Brian Murphy (actor) Murphy reprised his role in feature films of both sitcoms. Joyce died in 1980, and "George and Mildred" was cancelled. Another sitcom was created for Murphy with him in the title role in "The Incredible Mr. Tanner" along with "Man About The House" and "George and Mildred" co-star Roy Kinnear, but the show failed to gain popularity. Murphy has continued to appear regularly on television, most notably as "Alvin Smedley" in "Last of the Summer Wine" from 2003 to 2010, and also with roles in "On Your Way, Riley" (1985) as Arthur Lucan, "Lame Ducks" (as a private investigator); "The
Yootha Joyce her own success, and dreaded the thought of being typecast as Mildred Roper. She appeared posthumously in her last recorded television performance, duetting with Max Bygraves on his variety show "Max". The episode was aired on 14 January 1981. The actor/comedian Kenneth Williams wrote of the performance that "...she looked as though she was crying..." He also went on to mention her in a later entry in his diary (9 April 1988) that she was "a lady who made so many people happy and a lady who never complained". In 1986 the Smiths used an image of Joyce on the