423:, he sold socialist newspapers on street corners, shouting his wares in his beautifully trained voice. It was only when he realised why people were not buying his newspapers that he developed Alf's voice, to appear more "working class". Mitchell stated that he became tired of always being associated with Alf Garnett but enjoyed playing the part and appreciated the debt he owed to the character.
480:, Alf receives a letter advising him that he has been called up for war service. However, the letter which is shown on screen is addressed to Alfred Garnet. Later in the film, Alf claims that the call-up papers were in error because he was in a Reserved Occupation and thus ineligible for service, so possibly the authorities had confused him with someone with a similar name.
265:
invited Else's black home help, Winston, and then
Winston's cousin Pele to be his lodgers. He was also on moderately good terms with the local Pakistani shopkeeper Mr Kittel and a Jewish neighbour, Mr Rabinsky. In 1998, Alf was still living in the East End and Mrs. Hollingberry was still his neighbour.
198:
around 1917. Not much was known of Alf's parents but his father was sometimes mentioned negatively by Alf's wife Else, who said 'nobody knew what he was - some say he was a gyppo (gypsy).' It was also hinted that Alf had Jewish ancestry, though he always denied this and often referred to his religion
264:
Else died in
September 1986 and Alf, after years of poor treatment of his wife, was devastated by her death. He later got involved with and nearly married his upstairs neighbour, Mrs. Hollingberry. They later broke it off but remained good friends. Alf's views on race softened in his old age, and he
345:, referring to her as a "silly old moo". Else usually turned a deaf ear to most of Alf's rantings, but if he got too personal, she would come up with a sharp retort to fight back. Her usual retort was to call him "Pig!" Though detached from him emotionally, she could easily give as good as she got.
411:
elements of the character. Speight defended the Alf
Garnett character, saying: "If you do the character correctly, he just typifies what you hear - not only in pubs but in golf clubs around the country. To make him truthful he's got to say those things, and they are nasty things. But I feel as a
203:, 'same as Her Majesty the Queen', though he rarely attended services. He was unpopular as a youth and it was claimed he only began going out with Else, whom he had known since they were children, as a result of his mother's intervention. A two-year courtship followed during the early years of
399:
Rita could give as good as she got as well, her catchphrase was often "You make me sick, you do!" before she would go off on her own tirades, at times aimed at her husband for his stupidity, but more often at her extremely overheating father over his appalling treatment of her mother.
447:
in the Alf
Garnett mould. Like Garnett in British popular culture, Bunker became an icon in American popular culture for his very conservative views, although the Bunker character was portrayed as somewhat more likable than Garnett. Bunker, in turn, served as an inspiration for
354:
Else needed to use a wheelchair, and Alf grumbled about having to care for her. When Dandy
Nichols died in 1986, the character of Else was killed off. Alf always treated his wife appallingly, but genuinely missed her after her death.
483:
In the TV series and films, Alf is always shown as a pipe smoker, usually smoking St Bruno tobacco in a
Straight Billiard type pipe. The character was a staunch defender of smoking and Warren Mitchell himself received the award of
213:(1968) showed the couple marrying in 1939, but the actual series always stated them to have been married in 1941). Alf was called up for military service in 1940 but managed to avoid duty by claiming he was in a
228:
boyfriend Mike in 1966, shortly after the general election of 31 March, and they moved into the
Garnetts' house. Alf and Mike rarely got along; the only time they saw eye to eye was when they both went to the
241:
in a new town on the outskirts of London. Alf continued to work on the docks in London despite the long commute. In the TV series they remained the East End. Else eventually left Alf in 1974 and moved to
334:
Generally, Alf blamed his problems on everybody but himself. His family was the usual target of his anger and frustration. In the shows, Garnett was regularly ridiculed for his illogical views and
430:
in London staged an "Alf
Garnett exhibition", where visitors pressed buttons representing particular social problems and were presented with Alf giving his opinions on the subject.
323:, which he bought from a local junk shop. This, however, did not stop him from criticising them when he thought they deserved it. His biggest passion in life though, was his local
257:
with their widowed neighbour Min. Rita visited and Alf was horrified to see his grandson, now a teenager (albeit being born in 1972, his age is inconsistent between series), was a
261:. Between 1981 and 1985, the Garnetts moved back to a small house in the East End, and Min stayed behind with her sister Gwenyth. Else became ill and needed to use a wheelchair.
217:. In the series, however, Garnett claimed that he saw active service overseas during the war. Alf and Else had a daughter, Rita, by 1942 and raised her in the slums of
585:
307:, believing them to pretend to represent the working classes, whilst "all they would do when in power is feather their own nests". He was also an admirer of
214:
980:
496:
The character's name has become a standard description of anyone ranting at the world in general, and has even found its way into
British politics.
