George & Mildred

- Season 5

(1979)

George buys Mildred a fur coat from the Oxfam shop but when she hears that he found a credit card in the pub she assumes he used it in the shop and returns the coat - only to find, too late, that she was mistaken. Jeffrey is disapproving when he learns that Tristram is playing with a new friend from the council estate and finds that he is not the only one who is a snob.

Mildred goes into hospital with suspected appendicitis so kindly Ann, to Jeffrey's annoyance, has George round for dinner. When he gets home he finds Jerry, who has been evicted, wanting to stay,along with his 'niece.' But the appendicitis is actually indigestion, and Mildred comes home early. She is not happy to find two unwelcome guests and throws them out. Lucky for them Tristram has a tent pitched in the Fourmiles' garden.

The Ropers feel shunned by their middle class neighbours so George suggests they move back to the street in which he grew up, only to find it has been replaced by a tower block and that the area is ruled by gangs of teen-aged vandals. They consider emigrating to Australia but are told they are too old. Finally Mildred finds her niche - on Jeffrey's committee to save a Victorian lamp-post - though George manages to accidentally scupper this too.

Mildred is taking driving lessons from an elderly neighbour, but wanting to keep it secret from George she tells him she's going to Keep Fit classes. When Ann accidentally lets slip that the classes have finished, George suspects Mildred of having an affair; on Jeffrey's advice he tries to be more romantic with her. A misunderstanding arises when the supposed lover comes to the Ropers' house but all is resolved as Mildred passes her test. Meanwhile, Jeffrey must take over a poorly Tristram's paper round.

Charlie Roper, George's long-lost brother, comes to visit. He is a charmer who once dated Mildred and he gives George a thirty-year-old letter which seems to state that George is still liable to be called up for military service, as he ignored the letter at the time. George wants to hide in the attic and sends away a man who has come to sell Mildred a car thinking he is a policeman before the mistake is rectified.

George lets his goldfish,Moby, swim in the sink and Mildred accidentally pulls the plug out,losing Moby, so, by way of compensation, George buys two supposed homing pigeons and builds a loft in the backyard to, calculatedly, annoy Jeffrey. Once released the pigeons never return and Mildred, feeling sorry for George, buys him another goldfish,though it comes at a price.

Browsing through 'Country Life' Ethel sees a photo of a Ming dynasty china horse worth ten thousand pounds. Her mother tells her Mildred owns the only other one in the world and Mildred agrees to sell it to her,having first established that it is one of many worthless copies made in 1927 and not the real thing. For once the Ropers come out on top as Mildred pockets Ethel's cheque for 1,500 pounds and Tristram's pet mouse has the last word.

Jeffrey gets an invite to the Young Conservatives' Dinner Dance but Ann will be away so she persuades him to take Mildred instead. A jealous George chats up widowed barmaid Beryl, telling her he is single and arranging to meet with her on the night of the dance whilst he is alone in the house. However Mildred feels out of her depth and returns home early,forcing George to tell Beryl the truth. The Ropers go to bed and,whilst Mildred declares that she loves George for all his faults, his response is less assured - he calls her Beryl.