89-673: The Green Green Grass is a BBC television sitcom , created and initially written by John Sullivan , and produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and Shazam Productions for the BBC . It serves as both a sequel and a spin-off of the long-running sitcom Only Fools and Horses and stars John Challis , Sue Holderness , and Jack Doolan . Four series and three Christmas specials were originally broadcast on BBC One between 2005 and 2009. The series follows three supporting characters from Only Fools and Horses : Boycie ( John Challis ), his wife Marlene ( Sue Holderness ), and their teenage son Tyler . In
178-574: A Freemason . He is very self-centered and arrogant and likes to boast about his social status back in Peckham and his money. He used to be teased by Del Boy due to his low sperm count. This is a joke that has continued into the spin-off series, along with the ongoing joke referring to an unseen affair between Marlene and Del. He was forced to leave Peckham after testifying against the Driscoll Brothers in court. Marlene ( Sue Holderness ) – Marlene
267-548: A television licence fee which TV viewers are required to pay annually. This includes viewers who watch real-time streams or catch up services of the BBC's channels online or via their mobile phone. The BBC's international television channels are funded by advertisements and subscription. These channels are also available outside the UK in neighbouring countries e.g. Belgium, the Netherlands and
356-420: A cameo appearance, on the set of The Nag's Head, in the 2005 Christmas special. Occasionally guest actors were essential to the plot such as when Tyler fell in love with his school teacher, Rhian (Karen Paullada) and four con men tried to get Boycie to invest in a fictional polo club. This included appearances from Sara Crowe , Liz Robertson , Roger Alborough and Matthew Marsh in the special, One Flew Over
445-551: A converted wing of Alexandra Palace in London. "Ally Pally" housed two studios, various scenery stores, make-up areas, dressing rooms, offices, and the transmitter itself, which then broadcast on the VHF band. BBC television initially used two systems on alternate weeks: the 240-line Baird intermediate film system and the Marconi-EMI 405-line television system . The use of both formats made
534-425: A dust intolerance. Llewellyn ( Alan David ) – Llewellyn is Boycie's next-door neighbour. Boycie continually refers to him as a mad Welshman. He has been known to look after himself and puts his thoughts before others. In one episode, he told the police about Boycie using Artificial Fertiliser on his Organic Farm. This could have put Boycie in prison for up to five years. Llewellyn has a daughter called Rhian, who
623-412: A few guests stars over the thirty-two episodes of the sitcom. The first guest star was in the very first episode, Keep on Running which saw Denzil ( Paul Barber ), an Only Fools and Horses regular, warn Boycie about the Driscoll Brothers' release from prison and the fact that they know who grassed them up. Another character from the parent sitcom who made an appearance was Sid ( Roy Heather ), who made
712-500: A now-unseen Del Boy , and the fact that Tyler is possibly Del's son. Writer John Sullivan had the idea for a spin-off to the sitcom Only Fools and Horses in 1997; its commission was announced in 2003 and the premise for the series was established in the final Only Fools and Horses episode " Sleepless in Peckham " in 2003. The prequel was shelved and spin-off The Green Green Grass was then developed to follow secondary characters, Boycie, Marlene and their son Tyler as they escape
801-454: A pub quiz, in which a £10,000 bet with Llewellyn – of his own money – was up for grabs. In 2006, a whole year after they escaped, Boycie allowed Marlene to invite her sister Petunia up to stay; she was, however, followed by the Driscoll brothers, without anyone knowing. They attacked the farm's staff and tied them up in the barn (including Boycie's Rottweiler, Earl). When Boycie realised something
890-466: A range of programmes intended to be eclectic and diverse (although if a programme has high audience ratings it is often eventually repositioned to BBC One). The different remit of BBC2 allowed its first controller, David Attenborough to commission the first heavyweight documentaries and documentary series such as Civilisation , The Ascent of Man and Horizon . Attenborough was later granted sabbatical leave from his job as Controller to work with
979-492: A result of the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, the BBC Television division was split, with in-house television production being separated into a new division called BBC Studios and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamed BBC Content . The BBC operates several television networks, television stations (although there is generally very little distinction between
