User reviews

The Good Life has been repeated many many times on the BBC ever since it first aired back in the mid to late 70s and for good reason too.

Back then Britain was going through years and years of industrial strikes culminating in 78/79 with the so-called "Winter Of Discontent" when National Strikes crippled the country. During the 70s there were many situations when most of the country had its power cut off for nights on end by striking energy workers.

Thus millions of families would be cast in darkness huddled round candles, talking or trying to read under the gloom. It also gave thought to our total independence on eletricity and the power it provides us at the simple flick of a switch.

And so The Good Life came to light (bad pun I know). However, the writers decided not to make a comedy about people suffering darkness at the hands of militants and strikers. Instead they decided on taking a typical middle-class couple into the realms of voluntary self-sufficiency.

So enter, Tom & Barbara, our selfless & willing guinea pigs who decide the rat race and huge bills is not a world for them. And for the next 4 years we seem them struggle & succeed in their attempts at going their own self-sufficiency way at the bemusements of their neighbours.

This kind of environmentalism was a relatively new concept to British audiences in the 70s and perhaps underlined why the show was such a great & enduring success. But it also raised lots of questions both for us the viewing audience and Tom & Barbara themselves.

Generating electricity is no easy thing as Tom found out when the Electricity Board finally cut their power for not paying their bills. Both Tom & Barbara had to adapt really quickly and get used to the idea that nothing was going to happen any more by simply clicking on a light switch, opening a fridge or turning on a tv.

All these creature comforts we take so much for granted are all gone for Tom & his wife. And trying to build his own little power generator in his celler using the effluent of his pigs to create some form of electricity not only makes for a great episode but also shows us how much hard work & self sacrifice is involved by going the Green Route.

Two major questions that surfaced during the show involved the keeping of animals in Tom's back garden and the hard work, noise, odours etc that this creates and the problems it causes to the neighbours; the difficult matter of having to kill their own chickens bare handed rather than simply going to the shops and buying frozen foods killed by other people.

Interestingly the Goods (Tom & Barbara) were childless which was probably intended by the writers otherwise the show could have suffered if children were involved.

As time went on some of the episodes looked very "samey" from earlier episodes and the laughs were becoming just a little desperate. So to learn that the series would finally end in 1978 was the right choice. Its always best to finish on top than try to stretch a joke too far.

Even though the topicality of the show was popular at the time, I don't think it set a trend with the British in reality. Self-sufficiency was good & funny providing someone else did it, but for the majority of the population it was just too damned hard to even contemplate.

****/*****

I wonder just how many people in the mid 1970s - anywhere in the world - would have realised just how visionary writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey were with this marvellous tale of a happily married suburban couple who decide to give up their daily grind and revert to a subsistence existence. Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall are great in the roles of the optimistic and naive "Tom" and his stoic and determined wife "Barbara" as they scrap, save, cannibalise, economise and basically do just about anything to avoid needing/earning/spending money - not an easy task. For me, the best parts come from their loyal and wealthy neighbours "Jerry" (Paul Eddington) and "Margo" (Penelope Keith). The former, the long suffering husband to the loving but terribly snobbish wife who looks down with a mix of disbelief and disdain on the newly self-sufficient folks next door. It features hilarious scenarios that take the most basic of themes - heating oil, vegetable patches, making your own clothes or cheese or wine and turns them into genuine laugh out loud comedy. It is simple and hugely effective, the humour working on many levels as the underpinning principles of love, loyalty and obstinacy marry well with sheer bloody mindedness and, on occasion, downright stupidity - but not just from the same side of their garden fence each time. It probably helps, as with the contemporaneous "Fawlty Towers" series that there was a very limited run. It clearly has an environmentalist aspect to the narrative, but it not delivered in the preachy, puritanical fashion that is so often the style used now - it successfully uses humour as a conduit for a message that is both potent and, frequently, laugh out loud. The writers don't flog the heart out of the joke, and the characters are given plenty of space to develop and shine. Great stuff well worth a watch.

