Johnnie Mortimer partnership with Brian Cooke. A version of "Man about the House" later transferred to America under the name "Three's Company". The partnership also wrote two plays, the first a theatrical version of "George and Mildred" (later renamed "When the Cat's Away" after the death of actress Yootha Joyce who played Mildred). The second was "Situation Comedy", and featured two TV situation comedy writers struggling to come up with an idea for a new series (in the end they write a stage play instead). Johnnie Mortimer John Mortimer, born in Clare, Suffolk, (2 July 1931 – 2 September 1992) professionally Johnnie
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