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#17328767604401068-466: A result, the BBC Television division is now known internally as BBC Content and "BBC Television" as an entity has ceased to exist. On 8 December 2020, Moore announced a new leadership structure for BBC Content taking effect in April 2021, which will prioritise iPlayer in order to compete with commercial streaming services. The role of Controller for BBC One, Two, and Four will be scrapped, in favour of giving
1157-640: A rich American soldier revisiting old haunts, in the 2007 Christmas special, The Special Relationship and June Whitfield (details above) as Dora. All three well-known actors played important roles in their individual episodes, either as the person who led the Driscoll Brothers to Boycie, the father of one of Boycie's staff or as a pain-in-the-backside mother-in-law. Thirty-two episodes of The Green Green Grass , mostly written by John Sullivan, were broadcast on BBC1 between 9 September 2005 and 5 March 2009. The show aired in four series (2005–07; 2009) and also aired three Christmas special editions (2005–07). All of
1246-584: A slideshow of photographs (" For Richer For Poorer ") or a shot of a river, forest or part of Winterdown Farm. Boycie ( John Challis ) – A dubious former-used car salesman turned gentleman farmer. He is a frightful snob and looks down at most of the people in Oakham. Boycie made sporadic appearances in Only Fools and Horses before becoming the central character in The Green Green Grass . Boycie used to be
1335-521: A string shoulder strap around with him, to help remind people that he is still farm manager, even though it looks empty on occasions. His wife is unseen, but apparently has a glass eye. He has said on occasions that she dislikes him, and at one point he started to have his mail redirected to Boycie's house just to ensure that she does not find out that he is still living there. He has shown deep affection towards his wife on many occasions, although he obviously fancies Marlene. Whenever she has her back turned, he
1424-516: A trial basis for six months; early television sets supported both resolutions. However, the Baird system, which used a mechanical camera for filmed programming and Farnsworth image dissector cameras for live programming, proved too cumbersome and visually inferior, and ended with closedown (at 22:00) on Saturday 30 January 1937. It was advertised in Radio Times for two weeks later but the decision to end
1513-559: Is Beth's father and landlord of the local pub. Ray does not particularly like Tyler, as he believes that his daughter could have done better. He first appeared in the episode "Testing Times" and appeared in another ten episodes since. He is known to lash out in extreme circumstances, such as the misunderstanding in "From Here to Paternity" in which he punches Boycie. The Driscoll Brothers ( Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan ) – First seen in Little Problems in Only Fools and Horses ,
1602-435: Is Tyler's English teacher. Rhian has appeared in two episodes. Beth ( Lisa Diveney ) – Beth is Tyler's girlfriend until the end of the third series. She is clever, attractive and vegetarian. Over the three years she spent as Tyler's girlfriend, she had her patience put to the test. First, Tyler showed no interest in supporting her horse racing protests, then he put meat before her, and, to top things off, she peers through
1691-578: Is copping an eyeful; on one occasion he went as far as to dive across to kitchen floor in an attempt to woo an unsuspecting Marlene. Bryan ( Ivan Kaye ) – Bryan is the farm's herdsman. He again likes to appear a bit thick so that he can take advantage of Boycie's ignorance. He has, on occasions, reduced his workload by bluffing to an out-of-his-depth Boycie. Bryan can be a little over the top on occasions, especially when thinking about his ex-girlfriend Myrtle. In one particular episode, he states that she chucked him seven times, and every time he found exactly
1780-430: Is essential and much is made of the character's individual traits, such as Boycie's arrogance, Elgin's dim-wit, Bryan and Jed's ineptitude, Imelda's slacking work-ethic and Llewellyn's rivalry with Boycie. There are also several running gags , including Boycie's attempts to be a gentleman farmer and his yearning for respect which he never gets, Boycie's fear of the Driscoll brothers and Marlene's alleged sexual affair with
1869-531: Is genetically thick. He is renowned for having a family of five children. He is often the brunt of a joke, whereby he and his wife are 'too lazy' to use contraception. Jed's workload has also been known to expand from ploughman to various other areas of expertise, such as in the episode " Home Brew " when he gets involved in Ye Potato Cyder business. He is also known for attempting to escape his wife, such as when he turns up unexpectedly in one particular episode, in
