Dame Penelope Keith, the actress beloved for her portrayal of snobbish social climber Margo Leadbetter in the BBC sitcom The Good Life, has died peacefully at the age of 86 after a battle with cancer. A statement released on behalf of her family on June 29 said: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years. The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time."
Richard Briers – Tom Good
Richard Briers first rose to fame as George Starling in Marriage Lines before becoming a household name as Tom Good in The Good Life, which followed a middle-class couple who quit urban living to pursue a self-sufficient lifestyle in their London garden. His last film was Cockneys vs Zombies in 2012. Briers died in 2013 at his home in Bedford Park, London, at the age of 79 after suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Felicity Kendal – Barbara Good
Felicity Kendal, now 79, later starred in The Camomile Lawn, which as of 2022 remained the most-watched drama ever on Channel 4. In 2024, she had a guest role in the Disney+ series Rivals as Carole Miroy, and is currently appearing in the comedy series Small Town Scandal as Sue. She recently opened up about grieving her partner, Michael Rudman, who died three years ago, telling Prima Magazine: "Even though you try not to show it, it sort of takes over every aspect of your life – missing that person that was part of your everyday. So the everyday changes."
Paul Eddington – Jeremy "Jerry" Leadbetter
Paul Eddington faced various health battles since his late 20s, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as mycosis fungoides at age 28. His health battle became public in 1994 after media speculation about his darkening skin and hair loss. One of his last roles was in the anthology series Performance in 1995, and he died the same year at age 68. His autobiography, So Far, So Good, was published that year. Five days before his death, he said on a BBC programme: "A journalist once asked me what I would like my epitaph to be and I said I think I would like it to be, 'He did very little harm'. And that's not easy. Most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me."
Reginald Marsh – Andrew, "Sir"
Reginald Marsh went on to play Reg Lamont in the soap opera Crossroads and later took on smaller guest roles. One of his last TV roles was in an episode of Paul Merton in Galton & Simpson's... which aired in October 1997. He died at his home in Ryde in February 2001 at age 74; his cause of death was not specified.
The Good Life is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
