BELOVED television sit coms have an insidious habit of introducing the population to catch phrases which quickly become essentials of everyday speech – and I will say this only wernce.

So when the local am dram soc chooses to perform scenes from such a sit com, you can reliably expect the audience to join in the familiar bits, and so they did in Mere Lecture Hall when MADS embarked on the second ‘Allo ‘Allo show, the hilarious tale of French amour, cheese, bermbs and hidden airmen.

Based on the original BBC TV series, this adaptation includes almost all the old favourites, and is so wonderfully politically incorrect that it’s a toss-up whether everyone – or no-one – is justifiably offended. Certainly no offence was intended in Tim Trenchard’s 22-strong cast second visit to Cafe Rene in Nouvion, during the German occupation.

Mere Amateur Dramatic Society, augmented by some familiar faces from down the road in Shaftesbury, brought true joie de vivre to the stage as those poor English airmen made another vain attempt to get back to Blighty, as Rene tried to find a few moments alone with his willing waitresses, as Edith attempted her Piaf again, as Lt Gruber made more efforts to get Rene into his little tank, and as Herr Flick weighed up the advantages of auto-eroticism over stolen oil paintings.

‘Allo ‘Allo ran for nine series over the decade from 1982. It is still as funny as ever and MADS are doing it proud. Jon Noble’s Rene is a marvellously hopeful lover and a man who knows it will all go wrong, no matter how hard anyone tries. He reprises his role from the previous production in Mere, as does Penny Allen as Edith and her excruciatingly dreadful singing.

The ever-versatile Jerome Swann joins him as General Von Klinkerhoffen, contributing a memorable strip-tease to match the almost Strictly-worthy Can Can routine. Anthony Atwood has never been better than as Crabtree, and Charles Dillon’s Gruber is a joy to behold.

Moving from the director’s chair on the first ‘Allo ‘Allo outing to the stage this time, Chris Wood, complete with gloomy tail coat and hat as lugubrious as his expression, brings the fawning and money-grubbing village undertaker to the party.

Juliet Booth and Sue Tabor are busily vying for Rene’s amorous attention, but Allan Glide’s LeClerc is always in the wrong place at the right time to scupper their plans, choose the wrong cheese and pass the wrong message, as Elaine Noble’s would-be resistance heroine Michelle determinedly never repeats her lines.

It is hard for a theatre company to deal with the short scenes and rapid changes of a TV sit com, specially in a cramped hall with limited wing space, but MADS did a terrific job, much appreciated by the packed opening night audience. The show is on until 22nd November.

GP-W