The Green Green Grass
Season 3
DVD cover
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes8
Release
Original networkBBC
Original release2 November (2007-11-02) –
30 December 2007 (2007-12-30)
Series chronology

The third series of The Green Green Grass originally aired between 2 November 2007 and 21 December 2007, beginning with the episode "But is it Art?". A Christmas special aired on 30 December 2007.

Outline

The series continued to feature the seven main characters that appeared in series one. These were:

Actor Role
John Challis Boycie
Sue Holderness Marlene
Jack Doolan Tyler
David Ross Elgin
Ivan Kaye Bryan
Peter Heppelthwaite Jed
Ella Kenion Imelda

Lisa Diveney's character, Beth, who was Tyler's girlfriend, was regular throughout the series before leaving the series after the special. Ray (Nigel Harrison) was also a regular throughout the series. Llewellyn (Alan David) only made one appearance in the series, and subsequently appeared in the following Christmas Special.

Episodes

No.TitleProduced byDirected byRunning
time		Original air dateUK viewers
(millions)
Series
16"But is it Art?"Dewi HumphreysJim Sullivan30 minutes2 November 2007 (2007-11-02)5.34
Boycie and Marlene take a trip to a local country mansion, where Boycie admires the portraits that adorn the walls. Later, he recounts his admiration of this long established tradition of respect for the gentry. Meanwhile, thrown out by his wife, Elgin has moved into Bryan's caravan, which later burns down, and Boycie is horrified to find that Marlene has offered them a place to stay. A month later, it looks like they're never going to go, but they have a surprise – they've commissioned a local cow-painting artist to paint his portrait.
17"The Lonely Herdsman"Dewi HumphreysJim Sullivan30 minutes9 November 2007 (2007-11-09)4.62
When Marlene drags Boycie and Tyler to visit her mother Dora, the battle lines are drawn. Spending the day away from the farm gives the staff freedom – well, more than they do usually, so they use this to their advantage. However, Bryan is trying his hand at poetry to stop him feeling lonely, as it is the fourth anniversary of his engagement to Myrtle. Meanwhile, Mrs Cakeworthy is surfing the net to help him find a girlfriend but unfortunately finds him one called Steamy Stella. Meanwhile, Dora is cooking up a plan to get rid of Boycie.
18"If You Go Down to the Woods"Dewi HumphreysJim Sullivan30 minutes23 November 2007 (2007-11-23)5.20
Marlene is distraught when Earl goes missing so Boycie offers a reward for his return. Tyler, thinking of the money, sets off to find Earl but soon gets distracted by Beth. Meanwhile, Boycie forms a search party consisting of himself, Bryan and Jed in an attempt to find Earl and save him some money. Elgin and Mrs Cakeworthy attempt to comfort a hysterical Marlene but Mrs Cakeworthy's traditional biscuit mountain doesn't make a big impression. However, a returning Tyler and Earl bring a smile to her face but where is Boycie?
19"Sweet Sorrow"Dewi HumphreysJohn Sullivan and Keith Lindsay30 minutes30 November 2007 (2007-11-30)6.05
Boycie and Marlene are flushed with pride as they dream of their son's golden future, but when Tyler's A-Level results let him down, it is the staff who provide the key to getting him motivated. However, after Marlene's visions of Oxford and Cambridge battling it out over Tyler, Boycie decides that he'd better call in some favours and get his son into a university. Meanwhile, Beth has university offers flooding in and a slightly jealous Tyler begins his first taste of ambition. Has the small fortune that Boycie has paid out in private education been a waste?
20"Fifteen Minutes"Dewi HumphreysDavid Cantor30 minutes7 December 2007 (2007-12-07)5.08
On the way home from a shopping trip, Boycie and Marlene notice a marquee pitched on the village green. Upon a closer inspection they see that it is for a new reality television series called 'Farm Idol'. Boycie's disgust at such as show turns to amusement as he notices Elgin, Bryan and Jed emerging from the marquee. As the show precedes it is revealed that the challenges go from silly to ridiculous but that won't put the boys off. But are they sure that they can handle speed milking, synchronised ploughing and blindfolded sheep shearing?
21"The Final Curtain"Dewi HumphreysJohn Sullivan30 minutes14 December 2007 (2007-12-14)5.46
Bryan's turkey, Paxo, is on his last legs, so the others rally round and organise a memorial service for the turkey. Meanwhile, Marlene is hoping for a holiday however Boycie refuses claiming that he doesn't have enough money and Tyler has been suspended from university after his scandalous partying antics. However, he is still required to study so therefore the drawing room table is cluttered with John Lennon revision. Also, Boycie takes a look at the website but finds out some information that he'd rather have remained ignorant to.
22"Lust in Translation"Dewi HumphreysDavid Cantor30 minutes21 December 2007 (2007-12-21)4.32
When Bryan arranges to meet his on-line lover, the staff's loyalties are severely tested, especially after the events that follow. Meanwhile, Llewellyn seizes the opportunity of securing extra labour when Bryan's lustful date arrives with a rather large unexpected family in tow.
Special
23"The Special Relationship"Dewi HumphreysJohn Sullivan and Keith Lindsay40 minutes30 December 2007 (2007-12-30)5.40
Whilst out in the fields, Boycie and Marlene are horrified when Earl digs up an unexploded hand grenade. However, Boycie takes charge of the situation by diving behind the nearest tractor. But this is just the beginning. It is soon discovered that The Grange was once used as a US Army base in the 1970s. After some more World War Two relics are found, Boycie decides to transform one of his barns into a military museum. Word of Boyce's heroic involvement in the hand grenade incident attracts much media attention, even from the Peckham Times. Meanwhile, Cliff Cooper (George Wendt) arrives in Oakham intent on visiting the old haunts of his military posting. It turns out that he was billeted at The Grange so Boycie and Marlene are quick to invite him to their home as a guest. Boycie is especially pleased when he discovers than Cliff is a president and CEO of a large corporation in LA. An evening in the pub that evening brings up a conversation about the 'Cloud Day' incident and the fact that Cliff was a bit of a ladies' man but rumour has it he left behind a child.

