List of The Green Green Grass characters

This is a list of characters for the British sitcom The Green Green Grass that has aired on BBC One since 9 September 2005.

The Green Green Grass centres on the fictional Boyce family and their employees, who live or work on Winterdown Farm in Shropshire. The household is led by Boycie and Marlene, as played by John Challis and Sue Holderness. They have one child, Tyler, as played by Jack Doolan. They employ four members of staff, Elgin, Bryan, Jed and Imelda Cakeworthy, as played by David Ross, Ivan Kaye, Peter Heppelthwaite and Ella Kenion.

Other regulars in the series include Beth as played by Lisa Diveney, Llewellyn as played by Alan David, Ray as played by Nigel Harrison and Sara as played by Samantha Sunderland. Dora as played by June Whitfield and The Driscoll Brothers as played by Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan have all made three appearances in the The Green Green Grass.

Principal cast durations

Character Series
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4
Boycie John Challis
Marlene Sue Holderness
Tyler Jack Doolan
Elgin David Ross
Bryan Ivan Kaye
Jed Peter Heppelthwaite
Imelda Ella Kenion
Llewellyn Alan David
Beth Lisa Diveney  
Sara   Samantha Sunderland

Winterdown Farm: residents and staff

Boycie

Boycie

Boycie in 2006.
Only Fools and Horses &
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by John Challis
Duration 1981–2003
(Only Fools and Horses)
2005–09
(The Green Green Grass)
First appearance "Go West Yooung Man" (1981)
"Keep On Running" (2005)
Last appearance "Sleepless in Peckham" (2003)
"For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Ray Butt (1981)
Gareth Gwenlan (2005)
Profile
Occupation Businessman, car salesman, farmer
Home Winterdown Farm

Terrence Aubrey Boyce (John Challis) - A shady ex-used car salesman and a frightful snob with a machine gun laugh who likes to think of himself as above everyone else. Boycie made sporadic appearances in Only Fools and Horses before becoming a regular cast member from the fifth series onwards. He remains the same in The Green Green Grass.

For The Green Green Grass, the character of Boycie had to be made more humane. He was also seen in a match of one-upmanship in Only Fools and Horses. This had to be toned down considerably to make the couple more realistic, in the sense that they would row occasionally, but in the end it would be obvious that they had deep feelings for each other. Boycie had a major part in the second episode of the final trilogy of Only Fools and Horses; this allowed the character to expand on screen before taking the lead role in the spin-off series.

Marlene

Marlene
Only Fools and Horses &
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Sue Holderness
Duration 1985–2003
(Only Fools and Horses)
2005–09
(The Green Green Grass)
First appearance "Sleeping Dogs Lie" (1985)
"Keep On Running" (2005)
Last appearance "Sleepless in Peckham" (2003)
"For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Ray Butt (1985)
Gareth Gwenlan (2005)
Profile
Occupation Housewife
Home Winterdown Farm

Marlene (Sue Holderness) – Marlene was initially an unseen character in Only Fools and Horses, occasionally mentioned by her husband Boycie. However, her first appearance saw that she was a cheerful, slightly daft woman whose burning, and seemingly unattainable, desire to have a child provided one of the Only Fools and Horses sub-plots. She later matured and became a frequently seen character, as did Boycie. In total, she appeared in around twenty episodes, slightly fewer than the character of Boycie.

In The Green Green Grass she is exactly the same in all senses. Unlike Boycie, Marlene settles into her new surroundings without a fuss and without changing herself. She also appears to gain more respect for the country as the series progresses. In the series two episode "Mother Earth", Marlene gives away all her clothes, as they were not environmentally friendly. Marlene also has a fear of the Driscoll Brothers, as seen in both "Brothers and Sisters" and "Home Brew".

She has great love of her dog, Earl. Duke has obviously died since his last appearance in Only Fools and Horses; however, this hasn’t been revealed within The Green Green Grass. She is also extremely proud of her son Tyler, even when he does something extremely stupid or inept.

Tyler

Tyler
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Jack Doolan
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "Keep On Running" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Home Winterdown Farm

Tyler (Jack Doolan) – The character of Tyler made several appearances in Only Fools and Horses, although he was portrayed by different actors. His similarity in looks to Del Boy has led to a continuation of a running gag dating back to the late eighties. It has been speculated in both Only Fools and Horses and The Green Green Grass that Tyler might be the outcome of a fling between Marlene and Del.

