DON’T panic! Don’t panic! One of Durham’s top cops has been called up to help in the remake of a classic comedy.

Devoted Dad’s Army fan Ian Butler was recruited as an extra for the Hollywood version of the Seventies TV series currently being shot in East Yorkshire.

The chief inspector swapped his police uniform for 1940s military dress as he took part in filming on Saturday alongside stars Toby Jones, who plays Captain Mainwaring, Sir Tom Courteney as Corporal Jones and Bill Nighy, as the long-suffering Sergeant Wilson.

He was one of more than 300 people on set in Bridlington, where the old town has been transformed into the fictional Walmington-on-Sea.

A member of the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society, the 51-year-old jumped at the chance to be involved as the St George’s Day Parade scene.

Chf Insp Butler said: “I’ve been a fan of Dad’s Army since I was child and joined the society about 20 years ago, and so over the years I have collected lots of Dad’s Army memorabilia.

“When the opportunity arose to be an extra in the film I couldn’t resist.

“The movie’s production team has done a fantastic job recreating Walmington-on-Sea.

“The attention to detail is tremendous."

The officer is normally based at Belmont in Durham, but has been seconded to North-East alcohol unit Balance as crime and disorder programme manager.

Wearing a wartime Royal Tank Regiment uniform, Chf Insp Butler was able to get a few photographs on the set before the strenuous work of filming began.

He said: “I hadn’t done any marching for 30 years, the previous time being during my initial police training at Dishforth.

“Before filming was over we had to march up and down the main street about 20 times, which involved quite a lot of effort, but it was just great being a part of it, it was really good fun.”