Felicity Kendal delivers brutal verdict on BBC 50 years after The Good Life
Felicity Kendal marked the 50th anniversary of the BBC sitcom The Good Life by saying it aired during a "glorious period" for the broadcaster.
Felicity Kendal has celebrated the golden jubilee of The Good Life, describing its airing as a "glorious period" for the BBC, which she believes has since lost "its mojo". The 78 year old actress portrayed Barbara Good, wife to Richard Briers' suburban revolutionary character Tom in the beloved sitcom about a couple who abandon the rat race to embrace an eco-friendly lifestyle at their Surbiton residence in south west London.
"I felt thrilled and very lucky to be working on a new BBC sitcom," she reminisced, noting that much of the filming took place at the BBC's TV Centre. "We'd go driving into White City and feel incredibly privileged to be working there. I did a lot of work for them, it was a time of great freedom and it was such a looked-up-to establishment. Hopefully it'll get back its mojo one day."
Kendal cherishes her memories of filming the gentle comedy, which spanned four series and two specials including a festive episode in 1977 that attracted 21 million viewers.
The comedy, which also featured Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington as their neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, ran for 30 episodes, culminating in 1978 with a special Royal Command Performance recorded in front of the Queen, who was a big fan.
Even after fifty years, Kendal remains "terribly proud" of what they accomplished, attributing their success to the scripts by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey. "The way it was written is the major thing; without the writing you've got nothing to play with," she told Radio Times.
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"It also had a fundamental lesson - we got it back in Covid, but we've lost it again now - that every day is special and the simple things are worth a great deal more than all the millions, posh cars and big houses. That is not a way to happiness - I think this is what The Good Life was saying: you don't need all that stuff to have a great time.
She secured the role after Briers, who passed away at 79 in 2023, saw her perform in the West End and believed she'd be an ideal fit for Barbara. "
Kendal, who recently made a guest appearance in BBC1's new comedy sensation Ludwig, embraced the dungarees and dirt associated with filming The Good Life in the 70s.
"I loved it, I was always a tomboy. I wore men's watches and boy's jackets. I was never very happy with the short, frilly things one had to wear in that period.
"Some (scenes) were more fun to do than others, because they were more physical, with funny stunts, falling in the mud, the windbreak going down, the night shoots and anything to do with the animals."
To access the complete Radio Times interview, click here.
