Till Death Us Do Part (British TV series)
| Till Death Us Do Part | |
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Original opening titles
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| Created by | Johnny Speight |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 54 (23 missing) + 3 shorts (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time |
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| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release |
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| Followed by | |
Till Death Us Do Part is a British television sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1965 to 1975. First airing as a Comedy Playhouse pilot, the show aired in seven series until 1975. Six years later in 1981, ITV continued the sitcom for 6 episodes, calling it Till Death.... From 1985 to 1992, the BBC produced a sequel In Sickness and in Health.
Created by Johnny Speight, Till Death Us Do Part centred on the East End Garnett family, led by patriarch Alf Garnett (Warren Mitchell), a reactionary white working class man who holds racist and anti-socialist views. His long-suffering wife Else was played by Dandy Nichols, and his daughter Rita by Una Stubbs. Rita's husband Mike Rawlins (Anthony Booth) is a socialist layabout. The character Alf Garnett became a well known character in British culture, and Mitchell played him on stage and television up until Speight's death in 1998.
In addition to the spin-off In Sickness and in Health, Till Death Us Do Part was re-made in many countries including Brazil, Germany (Ein Herz und eine Seele), the Netherlands (In Voor- En Tegenspoed), and is known to the United States as the show that inspired All in the Family.
Many episodes from the first three series are thought to no longer exist, having been wiped in the late 1960s and early '70s as was the policy at the time.
The series became an instant hit 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 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 someconsidered the series uncomfortable and disturbing. Some were oblivious to the fact that Johnny Speight was satirising racist attitudes. Ironically, many who held similar opinions to the character enjoyed the show, perhaps missing the point that Alf's opinions were considered offensive and that they were being ridiculed. Mitchell imbued the character of Alf Garnett with an earthy charm that served to humanise Alf and make him likable. According to interviews he gave, the fact that some viewers overlooked Alf's views and regarded him as a rough diamond disappointed Speight.
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