"Man About The House and George and Mildred: The Definitive Companion" written by 18 year old Tex Fisher is a fully comprehensive guide telling the complete story of these enduring shows that are still repeated some 35 years after their original broadcast.
The Background to Man About The House
Man about the House was one of the most successful sitcoms to be produced by ITV franchise Thames Television in the 1970s. Regularly pulling in over 20 million viewers each week during its initial run between 1973 and 1976, spawning two spin off series, George and Mildred and Robins Nest, a feature film, and even crossing the Atlantic to America where it was adapted into Three’s Company.
Created by Father Dear Father writers Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, the series introduced viewers to Robin Tripp (played by Richard O'Sullivan) a womanising cookery student who shared an upstairs flat in South Kensington with two adorable girls about town, Chrissy (Paula wilcox) and Jo (Sally Thomsett). The misadventures of the three youngsters were frequently observed and interrupted by their landlords George and Mildred Roper (played by Bryan Murphy and Yootha Joyce) who resided downstairs.
Epitomising the style, language and culture of the 1970s, Mortimer and Cooke Saw potential to write a sitcom that reflected the growing popularity of mixed-sex flat sharing, gaining inspiration from newspaper advertisements which appealed for additional tenants to share a living space. The formula made ideal material for a sitcom reflecting domestic situations of two conflicting generations and assuring the series success.
How Man About The House Inspired Young Author
Even now, Man about the House, George and Mildred and Robin’s Nest are still rerun on television and enjoying regular DVD sales. So, a book about the series would seem long overdue, thankfully Tex Fisher, who wasn’t even born when the series was originally broadcast has drawn inspiration from these classic sitcoms by producing a definitive guide. He explains "It's odd for someone my age to like these old programmes, but they are simply fantastic. Perhaps I'm just a cynic, but I just don't find TV comedy these days in the least bit funny. "
" I have such great admiration for classic comedies, mainly because today's telly is so thin on the ground. Man about The House, and its spin-off seemed a likely candidate for a debut book. I had been a fan for a good few years, knew my eggs about television of that genre and also because no-body had done one on them yet."
Man About The House Behind The Scenes Stories Revealed
The book looks at the shows progression from concept through to broadcast encompassing an episode guide, technical details, cast profiles and includes interviews with key actors including Brian Murphy, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett giving a fascinating insight into behind the scenes information.
For instance, the book reveals that for the series, both Paula Wilcox and Yootha Joyce had a unique selection of ‘Chrissy’ and ‘Mildred’ wigs, while Sally Thomsett used her clothing budget to purchase a new outfit for each episode, later buying them at a reduced price when the series ended. Richard O Sullivan, on the other hand, had all the essence to become a top TV sex symbol with legions of adoring female fans while Brian Murphy had to lose hair to play downtrodden George Roper.
A worthwhile study for anyone who loves classic British sit-com Man about the House and George and Mildred: The Definitive Companion by Tex Fisher is published by Deck Chair publishing and available from all good retailers.
