George and Mildred
Encyclopedia
George and Mildred is a British sitcom
produced by Thames Television
that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off
from Man About the House
and starred Brian Murphy
and Yootha Joyce
as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper. The premise of this series had George and Mildred leaving their flat as depicted in Man About the House and moving to a modern, upmarket housing estate. Their arrival horrifies their snobbish neighbour Jeffrey Fourmile, an estate agent who despairs that the Ropers' presence will devalue his home.
It was written by Brian Cooke
and Johnnie Mortimer
. Like many sitcoms of the day, George and Mildred was also turned into a film
, which was dedicated to actress Yootha Joyce
who died suddenly in 1980, just as the cast had been looking forward to recording a sixth series.
from the Council and move to 46 Peacock Crescent in Hampton Wick
. While Mildred enjoys the chance to better herself in her new surroundings she is always being thwarted - usually by the lazy, and generally unemployed George, who has no interest in climbing the social ladder, and also continues to show a lack of interest in sexual relations with Mildred.
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 is greatly irritated by George, who frequently annoys him.
Mildred's snobbish sister Ethel and her wealthy husband Humphrey occasionally visit, as does Mildred's mother. Mildred often makes subtle, and unsubtle digs at Ethel's age, or social status and pretensions, when Ethel visits. George's friend Jerry, a jack-of-all-trades, also visits, much to Mildred's annoyance. Jerry is fond of referring to Mildred as "Mildew".
In the first series, George buys Mildred a Yorkshire Terrier
called Truffles (played by dog actor Pussy Galore) after the Ropers are unable to adopt a child.
was also in Dad's Army
. (Chased by a runaway wheel packed with explosives, Captain Mainwaring
, Pike
, and Hodges commandeer the bike from a man trimming a hedge). The motorcycle is now at the London Motorcycle Museum
.
motorcycle combination shown to regular comic effect in the opening titles of series 2,3 and 5 is now exhibited at the London Motorcycle Museum
.
, Georgina and Mildred, in the London Palladium
pantomime
, Cinderella
.
. The Fourmiles only played a small role in the film. The film focused on the original title characters celebrating their wedding anniversary, at Mildred's insistence, at a swanky London hotel, and featured several guest stars including Stratford Johns
, Kenneth Cope
and the up-and-coming Vicki Michelle
. The film was neither a critical nor box office success.
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. People were unaware of this consumption as it never affected her performance or professionalism.
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. 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 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.
, 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.
, 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 1970's Phrase Dictionary. ISBN 9780956563408 . The book is published by Deck Chair Publishing.
In Australia, the first series was released in May 2003. Unlike the Clear Vision release of series one, all 10 episodes were included, as were the original ad captions and the Thames TV idents (the music for this is called "Salute to Thames") at the start and original end 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), Fremantle Media still have not, as of 2007, worked out clearances for the Australian/New Zealand regions yet, so Umbrella's hands are still tied. On Wednesday, 16 July 2008, Series 3 was finally released in Australia, followed by Series 4 on 3 September 2008 and Series 5 on 3 December 2008, Soon after the release of Series 5, Series 3, 4 and 5 were discontinued, at this stage Series 1 and 2 were also out of production but remaining copies were continuing to be sold. In April 2009, Freemantle Media re-released the first three seasons with the same cover art as of the UK releases (Season 1 now being a 2 Disc set as the original version all 10 episodes were on one disc), Season 4 was re-released on 5 November 2009 and Season 5 re-release on 3 December 2009, although some delays occurred. Freemantle re-released Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 on 3 March 2011 and has new artwork. Freemantle Media have announced the re-release of Series 4 and Series 5 for 1 September 2011.
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. The complete box set with all 5 seasons has been released in the UK.
