I can't but feel that compared to other couples-the Buckets (Keeping Up Appearances) the Boswells (Bread) and the Parkinsons (Butterflies) they are pretty similar.
George & Mildred Page 5
Quote: Tim Azure @ October 24 2012, 5:48 PM BSTI can't but feel that compared to other couples-the Buckets (Keeping Up Appearances) the Boswells (Bread) and the Parkinsons (Butterflies) they are pretty similar.
The Parkinsons? Middle class. The Buckets? Middle class. George and Mildred? George fiercely working class, Mildred working class with middle class pretentions. The Boswells working class, even though none of them officially works. I don't see any connection between Butterflies and Bread and George and Mildred. There could be a case for George and Mildred and Keeping up Appearences, they are both about class snobbery.
George and Mildred the Movie was the worst transfer ever, ever, ever. I was working in a theatre in Jersey at the time where George and Mildred were doing a stage show. I went to the world premiere of the film, and I can tell you the silence was deafening. To be fair, Yootha Joyce, who was a lovely lady, was very ill at the time. But the script was appalling and was one of the nails in the coffin of the film spinoff.
Quote: Pingl @ October 24 2012, 6:09 PM BSTThe Parkinsons? Middle class. The Buckets? Middle class. George and Mildred? George fiercely working class, Mildred working class with middle class pretentions. The Boswells working class, even though none of them officially works. I don't see any connection between Butterflies and Bread and George and Mildred. There could be a case for George and Mildred and Keeping up Appearences, they are both about class snobbery.
Wot 'e sed.
I don't think I'd describe George Roper so much as "fiercely working class", rather too uncaring and lazy to be bothered with any pretentions or behaviour other than that which was already ingrained.
Working class, certainly. But fierce? Never.
Quote: Aaron @ October 24 2012, 11:23 PM BSTI don't think I'd describe George Roper so much as "fiercely working class", rather too uncaring and lazy to be bothered with any pretentions or behaviour other than that which was already ingrained.
Working class, certainly. But fierce? Never.
Really? I thought the whole point was that George's militancy, pro union, pro Labour etc was what rubbed Jeffrey up the wrong way. The whole point of the sitcom was that George, against his will, gets moved from a working class area to a middle class one. I would call George fiercely working class. Posh twit etc. It was essentially a comedy about class, built on two established characters who already had the hen pecked husband theme.
Militancy? Not a hint of it. There are only one or two episodes in the entire 5 series that deal in any tangible sense with politics.
Jeffrey dislikes George because of his class traits: he is slovenly, uncultured, unrefined, uncouth, and probably unwashed. It is his habits, such as keeping ferrets and pigeons, and having a broken down motorcycle rusting away on the front lawn, that Jeffrey objects to.
George is undoubtedly a Labour supporter, but there is never the remotest suggestion that he has any convictions or political beliefs. He's simply Labour because he is, because of his background and his lack of pretentions that he sees as necessary to be a "toffee nosed-twit".
There is a big difference between strong class identification - which is definitely prevalent in George & Mildred, as you note - and outward politicism. What drives George is not a deeply held belief in the cause of the downtrodden worker, but sheer laziness and lack of any kind of drive to be any different from how he was raised.
Quote: Aaron @ October 25 2012, 2:00 PM BSTMilitancy? Not a hint of it. There are only one or two episodes in the entire 5 series that deal in any tangible sense with politics.
Jeffrey dislikes George because of his class traits: he is slovenly, uncultured, unrefined, uncouth, and probably unwashed. It is his habits, such as keeping ferrets and pigeons, and having a broken down motorcycle rusting away on the front lawn, that Jeffrey objects to.
George is undoubtedly a Labour supporter, but there is never the remotest suggestion that he has any convictions or political beliefs. He's simply Labour because he is, because of his background and his lack of pretentions that he sees as necessary to be a "toffee nosed-twit".
There is a big difference between strong class identification - which is definitely prevalent in George & Mildred, as you note - and outward politicism. What drives George is not a deeply held belief in the cause of the downtrodden worker, but sheer laziness and lack of any kind of drive to be any different from how he was raised.
But that does tend to be the picture in the seventies and eighties, the working class, working or not, considered themselves to be part of a proud tradition. That was the genius of Shelley it inverted the work shy layabout to the middle class and well educated. I would still consider George to be militant if only to get up Jeffrey's nose.
I think we were talking about whether a couple were similar to each other...
Watched the episode where George's TV blows up tonight. Very well written and still as funny today as it was then. his prompted me to checkout the US version, the pilot is here: http://youtu.be/-laeanF4tiA
They just haven't got the dynamics right at all. Very poor effort.
As an aside how do you change the web address to 'here'?
Quote: Will Cam @ April 11 2013, 11:04 PM BSTWatched the episode where George's TV blows up tonight. Very well written and still as funny today as it was then. his prompted me to checkout the US version, the pilot is here: http://youtu.be/-laeanF4tiA
They just haven't got the dynamics right at all. Very poor effort.
As an aside how do you change the web address to 'here'?
Next door's missus looks a bit fit though !
(as did the one here)
I am very glad this sitcom has stood the test of time. Lovely interaction between the two leads, and some subtle double entendres, unusual for the 1970s when anything the least bit saucy was banged home with a sledge hammer.
Seriously considering buying the boxed set. 
Buy it Yep a lovely sitcom.
Never really watched it much at the time but saw some last week on Yesterday. Have to feel for poor Mildred really as she was a sexual woman but George just didn't want to know preferring his dirty mags.