One of his appearances in Only Fools and Horses was in the episode "The Jolly Boys’ Outing", in which Uncle Albert told him one of his many war stories. Tyler made other appearances in the show but didn’t really feature much until the beginning of The Green Green Grass. His introduction in the spin-off hyped the speculation that Tyler might have been a result of something between Marlene and Del.

Tyler's introduction into Only Fools and Horses was to fuel a joke in which Del doesn’t believe in seances. Boycie had been contacted during the seance and told by his father that he should look after his child. Thinking that it was a sick joke on behalf of his father's joke, he stormed out. Later, Del was contacted via the medium by his mother and told to go and have his pains looked at. After telling Rodney that it is a load of cobblers, he finds out that Marlene is in fact pregnant, but is it with Boycie's child?

Tyler has a girlfriend called Beth from the episode "Pillow Talk" to "The Special Relationship". He has a new girlfriend from the fourth series called Sara. She first appears in the episode "Calendar Boys". Tyler has no on-screen friends in the country. Tyler has appeared in nearly every episode of the series, except "Lust in Translation" and "I Done It My Way".

Elgin Sparrowhawk

Elgin
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by David Ross
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "Keep On Running" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Farm manager

Elgin (David Ross) – Elgin Sparrowhawk is the farm manager of Winterdown Farm. He is a rather strange man, who is often able to ensure that his workload remains light, suggesting he is not quite as thick as he appears. He always carries his briefcase with a string shoulder strap around with him, to help remind people that he is still farm manager, even though it looks empty on occasions.

Elgin is married to his unseen wife, who apparently has a glass eye. He has said on occasions that she doesn’t really like him, and at one point he started to have his mail redirected to Boycie's house just to ensure that she doesn’t find out that he's still living there. He has shown deep affection towards his wife on many occasions, although he obviously fancies Marlene. Whenever she has her back turned, he is copping an eyeful; on one occasion he went as far as to dive across to kitchen floor in an attempt to woo an unsuspecting Marlene.

The character of Elgin has many levels of personality. He has been known to display aspects of comfort, depression, empathy and even love on occasions, although this may sometimes be towards people who don’t love him back. Elgin has a sister who is mentioned only once in the first series. He has sometimes seemed idiotic, in the sense that he is ignorant of many walks of life. Elgin's house has been shown once since the show's debut in 2005; it was shown from the outside in the episode "The Path of True Love".

Bryan

Bryan
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Ivan Kaye
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "A Rocky Start" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Herdsman

Bryan (Ivan Kaye) – Bryan is the farm's herdsman. Bryan can be a little over the top on occasions, especially when thinking about his ex-girlfriend Myrtle. In one particular episode, he states that she chucked him seven times, and every time he found exactly the same wedding ring in a second-hand shop. It is sometimes hard to believe that Bryan's stupidity is a put-up job.

Little else is known about the character besides the fact that he lives alone in a caravan on the edge of Winterdown Farm. In the episode "The Path of True Love", Jed is seen to come over to his caravan in a general fashion showing that this may be a general occurrence. He is shown to have a good working and social relationship with colleagues Elgin, Jed and Imelda however, his relationship with both Boycie and Marlene isn’t quite as cosy. He is often at the end of one of Boycie's jokes.

Bryan has been known to invite people into his caravan in a crisis such as Elgin being thrown out by his wife and Boycie being thrown out by Marlene. However, he has stayed at other people's houses such as when his caravan burns down and he is forced to stay at Boycie's manor house along with Elgin in the episode "But is it Art?"

Bryan's workload has been known to expand from herdsman to such jobs as chauffeur in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" to security guard in "Home Brew". The character of Bryan has settled down massively since the show's debut in 2005. The character of Myrtle, Bryan's ex-girlfriend, is mentioned frequently but is never seen.

Jed

Jed
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Peter Heppelthwaite
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "A Rocky Start" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Ploughman

Jed (Peter Heppelthwaite) – Jed is the farm's ploughman. He is renowned for having a family of five children. He is often the brunt of a joke, whereby he and his wife are ‘too lazy’ to use contraception. In the episode "Here’s to You, Mrs Boyce", Jed's youngest child is seen on the front of a local newspaper.

