Classic Comedy - THE GOOD LIFE

Ah yes, The Good Life. 70s self-sufficiency sitcom that inspired and entertained a generation when it was first aired, and a well-affirmed classic comedy well and truly in its own right. Ask anybody who has watched, or has even remotely heard of this one, and I am sure they will say that The Good Life is certainly a classic piece of comedy.Though the show is such a staple and is so well loved, it may surprise some to learn that it only ran for three short years, running from 1975 to 1978.  Yet in that relatively short time (compared to something of Only Fools and Horses longevity for example) it became successfully ingrained on the British psyche, and has remained in our hearts ever since.

In case you are not aware, the basic premise was that Tom and Barbara Good, played by Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal respectively, decide to turn on their backs on modern, middle-class, capitalist life and dig up their gardens and ship in their own veg and their own menagerie, in an attempt to become self-sufficient. The series follows their adventures, their highs and lows, their ups and downs, in trying to turn their life around, all the while living next door to social climbers Margo and Jerry, portrayed by Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.

That really is all I feel that needs to be said about the plot, for what is really and truly integral to this piece of sitcom gold to me, and to many other fans, are the four characters at its heart. At the end of the day, it is really all about Tom & Barbara and Margo & Jerry, and that is all right by me. For the way in which the various dynamics between these four characters was written, conceived, and portrayed was simply glorious to watch. Each piece of characterization flawlessly charming, each bit of interplay beautifully done. Yes OK I can see what some mean when they say it was a bit "too nice" (yet there was the odd smattering of drama amongst all the wonderfully middle-class laughs) and yes to some it may be a case of middle-class Britain just being splayed upon the telly for all to see. But I just don't care. When the writing is that good, the characters that greatly portrayed, and the actors behind them that talented; it just makes for classic TV.

Tom and Barbara then. Well Richard Briers is great in the role that many define him by. Tom was and still is many people's idea of the iconic male of Britain at that time; humerous, happy-go-lucky, sly, a tad arrogant and a tad overly-exaggerated, but all done in a very playful and charming package. Equally charming was the delicious Felicity Kendal as the wide-eyed, earnest and hardy Barbara. Again, like her TV husband, perhaps a tad stereotyped now, but she fit into the show as the other half of the Goods brilliantly. There is a school of thought that together this pairing made the heart and soul of The Good Life, and of course, without them it would never have worked, despite anything else. Happily they were marvelous, and the delight of the Goods shines bright to this day.

Of course we cannot forget the other duo of The Good Life. In several ways Margo and Jerry were the complete antithesis of Tom and Barbara, but when they overcame their uncommon ground and often came together with quite an impact of interaction, the results were often thoroughly laughable and charming. Margo AKA Penelope Keith was another massive icon that came out of The Good Life, and rightly so. The sheer joy of the would-be-aristocratic, often snobbish and aloof attitude (not to mention those clothes!) that dominated every scene she was in made Margo a joy to watch from start to finish. Likewise her husband Jerry, played by Paul Eddington, was just the right amount of suave, caddish and hopelessly awkward and put upon; a perfect addition to Margo to form the Leadbetter double-act. 

I've used the word "charming" a few times here, but really that is precisely the right term. Classic comedy The Good Life is I maintain, but more than that it is  a series that offered a depiction of life (or even several depictions) that were wonderfully nuanced and full of quintessential charm; the likes of which I feel could never be repeated. Yep, from 4 series, 1 Christmas special and 1 Royal Command performance, The Good Life gave us a sitcom unlike any other, and gave it to us in spades.