Man About the House
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Man About the House was a British sitcom which ran from 1973 to 1976 on ITV and told the story of a man who moves into a London flat with two girls after they found him asleep in the bathtub after a party.
The programme revolved around the events of Robin Tripp, a young man studying to be a chef, and his two flatmates Chrissy and Jo. Their downstairs neighbours and landlords were George and Mildred Roper (really sub-letting for the Council).
The comedy of the series frequently concerned romances of the trio, and sometimes Robin's sexual attraction for flatmate Chrissy. Frequently they would have to outwit landlord George, but usually found an ally in his frustrated, lascivious and social-climbing wife Mildred. After the first series Robin's friend Larry Simmonds, a loveable rogue, moved into the loft apartment and was a frequent source of trouble. Another occasional cast member was dodgy builder and schemer Jerry, a friend of George Roper's.
At the time, it was considered risqué on television to show a man living with two women, which was played on in the series. The three told landlord George Roper that Robin Tripp was gay ("poof" was the word used).
Robin's affection for Chrissy allowed the writers to bring a dramatic end to the programme in 1976 when Chrissy fell for Robin's confident elder brother Norman. In the final episode, she married Norman with Robin's blessing, even though he had tried to win her love for real when he first realised she and Norman were getting close. He ended up accepting their partnership and was a proud best man.
The series had run for three years, and was later remade in the US as Three's Company. It also gave rise to a feature film and two successful of spin-off series: Robin's Nest (where Robin gets married and opens a restaurant) and George & Mildred (where the Ropers move to the suburbs).
Cast List:
- Richard O'Sullivan as Robin Tripp
- Paula Wilcox as Chrissy Plummer
- Sally Thomsett as Jo
- Brian Murphy as George Roper
- Yootha Joyce as Mildred Roper
- Doug Fisher as Larry Simmonds
- Norman Eshley as Norman Tripp (he had also played a philandering executive who tried to seduce Chrissy, but Robin introduced her to the executive's kindly pregnant wife who had no idea of her husband's infidelity.
- Roy Kinnear as Jerry