Jed's workload has also been known to expand from ploughman to various other areas of expertise, such as in the episode "Home Brew" when he gets involved in Ye Potato Cyder business. He is also known for attempting to escape his wife, such as in the episode "The Path of True Love" when he turns up unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, at Bryan's caravan after having a blazing row with his wife. Bryan just accepts this as a usual occurrence and lets him in.

Other than the details already specified, little else is known about Jed other than the fact that he has a wife and many children. He is also renowned for wearing his hat almost all the time. He even turns up at the disco wearing his best suit and his grubby hat in "For Richer For Poorer". Other details include the fact that he is probably the thickest of the farm's staff and the most eccentric of the local people.

He is known for getting himself into several sticky situations such as the mistake regarding ‘letters’ in the episode "Your Cheating Art" whereby Boycie and Marlene ask him and Bryan to talk to Tyler about his ‘Dear John’ letter however they get the wrong end of the stick and end up telling Elgin that Marlene wants him leading to a risky situation for Elgin.

Imelda Cakeworthy

Imelda Cakeworthy
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Ella Kenion
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "A Rocky Start" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Cleaner

Imelda (Ella Kenion) – Mrs Cakeworthy is The Grange's housecleaner. Various jokes have been made to her expense, referring to her non-cleaning and biscuit-eating habits. She has even on occasions been asked to lift her legs whilst Marlene does the hoovering. Boycie sacks her in the episode "Bothered and Bewildered" after he catches her sitting around doing nothing. However, after some strange experiences he re-hires her - bizarrely, these experiences were set up by Marlene herself, possibly because she enjoys having something to do during the day, and someone to talk to while doing it.

Mrs Cakeworthy has a husband who has been seen on occasions, most notably in the 2006 Christmas special "From Here to Paternity". She has also been seen to hold seances within The Grange since "More Questions Than Answers". Mrs Cakeworthy is also said to have a dust intolerance.

Although she appears to have numerous eccentricities, namely her claim to possess paranormal qualities - such as being able to talk to the dead - and her preference of using old local language in daily conversation, she is actually one of the most normal characters amongst the local population.

Her husband, Colin, is in and out of hospital almost every series and thus she appears to be under pressure on occasions however, her responsibilities are sometimes thrown to one side much to other peoples’ disgust. She is sometimes self-centred and oblivious to other peoples actions.

Regulars

Llewellyn

Llewellyn
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Alan David
Duration 2005–09
First appearance "The Country Wife" (2005)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Farmer/Special constable

Llewellyn (Alan David) – Llewellyn is Boycie's Welsh next-door neighbour. Boycie continually refers to him as a mad Welshman, in reference to his eccentric behaviour and Welsh nationalist leanings. He has been known to look after himself and puts his thoughts before others. In the episode "Testing Times", he grassed Boycie up for using Artificial Fertiliser on his Organic Farm. This could have put Boycie in prison for up to five years. Llewellyn has a daughter called Rhian, who is Tyler's English teacher. Rhian has appeared in two episodes.

Llewellyn has been known to get a little out of his own depth, such as when he challenged Boycie to a pub quiz in More Questions Than Answers and lost ten thousand pounds that he didn’t have in the first place. He has also accused Boycie of things that he hasn’t done, such as in From Here To Paternity when Boycie's dog, Earl, supposedly made Llewellyn's ‘slapper of a dog’ pregnant, which Earl didn’t. Llewellyn tends to speak first, think later, and generally lands himself in a lot of trouble. In the episode "The Departed", Llewellyn is a special constable.

Beth

Bethany
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Lisa Diveney
Duration 2005–07
First appearance "Pillow Talk" (2005)
Last appearance "The Special Relationship" (2007)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Student

Bethany (Lisa Diveney) – Beth is Tyler's Welsh girlfriend until the end of the third series. She is clever, attractive and a practicing vegetarian, but also intolerant of people who don't share her views. In the episode "Mother Earth," Beth's patience with Tyler and the family was put to its ultimate test. Among other things, she got upset with Tyler's lack of interest in her horse-racing protests and his decision to choose eating meat over a relationship with her, and is later traumatised when she peers through the window of their home to see Boycie completely naked, thanks to Earl.

