Mildred Roper arrive, George often runs away to the pub or next door, unless Mildred bellows for him to sit. Upon the death in 1980 of Yootha Joyce, who had played Mildred, Thames Television did talk of producing a spin-off for the character of George, looking at him cope with life as a widower. This project did not materialise, but Brian Murphy did reunite with "George and Mildred" co-star Roy Kinnear and writers Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke for "The Incredible Mr. Tanner", a comedy produced for Thames soon after Yootha Joyce's death. Yootha Joyce appeared as Mildred Roper in all episodes
Theatre Workshop planned to transform the centre of Stratford. Audiences mounted a campaign to save the theatre and for many years it remained open in the centre of a building site. In 1975 Gerry Raffles died of diabetes and in 1979 Littlewood moved to France, and ceased to direct. Many well-regarded television and stage actors began their professional careers at Theatre Workshop under Littlewood's tutelage. They included Yootha Joyce, Glynn Edwards, Harry H. Corbett, George A. Cooper, Richard Harris, Stephen Lewis, Howard Goorney, Brian Murphy, Murray Melvin, Nigel Hawthorne and Barbara Windsor. The last three were cast by the director Ken Russell