Celebrities and villagers remembered Dad's Army star Ian Lavender at his funeral at St Mary's Church in Woolpit, Suffolk on Thursday.
The actor, best known as young Private Pike, was the last remaining lead actor from the war-set BBC show and died on Friday, February 2, aged 77, with his wife and sons by his side.
The service included an emotional performance of “Bring Him Home” by Alfie Boe and Rick Wakeman, as well as touching tributes to his role in “Dad's Army.”
Draped on his coffin was an army beret that his figure wore and a scarf in the colors of his favorite football team, Aston Villa.
Stars like Tim Healy from “Goodbye Pet” and “Benidorm” were also present.
Celebrities and villagers remembered Dad's Army star Ian Lavender at his funeral at St Mary's Church in Woolpit, Suffolk on Thursday
The actor was the last remaining lead actor from the war-set BBC show and died on Friday, February 2, aged 77, with his wife and sons by his side
Lavender, best known as the young Private Pike, was cast in the classic comedy series in 1968 at the age of 22 (seen with John Laurie (Private James Frazer) and Clive Dunn (Lance Corporal Jones)).
Led by Reverend Ruth Farrell, the congregation heard tributes from his film director son Sam Lavender and musician Rick.
As he set off for the churchyard, the theme tune “Dad's Army” was played on the organ to commemorate his time in comedy.
The Birmingham-born actor was well known in the village of Woolpit and many locals came to pay their respects.
Alfie and Ian performed together at the Royal British Legion concert in 2015, produced by Live Nation and the BBC.
Just months before his death, Lavender revealed that he would take his cast's secrets to his grave.
He shared that the show's iconic cast members were so close that they shared secrets with each other that they “never told their wives.”
The actor admitted that he once promised co-star John Laurie (who played Private James Frazer) that he would never reveal the secrets they shared.
Lavender told the We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast: “I spoke to John.” [Laurie] for so many hours. He said, “I have told you things that I have never told my wife or daughter.” You must promise me that you will never tell anyone yourself.
Lavender pictured in 2016 at the film premiere of Dad's Army in London
The service included an emotional performance of 'Bring Him Home' by Alfie Boe (pictured) as well as touching tributes to his role in 'Dad's Army'.
Rick Wakeman and Graham Cole paid their respects
Tim Healy from Auf Wiedersicht Pet and Benidorm attended the service
Draped on his coffin was an army beret that his figure wore and a scarf in the colors of his favorite football team, Aston Villa
Ian Lavender's family including his wife Miki Hardy pictured
He then gushed about his co-stars, recalling that filming for ten weeks every year was “great fun” with “wonderful people who became great friends.”
Lavender also revealed that the cast was shocked by the series' success after the first season initially failed to find an audience.
The post announcing his death said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of the wonderful Ian Lavender.”
“In what truly marks the end of an era, Ian was the last surviving member of the main cast of Dad's Army.”
Lavender, who was born in Birmingham in 1946, was married twice. His first wife was actress Suzanne Kerchiss. The marriage lasted from 1967 to 1976, and the couple had two sons, Dan and Sam.
From then on he lived happily with American-born Miki Hardy. The couple married in 1993 after 16 years together after Lavender was diagnosed and successfully treated for bladder cancer. He also survived a heart attack.
Outside of acting, he was a keen supporter of Aston Villa Football Club and chose a burgundy and blue scarf as part of Pike's wardrobe.
The Birmingham-born actor was well known in the village of Woolpit and many locals came to pay their respects
Led by Reverend Ruth Farrell, the congregation heard tributes from his film director son Sam Lavender and musician Rick
As he set off for the churchyard, the theme tune “Dad's Army” was played on the organ to commemorate his time in comedy
Last January, Lavender said the show's iconic cast were so close sharing secrets with each other that they “never told their wives” (the cast is pictured).
He admitted that he once promised co-star John Laurie (who played Private James Frazer) that he would never reveal the secrets they shared
The cast of Dad's Army, a popular television series about Home Guard activities (from left): Clive Dunn, James Beck, John LeMesurier, Arthur Lowe, John, Ian and Arnold Ridley at Shepperton Studios in 1970
Lavender had just graduated from drama school and had only made one television appearance when he was cast in Dad's Army, unlike the rest of the cast who were comic veterans.
During his six-month stint at Canterbury Rep he was earning £9 a week when someone came up to him and said he looked stupid enough to play Pike.
