The Good Life
Opening credits of The Good Life
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	John Esmonde and Bob Larbey
Starring	Richard Briers Felicity Kendal Penelope Keith Paul Eddington
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of episodes	30 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	John Howard Davies
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC1
Original run	4 April 1975 – 10 June 1978
External links
IMDb profile

The Good Life is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1975 to 1978. It was written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde. In 2004, it came 9th in Britain's Best Sitcom. The Good Life can refer to: The Good Life, a successful British sitcom, known in the US as Good Neighbors The Good Life (band), a rock band on Saddle Creek Records. ... Image File history File links Goodlife. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... John Esmonde (born 1937) and Bob Larbey (born 1934) were a successful British television comedy scriptwriting duo from the 1960s to the 1990s, creating popular situation comedies such as Please Sir! and The Good Life. ... Richard Briers, CBE (born on January 14, 1934) is a popular English actor whose career encompasses the theatre, television, film and radio. ... Felicity Kendal in The Good Life. ... Penelope Anne Constance Keith, CBE, DL (born Penelope Hatfield on 2 April 1940) is an English actress who is best known for her roles in The Good Life and To the Manor Born, and has also had a long career on stage. ... Paul Eddington playing Jim Hacker in Yes, Prime Minister. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The following is a list of episodes for the British sitcom The Good Life that aired from 1975 to 1978. ... John Howard Davies (born London 9 March 1939) is a British film actor, television director and producer. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... A British sitcom is a situation comedy (sitcom) produced in the United Kingdom. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 1. ... John Esmonde (born 1937) and Bob Larbey (born 1934) were a successful British television comedy scriptwriting duo from the 1960s to the 1990s, creating popular situation comedies such as Please Sir! and The Good Life. ... John Esmonde (born 1937) and Bob Larbey (born 1934) were a successful British television comedy scriptwriting duo from the 1960s to the 1990s, creating popular situation comedies such as Please Sir! and The Good Life. ... Britains Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2003 and 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdoms best situation comedy. ...

Background

The Good Life was written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey as a vehicle for Richard Briers,^[1] the only cast member famous beforehand. Bob Larbey had just reached 40, and this got him and Esmonde thinking how this was a milestone for some people,^[1] and The Good Life was soon born. The writers decided to make the neighbours old friends rather than enemies, thus creating more comedy as their friendship was tried to the limit. Richard Briers, CBE (born on January 14, 1934) is a popular English actor whose career encompasses the theatre, television, film and radio. ...

When it came to casting, Peter Bowles was originally asked to play the role of Jerry, but was unavailable so had to decline.^[1] He would later star opposite Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born. Hannah Gordon was also thought of to play Barbara, but she'd recently played a similar role so they decided against the idea. Esmonde and Larbey chose Felicity Kendal and Penelope Keith after seeing them perform on stage together in The Norman Conquests. The programme was filmed in the North London suburb of Northwood, despite being set in Surbiton, Surrey (now in Greater London) The house used for Tom and Barbara's had to be returned to its prior condition after filming, and livestock removed overnight. Peter Bowles (born October 16, 1936) is a British actor. ... To the Manor Born is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. ... Hannah Gordon (born 9 April 1941 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish-born British actress. ... The Norman Conquests is a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. ... North London is that part of London which is north of the River Thames. ... Northwood is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ... , Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is a commuter town next to the river Thames, populated with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, spacious and grand late-19th century town houses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates. ... This article is about the English county. ... Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ...

Cast

• Richard Briers — Tom Good
• Felicity Kendal — Barbara Good
• Penelope Keith — Margo Leadbetter (née Sturgess)
• Paul Eddington — Jeremy "Jerry" Leadbetter
• Reginald Marsh — Andrew/Sir
• Moyra Fraser — Felicity (series 1)

Richard Briers, CBE (born on January 14, 1934) is a popular English actor whose career encompasses the theatre, television, film and radio. ... Felicity Kendal in The Good Life. ... Penelope Anne Constance Keith, CBE, DL (born Penelope Hatfield on 2 April 1940) is an English actress who is best known for her roles in The Good Life and To the Manor Born, and has also had a long career on stage. ... Paul Eddington playing Jim Hacker in Yes, Prime Minister. ... Reginald Marsh (17 September 1926 in London - 9 February 2001 in Ryde, Isle of Wight) was a English actor who starred in many sitcoms from the 1970s onwards. ... Moyra Fraser (born 3 December 1923) is an Australian-born British actress. ...

