The end
The final caption of the
George and Mildred film read "The End - or is it the beginning?" It was to prove to be the former as Yootha Joyce died from
portal cirrhosis of the liver due to chronic
alcoholism on 24 August 1980, before the film was released. Friends and colleagues were unaware that Joyce had been habitually consuming half a bottle of brandy every day for over 10 years.
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 were afraid of being typecast after playing the characters since 1973 on television and in two films. However, despite scripts being written, Joyce's hospitalisation and subsequent death brought a premature end to the show. Her funeral took place on the day the cast were due to begin rehearsals for the new series.
Speaking of their relationship in a 2001 ITV programme,
The Unforgettable Yootha Joyce, Murphy said that when they had first met at
Joan Littlewood's
Theatre Workshop he had, "always regarded Yootha as very stylish and very confident. I was rather over-awed by her at first, full of admiration for her. "At her death, "People said, 'You've lost a working partner' and I said, 'No, I've lost a chum'... and then I realised I've lost my working partnership
as well...".
Thames Television did consider producing a spin-off for the character of George, looking at him cope with life as a widower. However, this project did not materialise, though 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 by Thames Television in 1981.
Adaptations
George and Mildred was adapted in the United States as
The Ropers, a spin-off from
Three's Company (itself the US adaptation of
Man About the House)
Book
"Man About the House - George and Mildred: The Definitive Companion" by Tex Fisher was published on 1 July 2010. The book includes contributions from many of the original cast, including
Brian Murphy,
Paula Wilcox,
Sally Thomsett and Nicholas Bond-Owen. It explains the background and history of both programmes, together with an episode and film guide, full cast biographies, details of the stage play, full catalogue of support cast, and a 1970s Phrase Dictionary.
ISBN 978-0-9565634-0-8. The book is published by Deck Chair Publishing.
We believe this is the last TV interview with Yootha Joyce. It's from the 15th July 1980, and Yootha and Brian Murphy are in Jersey promoting the film of George and Mildred, which had just been released. The interview is preceded by a (badly telecinied) clip from the film, which accompanied the interview on original broadcast.
