As an American, I didn't discover this series until the 1990s when it was on Alabama Public Television. But it sure didn't take long for me to get hooked! Right along with Are You Being Served? And To The Manor Born and of course Dads Army. I think the BBC comedies were like ours in the fact that they were just better back in the 1970s.
I remember these from the 70’s and 80’s on PBS in rural upstate NY. Somehow my parents believed young kids should watch Monty Python and The Goodies…….
Oh my goodness! I thought this would be a quaint series I’ve never seen, but I recognise that little bird going around the flower!!! I recognise Barbara too! I was born in 1976 in Australia, so there’s no chance I remember the original run!
R I p Richard Briers.Gone but not forgotten.The Good Life was essential viewing back in the day.It was one of the true very British comedies.This comedy didnt have one star but they were all stars who came together in a comedy of epic proportions.You will be missed Richard.
A wonderful human being, a great comic actor as exemplified by shows like THE GOOD LIFE, and in the past twenty odd years a wonderful Shakespearian and classics actor... Thankyou for enriching my life Richard... R.I.P.
I forgot all about this show, I love it! PBS used to run it when I was a kid and PBS was the only channel we could get that came in clear with no snow - anyone else out there remember that?! Anyway, thanks so much for posting the series! Good memories.
thank you so much for posting the entire series! very grateful! the good life is pure-gold! there's nothing horrid or nasty. priceless actors in a priceless show x
one of the best sitcoms in its day,clean good fun and banter like dads army,no bad language this is what even children could watch,this is why I have a library of DVDs. better then the rubbish on TV now,makes me wonder what we pay our licence for.
Yes, it is! I watched this here in the U.S. as a young child (starting at about 9). And despite it being about adults who were White and from another country, it actually spoke to me and was funny. I keep hearing about Dad's Army. I have never seen that but I am going to buy DVDs. I have a multi-region player, too.
I started watching re-runs of this show when in college. I was sick & channel surfing when I came upon this on PBS one miserable night (it was the pig episode) and from then on was immediately hooked. My favorite show is "Silly, But It's Fun" but really I like all the episodes.
R.I.P Richard Briers. The Good Life was my families tv favourite in the 70's and continues to be so with my own children. We love watching the repeats on SKY. A sad day.
Thanks Richard for the wonderful entertainment. I love The Good Life! It inspired me to move to the countryside. You were a star and made people smile which was a great gift. RIP Richard. xx
Around 1984, I answered an ad for a second hand wood stove. “You move, you fix.” The man selling it turned out to be the uncle of a dear friend! And guess what tv series he loved? Right! He had a small city lot and a big garden. I still have the stove.
Thank you so very much for posting this series. I remember watching this as a teenager at my aunt's house on Sunday nights on KERA Channel 13. Watching these episodes brings back so many happy and wonderful memories of Sunday nights at my aunt's place. My aunt is gone now, but this show still soldiers on. Again thank you for posting these!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THESE!!!! I love this show, I’ve seen them all repeatedly but they are still funny and a delight to watch. I love British humor, particularly from this era.
The Good Life was also an American sitcom that ran for 15 episodes in 1971. It featured Larry Hagman and Donna Mills. ( Later of Dallas and Knot's Landing respectively.) When the British show of the same name was shown in North America it was retitled Good Neighbours to avoid confusion with the former.
Being that the only bit if this show I've ever seen is on The Young Ones every time I see the opening I expect Ade Amundson to come crashing thru the screen screaming "No! No!"
For you hardcore GOOD fans...the house used in the show is at 55 Kewberry Road, Northwood, Middlesex UK. Its visable on Google Earth street view virtually unchanged from the show.
Hahaaaa!!! We recently found a box full of old crockery and thought some of them looked quite nice in the cold light of 2010.... I've just realised they're using them in this episode!!! That's so strange!!!
Our station in the U.S. was the first to air an English comedy. I remember Monty Python but it was THIS ONE I watched, and sort of understood, as a kid. My parents were friends with a couple who were a bit like the Goodes, and I have definitely known people like Margo.
John Etheridge Here in Dallas, it is Channel 13, KERA and they air a great many Britcoms. Right now, they are airing Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served?, Open All Hours, Mulberry, and Red Dwarf. But they have aired many beginning with Monty Python.
