my thoughts, legibility goes out of the window."

Auctioneer Andrew Stowe said the script exceeded the estimated sale price, seeing the hammer come down at £6,500, which including fees saw buyer fork out a total of £7,800. The 34-page manuscript had been expected to fetch approximately £5,000.

Some of the other items sold during the auction include a production used 'Peckham Springs' label from Only Fools and Horses and an original chicken coop prop from Chicken Run by the Bristol-based animation studio, Aardman animation.