“I was a complete beginner and suddenly found myself joining probably the most experienced team of character actors in Britain,” he said.
“I was shocked to suddenly find myself surrounded by so many great actors. When the moment came for me to say something, Pike's strange voice came out in a moment of panic.
“Since then, at the start of every new series, it's been a hell of a job to conjure it up again.
“But Private Pike took me out of obscurity and onto television.” I would never have done that if I hadn't learned to say, “Ooh Captain Mainwaring, my mother said that even if the Germans come, I can't catch a cold.” “
The acting gig was only meant to last eight weeks – but the show's phenomenal success meant it lasted for the best part of a decade.
The film, which ran from 1968 to 1977 and attracted 18 million viewers, made Lavender a household name.
As Pike, Lavender was a comedic sidekick in the series and was frequently called a “stupid boy” by the troop's captain, Mainwairing, played by Arthur Lowe, although the other members of the reserve army behaved more kindly towards him.
Lavender was key to one of Dad's Army's funniest moments when he performed a song calling Hitler an “idiot” in front of the German forces.
The Nazi captain says his name will also be on a list of people he will take revenge on. When asked what it is, Captain Mainwaring insists, “Don't tell him, Pike,” accidentally revealing his name.
His bumbling soldier role in the Home Guard comedy earned him fan mail from all over Britain – especially from women who wanted to mother him.
“I get letters from schoolgirls and middle-aged ladies who want to mother me. “I miss ladies my age,” he once joked.
Lavender's closest friend and mentor in the cast was Scottish actor John Laurie, who played the gruff undertaker Frazer.
Off-screen, the two often chatted and told each other jokes, a skill Lavender learned from Laurie.
“If I could pick one member of the cast to survive, it would be John,” Lavender told the Telegraph in 2018.
“Actually, I loved him. “He was naughty, he was mischievous, and he suffered no fools.”
In hindsight, Lavender suspected that the role of Pike had limited his career, once telling The Independent: “I was definitely typecast, but nobody expects you to make up that character.”
“People don’t want Frank Pike, but they expect you to be funny.”
After years of working in the series' fictional filming location, Wilmington on Sea, he made guest appearances in many television series and also appeared on stage. He appeared with Dustin Hoffman in The Merchant of Venice and also appeared in Sister Act: The Musical.
Outside of Dads Army, his biggest on-screen impact was as Derek Harkinson in EastEnders from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2016 to 2017. Derek was initially the boyfriend of Christian (John Partridge) and became close friends with the matriarch of the series, Pauline Fowler (Wendy Craig).
Dad's Army was commissioned for an eight-week run and proved such a resounding success that it lasted from 1968 to 1977 (pictured: Clive Dunn, Ian Lavender and Arthur Lowe in the 1974 episode “The Godiva Affair”).
Lavender on the red carpet at the Oldie of the Year Awards 2015 in London
After Dad's Army, Lavender enjoyed renewed success in the BBC One series EastEnders, where he appeared as Derek Harkinson – a friend of Pauline Fowler – from 2001 to 2005 and again from 2016 to 2017
As Pauline's gay best friend Derek, Lavender was drawn into many of the soap's major storylines in the early 2000s. He left the series in 2005 and later returned in 2016
Ian Lavender as Monsignor Howard in Sister Act: The Musical at London's Palladium Theater in August 2010
Lavender also starred in Carry On Behind, pictured with actress Adrienne Posta
Lavender's official EastEnders profile picture, showing his character Derek Harkinson outside the series' iconic Queen Vic pub
Lavender, who was born in Birmingham in 1946, was married twice. His first wife was actress Suzanne Kerchiss. The marriage lasted from 1967 to 1976, and the couple had two sons, Dan and Sam
From 1977, Lavender lived happily with American-born Miki Hardy. The couple married in 1993 after 16 years together after Lavender was diagnosed and successfully treated for bladder cancer
In total he appeared in 240 episodes of the BBC One soap.
Lavender was the last surviving member of the Dad's Army cast. Clive Dunn, who played Lance Corporal Jones, died in 2012, while Bill Pertwee (air raid warden Hodges) died in 2013.
Arthur Lowe died of a heart attack in 1982 and John Le Mesurier, the long-suffering Sergeant Wilson, died the following year.
Lavender made a cameo appearance as Brigadier Pritchard in the 2016 film Dad's Army, which starred Toby Jones and Bill Nighy.
In the film, The Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison played Private Pike.