''Fresh Fields'' is a British sitcom starring Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers. A ratings success at the time, it was written by John Chapman and produced by

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

for ITV, running for four series between 7 March 1984 and 23 October 1986.

Premise and series history

Hester and William Fields (McKenzie and Rodgers) are a devoted middle-aged,

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

couple living an idyllic

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...

lifestyle in Barnes, London. William works as an accountant while Hester is a housewife who works part-time in local restaurant Lucy's Kitchen. The title's meaning, and crux of the show, is that Hester combats empty-nest syndrome by livening up her life with new interests and hobbies, to the exasperation of her hard-working husband who just wants a quiet life.Series 1, episode 5, stated by Hester The show's opening credits, featuring silhouettes of the characters, reflect this: Hester rides an

exercise bike A stationary bicycle (also known as exercise bicycle, exercise bike, spinning bike, spin bike, or exercycle) is a device used as exercise equipment for indoor cycling. It includes a saddle, pedals, and some form of handlebars arranged as on ...

and plays a drumkit while William relaxes in a rocking chair. The family home has an attached granny flat in which Hester's mother Nancy ( Fanny Rowe) lives following her divorce from Hester's roguish father Guy (

Ballard Berkeley Ballard Blascheck (6 August 1904 – 16 January 1988), known professionally as Ballard Berkeley, was an English actor of stage and screen. He is best remembered for playing Major Gowen in the British television sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''. Life a ...

); he often tries to win her back. (The pair finally remarry in the last episode.) Hester and William have two children of their own: the never-seen Tom who lives in New Zealand; and Emma, who is usually only heard (voice of Debby Cummings) telephoning her parents at inconvenient times. Emma's husband Peter (

Philip Bird Philip Bird is an English actor who has appeared in several British shows such as Peter Birch in ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2006. He has also appeared in BBC's '' Doctors'', ITV's '' Heartbeat'' and ''Coronation Street ''Coronation St ...

) appears occasionally; Emma and Peter later present the Fields with their first grandchild Guy, named after his great-grandfather. The Fields's neighbour Sonia Barrett (played by

Ann Beach Ann Beach (7 June 1938 – 9 March 2017) was a British actress. She is perhaps best remembered for her supporting role as Sonia Barrett, the quirky next-door neighbour on the comedy ''Fresh Fields'', starring Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers. ...

) pops round in every episode to borrow items; these appearances would irritate William to comical effect. Sonia had the show's only

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

: "It's only Sonia!" she carols as she raps at the Fields's back door then lets herself in. Sonia's husband John (John Arthur) appears occasionally, as does William's secretary Miss Marigold Denham ( Daphne Oxenford). ''Fresh Fields'' ended in 1986 but three years later the series resumed as ''

French Fields ''French Fields'' is a British television sitcom. It is a sequel/continuation of the series ''Fresh Fields'' and ran for 19 episodes from 5 September 1989 to 8 October 1991. It was written by John T. Chapman (who created and wrote all the episod ...

'', which saw William and Hester relocating to France after William accepted a job there. There were three series of 19 episodes made between 5 September 1989 and 8 October 1991, all written by John T. Chapman and Ian Davidson. Philip Bird appears as Peter in several episodes, with Emma finally seen on-screen, now played by Sally Baxter. Ann Beach makes a guest appearance as Sonia in the final episode.

Filming locations

The show's main filming location was the Fields's salubrious Victorian detached home, which is actually situated in

Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...

on the A313, Hampton Road, a short drive from what was Thames TV's main studio complex, where the indoor scenes were shot.

Cast and characters

Episodes

Series overview

Series 1 (1984)

Series 2 (1984)

Series 3 (1985)

Christmas special (1985)

Series 4 (1986)

Home releases

All four series of ''Fresh Fields'' have been released on DVD, A 7-disc set (containing both the series and sequel title) was released in 2011.

References

External links

* {{InternationalEmmyAward Popular Arts Programming 1984 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British sitcoms Barnes, London English-language television shows ITV sitcoms Television shows produced by Thames Television Television series about families Television series about marriage Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows set in London Television shows shot at Teddington Studios