Synopsis

Deolali transit camp, near Bombay, 1945. A stopping post for British soldiers on their way to fight the Japanese in Burma. But our heroes are not fighting men; they are there to entertain the troops. It’s good for morale, thinks Colonel Reynolds. It’s a downright disgrace, thinks Sergeant-Major Williams.

Only too thankful to have escaped the horrors of war in the jungle, the men soon realise there is an enemy closer at hand. Royal Artillery Battery Sergeant-Major "Taffy" Williams (Windsor Davies) is waging a one-man campaign – by fair means and foul – to get them a piece of the action.That his troop would be useless is unimportant; he is determined to toughen them up. Colonel Reynolds’ (Donald Hewlett) style is strictly ‘hands off ’ and his second-incommand, Captain Ashwood (Michael Knowles), knows no more about running the camp than his superior, so Williams has a free hand.

Luckily, the concert party is under the protection of their native servant, Rangi Ram (Michael Bates). He wants to keep his comfortable job and a mere Welsh sergeant-major has no chance against the wily man of the Orient, ably assisted by Muhammed the Char Wallah (Dino Shafeek) and Rumsan the Punka Wallah (Babar Bhatti). The stars of the show are drag queen “Gloria” Beaumont (Melvyn Hayes) and "Lofty" Sugden (Don Estelle), the short, fat, accident-prone misfit with the beautiful voice.

Needless to say, these are the two most picked on by the Sergeant-Major. The rest of the concert party are: Show organiser Bombardier “Solly” Solomons (George Layton) Tattooed strongman Gunner “Atlas” Mackintosh (Stuart McGugan) Clever pianist "La-de-da" Graham (John Clegg) Paper-cutter “Nosher” Evans (Mike Kinsey) The ever-dependable “Nobby” Clark (Kenneth MacDonald) “Parky” (Christopher Mitchell), the talentless ventriloquist whom the Sergeant-Major thinks is his long-lost son.

It Ain’t Half Hot, Mum ran from 1974 to 1981 in Britain and was tremendously successful. Stars Windsor Davies and Don Estelle released a record, Whispering Grass, which reached Number One, reflecting the great popularity of the series. The idea for the series came from co-writer David Croft’s sojourn in a Royal Artillery Concert Party in India in the 1940s. Many farcical episodes are based on his experiences, including a human foghorn of a Sergeant Major who bullied the troops remorselessly.