Note

No episode was aired on 16 November 2007 because of BBC One's coverage of Children In Need. Episode 3 was moved back a week because of this.

Production

The series was produced by Shazam Production,[1] a company that produces comedies by John Sullivan.[2] The series was filmed at Teddington Studios, with a live audience. All episodes in the first series were directed by Dewi Humphreys. This particular series was written by Jim Sullivan, John Sullivan, Keith Lindsay and David Cantor.

Reception

Viewers

The series began airing on Friday evenings, at 8:30pm. The series continued to be hit with viewers, with the first episode, "But is it Art?" gaining 5.34 million viewers, which was in the top thirty highest ratings for the week ending 4 November 2007.[3] Ratings then fell for the next two episodes before rising for the fifth, then dropping again for the next episode, rising again for the sixth and ending on a series low. The ratings were high enough for a last series of nine episodes, which was commissioned and aired.

Rank Episode Viewership Audience percentage
1 "Sweet Sorrow" 6.05 million
2 "The Final Curtain" 5.46 million
3 "The Special Relationship" 5.40 million
4 "But is it Art?" 5.34 million
5 "If You Go Down to the Woods" 5.20 million
6 "Fifteen Minutes" 5.08 million
7 "The Lonely Herdsman" 4.62 million
8 "Lust in Translation" 4.32 million

Critics

The series, as a spin-off of the nation's favourite sitcom, was always going to have a difficult start.[4] The series continued to receive negative reviews from critics and some fans of Only Fools and Horses as well, but a few positive reviews began to emerge.[5] The series achieved having the first episode to gain a six million plus viewing figure since the first series.

References

Specific
  1. ↑ "Shazam Productions on the Comedy Guide".
  2. ↑ "John Sullivan Sitcoms – The Green Green Grass".
  3. ↑ "Weekly terrestrial top 30 (BBC 1) w/e 4 Nov. 2007". Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
  4. ↑ "The Green Green Grass at The Comedy Guide".
  5. ↑ "The Green Green Grass a hit with many but not all".
General
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