John Etheridge In addition to the ones I named, they have also shown Shelly, No Place Like Home, The Young Ones, My Hero, Father Ted, Black Books (I suppose the last 3 could be considered Irish), Hardware, Is it Legal?, The Thin Blue Line, all the incarnations of Black Adder, That's My Boy, The Last of the Summer Wine, Ever Increasing Circles, Fresh Fields & French Fields, Executive Stress, To the Manor Born, Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Preach, The Vicar of Dibley, uh I am trying to think of them all...
Also, As Time Goes By, Alexei Sayle's Stuff (Hilarious), Chef!, May to December, Goodnight Sweetheart, A Fine Romance, Lenny Henry Tonight & Lenny Henry Show, Fawlty Towers, The Benny Hill Show, Fry & Laurie, The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin (and briefly the newer remake), as well as whatever you call the newer version of Are You Being Served? Lots & lots, I am missing a few, but I have watched them all here on KERA Channel 13 over the span of like 30 years.
@LittleOddMe This series has been on PBS stations in the states as The Good Neighbors. But its been some years since I've seen it there. I remember this one well, but still like seeing it all, so I miss part 2 as well. It's all about money don't ya know, that's life isnt it. You can find this series pretty cheap on ioffer. I love the old British shows, great writing and humor.
Thnx4Posting this classic on here..Very much appreciated..Love this show..The husband is a right knob though..Exoecting his wife to go without for his wierd ideas..lol..I don't know any woman who'd go thru that kinda shite thesedays..
SO SO sorry to hear of the sad death of Richard Briers, we will miss you terribly. This si-com. was the best ever written, and will be fondly remembered by millions of devoted fans. They don't make 'em like this any more, because they CAN''T match the matchless cast in this. R.I.P. dear Richard Briers.
Vote this up to let folks know that part two is blocked by the BBC bastards. Thank you so much for giving me a taste of this though. Much appreciated. I've never seen the beginning episodes of this show, and it's not as if it will ever come on American tv.
@Razieluk It's The Last Posh Frock episode, when Barbra asks him if he still loves her even though she's not "glammed up" ":..of course I do you silly bitch.". I laugh every time ;) I know you commented ages ago but I had to chime in.
The Good Life - A milestone birthday convinces Tom Good to make a change. He talks his wife, Barbara, into giving up the so-called rat race and joining him in a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency. They convert their suburban home into a farm, planting crops in the back garden and bringing in pigs and chickens (including a rooster they name Lenin). The new use of their property comes as something of a shock to their very proper neighbors, Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. A social climber of the first order, Margo can't bear having chickens roaming the back garden. She'll have to put up with it, though, since Tom, despite his desire for self-sufficiency, can't bring himself to kill the chickens. First episode date: April 4, 1975 - Final episode date: June 10, 1978 - Network: BBC One
Yeah, same here. Love PBS. It made me a fan of British sitcoms. I like "Solo" as well (the sitcom that Felicity Kendall was on after this show ended). The only problem was I kept half expecting Tom to pop up along with the Ledbetters--lol.
You all should record these while you can-just found out that The Good Life BBC channel has deleted all its videos within the last few days. What a shame-decent good humour not allowed anymore I guess.
This series is comfort food for me.
As an American, I didn't discover this series until the 1990s when it was on Alabama Public Television. But it sure didn't take long for me to get hooked! Right along with Are You Being Served? And To The Manor Born and of course Dads Army. I think the BBC comedies were like ours in the fact that they were just better back in the 1970s.
If you like those shows you will like Yes, Minister!
Absolutely nothing beats the British Comedies
I remember these from the 70’s and 80’s on PBS in rural upstate NY. Somehow my parents believed young kids should watch Monty Python and The Goodies…….
Love this show. Remember watching it years ago. Love British humor!
Oh my goodness! I thought this would be a quaint series I’ve never seen, but I recognise that little bird going around the flower!!! I recognise Barbara too! I was born in 1976 in Australia, so there’s no chance I remember the original run!
R I p Richard Briers.Gone but not forgotten.The Good Life was essential viewing back in the day.It was one of the true very British comedies.This comedy didnt have one star but they were all stars who came together in a comedy of epic proportions.You will be missed Richard.
A wonderful human being, a great comic actor as exemplified by shows like THE GOOD LIFE, and in the past twenty odd years a wonderful Shakespearian and classics actor... Thankyou for enriching my life Richard... R.I.P.