When I heard of Good Neighbors, I didn't think much of it. Then when they began airing it after Waiting for God on WLIW Long Island last year. I became enchanted by a star cast, Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith, and the late Paul Eddington. Paul, Richard, and Felicity have been honoured with a C.B.E.(Commander of the British Empire). Richard and Penelope also received the O.B.E.(Officer of the British Empire) and now have C.B.E.'s as well. It's so amusing to watch these four talented actors at work. Richard and Felicity's roles as Tom and Barbara Good are wnderfully portrayed with such charm. Felicity has such a wonderful musing face to watch on screen. You can't take your eyes off her. No wonder Richard Briers is one of Kenneth Branagh's favorite actors. He is simply likable. Paul and Penelope's Margot play their neighbors who prefer offices and modern technology to Tom and Barbara's new lifestyle of pigs and crops. You wouldn't know it if you knew that Penelope actually is an avid gardener herself and lives in Surrey from her performance as the socialite, Margot Ledbetter. Good Neighbours actually had a command performance for the Royal Family who were big fans of the show. No wonder, it's a great show.

Neither as acerbic as FAWLTY TOWERS or ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS or as radical as THE YOUNG ONES, THE GOOD LIFE remains cosily stuck in a middle-class time-warp but happens to be blessed with terrific scripts (by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde) and extremely strong characters, played to perfection by the four principle actors. Originally airing 1975-1978, the series managed to maintain a very high standard despite a slight air of exhaustion that crept into the fourth final series. It was decided to quit while they were ahead, at the peak of the series popularity, with a final episode filmed in front of the Queen.

The basic set-up concerns Tom and Barbara Good (Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal) who decide to opt-out of the rat race and try self-sufficiency in Surbiton. On this slender premise hung all kinds of imaginative plots farmyard animals (and their excretory processes), generators, rotary cultivators (and contraptions of all kinds) as well as political machinations in the local music society headed up by the formidable Miss Mountshaft (often referred to, but never seen).

As the series progressed, the plots tended to depend upon situations guaranteed to cause maximum embarrassment to the Goods social-climbing fully paid-up member of the white middle-classes neighbour Margo Leadbetter (played marvellously by Penelope Keith). Margo's husband, Jerry (Paul Eddington) maintains just the right amount of total resigned bemusement throughout.

Stand-out episodes include 'The Windbreak War' (a feud erupts over the positioning of Margo's windbreak), 'A Tug Of The Forelock' (Tom and Barbara go into domestic service...for Margo), 'Silly...But It's Fun' (the Christmas 1977 episode in which Harrods fail to deliver Margo's Christmas), 'Mutiny' (in which Margo plays Maria in the local music society's production of The Sound Of Music) and 'The Thing In The Cellar' (Tom installs a methane generator which runs on something that comes out of pigs).

It's easy to forget the critical approval and the public appreciation the series gained during it's initial tenure, along with the fame that greeted the actors (especially Penelope Keith who memorably appeared on the Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show, the ultimate accolade at the time).

THE GOOD LIFE easily ranks up with the best TV comedies ever produced but, unfortunately, it is not remembered with quite the same fondness as DAD'S ARMY, STEPTOE & SON or the magnificent FAWLTY TOWERS. What is needed is some repeats to correct this shameful oversight.

This was my favorite BBC sitcom. Even though there was only 30 episodes, it ranks as my favorite among all comedies. I was so fortunate to have had access to public television growing up. Channel 13 in Dallas, Texas was the first public TV station to air "Monty Python's Flying Circus" in the U. S. (Three cheers to Eric Idle).

It was the "Good Neighbors" series that got me started in collecting and recording TV shows onto VHS tapes. One can not help but fall in love with the characters on this show. Tom and Barbara Good are the main characters who decide to live a life of total self-efficiency in the suburbs of London. It is their next door neighbors, Margo and Jerry Ledbetter, that bring in most of the laughs. They remain best of friends with the Good's even though their lifestyles become totally different.

I highly recommend this excellent British comedy. Everyone has a favorite and this show is mine. My favorite American TV sitcom is "The Bob Newhart Show". These two shows have nothing in common except that they make you laugh.

The idea of people being self sufficient was talked about quite a bit in the 70's and there were people who really did it like the Goods.

The reason in the show the Goods could afford to live in their house is that they owned it and didn't have to pay rent. If you think, even in the show, the life they led was easy, you obviously haven't watched much of it at all because it was anything but.

