When I first saw the Good Life (the British name) in the 1970s as an impressionable kid, I immediately loved it. Everybody was so nice and civilized unlike the glue-sniffing, head-butting ruffians at my local Scottish comprehensive school. I was so charmed that I almost wanted to become English, middle-class, and 'awfully nice.' I also developed a raging crush on Felicity Kendall. This series was a product of the golden age of British TV when the BBC was more like a giant artists' collective than the faceless management bureau it has since become. The casting is incredible. The four main actors are hand-in-glove with their roles.Paul Eddington as the long-suffering but slyly rebellious Jerry is the perfect foil for Margot's innocent pomposity. Felicity Kendall's Barbara is both tomboyish and kittenish and serves as a welcome check on Richard Brier's naughty little boy act as the exuberant and mischievous Tom.
For those unfamiliar with the situation of this situation comedy, it concerns the efforts of Tom and Barbara Good to escape the 9-to-5, Monday-to-Friday, suburbs-to-city commuting rat race, by starting a commune in their own garden, and the effect this has on their relationship with their very strait-laced neighbors, Jerry and Margot.
This tape includes two consecutive episodes from the 2nd series and one from the 3rd series with the following original transmission dates.
(1) Mr Fix It - 19th of December, 1975 Tom and BarbaraÕs revolutionary lifestyle attracts the interest of a freelance journalist, throwing their neighbours' bourgeois values into sharp relief. Margot tries hard to get her name in the paper, while Jerry uses the publicity to gain sponsorship perks from local businesses.
(2) The Day Peace Broke Out - 2nd of January, 1976 After noticing that some of his leeks are missing, Tom sets out to catch the thief. His vigilantism, however, lands him in trouble with the law. Revenge finally comes in the unexpected shape of Geraldine the Goat.
(3) I Talk to the Trees - 1st of October, 1976 After meeting an old man who talks to his plants, the Goods decide to experiment with talking to their plants. Margot meanwhile is plotting to take over the Suburbiton Music Society. When Tom taunts her with plotting a revolution, she shows her right wing credentials by responding, "I'd rather you thought of it as a right-wing coup." This only a couple of years after General Pinochet's infamous right wing coup in Chile!