I forgot all about this show, I love it! PBS used to run it when I was a kid and PBS was the only channel we could get that came in clear with no snow - anyone else out there remember that?! Anyway, thanks so much for posting the series! Good memories.
Love, love this show
Yes, I saw it o PBS as a kid as well.Enjoyed it then!
Was on public television here in Australia too.
yes, pbs aired this and fawlty towers, are you being served (plus again), keeping up appearances, and to the manor born back in the 80s.
@@daveheel EXACTLY the shows I recall from PBS! What a great time to be a kid soaking up British telly in the west of Michigan.
thank you so much for posting the entire series! very grateful! the good life is pure-gold! there's nothing horrid or nasty. priceless actors in a priceless show x
I have loved this show sense the 70’s thank you for sharing it with us now.
one of the best sitcoms in its day,clean good fun and banter like dads army,no bad language this is what even children could watch,this is why I have a library of DVDs. better then the rubbish on TV now,makes me wonder what we pay our licence for.
Yes, it is! I watched this here in the U.S. as a young child (starting at about 9). And despite it being about adults who were White and from another country, it actually spoke to me and was funny. I keep hearing about Dad's Army. I have never seen that but I am going to buy DVDs. I have a multi-region player, too.
I started watching re-runs of this show when in college. I was sick & channel surfing when I came upon this on PBS one miserable night (it was the pig episode) and from then on was immediately hooked. My favorite show is "Silly, But It's Fun" but really I like all the episodes.
R.I.P Richard Briers. The Good Life was my families tv favourite in the 70's and continues to be so with my own children. We love watching the repeats on SKY. A sad day.
i love that kids are never mentioned
Thanks Richard for the wonderful entertainment. I love The Good Life! It inspired me to move to the countryside. You were a star and made people smile which was a great gift. RIP Richard. xx
Felicity is so gorgeous in this series.
Felicity and Richard have so much chemistry together.
Around 1984, I answered an ad for a second hand wood stove. “You move, you fix.” The man selling it turned out to be the uncle of a dear friend! And guess what tv series he loved? Right! He had a small city lot and a big garden. I still have the stove.
Such a CHARMINGshow....Love the actors; and how young they were.....Thank you for providing these for us to reminisce(sp) with...
Janet Fassbinder reminesce!
This show ran and reran on PBS for years. Love it. Thanks for posting it Ouija.
Wish PBS would run this series again. One of the best.
Thank you so very much for posting this series. I remember watching this as a teenager at my aunt's house on Sunday nights on KERA Channel 13. Watching these episodes brings back so many happy and wonderful memories of Sunday nights at my aunt's place. My aunt is gone now, but this show still soldiers on. Again thank you for posting these!
Interesting PBS stations picked it up.
It was a PBS staple in the early and mid-80s...I watched it in Texas and California...
First Brit Com I ever watched, back in the 80s. Good memories
Who'd want a relationship like Tom and Barbara's? awesome couple, darling girl.
One of the best sit coms ever!!
Ahhh..he passed away. I loved this series in the 70's..
This series couldn’t be more relevant now - There’s so many lessons we could learn on self-sufficiency. Netflix must stream this !
.
Starfishsuz - The episode when they get drunk (The Wind Break) is the closest they come to it..... so funny !
BRILLIANT...😊 (one of the best programmes ever)
Seattle born; we loved this series so much as Americans who thrive on self-reliance! We identify with all the characters in one way or another.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THESE!!!! I love this show, I’ve seen them all repeatedly but they are still funny and a delight to watch. I love British humor, particularly from this era.
still love this seen it time after time ...classic ..forget only fools ...this beats it hands down
It makes me so proud to be related to Bob Larbey! I love this show and he will be missed.
The Good Life was also an American sitcom that ran for 15 episodes in 1971. It featured Larry Hagman and Donna Mills. ( Later of Dallas and Knot's Landing respectively.) When the British show of the same name was shown in North America it was retitled Good Neighbours to avoid confusion with the former.
RIP Richard! amazing actor and gentleman
This was a brilliantly funny series, thanks very much for posting it
Good lord. I watched this in my early 20's....now I'm 40 and feeling as he does! Damn. LOL!!
I watched and loved this also and i am now 75
Being that the only bit if this show I've ever seen is on The Young Ones every time I see the opening I expect Ade Amundson to come crashing thru the screen screaming "No! No!"
lol
HailAnts I expect the laundry machine to open it's lid and moan, yum! every time Felicity Kendall walks by.
