George and Mildred is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television that originally aired on ITV from 6 September 1976 to 25 December 1979. It is a spin-off from the earlier sitcom Man About the House (1973–1976), created by writers Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer. The series starred Brian Murphy as George Roper and Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper, a constantly bickering married couple.
Premise
The series follows George and Mildred Roper after they leave their flat in South Kensington (as depicted in Man About the House) following a compulsory purchase order from the council. They move to 46 Peacock Crescent, a modern, upmarket housing estate in Hampton Wick. Mildred, who is socially ambitious, relishes the opportunity to better herself in her new middle-class surroundings. George, by contrast, is lazy, generally unemployed, and has no interest in climbing the social ladder. Their arrival horrifies their snobbish next-door neighbour, Jeffrey Fourmile (Norman Eshley), a middle-class estate agent who fears the Ropers' presence will devalue his home. Jeffrey's wife, Ann (Sheila Fearn), becomes a good friend to Mildred. The Fourmiles have a young son, Tristram (Nicholas Bond-Owen), who gets on well with George, much to Jeffrey's chagrin.
Cast
- Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper
- Brian Murphy as George Roper
- Norman Eshley as Jeffrey Fourmile
- Sheila Fearn as Ann Fourmile
- Nicholas Bond-Owen as Tristram Fourmile
- Roy Kinnear as Jerry (recurring)
- Avril Elgar as Ethel Pumphrey (Mildred's sister, recurring)
- Reginald Marsh as Humphrey Pumphrey (recurring)
- Gretchen Franklin as Mother (recurring)
Production and Broadcast
The series ran for five series comprising 38 episodes (including two Christmas specials). It was produced by Thames Television and broadcast on the ITV network. The exterior shots for the Roper and Fourmile residences were filmed at 46 and 44 Manor Road, Teddington, Middlesex. Interior scenes were filmed at Thames Television studios in Teddington.
Film Version
A feature film adaptation, George and Mildred (1980), was released on 27 July 1980. It was written by Dick Sharples (not by the series' original writers) and directed by Peter Frazer Jones. The film focused on George and Mildred celebrating their wedding anniversary at an upmarket London hotel, incorporating a gangster plot. It was neither a critical nor a commercial success.
Cancellation and Aftermath
A sixth series of eight episodes had been planned for recording in late 1980. However, Yootha Joyce died on 24 August 1980 from portal cirrhosis of the liver due to chronic alcoholism, at the age of 53. Her funeral took place on the day rehearsals for the new series were due to begin, and the series was cancelled. Thames Television considered producing a spin-off focusing on George as a widower, but this project did not materialise.
Adaptations
The series was adapted in the United States as The Ropers (1979–1980), a spin-off from the American adaptation of Man About the House, titled Three's Company.
International Success
The series proved particularly popular in Spain, where the paint company Titanlux hired the actors to reprise their characters for a television commercial.
