Fresh Fields

Fresh Fields is a British situation comedy written by John T. Chapman and produced by Thames Television for ITV between 7 March 1984 and 23 October 1986. The show is well remembered for its opening titles featuring a silhouette of a person in a rocking chair.

It starred Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers as Hester and William Fields, a devoted middle-class couple with an idyllic suburban lifestyle. William works while Hester keeps home. The crux of the show (and the meaning of the title) was that she was always looking to try new hobbies or find ways to improve her life, much of which exasperated her hard-working husband.

The family home had a granny flat attached, in which Hester's mother Nancy (Fanny Rowe) lived. She was divorced from Hester's father Guy (played by Ballard Berkeley) although remarried him as the series progressed. The couple had a daughter called Emma who frequently telephoned but never appeared (Debby Cummings supplied the voice). Her husband Peter (Philip Bird) did appear often. They later had a son — the Fields' first grandchild — whom they named Guy, after his great-grandfather.

Perhaps, the best remembered supporting character was Sonia Barrett (played by Ann Beach) who would frequently pop round to borrow items to replace hers due to breakage, theft or mislaying. Hester was not perturbed by this, as the two were close friends, but it used to irritate William. Sonia had the show's only catchphrase — she would always knock on the back door of the Fields' home and then say It's only Sonia! as she walked in. This would sometimes lead to applause of recognition from the studio audience, a phenomenon more regularly seen within American sitcoms. Sonia's husband John (John Arthur) appeared on occasion, as did William's secretary Miss Denham, played by Daphne Oxenford.

In the 27th and final episode of the programme, William accepted a position with a French company. In 1989, the series re-located to France and became French Fields, although only McKenzie and Rodgers, of the main characters, starred regularly in this new series though Philip Bird appeared on several episodes and Ann Beach made an appearance in the final episode. There were three series of 19 episodes made over two years, all written by John T. Chapman and Ian Davidson.

In its heyday, it was a very successful sitcom for ratings, although (or partly because) it was also regarded as very "safe".