A book dedicated to the Situation Comedy, entitled The Man About the House and George & Mildred Companion is due to be published in 2010.
ident. In Spain it is shown on Cuatro and in Canada it is shown on Country Canada
. In Australia, some episodes were shown on the Seven Network
and occasionally on Pay-TV channel, UKTV
. Currently, it is shown weeknights on 7Two
. It has also been shown in Cuba
. Granada Plus
used to repeat the show until the close in 2004. From April 2010, it is also being shown weekdays on ITV3.
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
produced by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from Man About the House
Man About the House
Man About the House is a British sitcom starring Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox and Sally Thomsett that was broadcast for six seasons on ITV from 1973 to 1976. It was created and written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke. The series was considered daring at the time due to its subject matter of...
and starred Brian Murphy
Brian Murphy (actor)
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
and Yootha Joyce
Yootha Joyce
Yootha Joyce was an English actress, best known for playing Mildred Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.-Early life:...
as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper. The premise of this series had George and Mildred leaving their flat as depicted in Man About the House and moving to a modern, upmarket housing estate. Their arrival horrifies their snobbish neighbour Jeffrey Fourmile, an estate agent who despairs that the Ropers' presence will devalue his home.
It was written by Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer wrote scripts for and devised many of the top TV sitcoms of the 1970s, including Man About the House, George and Mildred and Robin's Nest...
and Johnnie Mortimer
Johnnie Mortimer
Johnnie Mortimer was a British scriptwriter for television.He started out as a cartoonist, which brought him into contact with his writing partner Brian Cooke...
. Like many sitcoms of the day, George and Mildred was also turned into a film
George and Mildred (film)
George and Mildred is a 1980 British comedy film directed by Peter Frazer Jones. It was an adaptation of the television series of the same name. Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy reprised their television roles as the two title characters. It was written by Dick Sharples...
, which was dedicated to actress Yootha Joyce
Yootha Joyce
Yootha Joyce was an English actress, best known for playing Mildred Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.-Early life:...
who died suddenly in 1980, just as the cast had been looking forward to recording a sixth series.
Cast
- Brian MurphyBrian Murphy (actor)Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
- George Roper - Yootha JoyceYootha JoyceYootha Joyce was an English actress, best known for playing Mildred Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.-Early life:...
- Mildred Roper - Norman EshleyNorman EshleyNorman Eshley is an English actor best known for his roles on television.He is possibly best known for his role in the sitcom George and Mildred as the snobbish, right-wing real estate agent Jeffrey Fourmile, the foil to George...
- Jeffrey Fourmile - Sheila FearnSheila FearnSheila Fearn is a British 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 Thames Television sitcom George and Mildred.On film...
- Ann Fourmile - Nicholas Bond-Owen - Tristram Fourmile
- Simon Lloyd - Tarquin Fourmile (from series 3)
- Avril ElgarAvril ElgarAvril Elgar is an English stage, radio and television actress.She trained at the London Old Vic Theatre School...
- Ethel Pumphrey - Reginald MarshReginald Marsh (actor)Reginald Marsh was an English actor who is best remembered for starring in many British sitcoms from the 1970s onwards.-Early life and career:...
- Humphrey Pumphrey - Gretchen FranklinGretchen FranklinGretchen Franklin was an English actress with a career in showbusiness that spanned over eighty years.She was born in Covent Garden, west London, a cousin of the actor Clive Dunn. She was best known for playing the character of Ethel Skinner in the long running BBC One, soap opera, EastEnders...
- Mildred's Mother - Roy KinnearRoy KinnearRoy Mitchell Kinnear was an English character actor. He is best remembered for playing Veruca Salt's father, Mr. Salt, in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.-Early life:...
- Jerry
Plot
George and Mildred Roper have left their old house after receiving a compulsory purchase orderCompulsory purchase order
A compulsory purchase order is a legal function in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that allows certain bodies which need to obtain land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. It may be enforced if a proposed development is considered one for public betterment - for...
from the Council and move to 46 Peacock Crescent in Hampton Wick
Hampton Wick
Hampton Wick is a Thames-side area, formerly a village, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in London, England.Famous for its market gardens until well into the twentieth century, it is now commuter-belt territory, housing developments having been built on these areas...
