[2] In conversation with the writer Ken Irwin in 1972,[3] he remarked that "the rough and ready upbringing of Catholics in Liverpool brings out the humour in a family": He's another comic who has known poverty.

By 1965, with his portly figure, bejewelled fingers, deadpan style and a laid back microphone technique he began to draw sizeable audiences as a stand-up comic on the booming club and casino scene of Manchester.

[3] Regular at Manchester's Cabaret Club were the young reporter Michael Parkinson and Johnnie Hamp, a producer from Granada Television,[5] who said of Roper, "When I had the idea for The Comedians, he was one of the first people I called.

It was a major success at the time, garnering several industry awards and a BAFTA nomination,[6] though the jokes told often contained racist or sexist stereotypes.

[1] George Roper later made a number of notable television appearances including The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, Celebrity Squares, At Long Last, This and The Grumbleweeds.

In 1980 he performed on the experimental comedy show Here Comes Channel 8 (taking a look into the future of television, set in 1999) alongside Spike Milligan, Rula Lenska and Michael Bentine.

He appeared regularly in the Spanish resort of Benidorm, sharing the headline spot at the Talk of the Town with jazz musician Eric Delaney.

[1] His funeral was attended by many figures from the world of comedy and sport, including Ricky Tomlinson, Ken Dodd, Frank Worthington, Tommy Docherty and all of his contemporaries from The Comedians.