Dame Penelope Keith returns to The Good Life for TV special 50 years after debut
Quintessential British sitcom, The Good Life, starring Dame Penelope Keith as the iconic, Margo Leadbetter, ran for four series on the BBC from 1975 to 1978
Even though the sitcom is 50 years old, for many the dream of The Good Life growing your own vegetables is still something to aspire to today. And now Dame Penelope Keith is to look back and star in a special programme celebrating 50 years of BBC 's The Good Life.
The quintessential British sitcom ran for four series on the BBC from 1975 to 1978. Actress and presenter Dame Penelope, 85, played Margo Leadbetter on the show, which follows a couple who convert their garden into a farm. And she has returned to the set of the programme for a feature-length retrospective on comedy channel U&Gold, titled The Good Life: Inside Out, which will revisit filming locations and look at props and artefacts from the programme's development, including original scripts and production notes.
Dame Penelope will also take viewers through the course of the sitcom's history and will be seen stepping back onto the set in a version of Margo and Jerry Leadbetter's drawing room, recreated by production company Double Yellow.
Dame Penelope said: "I am delighted that U&Gold has invited me to celebrate 50 years of The Good Life, a series that was important to me and is still so well loved by viewers.
"I have such happy memories of making The Good Life - it was a wonderful cast and we were working with excellent scripts and a first rate production team.
"The only thing I can't really believe is that it's 50 years since I first played Margo... where have the years gone?"
The 120-minute special will also include archival interviews with co-stars Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal and Paul Eddington, as well as producer director John Howard Davies.
Kendal, 78, played Barbara Good in the sitcom while the late Briers played her husband Tom and Eddington, who died in 1995, played Margo's husband Jerry. Briers died in 2013 after suffering from a lung condition.
In 2010 a documentary titled All About The Good Life, celebrating the show's 35th anniversary, aired on the BBC.
Recalling how she landed her role, Felicity Kendal recalled: 'I was in a play called The Norman Conquests in the West End, Richard was in the audience and after the show he came round and said he thought it was great, which was really nice because he was a very famous, wonderful actor that I didn't know at all but I knew about.
"He said, 'I'm going to do this little television series, may I send you the script for the part of the wife? It's a new series, it may not do well because it's a very unusual subject.''
But the show went on to be a huge hit with one Christmas special pulling in an audience of 21 million.
Helen Nightingale, head of factual and factual entertainment at broadcaster UKTV, said: "For a show to be remembered so fondly and to be such a reference point in British everyday conversation as The Good Life after 50 years is testament to its quality, and this new retrospective with Double Yellow will explore just how and why the show has endured.'
One-off special The Good Life: Inside Out is set to air on U&Gold later this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC The One Show paused as Alex Jones pays emotional tribute to 'friend'
The One Show host Alex Jones paid tribute to a friend at the start of Thursday's show The One Show host Alex Jones has delivered a heartfelt homage to a "friend" one year after their tragic death. During tonight's (June 5) episode of the popular BBC show, Alex and her colleague Roman Kemp delved into the day's top stories from the UK and beyond. The presenting duo also chatted with Clare Balding about an exciting summer for women's sports, and caught up with Michael Sheen and Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville and Tom Cullen, who are joining forces again for the BBC drama The Gold. At the start of the episode, Alex shared a touching tribute to Dr Michael Mosley, who died at the age of 67 after going missing while on holiday on the Greek island of Symi last June. "It's been a year since our friend Dr Michael Mosley sadly died. He had a long history with this show and one of his sons, who's also a doctor, shared with us how he hopes to continue his father's legacy," she remarked, reports the Express. A special segment was then aired, with Michael's son, Dr Jack Mosley, explaining how he planned to follow in his father's footsteps. "My dad was so passionate about healthy living, and his infectious enthusiasm was part of what made him so popular," Jack reflected. Discussing the aftermath of his father's death, Jack continued: "It was such a sudden thing when dad did pass away. It has been difficult for my siblings and I, my mum. The only positive I can think to come out of it is it has brought us closer together as a family, and that's something that he would have liked to see." Michael's spouse Clare, also a medic by profession, conveyed how the outpouring of public sympathy has provided her immense solace during this hard time. She then took cameras into the cupboard where Michael used to record his podcast, Just One Thing, and revealed that she "can't quite bring herself" to take down the podcast's poster. Now, Jack has written a book on weight loss medication and food nutrition, called Food Noise. He has worked closely with his mum, who has created over 50 healthy recipes for the book. Jack concluded: "To continue on some of these really important messages about healthy eating and lifestyle changes is something that was very important to my dad. I do want to continue that mission." Back in the BBC studio, Alex reflected: "It's hard to believe it's been a year... Our thoughts, of course, are with the whole family at this time." Beyond his podcast, Michael gained recognition for his roles in several health-focused TV programmes, including Trust Me, I'm A Doctor, The Truth about Exercise, and Lose a Stone in 21 Days.
Edinburgh Live
22 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Eagle-eyed viewers spot West Lothian building used as backdrop in BBC series
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A West Lothian building was used as a backdrop in a hit BBC series. The Bombing of PanAm 103, which concluded earlier this week, told the story of the flight which exploded over Lockerbie on December 21, 1988. It was the worst terror attack to ever happen on British soil, and 270 people were killed - reports the West Lothian Courier. The programme was made by World Productions as part of a collaboration between the BBC and Netflix. A lot of filming has taken place in West Lothian and eagle-eyed viewers may have spotted the Civic Centre which was used as one of the main locations for filming. Emmy award winner, Merritt Wever (New Girl, Nurse Jackie), Patrick J. Adams (from Suits - the most watched series on Netflix in 2023) and Connor Swindells of Barbie fame were all located here for a short while to undertake filming. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: "The cast and crew were very grateful to the council's caretakers for their work to help allow filming to take place. "They even took time out to have a photo taken with our Building Manager, Derek O'Neill."
Powys County Times
41 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Lesley Garrett cast in Northern Ireland Opera's Follies after cancer surgery
Classical singer Lesley Garrett has joined the Northern Ireland Opera's revival of Follies, after her cancer surgery. Garrett will play Heidi Schiller in Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's musical about a group of former showgirls, at the Grand Opera House in Belfast in the autumn, The British soprano said on ITV's This Morning earlier this month that she had cancer surgery after being diagnosed with thymoma, a rare cancer of the thymus gland, which could have affected her singing. Since the surgery to remove the tumour, she has made a successful recovery and will now be joining the Follies cast. Garrett said: 'I'm so excited to be coming back to Belfast and especially to be making my debut with Northern Ireland Opera at the age of 70. 'Sondheim's Follies is a masterpiece and I'm delighted to have been given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform the iconic role of Heidi Schiller.' The production marks the singer's 45th anniversary in the industry and her debut with the Northern Ireland Opera, where she will play the 'opera diva' of the Weismann's Follies. Set in 1971, the musical follows the group as they return to their former Broadway stage at Weisman Theatre, for a final reunion show before its scheduled demolition. Jazz singer Jacqueline Dankworth, who was in the original cast of the West End debut for Sondheim's Into The Woods in 1990, will join the cast as Carlotta Campion. West End stars Anna-Jane Casey and Annette McLaughlin will play former room mates Sally Plummer and Phyllis Stone. The production is directed by Cameron Menzies, with Greg Arrowsmith as the musical director. The musical scored seven Tony awards at the 1972 ceremony and is best known for its songs Broadway Baby, I'm Still Here and Losing My Mind. Follies will run from September 13-20.
