I read with regret that Richard Briers has died at the age of 79. The tributes are flowing in for an actor that was a national treasure.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21498077
Richard Briers was famous (amongst many roles) for his portrayal of Tom Good in ‘The Good Life’, the TV sitcom, which ran from 1975 to 1978.
For Christmas 2012, one of the presents I bought Mrs Baldwin was the DVD box set of all the episodes ever made. We have been watching the series recently and thoroughly enjoying it, in fact I saw the first ever episode for the first time just days ago and thought it was most entertaining.
The Good Life had the seventies stamped all over it (the cars, the clothes, the sets and the cultural norms) and, from an aesthetic perspective; that added to its appeal for me. If I am honest, Felicity Kendall did rather add to the visual appeal too.
On the subject of that marvellous decade; in the seventies I used to enjoy the sitcom but it’s actually more relevant and more interesting to me now in my forties. Mrs B and I are now at a similar age to Tom and Barbara Good and do ask ourselves the ‘what’s it all about?’ question from time to time.
Unlike Tom and Barbara, we have children and have not yet therefore managed to pay off the mortgage; so whilst we dream of more flexibility, the fact is that we won’t be jettisoning our jobs, investing in livestock or turning our gardens into vegetable patches just yet. Doing something different, but perhaps not quite so radical, does have some appeal though.
Tom and Barbara were brave enough to throw caution to the wind but I don’t know if Mr and Mrs Baldwin are. Still the Goods didn’t have to worry about how on earth to fund their kids through university (with tuition fees at £9,000 a year).
So soon after rediscovering the charms of The Good Life, it is a real shame to hear that Richard Briers has died. Watching him as a 41 year old in the program, one forgets that he was 41 ... 38 years ago.
From what I have read, he was well regarded and respected by his peers and he had a pretty good innings too. Everyone has to go at some point and as an epitaph, ‘he enjoyed a good life’ would be as desirable as any.
R.I.P.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21498077
Richard Briers was famous (amongst many roles) for his portrayal of Tom Good in ‘The Good Life’, the TV sitcom, which ran from 1975 to 1978.
For Christmas 2012, one of the presents I bought Mrs Baldwin was the DVD box set of all the episodes ever made. We have been watching the series recently and thoroughly enjoying it, in fact I saw the first ever episode for the first time just days ago and thought it was most entertaining.
The Good Life had the seventies stamped all over it (the cars, the clothes, the sets and the cultural norms) and, from an aesthetic perspective; that added to its appeal for me. If I am honest, Felicity Kendall did rather add to the visual appeal too.
On the subject of that marvellous decade; in the seventies I used to enjoy the sitcom but it’s actually more relevant and more interesting to me now in my forties. Mrs B and I are now at a similar age to Tom and Barbara Good and do ask ourselves the ‘what’s it all about?’ question from time to time.
Unlike Tom and Barbara, we have children and have not yet therefore managed to pay off the mortgage; so whilst we dream of more flexibility, the fact is that we won’t be jettisoning our jobs, investing in livestock or turning our gardens into vegetable patches just yet. Doing something different, but perhaps not quite so radical, does have some appeal though.
Tom and Barbara were brave enough to throw caution to the wind but I don’t know if Mr and Mrs Baldwin are. Still the Goods didn’t have to worry about how on earth to fund their kids through university (with tuition fees at £9,000 a year).
So soon after rediscovering the charms of The Good Life, it is a real shame to hear that Richard Briers has died. Watching him as a 41 year old in the program, one forgets that he was 41 ... 38 years ago.
From what I have read, he was well regarded and respected by his peers and he had a pretty good innings too. Everyone has to go at some point and as an epitaph, ‘he enjoyed a good life’ would be as desirable as any.
R.I.P.
Blog Home
Blog Library
Home
RSS Feed