246:
to live with her sister Maud, whom Alf hated. She later wired Alf in 1975 on his birthday asking him for a divorce. The same day, Alf lost his job.
672:
829:
615:
555:
likened one of his own activists to
Garnett after he was recorded calling for English Channel migrants to be used as "target practice".
512:
also criticised Powell for making Alf Garnett "politically articulate" and conferring upon him "a degree of political respectability".
209:
995:
870:
985:
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303:
His biggest reason for being a Conservative was not that he admired the party, but that he fully rejected the policy of the
544:
288:, because he believed that a woman's place was at home "chained to the bloody kitchen sink!" and blamed Thatcher's husband
785:
822:
427:
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407:
often commented that the character was supposed to be a figure of ridicule, but admitted that not all viewers saw the
396:. Alf and Michael had different political views and much of the programme focussed on their heated political debates.
711:
528:
280:
man, forever complaining that he worked hard and yet lived near the poverty line. He was a staunch supporter of the
392:
132:
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at 25 Jamaica Street, where Alf worked on the docks and Else stayed at home and tended to the house.
151:
467:, featured Alfred Tetzlaff in the Garnett mould, although Tetzlaff was also designed as a parody of
951:
178:
786:"Nigel Farage claims Reform UK activist who directed racist comments at Rishi Sunak is 'an actor'"
273:
In the episode 'State Visit' (20 February 1967) Alf gives his full name as Alfred Edward Garnett.
937:
485:
463:
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as "the new Alf Garnett of British politics" following his comments on immigration. During the
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30:
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writer that they should be out in the open so we can see how daft these comparisons are."
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descent, precisely the type of person Alf hated most. Alf often described him as a "Randy
8:
375:
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944:
773:
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44:
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315:, decorating his home with prints of many members of the royal family including
716:
404:
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Alf was mean and selfish towards his emotionally detached wife, Else played by
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120:
67:
969:
912:
564:
536:
509:
497:
444:
363:
362:, decided to marry Michael, her long-haired, unemployed boyfriend, played by
342:
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for not telling her "to keep her place". He did not admire her predecessor, "
277:
145:
552:
513:
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468:
449:
308:
297:
204:
523:
More recently, Garnett has been used in criticism of politicians such as
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807:
752:"Alf Garnett at the city hall" by Hugh Muir, The Guardian, 21 June 2006
619:
454:
359:
254:
589:
548:
420:
382:
Git". This terminology was later picked up by the American pop group
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335:
258:
250:
243:
225:
174:
156:
733:(Weidenfeld & Nicolson and Michael Joseph, London, 1971), p. 525
540:
673:"Till Death Us Do Part at The Museum of Broadcast Communications"
218:
195:
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by his family, but he stubbornly refused to admit he was wrong.
408:
379:
237:, despite resistance from Alf, the Garnetts were rehoused in a
742:
Britain Since the Seventies, Jeremy Black, Reaktion Books 2004
249:
Some time between 1975 and 1981, Mike and Rita moved back to
763:
BBC News: "Reid targets illegal immigrants", 7 March 2007
656:"Till Death Us Do Part" by John Burke at TrashFiction.com
616:"100 Greatest ... (100 Greatest TV Characters (Part 1))"
491:
508:
as "a middle class Alf Garnett". Former Prime Minister
419:
with a trained actor's voice. A lifelong, committed
358:Alf was outraged when his daughter Rita, played by
177:, Alf Garnett was ranked 49th on their list of the
774:BBC News: "Prime Minister's Question", 9 June 2010
731:The Labour Government 1964-1970: A Personal Record
967:
712:"Sir Oswald Mosley: Blackshirt – Stephen Dorril"
520:of possessing "the diplomacy of Alf Garnett".
823:
701:BBC News: "Tribute to Alf Garnett's creator"
696:
694:
253:, and Alf and Else reconciled and moved to
830:
816:
837:
691:
567:, a character partly based on Alf Garnett
981:Television characters introduced in 1965
645:BBC - Cult - I Love Til Death Us Do Part
224:Rita married her "long-haired layabout"
207:and the pair married in 1941 (the film
968:
488:in 1967 for services to pipe smoking.