Plot

On his 40th birthday, Tom Good gives up his job as a draughtsman in a company that makes plastic toys for breakfast cereal packets as he is no longer able to take his job seriously. Their house is fully paid for, so he and his wife Barbara make a decision to live a sustainable, simple and self-sufficient lifestyle while staying in their beloved home in The Avenue, Surbiton. In pursuit of this good life, they dig up their front and back gardens and convert them into allotments, growing soft fruit and vegetables. They introduce chickens, pigs (Pinky and Perky) a goat (Geraldine) and a cockerel (Lenin). They generate their own electricity, using methane from animal waste, and they even attempt to make their own clothes. They also work at selling or bartering surplus crops for essentials which they cannot make themselves. They try to cut their monetary requirements to the minimum with varying success. Technical drawing, also known as drafting, is the practice of creating accurate representations of objects for technical, architectural and engineering needs. ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sustainable living might best be defined as a lifestyle that could, hypothetically, be sustained unmodified for many generations without exhausting any natural resources. ... Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals may pursue for a variety of motivations, such as spirituality, health, or ecology. ... Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ... , Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is a commuter town next to the river Thames, populated with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, spacious and grand late-19th century town houses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates. ... For other uses, see The Good Life (disambiguation). ... A typical allotment plot, Essex, England Allotment gardens are characterized by a concentration in one place of a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individual families. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Pig (disambiguation). ... Pinky and Perky was a childrens television series first seen on the BBC in 1957. ... For other uses of the term, see goat (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rooster (disambiguation). ... Lenin redirects here. ... Electricity (from New Latin Ä“lectricus, amberlike) is a general term for a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. ... Methane is a chemical compound with the molecular formula . ... A 19th-centure example of barter: A sample labor for labor note for the Cincinnati Time Store. ...

Their actions horrify their kindly but conventional next-door neighbours, Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. Originally, Margo and Jerry were intended to be minor characters, but their relationship with one another and with the Goods soon become an essential element of every episode. There are hints, both broad and small, of a healthy sexual relationship within both marriages. Under the influence of the Goods' homemade wine called "peapod burgundy", their mutual, intermingled, attractions for one another become apparent. Both couples were childless for reasons unexplained. A neighbourhood or neighborhood (see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community located within a larger city, town or suburb. ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... Binomial name L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ...

Characters

Tom Good

Tom had a lack of ambition that meant, despite his skill as a draughtsman, he would not rise any further where he worked. Becoming self-sufficient was entirely his idea, but Barbara was willing to go along. Tom had determination to succeed at self-sufficiency, and was mostly very cheerful. His constant jokes often annoying Margo, frequently whistling the opening bars of Over the Rainbow and had a childish side to him. Tom was, however, obstinate and sometimes pigheaded. During the few times that he became pessimistic about a situation, Barbara became the optimist. For other uses, see Over the Rainbow (disambiguation). ...

Barbara Good

Barbara was a normal, middle-class housewife before they went self-sufficient. While she sometimes wilted under Tom's determined and dominant nature, her sharp tongue put her on an equal footing with him. She was in many ways the 'heart' of the enterprise, whilst Tom's engineering 'brain' designs and builds what they need. Of the two, she endured far more yearnings for the lifestyle and luxuries they previously enjoyed, but her own determination to succeed, along with Tom's single-minded persuasion, dampened these thoughts.

Jerry Leadbetter

Jerry worked for JJM, having joined on the same day as Tom. Through cunning and good self-promotion, rather than particular talent, he rose into the ranks of senior management. As the series progressed, he moved to within striking distance of the managing director's job. The managing director, Andrew or "Sir", and his wife Felicity were recurring characters. He was initially convinced that the go-it-alone attempt would fail, and on several occasions, he pleaded with Tom to come back to work. However, he eventually came to appreciate the strength of character it has taken for Tom to "leave the system". He was somewhat henpecked at home but had the strength to put his case across when sufficiently compelled to do so. For other uses, see Management (disambiguation). ... Managing director is the term used for the chief executive of many limited companies in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and some other English speaking countries. ...

Margo Leadbetter

Margo, with her stunted sense of humour, was totally unable to understand her neighbours' new lifestyle, but their long friendship was important to her, so she learned to tolerate their lifestyle. Margo Sturgess, as she then was, was bullied at school for having no sense of humour. Something of a social climber, staunchly Conservative and unafraid to challenge anyone who gets on her nerves, Margo may have been a snob but also had a heart of gold. She involved herself with organisations such as the Pony Club and the Music Society, always wishing to play the lead role. Some viewers see this attitude as a precursor to Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, although Margo was at least occasionally made aware of her faults by the others, including her husband — something Hyacinth never experienced — and was not afraid to be apologetic when she was informed she had done wrong. The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is currently the second largest political party in the United Kingdom in terms of sitting Members of Parliament (MPs), the largest in terms of public membership, and the oldest political party in the United Kingdom. ... Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced, the character claims, as Bouquet) is the main character in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances (1990 to 1995), played by Patricia Routledge. ... Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom starring Patricia Routledge as social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket. ...