+HailAnts Yeah, me too.
oh yes. lol
"Nooooo were not watching the bloody good life !!! BLUDYYYYY BLOODDY BLOODYY !!! I hate it its soo bluddyyy nice !!!
I remember this series when I was a child; looking back on it was perfectly cast!!
Felicity, Richard et al. were so marvelous together.
He was great in this show. Sorry to hear of his passing.
For you hardcore GOOD fans...the house used in the show is at 55 Kewberry Road, Northwood, Middlesex UK. Its visable on Google Earth street view virtually unchanged from the show.
Briars, Kendall, Keith, and Eddington = genius.
RIP Richard...thanks for the laughs.
a show with a whole cast of national treasures. Seldom seen these days
Great actor. Great show. Helped define my midlife crisis. RIP.
Nice story. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this show. Was a cute program.
NOT THE BLOODY GOOD LIFE! I hate it! It's so bloody nice! ...Hahaha
always quality. RIP Richard Briers
Hahaaaa!!! We recently found a box full of old crockery and thought some of them looked quite nice in the cold light of 2010.... I've just realised they're using them in this episode!!! That's so strange!!!
May you rest in peace, Richard, and may God comfort your family at this sad time.
My kingdom for part 2! Many thanks for posting this series!
In the vanguard of world hippopotamus
Loved this show as a kid, always dreamed doing just what they did. now i have my plot and house and just three more years and i drop out :)
When I was young, I couldn't stand the character Tom. I had the biggest crush on Barbara and was jealous, LOL. Grats on dropping out soon.
good for you hope it all works out for you.
Oh my goodness, me too. My husband grew up on a farm in MS and one day we are going there, probably in the next few years.
Phillip Smith Hi.I just started watching this and read your post...did you start your self-sufficent life?
It's been 5 years - how is it coming along?
RIP I loved watching this as a kid
I can't find parts 2 or 3 - are they posted?
I LOVE the good life - brilliant and hilarious.
Our station in the U.S. was the first to air an English comedy. I remember Monty Python but it was THIS ONE I watched, and sort of understood, as a kid. My parents were friends with a couple who were a bit like the Goodes, and I have definitely known people like Margo.
I think we all know somebody that was a bit like Margo.
I watched this and other britcoms on pbs channels 13 and 21 here in new york city.now they only air keeping up appearances which i still watch
John Etheridge Here in Dallas, it is Channel 13, KERA and they air a great many Britcoms. Right now, they are airing Keeping Up Appearances, Are You Being Served?, Open All Hours, Mulberry, and Red Dwarf. But they have aired many beginning with Monty Python.
John Etheridge In addition to the ones I named, they have also shown Shelly, No Place Like Home, The Young Ones, My Hero, Father Ted, Black Books (I suppose the last 3 could be considered Irish), Hardware, Is it Legal?, The Thin Blue Line, all the incarnations of Black Adder, That's My Boy, The Last of the Summer Wine, Ever Increasing Circles, Fresh Fields & French Fields, Executive Stress, To the Manor Born, Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Preach, The Vicar of Dibley, uh I am trying to think of them all...
Also, As Time Goes By, Alexei Sayle's Stuff (Hilarious), Chef!, May to December, Goodnight Sweetheart, A Fine Romance, Lenny Henry Tonight & Lenny Henry Show, Fawlty Towers, The Benny Hill Show, Fry & Laurie, The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin (and briefly the newer remake), as well as whatever you call the newer version of Are You Being Served? Lots & lots, I am missing a few, but I have watched them all here on KERA Channel 13 over the span of like 30 years.
never saw it before, wonderful acting
@LittleOddMe This series has been on PBS stations in the states as The Good Neighbors. But its been some years since I've seen it there. I remember this one well, but still like seeing it all, so I miss part 2 as well. It's all about money don't ya know, that's life isnt it. You can find this series pretty cheap on ioffer. I love the old British shows, great writing and humor.
Thnx4Posting this classic on here..Very much appreciated..Love this show..The husband is a right knob though..Exoecting his wife to go without for his wierd ideas..lol..I don't know any woman who'd go thru that kinda shite thesedays..
Joy from across the pond! A wonderful show, cast, writing.
This posting would probably jump the US +? DVD sales if the whole episode were allowed up!
same sentiment in the US.
City people hope to escape to the country.
Country people hope to live in the big city.
