MICHAEL Bates' portrayal of Rangi Ram may strike a jarring note in these PC times but there's much to enjoy in this '70s sitcom.

Flushed with the success of Dad's Army, Jimmy Perry and David Croft based their next comedy on the capers of a Royal Artillery concert party in Deolali, India, in 1945. Although not in the same class as Dad's Army, the series shares many of its strengths, including good scripts and a cast who mesh together well.

Windsor Davies, who played Sergeant Major Williams, forever bawling out the "pooftahs" in his charge, and Don Estelle (Lofty) went on to become unlikely pop stars. Two previously "lost" episodes make up the package.

David Ross