The Goods ran into problems in just about EVERY episode, but the point was doing it for different reasons ~ a challenge, to feel alive, back to basics, to not have to answer to any body...etc. They were down-to-earth, happy, smart and had a sense of humor.

In those ways I find the show really inspiring and intelligent. As for the comedy, the characters once again provide this with their amazing dynamic.

Managing to get four of Britain's best comedic actors at the time together in one show was perfect.

Tom with his cheeky boyish wit, strength and determination. Barbara with her logical intelligence, resourcefulness and feisty charm. Jerry with his cheeky chuckle, free spirited but at times stern nature and his protectiveness towards Tom and Barbara. Margo with her incessant need for a good social standing, strong sense of friendship and almost innocent nature when it comes to certain things like sex.

These character were more than just one dimensional faceless general characters. They all had different sides to them. Margo acted differently with Barbara than she would with Tom and at times her and Jerry, although having their problems did seem very much in love and one could very much see why they were together. Tom and Barbara's relationship was very much equal, with Barbara getting just as much say in what the couple did as Tom.

Tom was sweet and lovable and funny and Barbara was cute and supportive. The four of them went together very well and made a dynamic that wasn't necessarily hilarious, but it was interesting, intelligent and made me giggle. Not only that but the show is full of double entendres and innuendo! Everything from tame bondage to wife swapping is eluded to through the series!! Hahaha.

I'm realize that comedy, more than anything, is subjective but you really should look at this show closer.

I think what makes "The Good Life" work and makes it enduring is not so much the premise (it's a little hard to believe that the Good's could do what they do to their yard and (A) sustain themselves with it and (B) not get the ENTIRE neighborhood on their case). But rather it is the portrayal and interaction of the characters. Tom is a forty year old class clown who says and does outrageous things with such a twinkle that you (almost) forgive him. Felicity Kendall is simply charming, good-natured and fun to watch navigate the mayhem that becomes their home. Jerry (the next door neighbor) is hen-pecked by his wife, somewhat covetous of Tom's wife and simply disbelieving of the decision of the Goods to devote their lives to self-sufficiency. Yet, he's terribly tolerant of Tom's intrusions into his comfortable home and constantly willing to assist them even at his own inconvenience. But my favorite character has to be Margo (as played by Penelope Keith). A lesser actress and writers would have made her the villain of the piece, an irredeemable snob that is constantly a thorn in everyone's side. Wisely, they go a different direction. She is snobbish but loyal to her friends, haughtily generous even while complaining (watch the episode when she comes and helps the Goods harvest their crop) and as the one character of the four with no sense of humor is often the funniest. It's sad to realize that both Paul Eddington and Richard Briers have passed on but we're lucky to still have access to this good-natured series that may not have aged as well as some but can still provide entertainment more than forty years later.

I liked this much more the first time I watched it than I did on subsequent viewings. Maybe it was more to do with the way my own life had changed but as I got older, whilst I still found it funny, I found the Leadbetters played by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington far more sympathetic that the Goods. They now come across to me as incredibly self- satisfied and self-focused. Richard Briers is a brilliant comedy actor but I preferred his other collaboration with Esmonde and Larbey, Ever Decreasing Circles. I think The Good Life was a product of it's time and though it still rates quite highly the Good's smugness grates. They and the series is saved by the generosity of spirit of their richer neighbours Jerry and Margot.

The best sitcom the BBC ever made. Also, I love Barbara. Tom can be annoying, but she is amazing.

I hadn't watched this in ten years, and remembered it so well, I went ahead and bought the boxed set (3 of 4 seasons). I'm sorry I did.

Don't get me wrong; this is still a quite enjoyable short-run sit-com, with extremely pleasant characters that are easy to like, and some of the jokes still play quite nicely.

But the series has not aged well at all. It's easy to spot that the Goods would never have survived two months in "self-sufficiency" if it weren't for the good-will of their neighbors, the long-suffering Ledbetters. And it is now clear that the writing would never have played so well if the show hadn't had a genius of a casting director's choice of the 4 leads, particularly Felicity Kendall, who is really in a class of comic actress all her own - all sweet girlish bubbliness one moment, sultry nymphette sexuality the next, with just a touch of motherliness to remind us that she's playing a woman in her later 30's. There are number of episodes that would have fallen down flat with anyone in the role besides herself.

