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