The Thoughts of Chairman Alf
| Alf Garnett | |
|---|---|
| Till Death Us Do Part character | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" (Comedy Playhouse, 1965) |
| Last appearance | The Thoughts of Chairman Alf (1998) |
| Created by | Johnny Speight |
| Portrayed by | Warren Mitchell |
| Information | |
| Spouse(s) | Else Garnett |
| Children | Rita Rawlins |
| Relatives | Charlie Garnett (father) Michael Rawlins, Junior (grandson) Maud (sister-in-law) |
| Nationality | British |
Alfred Edward "Alf" Garnett is a fictional character from the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and its follow-on and spin-off series Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health. Alf also starred in the chat show The Thoughts of Chairman Alf. The character was created by Johnny Speight and played by Warren Mitchell.
Alf was born in Wapping around 1917. He was always unpopular as a lad and it was said he only began going out with his wife Else, whom he had known since they were children, as a result of his mother's intervention. A two-year courtship followed during the first part of World War Two and the pair married in 1941 (the film Till Death Us Do Part (1968) showed the couple marrying in 1939, but the actual series always stated them to have been married in 1941). Alf was called up for military service in 1940 but got out of it by claiming he was in a Reserved Occupation. Alf and Else had a daughter Rita by 1942 and raised her in the slums of Wapping at 25 Jamaica Street, E1, where Alf worked on the docks and Else stayed home and tended to the house.
Rita married her "long-haired layabout" socialist boyfriend Mike in 1966 shortly after the general election of 31 March and they moved into the Wapping house. Alf was horrified by this and he and Mike rarely got along, the only time they did was when they both went to the 1966 World Cup Final, England vs. West Germany. Around 1968, according to the film The Alf Garnett Saga, despite resistance from Alf, the Garnetts were rehoused in a tower block in a new town on the edge of London, probably in Essex. Alf continued to work on the docks in London despite the long commute. Alf was still proud when the couple had a son together in September 1972. There was some speculation by Else that Mike was not the child's father but instead, the singer Kenny Lynch with whom Rita had had a brief relationship. Else eventually left Alf in 1974 and moved to Australia to live with her sister Maud whom Alf hated. She later wired Alf in 1975 on his birthday asking him for a divorce and the same day Alf lost his job.
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