How Richard Briers hated his most famous character

It is the role he is most fondly remembered for – but Richard Briers hated his character in The Good Life, according to a new biography.

‘I never really liked Tom. I thought he was selfish and obsessed,’ he admitted in one interview. ‘Poor Barbara never got any dresses and presents. It was always about him, his ideas, his plans.’

He also thought the character was a ‘parasite’, relying on wealthy neighbours Margo and Jerry when his attempts at suburban self-sufficiency  went wrong.

The new authorised biography, More Than Just A Good Life, also reveals that the initial premise of the sitcom – which attracted 17 million viewers at its peak – was very different from what ended up on screen.

The Good Life was always conceived as a comedy vehicle for Briers, with the BBC’s then head of comedy, Jimmy Gilbert, asking writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, for a project worthy of him.

Their first idea revolved around a middle-aged character who packed in his job, built a yacht and sailed around the world.

But it was abandoned because the budgets were too small. Self-sufficiency was a cheaper, and more topical, replacement.

‘We thought we would have him buy an acre in the country,’ said Larbey. ‘But eventually decided that it would be a hell of a lot funnier if he did it in suburbia.’

Briers died of a heart attack at home in February 2013. He had been suffering emphysema for six years, after spending most of this life as a heavy smoker. 

• More Than Just A Good Life: The Authorised Biography Of Richard Briers by James Hogg, will be published by Constable on Thursday priced £20. Click here to order. An extract has been published in The Mail on Sunday today.

Published: 23 Sep 2018