The Good Life

Tom Good

Tom had a lack of ambition that meant, despite his skill as a draughtsman, he would not rise any further where he worked. Becoming self-sufficient was entirely his idea, but Barbara was willing to go along. Tom had determination to succeed at self-sufficiency, and was mostly very cheerful; his constant jokes often annoyed Margo, he frequently whistled the opening bars of Over the Rainbow and he had a childish side to him. Tom was, however, obstinate and sometimes pigheaded. During the few times that he became pessimistic about a situation, Barbara became the optimist.

Barbara Good

Barbara was a normal, middle-class housewife before they went self-sufficient. While she sometimes wilted under Tom's determined and dominant nature, her sharp tongue put her on an equal footing with him. She was in many ways the 'heart' of the enterprise, whilst Tom's engineering 'brain' designs and builds what they need. Of the two, she endured far more yearnings for the lifestyle and luxuries they previously enjoyed, but her own determination to succeed, along with Tom's single-minded persuasion, dampened these thoughts.

Jerry Leadbetter

Jerry worked for JJM, having joined on the same day as Tom. Through cunning and good self-promotion, rather than particular talent, he rose into the ranks of senior management. As the series progressed, he moved to within striking distance of the managing director's job. He was initially convinced that the go-it-alone attempt would fail, and on several occasions, he pleaded with Tom to come back to work. However, he eventually came to appreciate the strength of character it has taken for Tom to "leave the system". He was somewhat henpecked at home but had the strength to put his case across when sufficiently compelled to do so.

Margo Leadbetter

Margo, with her stunted sense of humor, was totally unable to understand her neighbors' new lifestyle, but their long friendship was important to her, so she learned to tolerate their lifestyle. Margo Sturgess, as she then was, was bullied at school for having no sense of humor. Something of a social climber, staunchly Conservative and unafraid to challenge anyone who gets on her nerves, Margo may have been a snob but also had a heart of gold. She involved herself with organizations such as the Pony Club and the Music Society, always wishing to play the lead role. Some viewers see this attitude as a precursor to Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances, although Margo was at least occasionally made aware of her faults by the others, including her husband - something Hyacinth never experienced - and was not afraid to be apologetic when she was informed she had done wrong.

Andrew and Felicity

Andrew, "Andy" or "Sir", was the Managing Director of JJM. He did not seem to know anything about Tom while he worked there (Mr Ummm of the Fourth Floor), but once Tom left, Andy became desperate to bring Tom back. His wife, Felicity, was featured less but was much more relaxed than her husband. She is one of the few characters to support Tom and Barbara throughout and believes that just trying to be self-sufficient is exciting enough. She also once said, "I wanted to do something exciting when I was young, and then I met Andrew and that was the end of that." They had one son, unseen, called Martin. Andrew always calls Tom and Barbara "Tim and Fatima", making out that he did not remember their real names. However, in the episode Anniversary, he reveals he does know their names but pretends to forget as it is an old trick to put people at a disadvantage.

Unseen Characters

Two characters are frequently mentioned but unseen. Miss Mountshaft is the dictatorial leading light of the Music Society that Margo belongs to and is frequently at odds with her. Mrs Dooms-Paterson is an equally dictatorial acquaintance of Margo and member of the Pony Club, who is said to be incredibly overweight.