George and Mildred
British comedy series George & Mildred
Format	Sitcom
Created by	Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke
Starring	Brian Murphy Yootha Joyce Norman Eshley Sheila Fearn
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	38
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV
Original run	6 September 1976 – 25 December 1979
External links
IMDb profile

George and Mildred was a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1980. It was a spin-off of Man About the House and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper. It was written by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. Like many sitcoms of the day, George and Mildred was also turned into a film. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... Johnnie Mortimer was born in 1930 in England, UK and died on 2 September 1992. ... Brian Cooke (born in 1937) is a British comedy writer who wrote scripts for and devised many of the top TV sitcoms of the 1970s (eg Man About The House, George and Mildred, Robins Nest etc), almost always in partnership with Johnnie Mortimer. ... Brian Murphy (born Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England, September 25th 1933) is a British actor. ... Yootha Joyce (August 20, 1927 - August 24, 1980) was a British actress born in South London as Yootha Joyce Needham to musical parents. ... Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945 in Bristol, England) is an English actor best known for his roles on television. ... Sheila Fearn (born 3 October 1940 in Leicester, Leicestershire) is an English actress best known for playing Audrey, the sister of Terry Collier in BBC situation comedies The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, and also later on as Ann Fourmile, the next door neighbour in the... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Man About the House was a British sitcom, made by Thames Television for ITV. It ran for six series, between August 1973 and April 1976. ... Brian Cooke (born in 1937) is a British comedy writer who wrote scripts for and devised many of the top TV sitcoms of the 1970s (eg Man About The House, George and Mildred, Robins Nest etc), almost always in partnership with Johnnie Mortimer. ... Johnnie Mortimer was born in 1930 in England, UK and died on 2 September 1992. ... This is a list of British television sitcoms that have been adapted into cinema films, either during their original television run or afterwards. ... George and Mildred was a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1980. ...

Cast

• Brian Murphy - George Roper
• Yootha Joyce - Mildred Roper
• Norman Eshley - Jeffrey Fourmile
• Sheila Fearn - Ann Fourmile
• Nicholas Bond-Owen - Tristram Fourmile^[1]
• Simon Lloyd - Tarquin Fourmile (from series 3)
• Avril Elgar - Ethel Pumphrey
• Reginald Marsh - Humphrey Pumphrey
• Gretchen Franklin - Mildred's Mother
• Roy Kinnear - Jerry

Brian Murphy (born Ventnor, Isle of Wight, England, September 25th 1933) is a British actor. ... Yootha Joyce (August 20, 1927 - August 24, 1980) was a British actress born in South London as Yootha Joyce Needham to musical parents. ... Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945 in Bristol, England) is an English actor best known for his roles on television. ... Sheila Fearn (born 3 October 1940 in Leicester, Leicestershire) is an English actress best known for playing Audrey, the sister of Terry Collier in BBC situation comedies The Likely Lads and Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, and also later on as Ann Fourmile, the next door neighbour in the... Reginald Marsh (17 September 1926 in London - 9 February 2001 in Ryde, Isle of Wight) was a English actor who starred in many sitcoms from the 1970s onwards. ... Gretchen Franklin as Ethel Skinner in EastEnders Gretchen Franklin (July 7, 1911 – July 11, 2005) was an English actress. ... Roy Kinnear (January 8, 1934 – September 20, 1988) was a prolific English character actor. ...

Plot

George and Mildred Roper have left their old house after receiving a compulsory purchase order from the Council and move to 46 Peacock Crescent in Hampton Wick. While Mildred enjoys moving up in the world socially, lazy and unemployed George remains true to his working class roots and also continues to show a lack of interest in sexual relations with Mildred. Mildred's snobbish sister Ethel and her husband Humphrey occasionally visit, as does Mildred's mother. George's friend Jerry, a cowboy builder, also visits, much to Mildred's annoyance. In the first series, George buys Mildred a Yorkshire Terrier called Truffles (played by dog actor Pussy Galore). Compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom. ... Hampton Wick is a Thames-side area, formerly a village, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in London, England. ... The Yorkshire Terrier, (often called simply the Yorkie), is a breed of small dog in the toy category. ...

