Til Death Us Do Part
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Template:Infobox television Til Death Us Do Part (also known as Till Death Us Do Part)<ref>The BBC, which broadcast the series, refers to it differently in different locations. The 2004 DVD release uses two l's. Even the show's creator referred to it differently on occasions. The show title was inspired by the traditional wedding vow, "'til death do us part."</ref> was a BBC television sitcom series written by Johnny Speight that ran from 1966 until 1975. The programme starred Warren Mitchell as the racist East End misogynist (and Rudyard Kipling lookalike) Alf Garnett. Also appearing in the series were Dandy Nichols as Alf's long-suffering wife, Else, Una Stubbs as Rita, his daughter and Anthony Booth as Mike, his layabout son-in-law, whose socialist leanings were the cue for many of Alf's more offensive outbursts. The series was remade in the United States as the enormously successful sitcom All in the Family (1971-1979) and in Germany (1973 - 1976) as Ein Herz und eine Seele ("One Heart and One Soul"). There was even a version in Israel, where the Alf character would spout bigoted remarks about the Arabs.
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Series
The series became an instant hit, presumably because, although a comedy, in the context of its time it did deal with aspects of working-class life comparatively realistically. It addressed racial and political issues at a particularly difficult time in British society. The attitude of those who made the programme was that Alf's views were so clearly unacceptable that they were risible, but some viewers considered the series an uncomfortable and disturbing series to watch. Some were simply oblivious to the fact that Johnny Speight was satirising racist attitudes. Ironically, some racists and reactionaries enjoyed watching the show - and missed the point that Alf's opinions were offensive. Ultimately, the fact that Mitchell imbued the character of Alf Garnett with an earthy charm despite his repugnant opinions served to humanise Alf and make him a likeable character. According to interviews he gave, the fact that some viewers overlooked Alf's views and regarded him as rough diamond, deeply disappointed Speight.
The show captured a key aspect of Britain in the 1960s - the widening generation gap. Alf (and to a lesser degree his wife) represented the old guard, the traditional attitudes of the older generation. Alf's battles with his left-wing son-in-law were not just ideological but also generational and cultural. His son-in-law and daughter (who was a dutiful supporter of her husband rather than an active protagonist) represented the younger generation. They saw the positive aspects of the new era. Relaxed sexual mores, fashions, music etc. The very same things were anathema to Alf - and indicative of everything that was wrong with the younger generation and the liberal attitudes they embraced.
Alf was the archetypal working-class Conservative. The two subjects that excited him most were football and politics. He used language that was not considered acceptable for broadcasting on television in the 1960s. He often referred to racial minorities as "coons" and similar terms. He frequently referred to his Liverpudlian son-in-law as a "randy Scouse git" (Randy Scouse Git as a phrase caught the ear of Micky Dolenz of The Monkees who heard it while on tour in the UK - and who co-opted it as the title of the group's next single - though their record label re-named it "Alternate Title" in the UK market to avoid controversy) and to his wife as a "silly moo" (a substitute for "cow" which was originally vetoed by the BBC's censors). Controversially, the show was one of the earliest mainstream programmes to feature the swear word "bloody". The show was one of several held up by self-appointed public moralist Mary Whitehouse as an example of the BBC's moral laxity.
In a classic demonstration of Johnny Speight's satirical skills - on learning that Mary Whitehouse was a critic of the show - Speight created an episode where Alf Garnett was seen to be a big fan of Mary Whitehouse. He was seen proudly reading her current book. "What are you reading?" his son-in-law asks. When he relates that it's Mary Whitehouse - his son-in-law sniggers. Alf's rejoinder is priceless: "She's concerned for the bleedin' moral fibre of the nation!" he insists. Speight was able to assert that the support for Mary Whitehouse's self-styled "Clean-Up TV" campaign was synonymous with the attitudes of loud bigots such as Alf Garnett.
Ultimately "silly moo" became a comic catch phrase. Another phrase he used was "it stands to reason", usually before making some patently unreasonable or illogical comment. Alf was an admirer of Enoch Powell, a right-wing Conservative politician known for his strong opposition to the immigration of non-white races into the United Kingdom. Alf was also a fanatical supporter of West Ham United (a football team based in the East End) and was known to make derogatory remarks about "the Jews up at Spurs" (referring to Tottenham Hotspur, a North London soccer team with a sizable Jewish following). This was a playful touch by Speight knowing that in real life Mitchell was both Jewish and a Spurs supporter. In interviews, Johnny Speight explained that he had originally based the character of Alf on his father, an East End docker who was staunchly reactionary and held "unenlightened" attitudes towards black people. Speight made clear that he deeply regretted that his father held such attitudes - beliefs that Speight regarded as reprehensible. Speight saw the show in part as a way of ridiculing such views and dealing with his complex feelings about his father.
In 1968 the series was ended after three seasons, but due to success in reruns it was brought back in 1972 and continued for four more seasons. Seasons 1-3 were telerecorded in black and white and seasons 4-7 were taped in colour.
