''George and the Dragon'' is a British

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

made by ATV for the ITV network which was transmitted in four series comprising 26 episodes between 19 November 1966 and 31 October 1968. The regular cast was

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

Peggy Mount Margaret Rose Mount OBE (2 May 1915 – 13 November 2001) was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine yea ...

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation c ...

and

Keith Marsh Keith Marsh (1926 – 28 January 2013) was an English actor who appeared in numerous television productions over a 50-year period. Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, he is perhaps best known for playing Jacko in the Thames Television sitcom '' ...

. The show was written by

Harry Driver Harry Driver (13 May 1931 – 25 November 1973) was a British television scriptwriter and executive producer. He is best remembered for his partnership with Vince Powell on comedy television programmes including '' Never Mind The Quality Feel The ...

and

Vince Powell Vincent Joseph Powell (6 August 1928 – 13 July 2009) was a British television scriptwriter. He collaborated with a writing partner, Harry Driver, until 1973. Early life Powell was born as Vincent Joseph Smith to Roman Catholic parents in M ...

; Shaun O'Riordan was the director, and Alan Tarrant was the main producer.

Outline

George Russell (James), a handyman and chauffeur, and Gabrielle Dragon (Mount), a housekeeper, are both employed by Colonel Maynard (Le Mesurier). Also among the staff is Ralph (Marsh), a gardener. George's lascivious behaviour has been responsible for the resignation of 16 previous housekeepers, but Gabrielle, a formidable widow in her forties, will have none of it. The two leading characters are frequently at crossed swords with each other and George regularly schemes to remove her from her job. Mount herself was unlike the 'battleaxe' characters she tended to play, and had known James for many years by the time of this series. They had worked together in the screen adaptation of the

Brian Rix Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix, (27 January 1924 – 20 August 2016) was an English actor-manager, who produced a record-breaking sequence of long-running farces on the London stage, including ''Dry Rot'', ''Simple Spymen'' and ''One for ...

-associated farce ''

Dry Rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...

'' (1956). Mount reminded James of his own mother, while Mount found James a convivial colleague.''George and the Dragon''
Television Heaven It was while the second series was in production on 13 May 1967 that James had his first

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Cast

as George Russell *

as Gabrielle Dragon *

as Colonel Maynard *

as Ralph

DVD release

Unlike many British television series of its era, ''George and the Dragon'' survives in its entirety with no episodes missing,''George and the Dragon'' (1966-68)
lostshows.com and has been issued as a DVD boxset.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0059987 1966 British television series debuts 1968 British television series endings 1960s British sitcoms 1960s British workplace comedy television series English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Television shows set in London Television shows shot at ATV Elstree Studios