143:and its follow-on and spin-off series
811:
667:
665:
663:
492:References to Alf Garnett in politics
233:. Around 1968, according to the film
284:but did not support one-time leader
13:
660:
131:is a fictional character from the
110:Michael Rawlins, Junior (grandson)
14:
1007:
461:The German version of the show,
390:", included on their 1967 album
778:
767:
756:
745:
162:. The character was created by
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649:
638:
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578:
268:
1:
996:Male characters in television
571:
417:Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
986:Fictional people from London
586:"100 Greatest TV Characters"
184:
173:In a 2001 poll conducted by
160:The Thoughts of Chairman Alf
57:The Thoughts of Chairman Alf
7:
558:
129:Alfred Edward "Alf" Garnett
10:
1012:
533:Prime Minister's Questions
428:Museum of the Moving Image
189:
179:100 Greatest TV Characters
155:. He also appeared in the
976:British sitcom characters
929:
920:In Sickness and in Health
904:
879:
863:
847:
531:. On 9 June 2010, during
351:In Sickness and In Health
152:In Sickness and in Health
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104:
96:
88:
83:
73:
63:
52:
38:
28:
23:
433:The American version of
194:Alf Garnett was born in
108:Charlie Garnett (father)
938:Ein Herz und eine Seele
486:Pipe Smoker of the Year
464:Ein Herz und eine Seele
426:In the late 1980s, the
84:In-universe information
506:Rivers of Blood speech
991:Till Death Us Do Part
952:Archie Bunker's Place
888:Till Death Us Do Part
840:Till Death Us Do Part
545:2024 general election
477:Till Death Us Do Part
435:Till Death Do Us Part
348:In the sequel series
210:Till Death Us Do Part
140:Till Death Us Do Part
31:Till Death Us Do Part
895:The Alf Garnett Saga
235:The Alf Garnett Saga
231:1966 World Cup Final
112:Maud (sister-in-law)
626:on 21 February 2015
366:. Michael was from
215:Reserved Occupation
18:Fictional character
720:, 10 December 2007
415:Mitchell left the
282:Conservative Party
963:
962:
945:All in the Family
518:Margaret Thatcher
440:All in the Family
386:for their song, "
286:Margaret Thatcher
201:Church of England
126:
125:
1003:
871:List of episodes
832:
825:
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679:on 19 April 2009
675:. Archived from
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647:
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635:
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622:. Archived from
612:
606:
605:
603:
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592:. Archived from
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388:Randy Scouse Git
45:Comedy Playhouse
39:First appearance
21:
20:
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525:Ken Livingstone
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329:West Ham United
321:Duke of Windsor
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168:Warren Mitchell
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78:Warren Mitchell
53:Last appearance
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792:. 30 June 2024
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596:on 31 May 2009
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405:Johnny Speight
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166:and played by
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913:Till Death...
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537:David Cameron
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510:Harold Wilson
507:
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498:Oswald Mosley
489:
487:
481:
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474:In the movie
472:
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459:
457:
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445:Archie Bunker
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364:Anthony Booth
361:
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343:Dandy Nichols
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319:and the late
318:
317:Prince Andrew
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278:working class
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146:Till Death...
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794:. Retrieved
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738:
730:
725:
715:
707:
681:. Retrieved
677:the original
651:
640:
628:. Retrieved
624:the original
610:
598:. Retrieved
594:the original
580:
553:Nigel Farage
539:referred to
522:
514:Denis Healey
502:Enoch Powell
495:
482:
475:
473:
469:Adolf Hitler
462:
460:
453:
450:Eric Cartman
438:
434:
432:
425:
414:
402:
398:
393:Headquarters
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357:
349:
347:
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333:
313:royal family
305:Labour Party
302:
298:Edward Heath
275:
272:
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248:
234:
223:
208:
205:World War II
193:
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159:
150:
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138:
128:
127:
100:Rita Rawlins
92:Else Garnett
74:Portrayed by
56:
43:
29:
15:
930:Adaptations
855:Alf Garnett
443:, featured
384:The Monkees
269:Personality
259:punk rocker
239:tower block
117:Nationality
24:Alf Garnett
970:Categories
848:Characters
683:9 December
620:ITN Source
572:References
547:campaign,
504:after his
500:dismissed
455:South Park
360:Una Stubbs
300:, either.
276:Alf was a
255:Eastbourne
64:Created by
590:Channel 4
549:Reform UK
529:John Reid
421:socialist
409:satirical
368:Liverpool
336:hypocrisy
309:the Queen
251:Liverpool
244:Australia
226:socialist
185:Character
175:Channel 4
157:chat show
105:Relatives
42:"Pilot" (
34:character
864:Episodes
559:See also
541:Ed Balls
516:accused
372:Catholic
325:football
311:and the
97:Children
905:Sequels
551:leader
403:Writer
219:Wapping
196:Wapping
190:History
133:British
121:British
48:, 1965)
796:3 July
630:13 May
600:26 May
380:Scouse
370:and a
136:sitcom
89:Spouse
59:(1998)
880:Films
376:Irish
327:team
296:boy"
290:Denis
798:2024
685:2007
632:2019
602:2019
527:and
149:and
452:of
374:of
199:as
972::
788:.
714:,
693:^
662:^
618:.
588:.
535:,
471:.
458:.
437:,
331:.
181:.
170:.
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800:.
687:.
634:.
604:.
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