Bridlington hopes to reap windfall from starring role in Dad's Army

As the stars of the new Dad's Army movie prepare for its world premiere tonight, nowhere is looking forward to it more than the East Yorkshire seaside town of Bridlington where many of the scenes were filmed.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is expected to add a touch of glamour to the red carpet as she joins co-stars Toby Jones, Sir Tom Courtenay and Sir Michael Gambon in London's Leicester Square.

In Bridlington, town crier David Hinde has high hopes that the long-awaited film will attract audiences to the area itself.

He has already been seen by millions of cinema-goers around the world as he leads Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard on a town centre parade in the international trailer for the star-studded film.

Mr Hinde, 59, is also chairman of the Bridlington Old Town Association and said he is hoping the success of the film brings visitors to the resort.

"The Old Town looks really superb in the trailer," he said.

"Now we just want to see the whole film."

The cast and crew spent several weeks filming in the town and a number of other locations along the Yorkshire coast last year.

"I'm very, very excited," Mr Hinde said.

"It's turned into a very prominent cameo role.

"It was quite a responsibility leading the parade. There were all these cameras and Hollywood A list stars on both my left and right shoulders as well as all these people who had been taught to march militarily for the film. But it was me who had to set the pace."

Mr Hinde said he believes the film will be a big tourism boost, especially for the Bridlington Old Town 1940s Summer Festival, in June, which will also be celebrating the new movie.

"I think it will boost tourism here," he said. "People already want to come to the Old Town to see where it was all filmed."

And the town crier said he still available, if required, to make all the relevant announcements outside the premiere in Leicester Square.

Mr Hinde said he achieved the record for the world's loudest town crier in 2013 when he was recorded at 114.8 decibels at Bridlington's Sewerby Hall.

The big screen version of the Second World War-set BBC sitcom, which ran from 1968-77, sees Zeta-Jones plays journalist Rose Winters, whose arrival in Walmington-on-Sea to report on Captain Mainwaring's (Jones) Home Guard sets pulses racing and proves a distraction while the group try to smoke out a German spy in their midst.

Suddenly the fate of the nation falls in the hands of the all-star British cast that also includes Bill Nighy as Sergeant Wilson, Bill Paterson as Frazer, Daniel Mays as Walker and Blake Harrison as Private Pike.

Joining them for the big screen remake are the last two surviving cast members of the TV version: Frank Williams who revives his role as Reverend Timothy Farthing, and Pike actor Ian Lavender, who has a cameo.

The film is out in UK cinemas on February 5.