Reverend Timothy Farthing

Dad's Army character
name=Reverend Timothy Farthing


affiliation=Church of England
occupation=Vicar
start=The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones
finish=Never Too Old
portrayer=Frank Williams

The Reverend Timothy Farthing, nearly always referred to simply as "The Vicar", is a fictional vicar portrayed by Frank Williams in the BBC television sitcom "Dad's Army".

Personality

Reverend Farthing is the slightly ineffectual, but well-meaning vicar of St. Aldhelm's Church, Walmington-on-Sea. Neither on the side of the Home Guard, or the ARP Wardens, he attempts to care for "The spiritual needs of (his) parishioners", despite the many setbacks presented during the war, such as having to share his church hall and office with both the pompous Captain Mainwaring and the uncouth Chief Air Raid Warden Hodges. In many episodes, he ends up embroiled in the escapades of the platoon, often by accident and he joins the Home Guard briefly in "The Recruit".

Prone to making long sermons, his personality is quite sulky and occasionally effeminate, although the character is never seen in a bad light, unlike his verger, Mr. Yeatman. Farthing is unmarried, and according to "Dad's Army - A Celebration", he was once a missionary. However, his background is rarely, if ever, revealed. He seems to be a pratical vicar, not really believing in black magic and rituals, for example in the episode "when did you last see your money" when the Verger thinks a black ritual is going on he runs to tell the Vicar eg:...'Vicar! There's a horrible black mass!' To which the Vicar replies 'A horrible black mass of what?'

During the episode The Enemy Within the Gates it is revealed that the vicar is the editor of the "Ring-A-Ding Monthly", a fictional bell ringing magazine.