The Good Life (series 1-4, complete)

(Amazon UK link)

We watched six episodes from Series One of ‘The Good Life’ at the start of last year. It was a BBC sitcom from the 1970s, featuring Tom and Barbara Good (Richard Briers and Felicity Kendall). As Tom approached his 40th birthday he became increasingly fed up with corporate life, and decided (with Barbara’s support and encouragement) to become self-sufficient. 

We enjoyed these six episodes so much that I decided to acquire the full box set with all four seasons. I was able to do so when in the UK in April, and we started watching again in early May. We began with the remaining episode of series one which was not on the first DVD we had, and then saw the other three series over the rest of the year. We usually watched one per week, sometimes two. Apparently there are thirty episodes in all.

Looking back, it’s hard to recall any specific story, as there are inevitably similarities. It’s character-based as much as plot-based. Tom and Barbara are very happily married, even if he’s a bit pompous at times, and they are good at helping each other become more positive if one of them feels depressed. Their next-door neighbours are their closest friends: Jerry (Paul Eddington) and Margo (Penelope Keith) are money-oriented and Margo in particular likes to entertain, to keep her house perfect, and to be seen as someone significant in the neighbourhood. She’s a snob, and disapproves of the Goods’ venture - but she’s also kind-hearted, and they remain close friends to the end. 

Tom and Barbara’s forays into self-sufficiency have inevitable downs as well as ups. So we see them gradually acquiring more animals and finding ways to house them. We see them inventing a kind of vehicle to transport bigger items, much to Margo’s horror. They learn to weave, and to dye clothes as well as experimenting with different kinds of crops, and they negotiate prices with local shopkeepers to sell their excess.

There are some very amusing scenes and exchanges, and in almost every episode we found ourselves chuckling more than once. And it was also quite thought-provoking. Would someone really give up their phone, their electricity and more to follow this kind of lifestyle, on ecological principles? They do it in a nice suburb in the south of the UK and to keep going despite the disapproval of others. And this is the 1970s when people were much less aware of the potential of climate change and other ecological disasters. Tom and Barbara were way ahead of their time.

Series Four is not very long, but our DVDs had the bonus of two final ‘specials’: the first is a Christmas one, contrasting Tom and Felicity having a home-made Christmas with Jerry and Margo whose Christmas all comes in a van, ordered at great cost. Margo is arguing with the delivery man about her tree being six inches shorter than the one she had ordered, not realising that if she sent everything away, she might have nothing… we thought it a very good episode, showing what really matters in life.

Then there was a ‘command performance’ special, which began with film of the Queen and other dignitaries arriving in the BBC studio to watch the making of one of the episodes, filmed life. The entire episode is then shown, not the ‘making of’, with some brief appearances of all the cast at the end, when the action moves back to the studio.  

This last episode features Tom and Barbara’s anniversary of his leaving work and embarking on their self-sufficient lifestyle. There are some shocks as well as some humour, and they have to consider seriously whether they might have to give up. 

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed this sitcom, which doesn’t feel as if it’s fifty years old. The chemistry between the characters is all too real, even if Margo is rather a caricature, and some of the issues raised are very relevant in today’s more eco-conscious world.

The rating is PG which seems about right; there's no real violence, certainly no nudity or explicit scenes, but there are some implications of intimacies although they would probably go over children's heads. The subject matter isn't really appropriate for children anyway, and I doubt if children or even teenagers would find this very interesting.

Highly recommended if you like this kind of thing.  

Review copyright 2025 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Good Life (6 episodes from series 1)

(Amazon UK link)

I can remember watching and liking the television sitcom ‘The Good Life’ in the late 1970s. I didn’t watch it all, but the premise appealed to me: a young couple decides to quit the rat race. So I was pleased when I found a DVD containing series 1 - or, rather, six episodes from the first series. I’m not sure why they didn’t include the rest, as there were only seven episodes in that series. 

We’ve been watching one episode per week over the past six weeks, and have both appreciated the show very much. Other than the events of the first episode, I had forgotten entirely what happened. And in a sense it doesn’t matter, because the characterisation is what makes this such a good series.

Richard Briers is excellent as the enthusiastic but often naive Tom Good. He works in an office with his neighbour Jerry (Paul Eddington) but whereas Jerry has been promoted and is quite senior, Tom has not risen. He’s a very talented graphic designer, but as he approaches his 40th birthday he becomes disillusioned, and decides he would like to give up paid employment, and become self-sufficient.

