Richard Briers makes domestic fuss funny through quick, exact speech and an inviting warmth. We rate that comic skill highly, and his Shakespeare work with Kenneth Branagh gives good reason to look beyond the sitcoms.
Fi1m perspective
In Ever Decreasing Circles (1984), Richard Briers makes Martin Bryce's domestic obsessiveness funny through the speed and clarity of his delivery. The words come quickly, but they remain easy to follow. As Tom Good, the suburban self-sufficiency enthusiast in The Good Life (1975), his charm matters as much as his precision. We rate him highly for making these busy comic characters enjoyable company without needing to slow them down.
The move into Shakespeare need not be treated as a correction to any of that. Joining Kenneth Branagh's Renaissance Theatre Company in the late 1980s led to screen collaborations, beginning with Bardolph in Henry V (1989) and later including Polonius in Hamlet (1996). His light-comedy reputation had narrowed perceptions of what he could do. The substantial classical parts gave audiences reason to reconsider, though speed, clarity and comic timing were already good reasons to take him seriously.
Much Ado About Nothing (1993), in which he plays Signor Leonato, is a useful place to make the connection. His casting makes sense in a film built around verbal sparring, where an actor's ease with language matters. We warmed to the romance because Emma Thompson and Branagh make the sparring lovers persuasive. The physical comedy is less reliable, and sometimes needs less encouragement from its director. There is enough pleasure in the exchanges to carry us through the broader jokes, but we would recommend this particular Branagh collaboration with a reservation about how hard it sometimes works to be funny.
His appearance as himself in Brass Eye (1997) belongs to a harsher sort of comedy. Chris Morris's television satire makes nonsense sound official through precise performances, and its jokes earn the discomfort, although the sustained aggression can wear us down. We recommend the programme with that caveat, but an appearance as himself is not where we would send someone to discover Briers's acting. Start with The Good Life, then try Much Ado About Nothing; there is no need to hurry past the sitcoms to get to the respectable work.
Biography
Richard Briers (1934–2013) was an English actor whose career spanned television, stage, film and radio. He first gained prominence playing George Starling in the sitcom Marriage Lines (1961–66).
Briers became a household name as Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life (1975–78). He later starred as Martin Bryce in Ever Decreasing Circles (1984–89) and as Hector MacDonald in Monarch of the Glen (2000–05). He also narrated the animated series Roobarb (1974–76).
From the late 1980s he worked frequently with Kenneth Branagh, appearing in Shakespearean roles including Signor Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and Polonius in Hamlet (1996). His film credits include Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), Spice World (1997), Peter Pan (2003) as Smee, and voice work as Fiver in Watership Down (1978).