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#17328767604401958-471: Is hated, as always in classic comedy, by Boycie, her son-in-law. She is reluctant to let him in her house and is always making uncalled-for comments towards him. He became more tolerant of her as the series progressed. In an Only Fools and Horses episode, Dora forbade Boycie to stay with her when his gas-effect log fire gases them out so he had to stay with Del Boy. Guest actors were brought into The Green Green Grass on an infrequent basis however, there were
2047-478: Is often used. Location shooting of Boyce's farm was recorded at John Challis' own home at the time, near Leintwardine , on the Herefordshire / Shropshire border, and the surrounding area. The pilot for the series was recorded on 24 November 2004 at Teddington Studios. The remainder of the series was shot over June–August 2005. A Christmas special was also filmed. The second series and 2006 special were filmed over
2136-607: Is split up into fifteen regions (such as South West and East), which exist mainly to produce local news programming, but also occasionally opt out of the network to show programmes of local importance (such as major local events). The other nations of the United Kingdom (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) have been granted more autonomy from the English network; for example, programmes are mostly introduced by local announcers, rather than by those in London. BBC One and BBC Two schedules in
2225-428: Is still the same loving wife who Boycie married in 1968. Tyler ( Jack Doolan ) –The character of Tyler made several appearances in Only Fools and Horses , although he was portrayed by different actors. His similarity in appearance to Del Boy has led to a continuation of a running gag dating back to the late 1980s. It has been speculated in both Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass that Tyler might be
2314-440: The 16:9 ratio widescreen. The closing credits for the program varied episode by episode. Most of the first series episodes featured the standard rolling format. However, some episodes featured a scrolling bar across the bottom of the screen. The series' end credits used a full-length version of the opening theme tune as the credits appear on screen. The end credits occasionally appeared over continuing footage (" Home Brew "), or
2403-557: The BBC Studios Natural History Unit which had existed since the 1950s. This unit is now famed throughout the world for producing high quality programmes with Attenborough such as Life on Earth , The Private Life of Plants , The Blue Planet , The Life of Mammals , Planet Earth and Frozen Planet . National and regional variations also occur within the BBC One and BBC Two schedules. England's BBC One output
2492-459: The Sky Digital platform, such as Scottish Premier League and Scottish Cup football , while on other platforms such broadcasts were not disrupted. Later, when rights contracts were renewed, this problem was resolved. The BBC Television department headed by Jana Bennett was absorbed into a new, much larger group; BBC Vision, in late 2006. The new group was part of larger restructuring within
2581-425: The début episode . The Driscoll brothers have made three appearances since the show's debut. Sid ( Roy Heather ) made a brief cameo appearance in the 2005 special . Boycie has also made many veiled references to Del , Rodney and Uncle Albert . John Sullivan made it clear from the beginning that no characters from Only Fools and Horses would make an appearance, as if one character appears then viewers would expect
2670-533: The 30-line images, carried by telephone line to the medium wave transmitter at Brookmans Park , until 11 September 1935, by which time advances in the all-electronic 405-line television system made electromechanical broadcasts and systems obsolete. Following a series of test transmissions and special broadcasts that began in August 1936, the BBC Television Service officially launched on 2 November 1936 from
2759-638: The Animal Protestors, as played by Danny Morgan and Tony Bignell. Also, Henry Sandon appeared as himself as did Nick Ross in series one. Stephen Evans appeared as the Vicar in For Richer For Poorer . Ricky Hatton also appeared in one episode have a pint in the pub. Well-known actors who appeared in the program include Paula Wilcox who played Pertunia, Marlene's sister, in the episode Brothers and Sisters , George Wendt who played Cliff Cooper,
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2848-447: The BBC announced plans to merge BBC News (for UK audiences) and BBC World News (for international audiences) as one international news network, under the name BBC News, covering news from both the UK and around the world. The merger took effect in April 2023. In November 2024, six BBC FAST channels were added to Australia's 9Now platform. The BBC domestic television channels do not broadcast advertisements; they are instead funded by
2937-522: The BBC announced that from the end of May 2003 (subsequently deferred to 14 July) it intended to transmit all eight of its domestic television channels (including the 15 regional variations of BBC1) unencrypted from the Astra 2D satellite. This move was estimated to save the BBC £85 million over the next five years. While the "footprint" of the Astra 2D satellite was smaller than that of Astra 2A , from which it
