vocal skill in his rep days, "and I don't think he had afterwards either...A lot of his success came from this oddball personality that he had and the fact that later in his career he had some very good writers." In 2002, Paul Scofield described Lowe as a rare talent and "seriously brilliant actor", and said it was his timing that set him apart. Jimmy Perry agreed about his timing: "It was faultless. He could get huge laughs with such simple lines as 'Just a moment,' 'how dare you,' and 'you stupid boy'" - all catchphrases from Dad's Army. Perry also described Lowe as a kind man who went out of his way to help actors less fortunate than himself. Approach to acting In the 1970s, Lowe said he had “simply wanted to be the best character actor going” and it was only television that brought him stardom. Of his preferred style of comic acting he said: “Anybody could get a laugh if they pissed into the pit. But it wouldn’t be the right laugh.” He claimed to treat every comic part as a straight part, saying: “The more seriously you play the part, the funnier it is. You see, people are only funny to other people, never to themselves.” Biographies Two biographies of Arthur Lowe have been published: Arthur Lowe – Dad's Memory by his son Stephen, in 1997; and Arthur Lowe by Graham Lord in 2002. In 2000, The Unforgettable Arthur Lowe was part of The Unforgettable series of TV biographies of comedy performers. Memorials In December 2007 plans were announced for a statue of Lowe to be erected in Thetford, Norfolk, where the outside scenes for Dad's Army were filmed. Series co-writer David Croft unveiled the statue on 19 June 2010. It depicts Lowe in the character of Captain Mainwaring, sitting upright on a simple bench in Home Guard uniform, with his swagger stick across his knees. The star has also had two blue plaques unveiled, one at Maida Vale and one at his birthplace in Hayfield, Derbyshire. Portrayals Robert Daws portrayed Lowe in the BBC Radio 4 drama Dear Arthur, Love John by Roy Smiles, first broadcast in 2012. The play charts the relationship between Lowe and John Le Mesurier. John Sessions played him in the 2015 television movie We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story. Filmography Television Films Awards BAFTAs References Bibliography External links BBC Desert