Tom’s wife Barbara, brilliantly portrayed by Felicity Kendal, is enthusiastic and encourages him to give in his notice. They come up with all kinds of plans, from growing their own crops to keeping animals for eggs and even meat. They’re not sure how it will all work out, but they’re both eager to try. I love the relationship between Tom and Barbara, which is loving, mutually supportive, and full of conversation. Sometimes they have arguments, even shouting matches; but they always make up. 

Jerry, by contrast, is married to the upwardly-mobile Margo (Penelope Keith is perfect in the role). She’s a terrible snob, and loves her life of luxury. She can’t believe Tom and Barbara will actually go ahead with their plans, and at first is horrified at what they will do to their ‘nice’ neighbourhood. There are some clashes, but Margo is ultimately quite kind-hearted, and her friendship with Tom and Felicity is important even though they somewhat laugh about her quirks when she’s not there.  

Jerry is a bit hen-pecked, and often does things behind Margo’s back; their relationship is not so open and affectionate as Tom and Barbara’s, but there are times when they become close… 

Later episodes show progress in the self-sufficiency, inevitably beset with problems; Barbara has moments of despair, but she’s very supportive and works hard to fulfil what has become their joint dream. And there’s a lot of humour. Most of it is verbal, and several times we found ourselves laughing aloud. But we also grew to like the characters, so much so that having finished this DVD, I’m going to try to find the other three seasons on DVD when I’m next in the UK.

To our surprise, there were even a few ‘extras’ on our DVD set, made some years later, looking back on the show and reasons for its success. I don't know if these 'extras' appear in the full season 1 DVD; the link above is to the version we have, with episode 7 missing. 

Highly recommended, if you appreciate classic British sitcoms from the 1970s. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's DVD Reviews

Doctor Who, the complete Fourth series (David Tennant, Catherine Tate)

(Amazon UK link)

Long before we reached the end of Doctor Who series Three, I had put Series Four on my wishlist, and was given it for my birthday last year. So we were able to start watching Series Four almost immediately. But with lack of time and other commitments, it has taken us about six months to complete it.

Season Four is the last full season with David Tennant as the Doctor. There is a great first episode featuring Kylie Minogue, of all people, as a waitress called Astrid. She would have made a good companion to the Doctor - they got along extremely well - but alas, it was not to be.

Donna - Catherine Tate - appears in episode Two (out of fourteen in all), a quirky and somewhat amusing one featuring some weight loss pills, and the cute aliens known as adipose (which can now be bought as Doctor Who Adipose Plush). Donna had appeared briefly in the Christmas Special at the start of Series Three, but had been absent from the show since then.

I didn't much like Donna at first. She seemed a bit feeble and not particularly intelligent. However, her lack of romantic interest in the Doctor was quite refreshing, after Rose and Martha, and she grew in confidence as the series progressed. By the last few episodes she had become - as another companion put it - the most important person in creation. By the final exciting two-part episodes Donna had shown herself to be a loyal and brilliant companion... which made her eventual departure from the show, in the last episode, really rather sad in the way that it happened.

There are threads running through this whole series which make it more complicated than the old ones I used to watch from behind the sofa. Yet there are still quite a mixture - from the cuddly Adipose to the terrifying Vashta Nerada, not to mention the ancient daleks with their battle cry 'exterminate'. Daleks still make me shudder and want to hide, like I did as a child.

Lots of companions re-appear in this series, including one from the Doctor's future (should that be 'pre-appear?') in a spooky episode involving a vast library, some terrifyingly tiny aliens, and a small girl. Then there's a delightfully light-weight episode featuring Agatha Christie (at a house-party hosted by a society lady played by Felicity Kendall) and a script which includes a large number of titles of Agatha Christie's books. There's a giant wasp, too, which could have been terrifying but somehow didn't ever feel quite real.

David Tennant is brilliant throughout. It's hard to imagine how he can ever be bettered.

The final DVD - out of six - contains a wonderful documentary, seeing into the lives of those involved in the show, with script-reading, filming and post-production.

All in all, this is great stuff and we are now complete fans of Doctor Who. I just wish I had known sooner that there are some extra episode from 2009 which are chronologically between Series Four and Series Five. I was given Series Five for Christmas, but we need to get hold of these specials before we can move on to see Matt Smith as Doctor...

Definitely recommended. Rated 12, which seems about right, as the storylines are complex and some of the ideas are scary, even if the violence is relatively mild compared to much of what passes as entertainment these days. No nudity or sex, unsurprisingly, and only a few instances of minor bad language.

Review copyright Sue's DVD Reviews