MPT Online | Afternoon Tea

John Esmonde and Bob Larbey

The Story of British Comedy's Dynamic Writing Duo

From the comfortable suburbia of Good Neighbors to the darker world of Mulberry, writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey have created some of British comedy's best-loved programs. We know their shows, but what of the writers themselves?

John Esmonde and Bob Larbey

The story of their prolific partnership is one of how persistence and talent paid off. They first met at grammar school in Clapham, where Larbey was three years ahead of Esmonde. During a school trip to Switzerland the duo discovered that they shared a similar sense of humor and forged a long-lasting friendship.

Both served in the military. After service, they found themselves in a situation similar to that of their most famous character, Tom Good. Stuck in dead-end, unfulfilling jobs they would often meet for lunchtime gripe sessions about work. There had to be a better way to make a living.

How about writing? Their mutual enthusiasm for radio and comedy revues inspired them to come up with some material of their own. They would work at John's house in the evenings, but their early creations resulted in nothing but rejection.

Finally they sold their first work. It was a very short skit consisting of an encounter between an elderly man and woman.

MAN: I love you desperately, Gladys, but we can never become man and wife.

GLADYS: Why?

MAN: Because I'm a mod and you're a rocker.

Not exactly memorable stuff, but maybe you had to be there. Still, it was a start and gave them hope that maybe one day they'd be able to ditch the nine-to-five routine.

Dick Emery

Their television break came when they began contributing short bits to the long-running Dick Emery Show. They kept their day jobs for about the first year, but this took its toll on them physically in the form of exhaustion. Since they were getting positive feedback on their writing, they asked themselves if it wasn't time to take that big leap and become full-time writers. They decided to take the risk.

It was thrilling to be able to do what they'd always wanted, but life without the security of a paycheck wasn't easy. Larbey's wife was especially supportive, taking over as the family breadwinner when necessary.

Luck came in the form of a producer for BBC radio, who asked if they were interested in doing a half-hour comedy show.

They readily accepted the challenge. The result was Spare a Copper, a comedy which, as its title suggests, is about a cop. The series lasted two seasons and in the process Esmonde and Larbey learned a lot about how to structure thirty minutes of comedy as opposed to the short skits they'd been doing. They also learned a lot about how to create a character. But more important, the success of the series gave them confidence in their ability to make their livings as writers.

Spare a Copper

In contrast to some writing partnerships, Esmonde and Larbey split script responsibility in half and worked in the same office. In an exclusive interview with The Insider back in March of 2001, Larbey explained their process:

"We always wrote together in the same room. I've heard of pairs of writers who do scenes each and then meet up and put them together, but that never appealed to us. We rented a series of disgusting little offices and just used to go to work--sit in the same room, talk a lot, drink a lot of coffee, and ad-lib dialogue. We used to get the story fairly straight first, and then start to ad-lib dialogue. And that was it. Ad-lib it and write it down, and try to remember what you've just been laughing at. That's the hardest part."

They rarely disagreed on things, but decided early on that if one of them felt very strongly that a scene wasn't working or a line of dialogue should be taken out, then it would be gone.

They were helped out in the early days by people such as Marty Feldman and famed comedy writer/producer Barry Took, who would give them constructive, positive criticism.

With the success of Spare a Copper on radio, Esmonde and Larbey decided to challenge themselves further with a television sitcom. Their first effort was called Room at the Bottom, the plot of which revolved around maintenance men working at a manufacturing plant.

It was shown as part of Comedy Playhouse, a series that aired a different pilot every week. If a pilot was deemed strong enough, a complete season would then be commissioned. (Comedy Playhouse was also responsible for other classics such as Are You Being Served?)

Room at the Bottom was indeed successful enough to warrant the production of an entire season of seven episodes. It wasn't picked up for a second season, but it was valuable experience and a program they both look back on with pride.

Please, Sir!

In 1968 the pair scored their first big hit with the comedy Please, Sir! It starred John Alderton as a young teacher coping with a class of kids who knew more about life than he did.

Unlike many shows, which take several seasons to become established and gather an audience, Please, Sir! was an instant hit and ran for a total of 56 episodes. A sequel, called The Fenn Street Gang, ran for an additional 49 episodes.

It was only with the success of these two series that Esmonde and Larbey realized they'd made it. There would be no returning to a boring nine-to-five routine.

Until, of course, they dealt with the subject in Good Neighbors. Since both of them had suffered through stifling, dead-end jobs, it was something they could write about from experience. Plus, Larbey had just turned a crucial age. As he told The Insider:

"I think it was a good idea. We started with the premise of somebody reaching his fortieth birthday, in this case the character [Tom Good]. People think of it as one of those milestone ages, the "Oh, God, what have I done with my life? What do I do about it?" That was the premise."

They knew that Tom was going to chuck his job and the question became what would he do then? At first they considered having him build a yacht and sail around the world, but a subject that was trendy at the time turned out to be a better idea.

"Then we added the self-sufficiency, which seemed a good idea," Larbey said. "It started slowly-bad reviews and low audiences, and then somewhere in the second series it just took off and flew. And it sort of passed into legend for some reason."