Andrew and Felicity

Andrew, "Andy" or "Sir", was the head of JJM. He did not seem to know anything about Tom while he worked there, but once Tom left, Andy became desperate to bring Tom back. His wife, Felicity, was featured less but was much more relaxed than her husband. She is one of the few characters to support Tom and Barbara throughout and believes that just trying to be self-sufficient is exciting enough. She also once said, "I wanted to do something exciting when I was young, and then I met Andrew and that was the end of that." They had one son, unseen, called Martin. Andrew always calls Tom and Barbara "Tim and Fatima", making out that he did not remember their real names. However, in the episode Anniversary, he reveals he does know their names but pretends to forget as it is an old trick to put people at a disadvantage.

Episodes

Main article: List of The Good Life episodes

The Good Life aired for four series and two specials from 4 April 1975 to 10 June 1978. The final episode, When I'm Sixty-Five, was a Royal Command Performance in front of The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and senior BBC management. The cast and crew were presented to The Queen and Prince Philip after the recording. The episode was originally broadcast in a 45 minute slot with footage either side of the 30 minute episode showing the Royal Party entering and exiting. The following is a list of episodes for the British sitcom The Good Life that aired from 1975 to 1978. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... For the record label, see Command Performance Records. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Prince Philip redirects here. ...

Novelisations

Two novelisation of The Good Life were written, both by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. The first, simply entitled The Good Life was published in 1976 by Penguin Books, and this novelised the first series. The second book, titled More of The Good Life, was published in 1977 also by Penguin, and featured three episodes from series two and four episodes from series three. It has been suggested that Penguin Modern Poets, Penguin Great Ideas be merged into this article or section. ...

Other countries

In the United States The Good Life was retitled Good Neighbors, to avoid confusion with a short-lived American sitcom of the same name, and was shown by most PBS stations across the country starting in the early 1980s. By the late 1980s it was rarely seen but returned to PBS stations after the release of select episodes on VHS by CBS/Fox Video in 1998.^[1] PBS redirects here. ... Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed Top view of VHS cassette with front casing removed The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard. ... CBS/Fox Video was a home video company formed and established in 1982. ...

After The Good Life

After the success of The Good Life, the three cast members who had not been famous beforehand were quickly given their own "vehicles", that were commissioned by the then Head of Light Entertainment and producer of The Good Life, John Howard Davies.^[1] Felicity Kendal, who had become something of a sex symbol with her tomboy character, often wearing iconic wellington boots on the show, starred in Solo and The Mistress, Penelope Keith starred in To the Manor Born and Paul Eddington starred in Yes Minister. Richard Briers later starred in the popular Ever Decreasing Circles. John Howard Davies (born London 9 March 1939) is a British film actor, television director and producer. ... A pair of Wellington boots The Wellington boot, also known as a welly, a wellie, a gumboot or a rubber boot, is a type of boot based upon Hessian boots. ... Solo was a British sitcom starring Felicity Kendal and written by Carla Lane that aired from 1981 to 1982. ... The Mistress was a British sitcom starring Felicity Kendal that aired for two series from 1985 to 1987. ... To the Manor Born is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. ... Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. ... Ever Decreasing Circles was a British sitcom which ran on BBC1 for four series from 1984 to 1987. ...

In 2003, the BBC broadcast a mockumentary entitled Life Beyond the Box: Margo, describing Margo's life since the series had finished. Unlike the earlier Life Beyond the Box on Norman Stanley Fletcher, most of the actors from the programme did not take part, except Moyra Fraser, and appear only in archive footage. This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Norman Stanley Fletcher, played by Ronnie Barker Norman Stanley Fletch Fletcher (born February 2, 1932) is the main character in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge. ... Moyra Fraser (born 3 December 1923) is an Australian-born British actress. ...

There are many organic gardening and self-sufficiency movements within the UK who continue to this day to claim that The Good Life was inspirational and influenced their own lifestyle changes. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Organic horticulture. ...

DVD releases

The complete series of The Good Life is available on DVD (Region 2, UK). The series is also available on DVD in the US (Region 1) under the title Good Neighbors.

All four series have been released in their entirety in Australia (Region 4). The series 4 release (on 2 DVDs) also contains an interview with Richard Briers as well as the Royal Command Performance episode.

References

External links

• The Good Life at the Internet Movie Database
• BBC Comedy Guide for The Good Life
• The Good Life at the British Film Institute Screen Online
• Opening Titles at BBC Cult