George and the Dragon

In the 1960s Sid James' flag was flying high. Years of film appearances culminating with the "Carry On" series made him a household name. He already had a foothold in TV due to Hancock's Half Hour. 3 specific TV vehicles were created for him:

First of all we got "Citizen James" starring Sid as Sid, Bill Kerr as Bill and Liz Fraser as Liz – Sid's fiancée. Next up was "George and the Dragon" - Sid as George Russell and Peggy Mount as Gabrielle Dragon (Geddit? George and the Dragon!!) Finally "Two In Clover" where Sid & Victor Spinetti escape the rat race for life in the country.

While there is nothing wrong with the other 2, the middle programme gets by vote. Sid is the chauffeur, "the formidable" Peggy Mount is the housekeeper, Keith "I'll 'ave 'arf" Marsh as the gardener. Working for John Le Mesurier as the colonel – lots of ear-scratching vagueness. The problem with the colonel's household is that the housekeepers don't last long. They leave after Sid/George tries to seduce them. Enter Ms. Dragon which stops Sid in his tracks.

The title is a little misleading as there is not a lot of blood and thunder between the 2 main characters. There is plenty of scheming going on but the 2 can as often be allies as enemies. It is quite a gentle look at how life was a long time ago. The humour is a bit corny after nearly 50 years but it is an enjoyable half hour

Skirt-chasing chauffeur George (wizened dirty old man Sid James) meets his match when his employer hires the formidable Gabrielle Dragon (the scarily ferocious Peggy Mount) as a new housekeeper.

The ATV sitcom ran from 1966-68 for 26 episodes, no small achievement for a programme effectively based on one long mother-in-law joke and James' trademark lecherous cackle.

James and Mount are a fine match and the banter sparking off every locking of horns has lost none of its comedy value.

Meanwhile, John Le Mesurier is at his vague, dry best as the retired colonel who referees their sparring.

It's dated, inevitably, but there're still plenty of laughs in the Odd Couple friction

Sitcoms from the sixties have a very raw feel to them, they're either shockingly bad and corny, or as is the case for George and the Dragon, excellent. It is no wonder this show ran for four series, Sid is brilliant as drunken Lothario and Chauffeur George, while Peggy Mount was surely the quintessential battleaxe of British television, to say they fed off one another's quality is an understatement, both physically funny with magical comedy timing. Funny from the very first episode, it's fair to say there are slightly repetitive plots, but who cares, the quality of the humour was there. Watching it now there seems to have been a great warmth among the cast, John Le Mesurier was so endearing, adding a completely different humour to Sid and Peggy, his brand of humour was so subtle, so aloof, as a combination of characters they worked exceptionally well. Some brilliant episodes, including the very funny Merry Christmas. George and the Dragon is not to be missed. 8/10