BBC
The beloved BBC sitcom The Good Life remains a cherished part of British television culture since it first aired in 1975, with its leading cast continuing to hold a special place in the hearts of viewers across the nation. Dame Penelope Keith portrayed the delightfully snobbish social climber Margo Leadbetter throughout the show's entire run, and fans were heartbroken upon hearing the news of her passing.
On 29 June, a statement issued on behalf of her family read: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Dame Penelope Keith died peacefully whilst living with cancer at her home in Surrey where she had lived for more than 50 years. "The family is grateful for the care and support she received throughout her treatments, and ask that their privacy be respected at this time." Here is everything you need to know about where the remaining cast members are today.
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Richard Briers first came to public attention playing George Starling in Marriage Lines, before cementing his status as a household name through The Good Life.
The series centred on a middle-class couple who abandoned city life in pursuit of a wholly self-sufficient existence in their suburban London garden.
His final film appearance came in Cockneys vs Zombies in 2012, and he died in 2013 at his home in Bedford Park, London, aged 79, having suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Felicity Kendal's subsequent television work featured The Camomile Lawn which, as of 2022, held the record as the most-watched drama in Channel 4's history.
In 2024, she took on a guest appearance in the popular Disney+ series, Rivals, portraying Carole Miroy, and is currently starring in the comedy series Small Town Scandal, playing Sue.
The actress, now 79, has recently spoken candidly about mourning her partner, Michael Rudman, who died three years ago.
She told Prima Magazine: "Even though you try not to show it, it sort of takes over every aspect of your life – missing that person that was part of your everyday. So the everyday changes."
Paul Eddington had endured numerous health struggles since his late 20s, when he received a diagnosis of a rare form of cancer, known as mycosis fungoides, at the age of 28.
His medical condition only entered the public domain in 1994, when he addressed media conjecture regarding his increasingly dark skin and loss of hair.
One of his final roles was in the anthology series, Performance, in 1995 and he passed away in the same year at the age of 68.
His autobiography, So Far, So Good, was released in the year of his death and five days before his passing, he appeared on a BBC programme discussing how he wished to be remembered. He said: "A journalist once asked me what I would like my epitaph to be and I said I think I would like it to be, 'He did very little harm'. And that's not easy. Most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me."
Reginald Marsh went on to portray Reg Lamont in the long-running soap opera Crossroads, and by the 1990s had transitioned to smaller guest appearances on television.
Among his final TV appearances was a role in an episode of Paul Merton in Galton and Simpson's... which broadcast in October 1997.
He died at his home in Ryde in February 2001 at the age of 74, though no cause of death was disclosed.