So, although I really like having this record of Kendall in her prime in a role she made great, I have to admit my memories have been somewhat dimmed. (I didn't even remember the laughtrack, which is annoying as all such are). Perhaps television simply cannot produce comedy for the ages - even Monty Python seems more odd than funny now. Oh well.

This program was one of several that articulated the "siege mentality" of the middle class under what was at the time a fairly left-wing Labour-party government (having won a general election after a nationwide strike by miners and power-station workers); the "class that gets out of the bath to pee" has always claimed that it is "up against the wall" when Labour is in power; usually because they can't find people willing to be domestic servants when union power means that factory jobs offer better pay! And Margot Leadbetter is a walking case-study in "Narcississtic Personality Disorder"; neurotic, self-obsessed, and snobbish to the point of barely-suppressed hysteria, only surpassed by Hyacinth "Bouquet! Bouquet! It's pronounced Bouquet!" Bucket!

I remember watching this show on PBS in the early 80's and loving it. However, I hadn't seen it in nearly 20 years, and wasn't sure how much of my "wonderful" memory was simply nostalgia.

So I was thrilled to discover that my local library has a few episodes on VHS, but it was with a bit of trepidation that I checked them out. Would the show be as good (unintentional pun) as I remembered? I can happily say that yes, this show stands the test of time. True, most of Jerry and Margo's wardrobe is horribly dated, and the typical American wouldn't get a few of the jokes. However, by and large this charming sitcom is still big on laughs, in a very family-friendly way (except for some light innuendo, and the occasional drink, there's virtually nothing to offend here).

Oh, and even wearing a raincoat and wellies, Felicity Kendal is still one of the loveliest ladies I've ever seen.

It is marvelous to see Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Minister-Prime Minister in earlier guises. You can see their future in noting the moues on their faces when observing a truly green garden and green household. It is a shame that not all the actors can join us still, but it is grand to see Felicity Kendall as Rosemary. There is hope. So would you please ask Brabinger to pull the car around?

Holy good gosh almighty! I think that we have become too absorbed by spell-check. Originally,I tried to enter the name of Audrey "fforbes-Hamilton", the widow and the harridan on "To The Manor Born", but was spell-checked out! I sent a Class Letter to my colleagues at Holy Cross a few years back and included a few acronyms. I cleverly noted that I was acronymble. New word! Never existed! Spell-check reduced me to "arconimble!" Word don't exist. Now tell spell-check to add Welsh to the common parlance when checking names! Audrey would approve. AFKII

I have been a fan of many sit coms from please sir to the early carry ons and from Blackadder to bottom, the IT crowd to father Ted and I've hate many such as Fawlty Towers and hi de hi.

But few have stuck with me through my life like the Good life did. It sits in my top list equal to only to Porridge.

The cast of the Good life were the best and they made it what it was. Like porridge it can't ever be revived for that reason. So thank you Brit Box for putting it on your channel.

It holds so much in the way of charm and looking at the idea of survival without modern amenities.

The fabulous down to earth Tom and Barbara Good are brilliantly off set but but the Surbiton socialites Gerry and Margo Leadbetter . Both sets of characters were once on the same level of suburban middle class until Tom Good decides he is missing something in his life as he turns 40. Not happy with a lovely home goodjob and beautiful wife Barbara, Tom decides he's missing It. Being making the most of everything he's got. And so begins the incredible chaos of going self sufficient literally over night. Gerry and Margo at first are horrified but being long time friends with the Goods, they weather it even helping along the way.

Tom Good has a rather sarcastic and mean sense of humour match by Jerry's office wit, Barbara's good natured happiness and Margo's upper crust conservative lack of humour. All make one of the funniest sit coms ever.

It was called " The Good life" why change the title?