3026-522: The BBC from its studio in Long Acre in the Covent Garden area of London via the BBC's London radio transmitter propagating an analog signal . Baird used his electromechanical system with a vertically scanned image of 30 lines, which is just enough resolution for a close-up of one person, and a bandwidth low enough to use existing radio transmitters. The simultaneous transmission of sound and pictures
3115-456: The BBC with the onset of new media outlets and technology. In 2008, the BBC began experimenting with live streaming of certain channels in the UK, and in November 2008, all standard BBC television channels were made available to watch online via BBC iPlayer . When Tony Hall became Director General in April 2013, he reverted the division to its original name of BBC Television. As Television it
3204-421: The BBC's genre heads autonomy in commissioning programmes without the requirement for a channel controller to provide secondary approval. A team of "portfolio editors" will select from these commissions for carriage on BBC television channels and iPlayer, with iPlayer Controller Dan McGolpin will becoming Portfolio Director for iPlayer and channels. McGolpin and the genre heads will report to Moore. In July 2022,
3293-477: The BBC's service the world's first regular high-definition television service; it broadcast from Monday to Saturday between 15:00 and 16:00, and 21:00 and 22:00. The first programme broadcast – and thus the first ever, on a dedicated TV channel – was "Opening of the BBC Television Service" at 15:00. The first major outside broadcast was the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth in May 1937. The two systems were to run on
3382-695: The BBC. Programmes have also been imported mainly from English-speaking countries: notable—though no longer shown—examples include The Simpsons from the United States and Neighbours from Australia. Programming from countries outside the English-speaking world consisted of feature films, shown in the original language with subtitles instead of being dubbed , with dubbing only used for cartoons and children's programmes. These included programmes from Eastern Europe , including The Singing Ringing Tree from East Germany , although voice-over translation
3471-527: The Baird system was made too late for it be changed in the printed Radio Times . Initially, the station's range was officially a 40 kilometres radius of the Alexandra Palace transmitter—in practice, however, transmissions could be picked up a good deal further away, and on one occasion in 1938 were picked up by engineers at RCA in New York, who were experimenting with a British television set. The service
3560-750: The Cuckoo Clock . Other guest stars, essential to the plot included the Farm Inspector (David Cann) in the episode Testing Times , Simon (Ian Bonar) in Here's to You, Mrs Boyce and Laurence (Beatriz Romilly) in Schoolboy French . Further guest appearances in the series included Paul Bown as Colin Cakeworthy, Lucy Briers as the Doctor, Fiona Bruce as herself in two separate episodes, Jeremy Clyde as Tristram and
3649-499: The Driscoll brothers and attempt to live in the countryside of Shropshire . "[Boycie's] so terrified of [The Driscoll brothers] that I thought that would keep them all out there in the country, no matter what." John Sullivan on The Green Green Grass backstory. The Green Green Grass was announced in June 2005, written by Sullivan and made by his production company Shazam Productions, its first series. The series notably expanded on
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3738-406: The Driscoll brothers, who had travelled to meet him. As the series progressed further, Boycie started to use artificial fertiliser on his organic farm , applied to be mayor, fired Mrs Cakeworthy, only to rehire her and, to Marlene's disdain, became obsessed with Tyler's promiscuous French exchange. He also ended up naked in front of Tyler's girlfriend through a massage gone wrong, and took part in
3827-644: The Driscolls may have been the easier option. The situation focuses primarily on their attempts to run the farm efficiently through utilising the current staff consisting of the farm manager Elgin Sparrowhawk ( David Ross ), herdsman Bryan ( Ivan Kaye ), ploughman Jed (Peter Heppelthwaite) and housecleaner Imelda Cakeworthy ( Ella Kenion ). As the series progresses, Boycie and Marlene began to settle into their surroundings, however, situations occasionally arise – usually involving their irritable Welsh neighbour, Llewellyn. Tyler
3916-635: The Fat , and BBC Northern Ireland's talk show Patrick Kielty Almost Live . During the 1980s, the BBC came under pressure to commission more programmes from independent British production companies, and following the Broadcasting Act 1990 it was legally required to source 25% of its output from such companies by the terms of the Act. This eventually led to the creation of the "WoCC" (Window of Creative Competition) for independent production companies to pitch programmes to