. While Mildred enjoys the chance to better herself in her new surroundings she is always being thwarted - usually by the lazy, and generally unemployed George, who has no interest in climbing the social ladder, and also continues to show a lack of interest in sexual relations with Mildred.
George and Mildred's yuppie
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
next-door neighbours are Jeffrey Fourmile, a snobbish estate agent
Estate agent
An estate agent is a person or business that arranges the selling, renting or management of properties, and other buildings, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. An agent that specialises in renting is often called a letting or management 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
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
supporting Jeffrey is greatly irritated by George, who frequently annoys him.
Mildred's snobbish sister Ethel and her wealthy husband Humphrey occasionally visit, as does Mildred's mother. Mildred often makes subtle, and unsubtle digs at Ethel's age, or social status and pretensions, when Ethel visits. George's friend Jerry, a jack-of-all-trades, also visits, much to Mildred's annoyance. Jerry is fond of referring to Mildred as "Mildew".
In the first series, George buys Mildred a Yorkshire Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...
called Truffles (played by dog actor Pussy Galore) after the Ropers are unable to adopt a child.
Series One (1976)
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Series Two (1977)
The title sequence for series two features Mildred worriedly getting into a motorcycle sidecar. George puts on his goggles and pulls away, but the sidecar, with Mildred sitting in it, is left at the kerb. The motorcycle, a 1933 Brough SuperiorBrough Superior
Brough Superior motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper. Approximately 3,048 of 19 models...
was also in Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
. (Chased by a runaway wheel packed with explosives, Captain Mainwaring
Captain George Mainwaring
Captain George Mainwaring is the bank manager and Home Guard platoon commander portrayed by Arthur Lowe on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army, set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War...
, Pike
Private Frank Pike
Private Frank Pike is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and junior bank clerk portrayed by Ian Lavender in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. He is frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".- Personality :...
, and Hodges commandeer the bike from a man trimming a hedge). The motorcycle is now at the London Motorcycle Museum
London Motorcycle Museum
The London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
.
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Series Three (1978)
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Series Four (1978)
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Series Five (1979)
| # | Title | Airdate |
|---|
Props
George Roper's BroughBrough Superior
Brough Superior motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper. Approximately 3,048 of 19 models...
motorcycle combination shown to regular comic effect in the opening titles of series 2,3 and 5 is now exhibited at the London Motorcycle Museum
London Motorcycle Museum
The London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
.
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 sistersUgly sisters
The ugly sisters are characters in the fairy tale and pantomime, Cinderella. They are the daughters of Cinderella's cruel stepmother, who treat her poorly...
, Georgina and Mildred, in the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
.
Film version
Following the fifth TV series a feature film version of the series was produced. The film was written not by Cooke and Mortimer but by Dick SharplesDick Sharples
Dick Sharples is a British TV scriptwriter of British sitcoms. He has also written novels, plays and drama series .-Life and career:...
. The Fourmiles only played a small role in the film. The film focused on the original title characters celebrating their wedding anniversary, at Mildred's insistence, at a swanky London hotel, and featured several guest stars including Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, 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.-Early life:Johns...
, Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope
Kenneth Cope is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in Randall and Hopkirk , Jed Stone in Coronation Street and Ray Hilton in Brookside.- Career :...
and the up-and-coming Vicki Michelle
Vicki Michelle
Vicki Michelle MBE , is an English actress best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the television comedy series Allo 'Allo! - a role which she has reprised in both 2008 and 2009 as a cast of the stage show based on the television series.After spending much of 2008 on tour with the Allo...
. The film was neither a critical nor box office success.
