Brian Cooke Brian Cooke Brian Cooke (born 1937, in Liverpool, Merseyside) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer, Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including "Man About the House", "George and Mildred", and "Robin's Nest". Cooke also wrote and created the 1980s TV sitcom "Keep It in the Family", starring Robert Gillespie and the late-1960s/early-1970s sitcom "Father, Dear Father" starring Patrick Cargill. "Man About the House", "George and Mildred", "Robin's Nest", and "Keep It in the Family" were remade for American television as "Three's Company", "The Ropers", "Three's a Crowd"
Seven of One Glynn Edwards, Joan Sims, Keith Chegwin, Leslie Dwyer, Robin Parkinson, Sam Kelly, Christopher Biggins, Richard O'Callaghan, Yootha Joyce, David Jason, and Avis Bunnage in supporting roles. The series was released on BBC DVD in 2005. Whilst most of the pilots were not developed any further, "Open All Hours" and "Prisoner and Escort" were successfully developed into full series. "Open All Hours" was developed into a sitcom of the same name and a later sequel named "Still Open All Hours", while "Prisoner and Escort" became "Porridge", which led to a spinoff series called "Going Straight" in 1978 and a feature film