4005-806: The ITV1 Drama Injustice where she played the on-screen daughter of James Purefoy and Dervla Kirwan . She then went on to play Bridget in Bijan Sheibani 's production of Moonlight at the Donmar Warehouse , where she starred alongside David Bradley and Daniel Mays . Diveney played Julia Masterson in Series 2 of the BBC drama Call the Midwife . In 2014 Diveney starred alongside Sir Tony Robinson and Imogen Stubbs in The Hypochondriac . and in
4094-635: The Midwife . John Sullivan cast Diveney in the role of Beth in The Green Green Grass where she appeared in Series 1–3. She then went on to appear in Cleansed directed by Sean Holmes at the Arcola Theatre and in Michael Grandage 's production of John Gabriel Borkman for the Donmar Warehouse where Ian McDiarmid and Penelope Wilton headed the cast. In 2009 she played Young Enid in
4183-546: The Republic of Ireland. For BBC News, CBBC and Cbeebies see national & international channels On 3 April 2023, the BBC merged the BBC News and BBC World News channels into a single networked news channel, but there are opt-outs for both the domestic and international versions. The BBC's wholly owned commercial subsidiary, BBC Studios , also operates several international television channels under BBC branding: The BBC also owns
4272-491: The Summer Wine have remained instrumental. However, John Sullivan wanted a theme tune that explained the obscure title (as with Only Fools and Horses) and reasons for the characters' sudden dash. The song is performed by John Sullivan. Status Quo performed the end credits for series four episode, " Animal Instincts ". They perform in a charity concert set up by Tyler, but they are not seen. The theme tune does not feature in
4361-602: The biopic Enid starring Helena Bonham Carter . Diveney portrayed Colette in the premiere of Frank McGuinness ' play Greta Garbo Came to Donegal at the Tricycle Theatre alongside Michelle Fairley and Angeline Ball. Then appeared in the premiere of A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky by David Eldridge , Robert Holman and Simon Stephens at the Lyric Hammersmith . Diveney appeared as series regular Kate Travers in
4450-458: The brothers cause Boycie to make a rushed dash to the countryside in an attempt to escape from them. They appeared in the 2005 Christmas Special, One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock but they did not manage to catch him. They made their third ever appearance in Brothers and Sisters when they finally caught up with Boycie and made him a deal. Dora ( June Whitfield ) – Dora is Marlene's mother. She
4539-422: The case and finds himself in trouble when every single other witness changes their statement and the Driscoll brothers walk free. In an attempt to save his life, Boycie and his wife, Marlene ( Sue Holderness ) and son, Tyler ( Jack Doolan ) move overnight to the agricultural town of Oakham, Shropshire , along with their pet Rottweiler , Earl. Upon arrival at Winterdown Farm, Boycie begins to realise that challenging
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#17328767604404628-414: The characters, giving them greater depth and, particularly in the case of Boycie, more warmth and humanity than previously displayed in the parent series. The series introduced many new characters played by actors who are relatively unknown. Characters from Only Fools and Horses did not pass over to the spin-off, though there were four exceptions to this. The first was Denzil ( Paul Barber ), who appeared in
4717-422: The concert. The opening credits see the title, "The Green Green Grass by John Sullivan", appear on screen. However, from series two onwards, the on-screen credit states that the show is "created by John Sullivan". The only other text to appear during the opening credits is the name of the individual episodes such as "Keep on Running". Opening credits have never featured cast names. The show was always broadcast in
4806-400: The episode " The Departed " for the fourth series. Most episodes were filmed in front of a live audience at Teddington Studios (the 2005 special was recorded at Pinewood Studios ). There are three major sets; The Pub, Boycie's Front Room and Boycie's Kitchen. Other sets are irregularly used. Outdoor shots are constantly used for footage of on and around the farm. Footage of the local village
4895-570: The existing VHF 405-line television system . On 1 July 1967, BBC Two became the first television channel in Europe to broadcast regularly in colour, using the West German PAL system that was used for decades until it was gradually superseded by digital systems. ( BBC One and ITV began 625-line colour broadcasts simultaneously on 15 November 1969). Unlike other terrestrial channels, BBC Two does not have soap opera or standard news programming, but