Barbara and Tom Good

Good Neighbors (or The Good Life, as it was known in the UK) passed into legend for many good reasons. There was the brilliant ensemble of Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and the late Paul Eddington. The chemistry among them has rarely been equaled in television sitcoms. But the majority of the credit must go to Esmonde and Larbey, who made a number of smart moves in the creation and writing of the series.

First, a premise that almost anyone can relate to. Who hasn't dreamed of being their own boss? Most people, however, don't have the nerve of a Tom Good to make it actually happen. A large number of people spend years at an unfulfilling job, so it's a pleasure to live vicariously through him. Some fans, however, were inspired by the series and actually went out to become self-sufficient.

Then there was the relationship between the Goods and the Leadbetters. Setting up the two couples as friends was much more effective than if they'd had an adversarial relationship, though there was always just enough conflict to keep things interesting.

This also allowed Esmonde and Larbey to develop Margo and Jerry into strong characters in their own right.

The Goods and the Ledbetters

It would've been easy to write Margo solely as a caricature of a middle-class snob or as a shrewish, disapproving harridan, but Esmonde and Larbey turned her into more. Add in Penelope Keith's stellar performance and Margo became one of the most popular characters in Britcom history. Same for her husband Jerry. Esmonde and Larbey made him more than just another Richard Bucket-style henpecked husband.

Jerry usually - but not always - kowtowed to his wife while Margo definitely was snobbish and often disapproved of what the Goods were doing. Yet any tension between the neighbors was offset by acts of true friendship. Who can forget the sight of Margo slipping in the mud as she helped Tom and Barbara bring in a crop that was on the verge of destruction because of a bad storm? Who was there to help when the pig gave birth? Margo and Jerry.

The shoe was sometimes on the other foot. Tom and Barbara provided the Leadbetters with a scaled-down Christmas to remember after Margo's "Christmas in a van" couldn't be delivered on time. Tom and Barbara were also there to support Margo when she made her debut in the music society production of The Sound of Music.

Another smart move Esmonde and Larbey made was having the Goods try self-sufficiency in suburbia. Had the setting been a rural area it really wouldn't have created the same kind of tension or had the same kind of impact.

Good Neighbors ran for four seasons and the final regular season episode - called Anniversary - ended the series on a combination of sadness and optimism. The Good's home is burglarized on the same day Tom is celebrating his 42nd birthday. The Goods and the Leadbetters are at first devastated and for a moment it looks like Tom and Barbara will have to abandon the idea of self-sufficiency. However, despite this temporary setback Tom and Barbara refuse to give up and the couples share a toast to "the good life."

"Anniversary" was seen by over 12 million viewers but there were two more shows to come. A 1977 Christmas special and a special episode, called "When I'm 64" filmed in front of one of the show's biggest fans: the Queen.

Perhaps Esmonde and Larbey's greatest achievement with Good Neighbors was that more than any other program of its era it gives a portrait of British life at that point in time. It captured the dreams as well as the frustrations of many Britons. Tom wanted a better life while Margo had the nerve to stand up to the rates man and be the voice of the "silent majority."

In a few years things would start to change as Mrs. Thatcher was elected and disillusioned British youth loudly began to proclaim their displeasure with her.

While Good Neighbors was still airing, Esmonde and Larbey reached into their pasts for material to create another sitcom. Get Some In! was based on their military service. It proved another hit and ran for five seasons, giving Robert Lindsay his first major role.

The Other One

The 70s were a busy time for the duo and their output also included some things that didn't quite gel. Richard Briers and Michael Gambon starred in The Other One, in which Briers played a habitual liar. The British public seemed unable to accept their beloved Briers as a bad guy, so the series didn't go over well. However, it remains one of Esmonde and Larbey's favorites.

In the early 80s they decided to take a bit of a break. Esmonde went to spend time in Spain while Larbey bought a new home and, suddenly strapped with a hefty mortgage, found himself in need of some cash. He spoke to his agent, who told him the obvious: "You're a comedy writer. Write a comedy."

It was odd for Larbey to work without his long-time partner, but his first solo project became a big hit.

A Fine Romance

A Fine Romance stars Judi Dench (before she was a Dame) as translator Laura Dalton and her late husband Michael Williams as Mike Selway, a scruffy landscape gardener. This sweet romantic comedy follows the pair as they are set up on a blind date by Laura's sister and, despite their initial reservations about each other, slowly but surely fall in love.

Larbey's excellent script and the winning combination of Dench (in her first sitcom) and Williams made this program a smash that lasted for four seasons.

The final episode of A Fine Romance was transmitted in 1984. That same year Larbey reteamed with both Esmonde and Briers for Ever Decreasing Circles.

The character Briers plays, that of Martin Bryce, is on some levels similar to Tom Good. They both feel the need to be efficient, organized and in control. They are both more than a bit self-absorbed and can be incredibly insensitive to the needs of their better half. On the other hand, both Tom and Martin have intentions that are good.

