Brian Murphy (actor) the lazy George Roper, whose wife, Mildred, was played by Yootha Joyce. Her domineering, social-climbing characteristic was a sharp contrast to George's desire for an easy and quiet life and the pairing was an instant hit. A contributing factor to their immediate chemistry was that they had been friends for many years. Aside from their Theatre Workshop years, Murphy also featured in "Sparrows Can't Sing" (1963) with Joyce and other Theatre Workshop colleagues. When "Man About The House" ended in 1976, a spin-off was created for Murphy and Joyce, entitled "George and Mildred". This ran for five series until 1979.
Yootha Joyce this was to be her last work. Amidst growing concern over her health, she was admitted to hospital in the summer of 1980. Joyce died in hospital of liver failure four days after her 53rd birthday on 24 August 1980. Her co-star and good friend Brian Murphy was at her bedside. She was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. At the inquest into her death, it was revealed that she had been drinking upwards of half a bottle of brandy a day for ten years, and that she had, in the words of her lawyer Mario Uziell-Hamilton, become a victim of