4984-460: The first episode, they are forced to flee from Peckham to escape the wrath of the Driscoll brothers. They decide to set up home on a farm in Shropshire . Boycie (played by John Challis ) is forced to relocate from Peckham after providing evidence against the Driscoll brothers regarding illegal immigrants and drug smuggling , resulting in the Driscolls' imprisonment. He is the lead witness in
5073-459: The following: BBC Japan was a general entertainment channel, which operated between December 2004 and April 2006. It ceased operations after its Japanese distributor folded. Lisa Diveney Lisa Ann Diveney (born 1984) is a British actress, best known for playing Beth in the Only Fools and Horses spin-off The Green Green Grass . She has also appeared in an episode of BBC drama Call
5162-407: The hoovering. Boycie sacks her in the episode " Bothered and Bewildered " after he catches her sitting around doing nothing. However, after some strange experiences he re-hires her. Mrs Cakeworthy has a husband who has been seen on occasions, most notably in the 2006 Christmas special " From Here to Paternity ". She has also been seen to hold seances within the house. Mrs Cakeworthy is also said to have
5251-410: The middle of the night, at Bryan's caravan after having a blazing row with his wife. Bryan just accepts this as a usual occurrence and lets him in. Mrs Cakeworthy ( Ella Kenion ) – Mrs Cakeworthy is The Grange's housecleaner. Various jokes have been made to her expense, referring to her non-cleaning and biscuit-eating habits. She has even on occasions been asked to lift her legs whilst Marlene does
5340-468: The newly acquired Lime Grove Studios . Postwar broadcast coverage was extended to Birmingham in 1949, with the opening of the Sutton Coldfield transmitting station , and by the mid-1950s most of the country was covered, transmitting a 405-line interlaced video image on VHF . BBC TV was split into BBC1 and BBC2 in 1964, with BBC2 having a remit to provide more niche programming. The channel
5429-524: The other UK nations can vary immensely from BBC One and BBC Two in England. Programmes, such as the politically fuelled Give My Head Peace (produced by BBC Northern Ireland) and the soap opera River City (produced by BBC Scotland), have been created specifically to cater for some viewers in their respective nations. BBC Scotland produces daily programmes for its Gaelic -speaking viewers, including current affairs, political and children's programming such as
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#17328767604405518-417: The outcome of a fling between Marlene and Del. One of his appearances in Only Fools and Horses was in the episode "The Jolly Boys' Outing", in which Uncle Albert told him one of his many war stories. Tyler made other appearances in the show (the last having been as a toddler in the 1991 'Miami Twice' double-bill), but was not featured heavily until the beginning of The Green Green Grass . His introduction in
5607-478: The popular Eòrpa and Dè a-nis? . BBC Wales also produces a large amount of Welsh language programming for S4C , particularly news, sport and other programmes, especially the soap opera Pobol y Cwm ('People of the Valley') briefly shown on BBC2 across the UK with subtitles in the 1990s. The UK nations also produce a number of programmes that are shown across the UK, such as BBC Scotland's comedy series Chewin'
5696-468: The regular series episodes had a running time of 30 minutes, and all subsequent specials had a running time ranging from 40 to 50 minutes. All the episodes were shot in front of a live audience, with an added laughter track. The three extended length specials were aired at Christmas . The first, aired 2005, was 50 minutes in length and featured a guest appearance from The Driscoll Brothers ( Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan ). The second special, aired 2006,
5785-483: The rest to follow, damaging the program's ability to stand alone. "It survives on its own. It's strong enough [therefore] it doesn't need anything from the past." John Sullivan on the show's ability to stand alone. He indicated in February 2007, to the Only Fools and Horses Appreciation Society that "some old faces may appear over the next couple of series". The prequel to Only Fools and Horses , Rock & Chips
5874-409: The same wedding ring in a second-hand shop. It is sometimes hard to believe that Bryan's stupidity is a put-up job. Little else is known about the character besides the fact that he lives alone in a caravan on the edge of Winterdown Farm. Jed (Peter Heppelthwaite) – Jed is the farm's ploughman. He again likes to think he's appearing a bit thick, but, in reality, viewers are led to believe that Jed
5963-431: The second series, James Windett wrote " Schoolboy French " and Paul Alexander wrote the episode " More Questions Than Answers ". David Cantor has written for both the third and fourth series. He wrote three episodes of the third series and the episode " Calendar Boys " for the fourth. Meanwhile, Keith Lindsay co-wrote both the episode "Sweet Sorrow" and " The Special Relationship " for the third series/special. He also wrote
