 He then transferred to another top-rated ITV series when he played Thomas Watkins, the chauffeur, in "Upstairs, Downstairs", opposite his wife, Pauline Collins.They had a daughter (the actress Kate Alderton) and two sons and also acted together in spin-off series, "Thomas & Sarah", and another sitcom, "No, Honestly", as well as in "Wodehouse Playhouse" (1975–78), a series that featured adaptations of short stories by P. G. Wodehouse (primarily the "Mr. Mulliner" stories.