George and Mildred's yuppie next-door neighbours are Jeffrey Fourmile, a snobbish estate agent, and his wife Ann. They have a young son called Tristram, who gets on well with Mildred and George, and in series 3 a second child called Tarquin is born. The Conservative supporting Jeffrey strongly dislikes George, who frequently annoys Jeffrey. Yuppies (young urban professionals, or less commonly young upwardly-mobile professionals[1]) is a market segment whose consumers are characterized as self-reliant, financially secure individualists. ... Estate agent is a United Kingdom term roughly synonymous in the United States with the term real estate broker, a business that arranges the selling, renting or management of homes, land and other buildings. ... The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ...

Episodes

Series One (1976)

1. Moving On (6 September 1976)
2. The Bad Penny (13 September 1976)
3. And Women Must Weep (20 September 1976)
4. Baby Talk (27 September 1976)
5. Your Money or Your Life (4 October 1976)
6. Where My Caravan Has Rested (11 October 1976)
7. The Little Dog Laughed (18 October 1976)
8. Best Foot Forward (25 October 1976)
9. My Husband Next Door (1 November 1976)
10. Family Planning (8 November 1976)

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Series Two (1977)

1. Jumble Pie (14 November 1977)
2. All Around the Clock (21 November 1977)
3. The Travelling Man (28 November 1977)
4. The Unkindest Cut of All (5 December 1977)
5. The Right Way to Travel (12 December 1977)
6. The Dorothy Letters (19 December 1977)
7. No Business Like Show Business (26 December 1977)

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Series Three (1978)

1. Opportunity Knocks (7 September 1978)
2. And so to Bed (14 September 1978)
3. I Believe in Yesterday (21 September 1978)
4. The Four Letter Word (28 September 1978)
5. The Delivery Man (5 October 1978)
6. Life with Father (12 October 1978)

is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Series Four (1978)

1. Just the Job (16 November 1978)
2. Days of Beer and Rosie (23 November 1978)
3. You Must Have Showers (30 November 1978)
4. All Work and No Pay (7 December 1978)
5. Nappy Days (14 December 1978)
6. The Mating Game (21 December 1978)
7. On the Second Day of Christmas (27 December 1978)

is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Series Five (1979)

1. Finders Keepers? (24 October 1979)
2. In Sickness and In Health (30 October 1979)
3. The Last Straw (6 November 1979)
4. A Driving Ambition (13 November 1979)
5. A Military Pickle (27 November 1979)
6. Fishy Business (4 December 1979)
7. I Gotta Horse (18 December 1979)
8. The Twenty Six Year Itch (25 December 1979)

is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 338th day of the year (339th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ...

Stage show

During 1977, Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce, joined at one stage by Reginald Marsh, toured in a successful stage version of the programme. In 1976-77, Murphy and Joyce appeared as the ugly sisters, Georgina and Mildred, in the London Palladium pantomime, Cinderella. The Ugly sisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. ... The London Palladium in 2004 The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. ... The Christmas Pantomime colour lithograph bookcover, 1890 Pantomime (informally, panto) refers to a theatrical genre, traditionally found in Great Britain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland, which is usually performed around the Christmas and New Year holiday season. ... Gustave Dorés illustration for Cendrillon Cinderella (French: Cendrillon) is a popular fairy tale embodying a classic folk tale myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. ...

Film version

Main article: George and Mildred (film)

Following the fifth TV series, the programme was made into a film in 1980. The film was written not by Cooke and Mortimer but by Dick Sharples. The Fourmiles only played a small role in the film. Despite the presence of original title characters, plus stars like Stratford Johns and Kenneth Cope and up-and-coming actors like Vicki Michelle, the film was not a critical nor box office success. Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Stratford Johns, born Alan Stratford Johns, (September 22, 1925 - 29 January 2002) was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin. ... Kenneth Cope is an English actor, born on 14 July 1934, in Liverpool. ... Vicki Michelle (b. ...

