Alf Garnett ...

Alf Garnett, West Ham fan and proud Englishman, loses control of his wheelchair as he crashes into a private swimming pool which belongs to a black West Ham player who instantly recognizes Alf as the supporter who's constantly been giving him verbals from the stands at Upton Park. This clip is from ITV around 1991.

The charcater of Alf Garnett was reactionary, mean-spirited, selfish, bigoted, racist, misogynistic, and anti-Semitic. The actor playing Alf, Warren Mitchell, himself is in fact Jewish. Generally Alf blamed his problems on everybody else. His family was the usual target of his anger and frustration. On the show, Garnett was regularly ridiculed for his illogical views and hypocrisy by his family, but he stubbornly refused to admit he was wrong.

The British public loved Alf Garnett - since everyone knew such a reactionary figure within their own locality - although the television show was heavily criticised for the character's prejudices.

Alf Garnett was the direct inspiration for Archie Bunker in the American sitcom All in the Family.