PopularITV sitcom (1973-1976) about a male student chef named Robin Tripp, who shares a flat with two gorgeous girls, a brunette named Chrissy and a blonde named Jo. Downstairs lived George and Mildred Roper, the landlords. Ran for six seasons in total, butthey were only broadcast over a space of three years. Atheatrical film was also released in 1974.

The show had twospinoffs (George and Mildred andRobin's Nest) and a very successfulAmerican remake in the form ofThree's Company.

Man About the House was primarily created as a vehicle for Richard O'Sullivan, who was a rising star at the time thanks to his role in anotherBritcom,Doctor In The House.

Came sixty-ninth inBritain's Best Sitcom.

• The Alleged Car: Roper's poor old motor was always having something go wrong with it.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Jo, Chrissy and Mrs Roper respectively (although Mrs Roper's is probably tinted).
• Brainy Brunette
• Chivalrous Pervert
• Cloudcuckoolander: Jo.
• Drop-In Character: Larry Simmonds.
• Embarrassing Middle Name: Robin's middle name is revealed to be "Oswald". Chrissy delights in pointing out to him that this makes his initials "rot".
• Everyone Loves Blondes: Although Jo's obviously gota lot of appeal, the series actually subverts the stereotype by showing that Robin is (usually) far more interested in the brunette Chrissy. The American remakecompletely missed the point by reverting to the stereotype and making the blonde the 'desirable' one again.
• Dumb Blonde: Averted, generally. Jo is shown to be a bit ofa ditz at times, but she's usually intelligent enough torecognise it.
  • When Chrissy opines that Robin only sees women as "brainless sex objects", Jo pipes up with a veryGenre Savvy "You leave me out of this!".
• Fridge Logic: Frequently employed by Jo.
• Faux Yay: Averted. Whereas its American remake used this as a running gag throughout the series, this UK original only ever seen it being used it as a one-line joke in thePilot Episode. The second episode sees Robin come clean to the Ropers about being strictly heterosexual, which they accept at face value and move on.
• Innocent Cohabitation: Like its American remake, the show was largely a response to the growing trend inThe Seventies of nonsexual, opposite-sex roommates, which just a decade before was almost unheard of.
• My Local: 'The White Swan'
• The Movie
• Mrs. Robinson: Mrs Roper flirts openly with Robin. A lot. He doesn't reciprocate.
• Not What It Looks Like
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Chrissy was originally supposed to be fromYorkshire, and actress Paula Wilcox reflected this very strongly in thePilot Episode. For the rest of the series, though, this was significantly toned down (though never gone completely).
  • Later episodes retconned her as being from Sussex (naturally, neither of her parents displayed a Yorkshire accent either). Any risidual northern accent is probably down to the actress being from Manchester, so it is still an example of this trope.
• One Dialogue, Two Conversations
• Plot-Driven Breakdown: In the episode "Home And Away", when Robin and Chrissy borrowRoper's car to go to a football match, they end up breaking down on the side of the motorway and missing the game.
• Punny Name: George Roper (G. Roper) is aStealth Pun. Chrissy once jokingly abbreviated his name to "Mister Groper", for his habit ofaccidentally touching them up.
• The Seventies
• Spin-Off:George and Mildred has the Ropers moving to a new neighbourhood, whileRobin's Nest sees Robin Tripp follow his dreams of opening a restaurant.
• Trans-Atlantic Equivalent: Famously remade asThrees Company. Both of the spin offs were also adapted to the American market.
• Wedding Day: The series ends withChrissy getting married to Robin's older brother Norman.
• What Did I Do Last Night?: In the first episode, Robin wakes up in the bathtub of the girl's flat. The girls have no recollection of how he got there, and neither does he (it was one wild party the night before).
• Will They or Won't They?: The premise of the show. There's a good degree ofUST between Robin and Chrissy, to the point where them not getting together at the end of the series almost counts as something of aDowner Ending.
• You Look Familiar: Norman Eshley, who played Robin's older brother (and Chrissy's eventual husband) Norman, had previously appeared in another role (where he even got to seduce Chrissy!), and would immediately after this go on to appear as Jeffrey Fourmile, the Roper's next door neighbour, in theirSpin-Off seriesGeorge & Mildred.
• Zany Scheme: George Roper frequently, much to the chagrin of his wife Mildred.

• Work
• TV Series
• Comedy Series
• British Series
• Britcom
• Britain's Best Sitcom
• Man About the House
• Dom Com