Beth made her last appearance in the 2007 Christmas special, "The Special Relationship". It later turns out that Tyler had dumped her. The role of Tyler's girlfriend passed on to Sara from the fourth series. Beth was written out of the series, but is still mentioned frequently. She is said to have gone to Cambridge to further her education. This annoys Tyler, as he is slightly jealous of her achievements. However, Beth's dad Ray enjoys boasting about his daughter's achievements to him.

Sara

Sara
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Samantha Sunderland
Duration 2009
First appearance "Calendar Boys" (2009)
Last appearance "Your Cheating Art" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan
Profile
Occupation Student

Sara (Samantha Sunderland) – Sara is Tyler's latest girlfriend. She is quite dreamy and ditzy, and one of the only fans of Tyler's band, Puddle of Agony. Tyler eventually asked her out in the episode "Your Cheating Art", after some help from his mum and Dora. Tyler even managed to get her to strip naked for a piece of artwork. Sara has made two appearances in the series so far.

Ray

Ray
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Nigel Harrison
Duration 2006–09
First appearance "Testing Times" (2006)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan

Ray (Nigel Harrison) – Ray is Beth's father and landlord of the local pub. Ray doesn’t particularly like Tyler, as he believes that his daughter could have done better. He first appeared in the episode "Testing Times" and appeared in another ten episodes since. He is known to lash out in extreme circumstances, such as the misunderstanding in From Here to Paternity, when he thinks that Boycie is calling his daughter ‘a bitch’ and when he says ‘take a close look – it's a dog’. He is good friends with Llewellyn, as the two share a Welsh heritage and nationalist views.

The Driscoll Brothers

The Driscoll Brothers
Only Fools and Horses &
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan
Duration 1989, 2005–09
First appearance "Little Problems" (1989)
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" (2005)
Last appearance "Little Problems" (1989)
"Home Brew" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan (1989, 2005)
Profile
Occupation Gangsters
Home London

Danny and Tony (Roy Marsden and Christopher Ryan) – First seen in "Little Problems" in Only Fools and Horses, the brothers cause Boycie to make a rushed dash to the countryside in an attempt to escape from them. They appeared in the 2005 Christmas Special, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock" but they did not manage to catch him. They made their third ever appearance in "Brothers and Sisters" when they finally caught up with Boycie and made him a deal. They made their latest appearance in the series four episode, "Home Brew" which aired on 15 January 2009.[1]

Dora Lane

Dora
The Green Green Grass character
Portrayed by Joan Geary
June Whitfield
Duration 2007–09
First appearance "The Lonely Herdsman" (2007)
Last appearance "For Richer For Poorer" (2009)
Created by John Sullivan
Introduced by Gareth Gwenlan

Dora Lane (June Whitfield) – Dora first appeared in The Lonely Herdsman. Dora is Marlene's mother. She was first seen in "He Ain't Heavy He's my Uncle" an episode fromOnly Fools and Horses seventh series where she originally was played by Joan Geary. Dora appeared in an episode of the 2009 series.

Guest appearances

Pertunia Lane

Pertunia Lane (Paula Wilcox) – Marlene's sister. The Driscoll Brothers followed Pertunia to Winterdown Farm when she came to visit in "Brothers and Sisters".

Colin Cakeworthy

Colin (Paul Bown) – Appeared in "From Here to Paternity" in 2006. He is the husband of Imelda Cakeworthy. He is a hypochondriac, yet a reference made in "The Path of True Love" states that he has just had another operation, which contradicts the former statement.

Denzil

Denzil (Paul Barber) – Originally appearing as a regular in Only Fools and Horses, Denzil made a one-off appearance in "Keep On Running" – the first episode of The Green Green Grass. He brought warning of the Driscoll Brothers' release, causing Boycie to sell his house and the Showroom so he could escape quietly to the countryside.

Sid

Sid (Roy Heather) – Originally appearing as a regular in Only Fools and Horses, Sid appears in a cameo in the The Green Green Grass. When Boycie rings up The Nag's Head to offer Rocky the ‘Gay’ Bull to Trigger as a joke, Sid answers the phone on the Nag's Head set.

Cliff Cooper

Cliff (George Wendt) – Appeared in Season 2's The Special Relationship". Cliff Cooper is an American who was stationed at Winterdown Farm during the 1970s when it was used as accommodation for a US Army base.

Fiona Bruce

Fiona Bruce appeared as herself in the episode "One Man's Junk".

See also

References

  1. ↑ Radio Times (10–16 January 2009)

External links