Living his on-screen life as a put-upon figure, actor Brian Murphy was the mainstay of several hit television shows playing, as he termed it, "old codgers". Born on the Isle of Wight, the RADA graduate was an established repertory actor but parts were drying up. When close to giving up, Murphy was cast as George Roper, the lazy but amiable landlord of three flatmates upstairs, in
Man About The House. The show was a hit and spawned an even bigger hit,
George And Mildred, in which he starred opposite his screen wife and close friend Yootha Joyce. At its peak, 20 million people tuned in to watch each week. Murphy was a feature of several more sitcoms before finding a happy home in the enduring classic show
Last of the Summer Wine. For several years Murphy played a neighbour of the ferocious Nora Batty, taking the place of Bill "Compo" Owen, who had died in 1999. Brian Murphy died on February 1 aged 92. — APL/Agencies
