Glad to see that we can now view the rates for our reviews. Maybe next time Ciao should test the new...
Glad to see that we can now view the rates for our reviews. Maybe next time Ciao should test the new system before installing it?
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In my opinion one of the best, if not the best, sit com to come out of the BBC has to be The Good Life. Originally broadcast in the 1970's it has been repeated many times and I still find it funny no matter how many times I watch it!
The basic premise of the plot is that Tom Good, on reaching his 40th birthday, decides that he has had enough of the rat race and wonders if he and his wife Barbara could become self sufficient. They discuss it and decide that it has to be worth a try.
Initially they convert their front and back gardens into vegetable plots and then add a hen house, a pig sty and get a goat. Then they get an allotment and make their own transport and electricity generator all with hilarious consequences.
As a concept this would be funny enough but for extra comedy add this all to the fact that they live in Surbiton in 'The Avenue', which is a somewhat posh area AND they live next door to Margo Leadbetter a snob of the first water and her husband Jerry.
Jerry and Tom worked together until Tom changed his lifestyle and poor Jerry can't understand why Tom would want to swap a life of well paid work for a life of poverty.
Jerry is henpecked by Margo who likes her life and home to be 'just so'. She is a member of the
Pony Club and the local Music Society and likes people to think that she has the perfect life so the neighbours owning pigs and growing vegetables in their front garden is her worst nightmare!
There are two main things that make this comedy work. The first is the excellent casting of:
Felicity Kendal as Barbara Good Penelope Keith as Margo Leadbetter Paul Eddington as Jerry Leadbetter Richard Briers as Tom Good
The second thing is the relationships between the four characters. Tom and Barbara have a solid marriage where they discuss things, sort out any disagreements as they arise and have a lot of fun.
Margo and Jerry also have a solid marriage where Margo is very much the boss, but their love for each other is evident and they both seem to be happy with their lifestyle.
Margo, for all her snobbish ways, is very fond of both Tom and Barbara. She feels sorry for Barbara and often makes it clear that she thinks Tom has bullied her into their new lifestyle and she tries to get her to assert herself by doing things like joining the Pony Club. Tom often teases Margo making her blush with his innuendos.
Jerry thinks Tom is mad for giving up his job and often tries to get him to go back to work for 'Sir' played by Reginald Marsh.
As with all good sit coms the characters all have their fair share of the limelight and both success and failure within the storylines.
Each week sees Tom and Barbara wrestling with yet another aspect of self sufficiency for example the sow giving birth, the building of the new hen house, the pigs getting into Margo's garden and the buying of the new range for the kitchen. There are many more such incidents and all are hysterical but they all turn out OK in the end!
The series was written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey and produced by John Howard Davies.
As I said at the start of the review I can watch these over and over again and still laugh even though I think I know the script better than the actors do in some cases! LOL!
Since he knew how much I liked the series my lovely hubby bought me The Complete Collection for Christmas so I can now watch whenever I like!
Incidentally the DVDs all have a PG certificate expect for the classics one which is U. I must admit I was surprised by this as the 'adult' references in the shows aren't offensive in any way and I can't think off hand of any that would be a problem to a younger child, but there you go.
The box consists of 5 DVDs and they are as follows:
DVD One - Series One 1975 Plough Your Own Furrow Say Little Hen... The Weaker Sex? Pig's Lib The Thing In The Cellar The Pagan Rite
DVD Two - Series Two 1976 Just My Bill The Guru of Surbiton Mr. Fix-It. The Day Peace Broke Out. Mutiny Home Sweet Home Going To Pot?
DVD Three - Series Three 1977 The Early Birds The Happy Event A Tug of the Forelock I Talk To The Trees. Whose Fleas Are These? The Last Posh Frock
DVD Four - Final Series 1978 Away From it All The Green Door Our Speaker Today The Weaver's Tale Suit Yourself Sweet and Sour Charity Anniversary When I'm 65 - Royal Command Performance in the presence of The Queen and Prince Philip
DVD Five - Classics Backs to the Wall The Wind Break War Silly but its Fun
Together the five DVDs have every episode ever made. I am not going to give any descriptions of the episodes in this review as it will make it far to long and boring but I have noticed that each DVD is available separately and as such is listed separately on Ciao so I will actually review the episodes one DVD at a time.
On each DVD there is also an interview with Bob Larbey, some scriptwriters' biographies, filmographies and some production notes. I don't find this sort of thing in the least bit interesting I'm afraid as I had the set to watch the programmes again and again and again……..
I am a bit confused as to the current price of this collection. If you look on www.play.com it gives the price as £17.99 as opposed to the RRP of £39.99. I am not sure whether this is the 5 DVD collection though, as the picture shows a box with 3 DVDs in it and the write up says a collection of 6 DVDs so who knows?
This has to be one of the best Christmas presents ever as far as I am concerned and if you like your 70's comedy this is well worth the investment.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
I'm feeling withdrawal syptoms since the bbc stopped showing this on a weekly basis. I'll have to buy it. Ray..
sarahbarrow 18.03.2008 00:30
So wierd, my mum has just brought the first three series, and i have just this minute finished watching them! Great review, can't beat these classic comedys, Sarahx
arnoldhenryrufus 14.03.2008 12:07
It was a very funny series, hubby loved it - lyn x
![The Good Life - Complete [DVD] [1975]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78510868.jpg "The Good Life - Complete [DVD] [1975]")
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