The abrupt end of George and Mildred

The final caption of the George and Mildred film read 'The End - or is it the beginning?' It was to prove the abrupt end, as Yootha Joyce died, from chronic alcoholism, on 24 August 1980, before the film was even released. Her friends and colleagues were astonished to discover that she had been drinking a litre of brandy every day, as it never affected her performance or professionalism. Yootha Joyce (August 20, 1927 - August 24, 1980) was a British actress born in South London as Yootha Joyce Needham to musical parents. ... Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinkers normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 2004, on an audio commentary on the Australian Umbrella DVD release of George and Mildred: the Complete Series 2, Brian Murphy revealed that there had been plans for a sixth series of eight episodes of the show. These were to have been recorded in late 1980. Murphy also revealed that this was due to have been the final series of George and Mildred, as he and Yootha Joyce wished to focus on other work. However, despite scripts being written, Joyce's hospitalisation and death put an enforced end to the show. Her funeral took place on the very day the cast were due to begin rehearsals for the new series. On a DVD (or laserdisc), an audio commentary is a bonus track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, who talk about the movie as it progresses. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

Thames Television did talk of producing a spin-off for the character of George, looking at him cope with life as a widower. However, this project did not materialise. But Brian Murphy did reunite with George and Mildred co-star Roy Kinnear and writers Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke for The Incredible Mr. Tanner, a comedy produced for Thames soon after Yootha Joyce's death.

Adaptations

George and Mildred was adapted in the United States as The Ropers, a spin-off of Three's Company, the US version of Man About the House. Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy appeared, in character as George and Mildred, on the magic show The David Nixon Show. The Ropers was an American sitcom that ran from March 1979 to April 1980. ... Threes Company is an American sitcom that ran from 1977 to 1984 on ABC. It is a remake of the British sitcom Man About the House. ...

DVD releases

The first DVD release of George and Mildred was from Clear Vision in the UK in 2001 (and simultaneously appeard on VHS). Although the top of the sleeve says "Series One", the bottom says "episodes 1 to 6", so the remaining four episodes do not appear. Complaints about picture quality of this and the accompanying Man About the House release, and minor edits of the ad break captions, etc. probably went some way to explaining why no more Clear Vision releases materialised.^{[citation needed]}

In Australia, the first series was released in May, 2003. Unlike the Clear Vision release of series one, all 10 episodes were includes, as were the original ad captions and the "Salute to Thames" opening boards. Many fans from the UK imported these versions instead, not only due to their superiority, but the favourable exchange rates made them no more expensive than the Clear Vision title. Series 2 followed in March, 2004 and the movie that same November. Unlike the UK Network release of series 2, the Australian version contained some audio commentaries with series star Brian Murphy.

Contract and clearance re-negotiations for all worldwide regions put a halt to Umbrella's plans to proceed with the remaining episodes, and while the shows have been cleared for UK release (as evidenced by the Network releases), Freemantle still have not, as of 2007, worked out clearances for the Australian/New Zealand regions yet, so Umbrella's hands are still tied.

The entire first series of George and Mildred was released by Network DVD in Region 2 (UK) in 2005 without the annoying edits or the over-compressed picture quality. The second, third and fourth series were released in 2006. The fifth and final series was released in 2007. The movie has been available in the UK for many years on both video and DVD, both individually and bundled as special double- and triple-bills with other "small screen to big screen" efforts.

Recent broadcasts

The show is now shown regularly on Paramount Comedy 2 in the United Kingdom complete with Thames Television ident. In Spain it shown on Cuatro and in Canada it is shown on Country Canada. In 2007 some episodes were shown on the Seven Network in Australia and is shown occasionally on pay-TV channel UK.TV on Foxtel. It has also been shown in Cuba. Paramount Comedy 2 is a television channel shown in Ireland and the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The name cuatro can refer to any of several Latin American instruments of the guitar or lute family. ... Country Canada is a Canadian television series broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation hosted by Reg Sherren. ... The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. ... UKTV is a subscription television channel in Australia and New Zealand, screening UK entertainment programming, sourced mainly from the archives of the BBC, TALKBACKThames and ITV Plc. ... Foxtel is a subscription television company in Australia, formed through a joint venture between Telstra and News Corporation. ...

See also

• List of films based on British sitcoms

This is a list of British television sitcoms that have been adapted into cinema films, either during their original television run or afterwards. ...

Footnotes

007 redirects here. ...

References

• Mark Lewisohn, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003
• British TV Comedy Guide for George and Mildred

Mark Lewisohn (born 1958) is one of the worlds foremost experts on The Beatles. ...

External links

• George and Mildred at the British Sitcom Guide