It's 1946, and when Ron Archer discovers that the pier at the nearby seaside town of Midbourne is up for sale, he sets out with his son Trevor to find the money to buy it. It was developed from the BBC radio series It Sticks Out Half a Mile, a sequel to Dad's Army. The original pilot episode, set in 1948, involved former bank manager and Home Guard Captain George Mainwaring (Arthur Lowe) deciding to renovate a decrepit seaside pier in the fictional town of Frambourne-on-Sea, only to find when applying for a bank loan that the manager of the local branch is his former chief cashier and Home Guard Sergeant Arthur Wilson (John Le Mesurier).