He was a cousin of actor Bill Pertwee who played Chief Warden Hodges in the comedy Dad 's Army . Born in Chelsea , London , to a family descended from Huguenots ( the name was an Anglicisation of `` Perthuis '' ; his full surname being `` de Perthuis de Laillevault '' ) , he was the son of noted screenwriter and actor Roland Pertwee and cousin of actor Bill Pertwee , who played Chief Warden Hodges in the comedy Dad 's Army ( coincidentally , Jon Pertwee was the writers ' first choice for the role of Captain George Mainwaring in Dad 's Army ) .