The Green Green Grass

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

When the testimony of Boycie (John Challis) nearly sends the Driscoll Brothers, two of Peckham's most notorious gangsters, down before the case collapses due to a technicality, him, his infamous wife Marlene (Sue Holderness) and their teenage son Tyler are forced to relocate to the Staffordshire countryside, where their big city ways create a 'hilarious' culture clash with the stuck in their ways locals.

This long-awaited spin off of the hugely successful (and rightfully so) BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses finally came to the end of it's series last night. But I missed it, along with the last two episodes before it. Which should be an indication of, despite how eagerly I awaited it, intently missable I ended up finding it.

I had this strong suspicion it would all fall flat on it's face before I even saw it and I'm sure there were those whose knives were sharpening straight away who wanted it to fail. But, sadly, to a large degree, this is what's happened.

Being as huge as OFAH was, a spin-off show was always going to happen one day. And, short of Del and Rodney being the two leading stars and basically just starting another series again, Boycie ('heh heh heh heh heh heh heh') and Maaar-lene were probably the best characters to choose (although the writer showed a bit of indecision by having Denzil make a guest appearance in the first episode!) But whichever way you look at it, it's a series that's simply clutching at straws and the desperation cracks are apparent from the off-set, even with John Sullivan back as the writer (more money in the bank.)

The main problem is simply that it's rarely ever funny. There were only one or two moments that raised a mild chuckle, and I can't even remember the jokes. Challis and Holderness desperately try to re-ignite the chemistry they once shared, but the dead script simply kills any chance of it. The show appears very cheap and slapped together in light of it's source of inspiration, most apparent in the opening and closing credits, with some clunky production values to match it. The only other redeeming feature is Sullivan singing the opening theme again in true OFAH vein.

You knew it was desperate to begin with, and that it would never match the quality of where it came from. And, sadly, here what you see is what you get. **

After the final three episodes of Only Fools And Horses when it was revived in 2001 gained a less than positive response from the press it was a surprise to see that the show's very talented writer John Sullivan had this spin off featuring much loved characters Boycie and Marlene up his sleeve.

It ends up being a nice surprise. While it was never going to match Only Fools it never really tries to and instead it becomes its own beast. The premise works, the new characters introduced are all very funny and happily the relationship between Boycie and Marlene gets fleshed out far more than would have been possible in Only Fools.

The best episodes are the ones penned by Sullivan and it was only when other writers started to contribute that the standard of the show dipped a little. However there are certainly more good episodes than average ones and this show is good fun throughout all four of it's series'.

This show is not the funniest British comedy but it is certainly not one of the worst around. I actually laughed and look forward to it. The cast is good, the plot and setting make it interesting, and the characters need time to get developed but the actors who play them are quite worth watching. I like the husband and wife and son. The fact that Gareth Gwenlan who also produced Waiting For God produces this show gives me faith that it will get better. I don't know who Sullivan is. Yes, Only Fools and Horses, was a classic British comedy but it doesn't just happen. A good comedy takes time and work to nourish it along the way. It's not perfect but it's not rubbish neither, it's worth watching and there are few good new British comedies that are around to enjoy and this one is a favorite of mine. I wish British comedies did have the season of American shows. A season in American can range from 14 on the cable stations to 26 on the networks. There are some shows who have less episodes than others but that's a whole other story of politics and money. I wish BBC and other British stations would nurture British comedies in the same manner that they nurture reality television shows which are just awful.

This series has a great feel to it. Of course it cannot be compared to Only Fools, nothing can. But it's great to see how Sullivan developed these characters. Makes me wish he'd done it with others, too. A great series to have on in the house.

I remember enjoying this series when it first aired on TV back in 2005. I was a tad apprehensive on whether the idea would work and was pleasantly surprised.

Boycie actually makes a great lead character and it was the right thing to take them away from Peckham. John Sullivan crafted a perfect story arc, having the Boyces on the run from the Driscoll brothers (as seen in series 6 OFAH), forcing them to leave Peckham behind.

The change of scenery works wonders and allows the show to thrive without it having to rely on been set in a familiar environment where the viewer would expect guest appearances from OFAH regulars. In fact aside from the Driscoll brothers, Denzil appears in the first episode, and Sid makes a 2 second cameo in a later Christmas Special. There are plenty of references to OFAH but the show doesn't overly rely on it's heritage.

The first series has a nice continued story arc, with Boycie, fresh on the run setting up his new farming empire. Over the first 3 episodes you are introduce to the new supporting characters. Unfortunately the majority of these are overacted and are 'stupid' for the sake of being stupid. Trigger was fantastic, as Roger Lloyd Pack played him very straight making him believable. I found Jed, Brian and Mrs Cakeworthy irritating each time they were on screen and very unbelievable. Elgin the Farm Manager was bearable but did become too over the top as the series progressed.

Tyler, Marlene and Boycie's teenage son, who only appeared as a baby in OFAH evolves as the series progresses. My favorite of the new characters is Llewellyn, Boycie's farm rival. The series works best when Llewellyn is causing Boycie trouble. Unfortunately he doesn't appear in every episode.

The series setting of a farm in Shropshire works incredibly well and it is clear that it wasn't a cheap production with many scenes appearing on location. Thanks to it been film in high definition the series still looks good today.

The biggest let down of the series is the writing. As the show evolved, John Sullivan allowed other writers to craft their own episodes. As a result the series suffered, with the majority of these episodes not raising a laugh.

The first 2 series are the best with the third just being watchable and series 4 one to forget. I was gutted when the BBC 'shelved' this project in 2010 as compared to other traditional sitcoms, this was the best. On reflection though, the forth series was incredibly weak.

Maybe John Sullivan should have remained the writer throughout and thrown in a few more guest appearances to entice the viewing public.

A lot to like for fans of Only Fools and traditional UK sitcoms.