Playback is currently unavailable for S2 E1 · Peace and Goodwill. Episode details remain available below.
Till Death Us Do Part
Follows the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf, a reactionary working-class man who wields racist and anti-Socialist views. His long-suffering wife Else manages to keep things in control... for the most part. Their progressive daughter Rita lives with them, as does her Irish husband Mike, who, with an array of liberal worldviews, often quarrels with his father-in-law. It inspired the American show "All In The Family" and several other international variations on the same theme.
- Created by:
- Johnny Speight
- Cast:
- Warren Mitchell, Una Stubbs, Anthony Booth, Patricia Hayes
- Language:
- English
- Country:
- United Kingdom
- Network:
- BBC One
Episode guide
Seasons
Series 2
Episodes
Episode 1
Peace and Goodwill
1966-12-26 · 30mAs the Garnetts celebrate Christmas, Alf berates Rita and Mike for only giving him 'Whiffs' as opposed to real cigars and second-rate socks whilst they have bought Else a dress and accuses his atheist son of hypocrisy. Rita is unable to recall his gift of a doll's house when she was little – though that was because Alf fell downstairs and broke it whilst drunk. When the carollers come calling, Alf is ready for then with a vase of dirty water but has to drink it when he sees the vicar heading the singers.
Current episodeEpisode 2
Sex Before Marriage
1967-01-02 · 30mThe sexual morals of the youth of the mid-1960s are far from acceptable to pedagogue Alf, and when Rita's virtue is brought into question by Socialist son-in-law Mike, the predictable explosion occurs.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 3
I Can Give Up Any Time I Like
1967-01-09 · 30mPipe smoker Alf reluctantly accepts a challenge given by Mike to give up smoking. Both Else and Rita are pleased, but which of the two men will crack under the strain first?
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 4
The Bulldog Breed
1967-01-16 · 30mIn yet another political argument, this time about the war in Vietnam, Alf declares that all protesters are Communists. However, when a lorry driver parks outside Alf's house and refuses to budge, Alf indulges in a little protest of his own.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 5
Caviar on the Dole
1967-01-23 · 30mWhen Mike loses his job and has to sign on the dole, Alf is suspicious because he offers to give him more money for the rent. It turns out that he has an extra £5 in his National Assistance but has to give most of it to Alf as increased rent.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 6
A Woman's Place Is in the Home
1967-01-30 · 30mAlf comes home late from work and finds his dinner burnt to a crisp in the oven. Else tells him that Mike is at the chip shop and that if he phones through to him, it will not be too late for Alf to place his own order. However, Alf is thwarted by others using the phone box.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 7
A Wapping Mythology
1967-02-06 · 30mAlf returns home full of pride, having bought a portrait photograph of the Duke of Windsor—the former King Edward VIII—he astonishes his family by telling them that his late father was a personal friend and drinking companion of the Duke, and also the Duke is an ardent supporter of Alf's beloved West Ham United.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 8
In Sickness and in Health...
1967-02-13 · 30mAlf is in hospital for a short stay and he is not a model patient. Uncomfortable with a Black nurse, he defies hygiene by trying to clean his pipe out with a syringe. To worsen matters, he's visited by relatives, something he can truly do without.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 9
State Visit
1967-02-20 · 30mLearning that the Socialist prime minister he despises, Harold Wilson, is hosting the Russian premier, Alf is appalled, seeing this as yet another example of Wilson's lean into Communism. He decides to go to Downing Street to protest and then head on to Buckingham Palace so that the Queen can see his patriotism.
Watch progress · Not trackedEpisode 10
Alf's Dilemma (aka Cleaning Up TV)
1967-02-27 · 30mAlf has a stomach bug but Else has blocked the toilet with tea leaves so he has to keep going next door. After decrying immigrants for bringing in diseases, Alf learns that he is carrying a contagious bug himself and has to go into hospital. Rita and Mike gleefully burn his copy of notorious moral guardian Mary Whitehouse's 'Clean Up TV' to prevent further contamination.
Watch progress · Not trackedCast
Warren Mitchell
Alf Garnett
Una Stubbs
Rita Rawlins (née Garnett)
Anthony Booth
Michael 'Mike' Rawlins
Patricia Hayes
Min Reed
Alfie Bass
Bert Reed
