Ever Decreasing Circles (Ever Decreasing Circles)

Member Name: polydeuces

Product:	Ever Decreasing Circles
Date:	10/08/08 (7 review reads)
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Ever Decreasing Circles reunited writers John Esmonde and Bob Larbey with Richard Briers who had been largely responsible for anchoring the hugely successful Good Life as Tom Good. Esmonde and Larbey had already been successful not only with The Good Life but also Please Sir! with John Alderton as a school master and Get Some In about a number of recruits doing National Service. Esmonde and Larbeys style was also largely of an inoffensive home spun nature in which the good in the human spirit always prevailed.
Richard Briers role in Ever Decreasing Circles was as an almost cuckholded but assertive husband, Martin Brice whose main wish in life was that every thing could be done properly and everything had to be in its place. His wife Ann was played by the excellent Penelope Wilton who seemed be exasperated by and yet at the same time enjoyed the insufferable Martin.

Their very ordered lives were turned upside down when a new neighbour Paul Ryman played with wonderful understated charm by Peter Egan moved in. Paul Ryman was one to whom everything seemed to come very easy. He was the suave smooth urbane owner of a beauty salon who seemed to be able to make Ann eat out of his hand. He could probably have had her eating out of his navel too but it was always clear that the essential comedy would come not only from Martins eccentric ways but also the unrequited nature of Ann and Pauls relationship. Each episode was wonderfully written and constructed to show that where Martin toiled after a particular task, it was usually achieved without any apparent effort by Paul. Paul would always know the right person, approach it in a less direct way and achieve the desired result after Martin had charged at it like a bull.
There was more comedy with the neighbours Howard and Hilda Hughes played by Stanley Lebor and Geraldine Newman. I am not sure why Esmonde and Larbey chose the name of one the worlds greatest business brains and ultimate recluses but they did. Howard and Hilda dressed in identical pullovers and their passivity was extraordinary. They were wonderful comic creations who would never criticise anyone or anything and Howards greatest rebuff would be Steady On Old Man.

As with The Good Life Esmonde and Larbey created a very tight central core to the programme using just the 5 characters to create the environment. The strength of the writing was such that, although this was essentially comedy built around this very narrow premise, the comedy was often hilarious. In later episodes Martin fully expected Ann to leave him for Paul but she remained loyal and Paul loved her all the more for it. Ever Decreasing Circles remains a comedy gem.

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