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: Yootha JoyceYootha Joyce
Yootha Joyce was an English actress, best known for playing Mildred Roper in Man About the House and George and Mildred.-Early life:...
died from chronic alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
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. People were unaware of this consumption as it never affected her performance or professionalism.
In 2004, on an audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
on the Australian Umbrella DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
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. Speaking of their relationship in a 2001 ITV programme The Unforgettable Yootha Joyce, Murphy said that when they had first met at Joan Littlewood
Joan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
's Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop is a theatre group noted for their director, Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company...
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 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 RopersThe Ropers
The Ropers is an American sitcom that ran from March 13, 1979 to May 22, 1980 on ABC. The series is a spinoff of Three's Company and based on the British sitcom George and Mildred...
, a spin-off of Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, 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.
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 MurphyBrian Murphy (actor)
Brian Murphy is a British actor.Murphy was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Although a prolific actor in many films and theatre productions for almost half a century, Murphy's most famous role was as the henpecked husband George Roper in the sitcom Man About the House and spin-off George and...
, Paula Wilcox
Paula Wilcox
Paula Wilcox is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Chrissy in the British comedy Man About the House .-Early sitcom fame:...
, Sally Thomsett
Sally Thomsett
Sally Thomsett is a British actress.She is mainly remembered for starring in the 1970 film The Railway Children, and for playing Jo in the TV sitcom, Man About the House...
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 1970's Phrase Dictionary. ISBN 9780956563408 . The book is published by Deck Chair Publishing.
DVD releases
The first DVD release of George and Mildred was from Clear Vision in the UK in 2001 (and simultaneously appeared 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.In Australia, the first series was released in May 2003. Unlike the Clear Vision release of series one, all 10 episodes were included, as were the original ad captions and the Thames TV idents (the music for this is called "Salute to Thames") at the start and original end 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), Fremantle Media still have not, as of 2007, worked out clearances for the Australian/New Zealand regions yet, so Umbrella's hands are still tied. On Wednesday, 16 July 2008, Series 3 was finally released in Australia, followed by Series 4 on 3 September 2008 and Series 5 on 3 December 2008, Soon after the release of Series 5, Series 3, 4 and 5 were discontinued, at this stage Series 1 and 2 were also out of production but remaining copies were continuing to be sold. In April 2009, Freemantle Media re-released the first three seasons with the same cover art as of the UK releases (Season 1 now being a 2 Disc set as the original version all 10 episodes were on one disc), Season 4 was re-released on 5 November 2009 and Season 5 re-release on 3 December 2009, although some delays occurred. Freemantle re-released Series 1, Series 2 and Series 3 on 3 March 2011 and has new artwork. Freemantle Media have announced the re-release of Series 4 and Series 5 for 1 September 2011.
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. The complete box set with all 5 seasons has been released in the UK.
A book dedicated to the Situation Comedy, entitled The Man About the House and George & Mildred Companion is due to be published in 2010.
Recent broadcasts
The show is now shown regularly on Comedy Central Extra in the United Kingdom complete with Thames TelevisionThames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
ident. In Spain it is shown on Cuatro and in Canada it is shown on Country Canada
Country Canada
Country Canada may refer to two separate entities under the auspices of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:* CBC News: Country Canada, the long-running rural affairs series....
. In Australia, some episodes were shown on the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
and occasionally on Pay-TV channel, UKTV
UKTV
UKTV is a digital cable and satellite television network, formed through a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, a commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Scripps Networks Interactive, spun off from The E.W Scripps Company in 2008...
. Currently, it is shown weeknights on 7Two
7Two
7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
. It has also been shown in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Granada Plus
Granada Plus
Plus was a digital channel run by Granada Sky Broadcasting. It was launched on 1 October 1996 under the original name of Granada Plus, and during its availability it underwent successive rebrands as G Plus, G+ and then simply Plus. However, it remained widely referred to by the public at large by...
used to repeat the show until the close in 2004. From April 2010, it is also being shown weekdays on ITV3.