I'm Russian and I remember watching these in the Soviet Union. Crazy.
If there are no women like this I must be a figment of my own imagination. Saw the Giles and Sue Tribute , never heard of this show until then.
I tell you, I've been tempted to do this myself!
SO SO sorry to hear of the sad death of Richard Briers, we will miss you terribly. This si-com. was the best ever written, and will be fondly remembered by millions of devoted fans. They don't make 'em like this any more, because they CAN''T match the matchless cast in this. R.I.P. dear Richard Briers.
I couldn't think of the name of this show loved it watch every week.
makes me laugh at 2.36 when Felicity goes eeuugghh XD cracks me up
"I see the pills aren't having an effect...". Love the oneliners with the deadpan delivery!
ahh that part where they pretend to be daleks is adorably funny!
I never knew this was made in 75 i all way thought it was in the 80s.I remember watching this tho
The news! Oops! Never been a good typer on a Pad! RIP Loved watching this show in the 70's.
hard to believe Felicity Kendall was only 28 when this show started!!
Be grateful for what you have.
R.I.P to the great Richard Briers, who passed away on the 18/02/13 aged 79 - 1934 to 2013 x
and Paul Eddington too - Yes, Minister too!
I just watched the Midsomer Murders episode with Richard Briers yesterday, he was great!
He is also great as Hector McDonald on Monarch of the Glen. It's available on Netflix, if you're interested.
Love this show!
@toddcharry Very true! I have this whole series on DVD. I saw it in reruns on PBS years ago.
Vote this up to let folks know that part two is blocked by the BBC bastards.
Thank you so much for giving me a taste of this though. Much appreciated. I've never seen the beginning episodes of this show, and it's not as if it will ever come on American tv.
Leafy suburb, grow your own veg, and Felicity Kendall.
Such things as dreams are made of :-D
+FurryAminal I'd definitely plough it.
+FurryAminal
Living the fucking dream son, living the dream !
"have a nice day darling, keep your bowels open"
LOL
Did the sun EVER shine over the UK in the 1970's? Every outdoor scene filmed on any British program seems perpetually overcast.
I was expecting Vivian to pop out of the opening credits
R.I.P Richard Briers
god i miss this show
brilliant actor will be sadly missed rip
@Timcar3 She won the "Rear of the Year" award sometime while this series was out. :)
they don't make tv like this anymore, R.I.P Richard Briers
This whole show was clever.
Breaking news on Feb 18, 2013. Richard Briars (Tom) has passed away at the age of 79.
felicity was more beautiful as the show progressed, I think
@Razieluk It's The Last Posh Frock episode, when Barbra asks him if he still loves her even though she's not "glammed up" ":..of course I do you silly bitch.". I laugh every time ;) I know you commented ages ago but I had to chime in.
Ahaha this just reminds me of Vyvyan's rant on The Young Ones!
The Good Life - A milestone birthday convinces Tom Good to make a change. He talks his wife, Barbara, into giving up the so-called rat race and joining him in a life of simplicity and self-sufficiency. They convert their suburban home into a farm, planting crops in the back garden and bringing in pigs and chickens (including a rooster they name Lenin). The new use of their property comes as something of a shock to their very proper neighbors, Margo and Jerry Leadbetter. A social climber of the first order, Margo can't bear having chickens roaming the back garden. She'll have to put up with it, though, since Tom, despite his desire for self-sufficiency, can't bring himself to kill the chickens.
First episode date: April 4, 1975 - Final episode date: June 10, 1978 - Network: BBC One
Good synopsis. I love this show. They rerun it ever so often on PBS here locally. I love how the names fit :Leadbetter for instance....perfect.
Yeah, same here. Love PBS. It made me a fan of British sitcoms. I like "Solo" as well (the sitcom that Felicity Kendall was on after this show ended). The only problem was I kept half expecting Tom to pop up along with the Ledbetters--lol.
I Love Penelope Keith!
You all should record these while you can-just found out that The Good Life BBC channel has deleted all its videos within the last few days. What a shame-decent good humour not allowed anymore I guess.
iv got the box set so I am ok .
beetrootbertha
Can you up load them for us fans?
Mr Mark Baird would if I could but not that tecno plus buying the box set will ensure better quality. soz
RIP Richie.
@megarouge2001 I thought the whole cast had great chemistry. That's part of what makes this series so special.
RIP Dickie!
Bye, Tom.