6052-461: The series closing to 4.38 million (18.8% share). All four series along with the 2005–7 specials have been repeated on Gold in the UK. The complete series has been released on DVD , along with the three Christmas specials. BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC . The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom , under
6141-407: The spin-off hyped the speculation that Tyler might have been a result of something between Marlene and Del. Elgin ( David Ross ) – Elgin Sparrowhawk is the farm manager of Winterdown Farm. He is a rather strange man, who likes to appear a bit thick to ensure his workload remains light, but likes to show people that he is capable of outsmarting Boycie any day. He always carries his briefcase with
6230-454: The summer months of 2006 and the third series was filmed during the summer of 2007. The fourth series was filmed during the summer months of 2008 however the series did not begin to air until 8 January 2009. Sullivan wrote the theme music for The Green Green Grass when he wrote the first series . He wrote the lyrics to explain the title and why Boycie and his family were running away to the countryside. Music for most sitcoms, such as Last of
6319-412: The terms of a royal charter , since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 1932, although the start of its regular service of television broadcasts is dated to 2 November 1936. The BBC's domestic television channels have no commercial advertising and collectively they accounted for more than 30% of all UK viewing in 2013. The services are funded by a television licence . As
6408-449: The third series and the 2007 Christmas special with Keith Lindsay. Sullivan has written three of the episodes in series four. Jim Sullivan , John Sullivan's son, wrote two episodes for series two and three episodes for series three. He also wrote two episodes for the fourth series. Derren Litten wrote the episodes " Bothered and Bewildered " and " Brothers and Sisters " in series two. He has not since written for The Green Green Grass . For
6497-555: The two terms in the UK), and related programming services in the United Kingdom. As well as being a broadcaster, the corporation also produces a large number of its own outsourcing programmes and thereby ranks as one of the world's largest television production companies. John Logie Baird set up the Baird Television Development Company in 1926; on 30 September 1929, he made the first experimental television broadcast for
6586-471: The war effort, in particular on the radar programme. The last programme transmitted was a Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey's Gala Premier (1933), which was followed by test transmissions; this account refuted the popular memory according to which broadcasting was suspended before the end of the cartoon. According to figures from Britain's Radio Manufacturers Association, 18,999 television sets had been manufactured from 1936 to September 1939, when production
6675-502: The window to see Boycie completely naked, thanks to Earl, in Mother Earth . Sara (Samantha Sutherland) – Sara is Tyler's latest girlfriend. She is slightly weird in the sense that she is a fan of Tyler's band, Puddle of Agony. Tyler eventually asked her out in the episode " Your Cheating Art ", after some help from his mum and Dora. Tyler even managed to get her to strip naked for a piece of artwork. Ray (Nigel Harrison) – Ray
6764-466: Was 45 minutes in length and featured only the main and recurring cast members. The third, aired 2007, was 40 minutes in length and featured a guest appearance from George Wendt . The first episode of The Green Green Grass attracted an average of 8.88 million viewers, giving the channel a 41.7% audience share. Viewership had slipped considerably by 2009 when the debut episode for the fourth series attracted 4.07 million viewers (16.5% share), with
6853-405: Was accepting auditions and Earl was missing in the woods. Also, Boycie began to worry about his health after finding out about a genetic similarity between him and past generations (but still worrying about it after finding out that his biological father was a captured Nazi-German pilot). A death was about to hit the farm hard though, Brian's pet turkey, Paxo. The departure of Lisa Diveney as Beth
6942-565: Was achieved on 30 March 1930, by using the BBC's new twin transmitter at Brookmans Park . By late 1930, thirty minutes of morning programmes were broadcast from Monday to Friday, and thirty minutes at midnight on Tuesdays and Fridays after BBC radio went off the air. Baird's broadcasts via the BBC continued until June 1932. The BBC began its own regular television programming from the basement of Broadcasting House , London, on 22 August 1932. The studio moved to larger quarters in 16 Portland Place , London, in February 1934, and continued broadcasting
7031-471: Was announced in July 2009. The main writer of The Green Green Grass was John Sullivan. He wrote all six episodes of the first series and the extended length special, " One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock " in 2005. He also wrote the episode " Here's to You, Mrs Boyce " in series two and co-wrote another three episodes of the second series as well as the 2006 Christmas special. He co-wrote the episode " Sweet Sorrow " for
