Alfred Edward "Alf" Garnett is a fictional character from the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and its follow-on and spin-off series Till Death... and In Sickness and in Health. He also appeared in the chat show The Thoughts of Chairman Alf. The character was created by Johnny Speight and played by Warren Mitchell. In a 2001 poll conducted by Channel 4, Alf Garnett was ranked 49th on their list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters. Character History Alf Garnett was born in Wapping 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 as Church of England, '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 World War II and the pair married in 1941 (the film Till Death Us Do Part (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 Reserved Occupation. 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 Wapping at 25 Jamaica Street, where Alf worked on the docks and Else stayed at home and tended to the house. Rita married her "long-haired layabout" socialist 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 1966 World Cup Final. Around 1968, according to the film The Alf Garnett Saga, despite resistance from Alf, the Garnetts were rehoused in a tower block in a new town on the outskirts of London. Alf continued to work on the docks in London despite the long commute.