Toward the end of the series Dandy Nichols fell ill and was unable to attend the live-audience recordings. The problem was solved by having her pre-record her lines which were then skilfully edited into the show. Eventually even this was too much of a strain, and so in a later episode Else was seen leaving for Australia, much to Alf's dismay. Afterwards Alfie Bass and Patricia Hayes joined the cast, playing Bert and Min Reed, the Garnetts new neighbors. But the shows ratings fell, and in 1975 Johnny Speight decided to cease production.
Episodes
Series one
- Pilot (aired on Comedy Playhouse 22 July 1965)
- Arguments, Arguments (6 June 1966)
- Hair Raising (13 June 1966)
- A House With No Love In It (20 June 1966)
- Intolerance (11 July 1966)
- Two Toilets...Thats Posh! (18 July 1966)
- From Liverpool With Love (25 July 1966)
- Clustraphobia (1 August 1966)
Series two
- Peace and Goodwill (26 December 1966)
- Sex Before Marriage (2 January 1967)
- I Can Always Give Up (9 January 1967)
- Caviar on the Dull (16 January 1967)
- The Bulldog Breed (23 January 1967)
- A Woman Place Is In The Home (30 January 1967)
- A Wapping Mythology (6 February 1967)
- In Sickness and In Health (13 February 1967)
- State Visit (20 February 1967)
- Alf's Dilemma (27 February 1967)
- Till Closing Time Do Us Part (27 March 1967)
Series three
- The Phone (5 January 1968)
- The Blood Donor (12 January 1968)
- Monopoly (19 January 1968)
- The Funeral (26 January 1968)
- Football (2 February 1968)
- The Puppy (9 February 1968)
- Aunt Maud (16 February 1968)
Feature movies
- 1. Till Death Us Do Part (1968)
- 2. The Alf Garnett Saga (1972)
Series four
- To Garnett A Grandson (13 September 1972)
- Piegon Fancy (20 September 1972)
- Holiday in Bournemouth (27 September 1972)
- Dock Pielfering (11 October 1972)
- Up The Hammers (18 October 1972)
- Alf's Broken Leg (25 October 1972)
- Jesus Christ Superstar (26 December 1972)
Series five
- TV License (2 January 1974)
- The Royal Wedding (9 January 1974)
- Strikes and Blackouts (23 January 1974)
- Party Night (30 January 1974)
- Three Day Week (5 February 1974)
- Grans Watch (12 February 1974)
- Paki (28 February 1974)
- Outbck Bound (31 December 1974)
Series six
- Untitled (8 January 1975)
- Marital Bliss (15 January 1975)
- Untitled (22 January 1975
- No Title (29 January 1975
- No Title (5 February 1975)
- No Title (12 February 1975)
Series seven
- Moving In With Min (5 November 1975)
- No Title (12 November 1975)
- No Title (19 November 1975)
- Stuck (26 November 1975)
- A Hole In One (3 December 1975)
- Unemployment (16 December 1975)
Missing episodes
Most of the shows 24 black and white episodes no longer exsist. They were wiped by the BBC during the late 1970's.
Sequels
In 1981, the ITV company Central picked up the series and made six episodes under the title Till Death. The series had Alf and Else living in a retirement home in Eastbourne with their widowed friend Min. Although Rita remained in the cast, Anthoney Booth declined to return. It was said he and Rita had divorced. Rita's son Michael was now a teenager and a punk rocker (even though he was born in 1972 and he should only be about 9 or 10).
In the late 1980s Alf Garnett returned to the BBC for In Sickness and in Health. This took Alf and Else (who was now in a wheelchair) onwards into old age, and some of Alf's more extreme opinions were found to have mellowed. Una Stubbs made some guest appearances but Anthony Booth apparently wasn't interested in reprising his role. After the first series Dandy Nichols died, and so subsequent episodes showed Alf having to deal with the greatest loss of his life - Else's pension.
Warren Mitchell has also appeared solo on stage and TV as Alf Garnett, dispensing variations on Alf's homespun reactionary philosophy and singing old music hall songs. One show was called It Stands To Reason - The Thoughts Of Chairman Alf; one reviewer concluded that "Speight and Mitchell are to be congratulated for understanding so well the mind of a man who they hate".
Film Adaptions
A number of unexceptional feature films were made based on the series - Til Death Us Do Part (1969) and The Alf Garnett Saga (1972). The first of these dealt with the Garnetts being moved from their East End slum to the New town of Hemel Hempstead, and the adjustments and changes that brought on the family. While unremarkable as a film, it does give a fascinating glimpse of British life at the time.
DVD
In the UK, Network has released the first two colour seasons on DVD (Seasons 4 and 5). The fourth season is available in the United States and Canada. The 1969 movie is available in both the UK and the US.
Trivia
- In real life actor Anthony Booth fathered a daughter Cherie Booth who later married British Labour Party politician Tony Blair - making Anthony Booth the father-in-law of a prime minister.
Notes
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