A plaque for Graham Moffatt at The Swan, Braybrooke

I caught the bus to Braybrooke this morning. It was mainly to have breakfast at The Swan, but also to photograph the plaque there commemorating the fact that the actor Graham Moffat was its landlord for ten years.

Moffatt, along with Moore Marriott, supported Will Hay in his comedy films during the 1930s. I find that Hay's comedies of baffled and venal authority has lasted much better than the work of comics we are meant to feel sorry for, like George Formby and Norman Wisdom.

And Jimmy Perry had the trio of the pompous man (Hay), the old man (Marriott) and the boy (Moffatt) in mind when he created the first three Dad's Army characters: Captain Mainwaring, Corporal Jones and Pike.

I shall post a short video about Moffatt in a day or two. He did appear in some other films, including I Know Where I'm Going and A Canterbury Tale.