Johnny Speight first tried following up 'Till Death Us Do Part' with 'Till Death...' - broadcast by ATV in 1981 - which saw Alf and Else retire to Eastbourne . The ratings were disappointing and the plug was pulled very early on the show. Unfazed by this setback, Speight devised another sequel four years later entitled 'In Sickness & In Health', which he took back to the BBC. Alf was his usual cantankerous old self but Else is now wheelchair bound after becoming incapacitated by rheumatoid arthritis, so now it is Alf's job to cart Else around everywhere he goes, a situation which, as one would expect, gets right up his nose.
Dandy Nichols, who played Else, was ill during filming. It had such an effect on her physically that here she was barely recognisable. Sadly, she passed away after the first series. The second series saw Alf as a widow, trying to cope with the loss of his wife, as well as a cut in his pension. As the series progressed, Alf later started a relationship with Mrs. Hollingberry ( played by Carmel McSharry ), the Irish widow who lived upstairs from him.
Una Stubbs' Rita was seen from time to time, who is now divorced from Mike. Eamonn Walker appeared in the early shows as Alf and Else's black home help Winston ( who Alf nicknamed Marigold ). New to the cast were Arthur English as Alf's mate and drinking buddy Arthur, Ken Campbell as his neighbour Mr Johnson and Eileen Kennally ( later replaced by Tricia Kelly ) as his wife. Patricia Hayes appeared again as Min, though Irene Handl was brought in newly as her batty sister Gwenneth, whose failure to keep her bladder under control caused no end of problems for Alf.
Despite losing Dandy Nichols ( one of the show's greatest assets ), 'In Sickness & In Health' managed to compare well with its predecessor. Speight was certainly brave in continuing the show after Nichols' death. Not many script writers manage to successfully carry-on with a show following the death of a vital cast member ( Ian Pattison managed it with 'Rab C. Nesbitt' following the death of Eric Cullen, who played Burney, as did John Sullivan with 'Only Fools & Horses' when Lennard Pearce, who played Grandad, died suddenly ). The new mix of characters made sure Alf still had someone to vent his spleen to, as well having someone to cut Alf down to size when the occasion demanded.
Seqeuls mostly tend to be inferior in comparison to their predecessor, other times they are superior. 'In Sickness & In Health' is one of the few shows that manages to be on an equal footing with its predecessor.
Dandy Nichols, who played Else, was ill during filming. It had such an effect on her physically that here she was barely recognisable. Sadly, she passed away after the first series. The second series saw Alf as a widow, trying to cope with the loss of his wife, as well as a cut in his pension. As the series progressed, Alf later started a relationship with Mrs. Hollingberry ( played by Carmel McSharry ), the Irish widow who lived upstairs from him.
Una Stubbs' Rita was seen from time to time, who is now divorced from Mike. Eamonn Walker appeared in the early shows as Alf and Else's black home help Winston ( who Alf nicknamed Marigold ). New to the cast were Arthur English as Alf's mate and drinking buddy Arthur, Ken Campbell as his neighbour Mr Johnson and Eileen Kennally ( later replaced by Tricia Kelly ) as his wife. Patricia Hayes appeared again as Min, though Irene Handl was brought in newly as her batty sister Gwenneth, whose failure to keep her bladder under control caused no end of problems for Alf.
Despite losing Dandy Nichols ( one of the show's greatest assets ), 'In Sickness & In Health' managed to compare well with its predecessor. Speight was certainly brave in continuing the show after Nichols' death. Not many script writers manage to successfully carry-on with a show following the death of a vital cast member ( Ian Pattison managed it with 'Rab C. Nesbitt' following the death of Eric Cullen, who played Burney, as did John Sullivan with 'Only Fools & Horses' when Lennard Pearce, who played Grandad, died suddenly ). The new mix of characters made sure Alf still had someone to vent his spleen to, as well having someone to cut Alf down to size when the occasion demanded.
Seqeuls mostly tend to be inferior in comparison to their predecessor, other times they are superior. 'In Sickness & In Health' is one of the few shows that manages to be on an equal footing with its predecessor.
