George and Mildred (the 1st and best spin-off off man about the house) was the story of the ropers (the landlord's from man about the house) and their move to a much posher area. Next door live the fourmile's Ann, Geoffery and their irritating little boy Tristram. The fourmile's are a very posh family (especially the rather pompous Geoffery) and are usually one the receiving end of one of Georges scams.George and Mildred was produced at a time when the class structure in the U.K was very much still in existence and enjoyed poking fun at the middle class style 'tory twits' as George would say that were in existence at the time. The main battle was always between Geoffrey and George and always ended up with a minor victory for George.That though was the series strong point. The acting was nothing short of superb and the programme spawned a further M.A.T.H spin-off the rather dire robin's nest which examined what had happened to robin Tripp but the sad news was that Yootha Joyce Died on August 26th 1980 from liver failure before filming a sixth series. Her character was easily the strongest in the show and the way she always had the upper hand on George was hilarious. Recent repeats on digital show that the comedy hasn't dated and is still as fresh as ever. All 5 series are available on the network DVD label.

'George & Mildred' was the first - and best - of the spin-offs from Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke's 'Man About The House'. Using the proceedings from the sale of their home in Myddleton Terrace, the Ropers' move into a posh residential area ( 'all B.B.C.-2 and musical toilet rolls', according to George ), and find themselves living next door to snobbish estate agent Jeffrey Fourmile, his wife Ann and their son Tristram. George is like the proverbial fish out of water. Somewhat unbelievably, he gets a job as a traffic warden.The relationship between him and Mildred was much the same; she craves physical affection, and poor George isn't able to provide it. Much of the humour came from George constantly embarrassing his wife in public, such as the time he took a bath in the lounge just as Mildred brought home friends for tea. Like 'Terry & June', it was cosy, predictable stuff, but highly amusing. Mortimer and Cooke wrote every episode, meaning that there was no dip in quality ( as was the case with 'Robin's Nest' ) when new writers came aboard. The first season had a cracking theme by John Hawksworth but when it returned, Roger Webb supplied a bland tune which didn't suit the show at all. In much the same way that Yootha Joyce stole the show in 'House', little Nicholas Bond-Owen upstaged the adult performers as 'Tristram'. Enormously popular, the show racked up huge ratings even on its repeats. Sadly, Yootha Joyce died before a final series could be recorded.

Surely the best ever British comedy series. I know that people talk about Only Fools and Horses being the best, but for me, this is it. In case anybody doesn't know what it is about, it is basically about a middle-aged married couple who, after having their London home compulsory purchased by the Council, move to Hampton Wick into a posh neighbourhood. The series is basically about Mildred, the sex-starved wife, trying to better herself and George, her work-shy husband, who seems to delight in upsetting their neighbours. Only 5 series were made, due to the death of Yootha Joyce, but I would recommend this to anybody who appreciates genuine British comedy.

British television sitcoms of the '70s have acquired a reputation for being shallow and purile, and 'George and Mildred' is often cited as a supreme example of this.Nothing could be further from the truth, this sitcom really worked. There was real chemistry between the characters, and while the plots were shallow there was a great deal of comedy present.Developed as a spin-off from 'Man About The House', it centres around a working class couple (George and Mildred) who move into a middle class neighbourhood. Mildred (Yootha Joyce) is determined to overcome her lowly roots, whilst George (Brian Murphy) is working class and proud of it!!Their new neighbours are the Fourmiles, Geoffrey is a out-and-out snob, but his wife, Ann, is down to Earth. They have a young son, Tristram.Most of the comedy revolves around the antics of George antagonising Geoffrey, whilst their respective wives try desperately to maintain tranquility.The concept of neighbour / class conflict is the mainstay of many a sitcom, but seldom works as well as this. The chemistry between the characters is perfect, especially George and Mildred, I think that the sitcom would probably have failed with anyone else playing these parts.The success of this sitcom lead to a film version in 1980, but the film never really captured the vital spark that made the television series such a hit.