The Good Life: The Complete Collection [DVD]

I have been living in the UK for only three years from the USA and one of my friends here suggested I look up The Good Life TV show from the 1070's. My wife has seen these when originally broadcast many years ago, but she and I both agree, these are timeless episodes filled with delightful stories about "dropping out". The writing is witty, loving, and funny is too tame a word to describe the situations. It is performed by a fantastic cast that obviously enjoy each other's company, and the comedic timing of Richard Briers is brilliant to say the least, and complimented by Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington. I found the show to be delightful entertainment, and we look forward to viewing all the episodes in the order they were first broadcast, which I think this is the first and only boxed set that has been produced like this. Don't hesitate for a moment to make this purchase, even it you have seen the show when it was first aired. They are timeless enjoyment, and at this price, you will be getting a bargain for the funny bone.

I'll admit it - I don't know how Barbara puts up with Tom. Oh he's charming and he's clever but he's also as moody as a teenager and as stubborn as... Well, me. That said this wonderful series is given heart and warmth by the beautiful, muddy, silly love that exists between the husband and wife. We might never have the courage - or the desire - to give up our jobs and turn our homes and back gardens into mini eco farms but Tom and Barbara do just that, and the resulting tears, tantrums and triumphs are a delight to witness. Watched - with varying expressions of horror - by their "upwardly mobile" neighbours Jerry and Margo, Barbara and Tom turn their world, and their neighbours expectations, upside down. I loved every minute of this series and I heartily recommend it to anyone who is feeling a little bit down about life. Once you've watched Felicity Kendall down on hands and knees scrubbing a range cooker for eight hours straight you're bound to feel better about your own situation, aren't you?

Ah, this brings back memories of when we were first married and determined to grow as much of our own food as we could. Well worth watching again - the characters and acting are excellent. The quality of these DVDs is good, certainly no worse than the repeats shown on TV.Our neighbours are sophisticated and well dressed, just like Margot and Jerry and we are scruffy like Tom and Barbara and don't go out to work. Since those days back in the 1970's we have continued to grow our own fruit and veg, make our own beer, jams, preserves and wine.Incidentally, has anyone ever made any GOOD peapod wine? I haven't found anyone yet! But the hedgerow jam made from whatever we can pick from the local hedgerow is gorgeous!

I am old enough to have fond memories of the series when it was broadcast originally (in the mid-1970s on) and so I recently purchased the complete set at a time when I wanted the relaxation of simply watching something on the TV, but not from the mainstream TV channels. This is all about the trials and tribulations of a suburban London couple, Tom and Barbara, who go "sustainable" ... and their relationship with the very conventional couple next door, Margot and Jerry. My main reaction to it was that I felt that the humour developed as the series progressed, i.e., the first episode or two were not as funny as I had hoped or remembered. Maybe one needed to get used to the gentler humour (of yesteryear) that is contained within this series. However, as I continued to watch the episodes (and they are all conveniently just half an hour long) I found myself laughing more and more. The jewel in the crown of the series is the character, Margot, who is consummately conservative with both a little "c" and a big "C" - she values superficiality (for example, she makes derogatory comments on her sustainable neighbours' awful clothes), detests socialists, keeps in with the local Conservatives (several with wonderful names, like "Mountshaft") and abhors anything other than suburban convention. But fundamentally, she is friendly and the sort of person you could rely on in an emergency, and she has her little vulnerabilities. Jerry, her somewhat dominated husband, is also a great character in the series, tempering Margot's excesses with common sense and humour. While any review is highly personal, I found this series funny enough to want to re-watch it and would recommended it to anyone in the political middle ground, having a sense of humour and finding themselves in the autumn of their life.

Apart from the 1970s quality picture, which we got over in seconds, the program is still amazing. The amount of content and humour in every episode is great value for money. We found ourselves watching more than one episode, or even a disc, evey time we sat down to watch and even inspired us to try and save some money on things we didnt need. All the characters are addorable and love the way Tom and Barabra feel like its cheating their way of life if they just take a handout. Would reccomend to anyone with a sense of humour!!

Not watched yet, but enjoyed the programme, looking forward to watching on a rainy day