Written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, The Good Life (retitled to Good Neighbors in America) follows Tom (Richard Briers) and Barbara Good (Felicity Kendal), a suburban upper-middle class couple, when on Tom's 40th birthday he decides to quit his job, leave society behind, and live "the good life" of self-sufficiency. The show follows the trials and mistakes of the two as they start a farm in their backyard, acquire animals, and of course deal with their good friends but always pesky neighbors Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. Continuously lighthearted and cheery, the show is quite the pleasure to watch, never really taking itself too seriously, and while having a good time making some commentary on modern (at the time) living and societal expectations. Only 4 short seasons the series gets a bit dull towards the middle / end with episodes become a sort of rinse-and-repeat dilemma of the week style sitcom and unfortunately never really builds on or grows either of the characters. All said I'd highly recommend the series finale, the Queen herself makes an appearance and they do a whole deep dive on the production of a studio television sitcom, worth its watch on its own for any interested in the medium. As for the show on a whole, early on Tom and Barbara are peak relationship goals, however as the show goes on Tom is unfortunately definitely not the best husband at points but Felicity Kendal is an absolute joy as Barbara through and through. Not all the jokes and lines age well, but as a whole was pleasantly enjoyable and a treat to flip on. Would recommend.

Another of those comedy shows of the 1970's, which on paper should have never made it to TV.

IT was not brilliant, but it did contain some wonderful actors such as Filicity Kendal, Richard Briars and Penelope Keith.

The script was above average and such class actors carried the script, so very well that it seemed a masterpiece.

All in all, it was an enjoyable watch and certainly had it's share of fans, both at home and within the industry..

To conclude, Wonderful and absolutely believable set of actors. With equally wonderful group dynamics.

Above average script, good production for the era and all packaged in a wealthy versus the striving to get by, type of comedy.

In the seventies, television was good, and The Good Life (1975-1978) is no exception. It's a dry, pleasant and warm British situation comedy about an everyday man who decides on his 40th birthday to quit his job and become self-sufficient. The reason this comedy works better than most is down to its brilliant casting, all of the actors have such a believable chemistry. From Tom and Barbara Good (the fantastic Richard Briers and the lovely Felicity Kendall) to Jerry and Margot Ledbetter (the equally great coupling of Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith). The characters are so likeable, you can't help but warn to this show, it's funny, inoffensive and most of all happy, the kind of show that will lift you're spirits and put a smile on you're face. (Incidentally for a show that is so happy, the final episode is actually quite depressing and emotional a bit of a downer. But that aside you can still watch all the other episodes). This is great comedy with great actors that adds up to a true television classic...

This is one of those series that give Britcoms such a good name! "Good Neighbors" (as we know it here in the states) is intelligent, funny, and extremely endearing. And who can beat the cast? Richard Briers is a very respected veteran now -- he was nominated for a Tony last year for "The Chairs" -- and he was just as talented when he was younger! Felicity Kendall is absolutely precious as his wife (I *love* her scratchy little voice!), and Paul Eddington and Penelope Keith are terrific as the snooty next-door neighbors. "Good Neighbors"/"The Good Life" is dry, but in a good way... You'll laugh out loud at this one! And it has a heart -- you'll fall in love with the Goods, and enjoy following them through their ups and downs! Do yourself a favor and check out this series!

I've always liked this BBC sitcom from the '70's, it was never uproariously funny in the same way as its channel contemporary Fawlty Towers was, but it was always pleasantly funny and always delivered. It was a genuine attempt to extract humour from a serious human decision, that of quitting the rat race and becoming self-sufficient in Surbiton. How the Good's managed it was the subject of about 30 half hour episodes, with a definite tapering off in story quality towards the end. They'd all proved their point: it could be seen to be possible and successful and once achieved could only repeat like the seasons of the year.

"Plough your own furrow" broadcast 4.4.75: This is where 40 year old Tom, with Barbara's considered support quits his job and they become self-sufficient. To celebrate their decision they dance around the goldfish pond at 3 in the morning much to their next door neighbours Jerry & Margot's disgust.

Tom, Jerry and Margot were all splendidly portrayed by Briers, Eddington and Keith, but as has been repeatedly pointed out in previous comments, it was Felicity Kendal who brought something extra to the shows. She provided a downbeat and downplayed realistic attitude that was at the time and still is completely beguiling and refreshing to watch. Those who couldn't get into it sure missed something! Sitcom was perhaps rather beneath her talents, and I always thought of Briers as a farceur, but they gelled together well in their opposition to the world.

8/10