R.I.P. – Frank Thornton (a.k.a. Captain Peacock)

Sadly, this is getting all-too frequent these days. Most recently was the passing of Richard Briers and, now, the passing of the great Frank Thornton at age 92. Known to us all as simply Captain Peacock and, more recently, Truly Truelove in Last of the Summer Wine, Frank Thornton rivaled Richard Briers for who had […]

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Are you a Good or a Ledbetter? Take The Good Life Quiz….

With Richard Briers’ untimely passing last month, I’ve been thinking more and more about the brilliance of The Good Life or The Good Neighbors as it was broadcast in the U.S. The 1970’s (gulp!) British situation comedy, which was written by Bob Larbey and John Esmonde, centered around Tom Good (Briers) and his wife/partner-in-crime Barbara […]

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A Silver Jubilee Performance of The Good Life

At the conclusion of the myriad of events surrounding the recent Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration, I started thinking back to the Silver Jubilee in 1977 when Her Majesty and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended a taping of an episode of The Good Life (Good Neighbors in the States), starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, […]

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'Allo, 'Allo's Vicki Michelle's role of a lifetime

Vicki Michelle has experienced the highs and the lows of the acting world her entire career. As the story goes, Michelle, who struggled in the business for several years, gave it up to launch her own employment agency. She then got a call asking her to audition for one last role, a role for which […]

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The Norman Conquests – finally!

Normally, when you put forth the time and effort to revisit the 70’s and watch what you remember as being brilliant television, chances are, you come away a bit disappointed. Such is not the case with the just released on DVD version of the 70’s classic, The Norman Conquests, from the PBS Great Performances series. […]

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Behind the Britcom – Casting 101

As we rapidly approach the PBS national premiere of Behind the Britcom: From Script to Screen , which features a look into the minds of the creators of some of the best situation comedy on television anywhere, one thing struck all of us involved in the production of the program besides the known commodity of […]

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Life imitates Art in The Good Life

Over the course of our Behind the Britcom interviews with Richard Briers and Penelope Keith from The Good Life (Good Neighbors in the U.S.), it was quite clear not only from the actors point of view, but also from the writer, Bob Larbey, that Tom and Barbara Good’s concept of self-sufficiency is more relevant today […]

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