AN Evesham man who is a dab hand at cross-stitch has talked of his tough time in the TV hit Lad's Army.

Adam Spiers, who went through a gruelling four weeks of Army training 1950s-style, said no matter how tough things got, he never thought of quitting.

The successful TV series on Carlton, which finished a few weeks ago, marched 30 men back 50 years to endure the rigours of National Service.

Mr Spiers, who owns a needlecraft shop in Broadway, said he was determined to make it through the programme after signing up for it.

"Those that didn't make it just couldn't take the discipline and orders," he said.

"Our job on the programme was to represent 1950s call-up soldiers.

"If we didn't do as we were told and put the effort in, it just made things worse."

Training

He said a typical day started at 6.15am, breakfast started at 7am and inspection was 7.45am.

Roll call was at 8.15am followed by various training programmes, before the 10am NAAFI break.

From 10.20am until 12.40pm the recruits knuckled down to a variety of training courses including field craft, drill or PT until lunch, and after that similar activities until 5.30pm, when the lads had their tea.

Twenty-year-old Mr Spiers' lowest point was the first night when it dawned on him what he had let himself in for.

The passing-out ceremony was the high spot with his mother Monica, his dad Ben, sister Diane, brother Brian and niece Natasha looking on.

"It was the proudest moment of my life - up until then it was being head boy at my school at Greenhill in Evesham, " he said.