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The legendary BBC sitcom, The Good Life, related the tale of a suburban couple, Tom and Barbara Good, who left the rat race to start a small farm - in their garden. Written by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, it ran for three years and four series on prime time TV, attracting up to 17 million viewers per episode. While growing your own produce on an allotment and being self-sufficient isn't so unusual today, four decades ago, the Goods would have been classed as slightly odd, to say the least. Having pigs and chickens in the garden and generating energy from methane gas wasn't the norm in the '70s! The humour in the show stemmed not only from the Goods' own quirky behaviour and mishaps but also from their relationship with their neighbours - strait-laced Jerry and social-climbing Margo Leadbetter, who couldn't understand the concept of a self-sufficient lifestyle initially but warmed to it over time. Show's origins Scriptwriter Larbey was inspired to write The Good Life as his 40th birthday approached. It seemed to be a milestone in people's lives - and he and his regular scriptwriting partner Larbey based the sitcom on this concept. Tom Good was a respected draughtsman working for a city company, but as his 40th birthday approached, he realised he wasn't taking his job seriously. The modern term for his experience would probably be a "mid-life crisis" as he decided to give up his job and start a small farm with his understanding wife. They adopt a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle at their home in an upmarket residential area of Surbiton, called The Avenue. Their front and back gardens are turned into allotments, where they grow fruit and veg. They also buy chickens, a cockerel called Lenin, two pigs called Pinky and Perky and a goat named Geraldine. They rely on eggs from the chickens and milk from the goat, but the pigs soon become more like pets! The Goods also generate their own electricity using methane from the animal waste, and Barbara begins making their clothes. They sell their produce, or barter surplus crops, to purchase essential items they can't make on the farm. Living a very frugal lifestyle, this horrifies Margo and Jerry and the relationship between the Leadbetters and the Goods is an essential element of the plot. Although Margo and Barbara are as different as chalk and cheese, Margo is kind-hearted beneath her snobbery. While drinking the Goods' home-brewed "pea-pod burgundy" wine, the couples' affection for each other is apparent and is integral to the humour. Stars Only Richard Briers was a well-established television star when he took the role of Tom Good. Paul Eddington wasn't the first choice for senior manager Jerry Leadbetter. Actor Peter Bowles was the writers' first choice but was unavailable. Eddington won the role and went on to become a household name and the star of future sitcom, Yes Minister. Nor was Felicity Kendall the original choice for Barbara, as Hannah Gordon (star of the sitcom, My Wife Next Door) was being considered. However, Kendall and Penelope Keith (who played Margo) had been starring together in a stage production of The Norman Conquests. Esmonde and Larbey saw that they worked well together, so he signed them up as Barbara and Margo, which turned out to be hugely successful. During the show's three-year run, plenty of other stars of the day popped up in guest roles on a weekly basis. James Cossins, famous for his role as bewildered Mr Walt in Fawlty Towers, appeared in an episode in 1976 playing a would-be thief whom Tom shoots with an air rifle! Bruce Bould, a long-running star of the sitcom, The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, appeared in The Good Life in 1975 as a university student from a wealthy family, who wished to buy the house next door to Tom and Barbara, to turn it into a hippy commune! Michael Robbins, best known for playing long-suffering husband Arthur Rudge in the sitcom, On The Buses, appeared as a council official sent round to deal with a major outbreak of fleas at the Goods' home. Plot As the four stars bounced off each other, the humour was a mix of witty banter combined with plenty of visual gags and slapstick. In one scene (known as Margo's muddy moment), Tom and Barbara are digging potatoes out of exceptionally muddy ground that's more like a bog, as they try desperately to save their crop. They are being helped by Jerry, and Margo who slips and falls flat on her back! Everyone tries desperately not to laugh, as the only thing hurt is her pride! Luckily, she's wearing waterproof clothing and rubber boots, so she isn't too wet or dirty when she manages to stand up again. The pigs are the central characters in an episode called Pigs' Lib during season one. Margo's complaint to the Residents' Association about the Goods' ten-week-old pigs escaping into her garden leads to them being sent to the slaughterhouse. Then, a guilt-ridden Margo relents and says Tom should get them back - leading to a desperate race against the clock to save the piglets. Although a comedy, The Good Life doesn't pretend that running a small farm is easy and it shows the hard work and anguish that the Goods endure while striving to make their self-sufficient dream a reality. The Good Life was voted the ninth best British sitcom of all time by TV viewers in 2004. Today, the show's re-runs on cable television attract good viewing figures, even though its ideas don't seem as quirky, as more people are adopting a greener lifestyle as a result of the increased cost of living and efforts to save the planet. Modern farming A survey by ICM of people who had started their own allotment to grow fruit and veg found that 75% of them were doing so to save money. On average, it saved them £200 a year on the costs of food. Almost all of them said they started growing their own food to enjoy the health benefits of fresh food straight from the farm. Retailer B&Q has reported sales of vegetable seeds have increased by 27% - the most popular are onions, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, peas and beans. Sales of vegetables ready to plant have increased by more than 40% in the past three years. As a result of more people launching their own smallholdings, there has been much debate about the importance of agriculture today and whether large or small farms are more sustainable and better for the environment. Each type has its own benefits. Small farms enable individuals to grow their own crops and do their bit to becoming a sustainable society. Like Tom and Barbara Good, a couple or a family can live off the land in reality. Smaller plots such as allotments also benefit the community, bringing people closer together and fostering a spirit of togetherness. Cornwall's own Tom and Barbara According to newspaper reports, a real-life couple, Sarah Simpson and Nigel Mepham, are following the practices of Tom and Barbara Good from their beautiful hilltop home on the Cornish coast. They reportedly live on just £1,250 a year at Grenville Fort by tending the land. They grow their own crops, practice recycling and use solar panels to provide electricity. They also make jams, preserves and home-brewed wine from their own produce. In return for looking after the surrounding land in a sought-after area of the Kingsand peninsula (where the price of a house can be as much as £750,000), they live rent-free. They are living the way many people did in the 1930s and often use foraged ingredients, such as blackberries and nettles, to make wine and preserves. They also use hand-built machinery to smoke meat, fish and vegetables and pick berries, mushrooms and herbs to add to their cooking. Former estate manager Nigel and English teacher Sarah work a few days each year in stewarding and security to provide essentials such as petrol, or to buy little luxuries such as chocolate and coffee, but on the whole, they are self-sufficient. Live the dream! MA Griggs country store has plenty of warm and waterproof clothing suitable for all your outdoor pursuits. Please contact us for further information on our wide range of high-quality garments.