Martin wants to help his community and in his zeal heads up about every conceivable local committee. He has a small office (well, a closet) in his house that is constantly abuzz with the sound of his duplicating machine printing out meeting agendas or other committee business.

Yet his singular focus on doing good causes Martin to become an incredible bore. His wife wants to go to see a famed pianist while Martin prefers his meetings or studying up on various esoteric subjects.

Every protagonist needs an antagonist and Esmonde/Larbey give Martin a wonderful one in the form of Paul Ryman, played by Peter Egan. Paul is everything Martin is not - supremely confident and seemingly able to have everything fall together effortlessly. Paul is adept at his profession as a hairdresser, good at sports and apparently has no problem with the ladies.

Most of all, Paul is good at getting under Martin's skin. While others take a shine to the charismatic newcomer, Martin is driven to distraction in an attempt to find out something - ANYTHING - that he's better at than Paul.

Ever Decreasing Circles

The rivalry between the two men is beautifully rendered with Briers giving one of his best performances. Along with Egan, Penelope Wilton provides able support as Martin's wife Ann. Martin is too clueless to sense the growing attraction between Paul and Ann, but like Barbara Good, Ann is a faithful wife who stays with a man that other women might have left.

Esmonde and Larbey's scripts beautifully capture the spirit of being British and of being an "everyman" - a normal guy dealing with every day problems. Sure, Martin makes the most ordinary molehills into mountains, but as frustrating as he is, you root for him in the end. Being the smart writers that they are, Esmonde and Larbey also show that Paul's life is not as rosy as it first appears.

As Ever Decreasing Circles began to reach an end, Esmonde and Larbey brought out their next effort, Brush Strokes, with Karl Howman as a wisecracking womanizer who works as a house painter. Howman would later star in Mulberry, playing an apprentice Grim Reaper who develops a soft spot for the woman he is supposed to be escorting into the next world.

The woman in question is the cantankerous Miss Farnaby, played by Geraldine McEwan. In an attempt to make her last days pleasant, Mulberry gets a job as her servant and his charm eventually wears down the elderly woman's crusty exterior.

His affection for her grows to the point where he's hesitant to do the job he's been sent to do. This is frowned upon by his father, the Grim Reaper who appears to his son as a mysterious black figure.

Mulberry

Mulberry lasted thirteen episodes and was a good example of how Esmonde and Larbey's writing could display an incredible amount of depth. It also showed them experimenting with the sitcom formula, dealing with somewhat dark subject matter in a humorous way and incorporating plenty of fantasy and whimsy.

Esmonde and Larbey have been criticized in some circles as being too safe and cozy, but their later work like Ever Decreasing Circles and Mulberry show that this criticism is to a large extent unfair.

Following one more collaboration (1995's Down to Earth, also starring Briers), Esmonde and Larbey decided to call their partnership quits. It was entirely amicable, due mainly to Esmonde's desire to spend more time in Spain. He still lives there and concentrates on writing novels.

By this time, Larbey had already begun to write another enormously popular Britcom. It was somewhat similar in premise to his earlier A Fine Romance and one of its stars was also the same.

The idea for As Time Goes By was brought to Larbey by the Theater of Comedy production company and they asked him to see what he could do with it. The premise - of two former lovers reuniting after almost forty years - was right up Larbey's alley and the dream casting of Dame Judi Dench as Jean Pargetter and Geoffrey Palmer as Lionel Hardcastle turned Larbey's words into gold.

For the first few seasons, the plot revolved around whether or not Lionel and Jean would get back together. As Larbey confessed to The Insider,

"You can do just so much with two people sort of dancing around each other--and the audience knowing that the outcome was going to be a happy one. I think the reason that I went on was that they were all so good in it and enjoyed it, and I liked the characters that I'd written. It was a happy time, and we said let's go on, let's make it a character comedy."

As Time Goes By

And that he did, keeping the show fresh after the original "will they or won't they?" question was resolved. The other characters - especially Moira Brooker as Judith and Philip Bretherton as Alistair - went through their own relationship roller coaster and there was the wonderful romance of Lionel's octogenarian father Rocky, who marries his child bride, the septuagenarian Madge.

Larbey was also able to throw in some great supporting characters, such as the lovable Mrs. Flack, a very conscientious secretary who nonetheless drove Lionel crazy when she was hired to help him with his book.

Despite his success as a solo writer, Larbey admits that working without a partner is less fun. There is no one to bounce ideas off of nor is there a partner to laugh with if something is funny. He also admits that when he and Esmonde worked together there was much more planning and outlining involved in the scripts. On his own, Larbey says he thinks in broad terms, figures out the ending and just goes from there.

Larbey's recent scripts contain the same strengths as the work he did with Esmonde. They got laughs without resorting to coarse language or cheap laughs. They never repeated themselves and, although not every one of their collaborations proved to be a hit, they weren't afraid to experiment. They created characters everyone could relate to and let the laughter flow naturally from the characters and the situation rather than an endless stream of artificial one-liners. Together and solo, the work of John Esmonde and Bob Larbey has made the world of British comedy a much richer place. For that, we here at The Insider salute them and say thank you, gentlemen.

The Insider, March, 2004