7120-479: Was due to launch on 20 April 1964, but this was postponed after a fire at Battersea Power Station resulted in most of west London, including Television Centre , losing power. A videotape made on the opening night was rediscovered in 2003 by a BBC technician. The launch went ahead the following night, beginning with host Denis Tuohy sarcastically blowing out a candle. BBC2 was the first British channel to use UHF and 625-line pictures, giving higher definition than
7209-423: Was halted by the war. BBC Television returned on 7 June 1946 at 15:00. Jasmine Bligh , one of the original announcers, made the first announcement, saying, 'Good afternoon everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh?'. The Mickey Mouse cartoon of 1939 was repeated twenty minutes later. Alexandra Palace was the home base of the channel until the early 1950s, when the majority of production moved into
7298-407: Was initially just an unseen character in Only Fools and Horses . She is a cheerful, slightly daft, optimistic person who is speculated to have had an ongoing affair with Del which resulted in the birth of Tyler. The ongoing joke continued into The Green Green Grass , as Jack Doolan, who plays Tyler, has looks similar to David Jason. The character has been expanded massively for the spin-off series but
7387-429: Was previously broadcast encrypted, it meant that viewers with appropriate equipment were able to receive BBC channels "free-to-air" over much of Western Europe. Consequently, some rights concerns have needed to be resolved with programme providers such as Hollywood studios and sporting organisations, which have expressed concern about the unencrypted signal leaking out. This led to some broadcasts being made unavailable on
7476-442: Was reaching an estimated 25,000–40,000 homes before the outbreak of World War II which caused the BBC Television service to be suspended on 1 September 1939 with little warning. On 1 September 1939, the station went off the air; the government was concerned that the VHF transmissions would act as a beacon to enemy aircraft homing in on London. Also, many of the television service's technical staff and engineers would be needed for
7565-552: Was responsible for the commissioning, scheduling and broadcasting of all programming on the BBC's television channels and online, as well as producing content for broadcast. Following the 2016 Licence Fee settlement, BBC Television was split into two divisions, with in-house television production being separated into a new division called BBC Studios controlled by Mark Linsey and the remaining parts of television (channels and genre commissioning, BBC Sport and BBC iPlayer) being renamed as BBC Content, controlled by Charlotte Moore . As
7654-534: Was soon sent to school to finish his GCSEs. The elitist in Boycie is often his own hindrance, as he found out when he attended the Agricultural Ball in 2005, where his photo was taken and published in a magazine that stated where he would be that Christmas . However, luck ensured that Boycie remained at home when he was snowed in and missed his plane, thus not getting scammed by con artists and not getting murdered by
7743-648: Was then filled with the arrival of Samantha Sutherland, who played Sara, Tyler's new girlfriend. Boycie fell in fear of the Driscoll brothers once more when they turned up at The Grange and machine gunned his front door down when he refused to answer it. Also, paranormal experts investigate the house, Boycie decides to take some old items to the Antiques Roadshow and Boycie and Marlene decide to renew their vows for their fortieth wedding anniversary, but realise they might not be legally married at all. The humour comes from several sources. The interaction between characters
7832-448: Was used instead of dubbing for budgetary reasons. Ceefax , the first teletext service, launched on 23 September 1974. This service allowed BBC viewers to view textual information such as the latest news on their television. CEEFAX did not make a full transition to digital television, instead being gradually replaced, from late onwards, by the new interactive BBCi service before being fully closed down on 22 October 2012. In March 2003
7921-561: Was wrong he went to investigate the barn only to come face to face with two sawn-off shotguns. Following the Driscoll brothers' visit, life on Winterdown Farm is tranquil. Marlene, Tyler and Boycie have adapted and are beginning to enjoy country life. However, they cannot return to Peckham due to a deal between the Driscoll brothers and Boycie – he would allow them to bury a secret item (later revealed to be 5 million Spanish pesetas in cash) on his land and he must protect it. The events of 2006 still had repercussions in 2007, even though Farm Idol
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