Fresh Fields poster

Fresh Fields (1984)

Comedy

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. A ratings success at the time, the show is well remembered for its opening titles featuring a silhouette of a person in a rocking chair. It stars 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 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 lived. She was divorced from Hester's father Guy although remarried him as the series progressed. The couple had a daughter called Emma who frequently telephoned but never appeared. Her husband Peter 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 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 appeared on occasion, as did William's secretary Miss Denham, played by Daphne Oxenford.

IMDb rating
6.6 (399 votes)
Seasons
4
Language
EN
Type
TV series

Ratings refreshed Jul 3, 2026 · 4 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1984)

7.20 avg 6 episodes 7.2 → 7.4 25 min avg

Ep 1: 7.2 · 38 votesEp 2: 7.6 · 35 votesEp 3: 7.0 · 27 votesEp 4: 6.8 · 27 votesEp 5: 7.2 · 23 votesEp 6: 7.4 · 20 votes
Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Dish of the Day7.238
2Middle-Age Dread7.635
3Hook, Line and Sink Her7.027
4The Naked Truth6.827
5Des. Det. Res.7.223
6Something in the Oven7.420

Season 2 (1984)

7.07 avg 6 episodes 6.8 → 7.0 25 min avg

Ep 1: 6.8 · 24 votesEp 2: 6.7 · 24 votesEp 3: 7.8 · 21 votesEp 4: 7.1 · 23 votesEp 5: 7.0 · 24 votesEp 6: 7.0 · 24 votes
Season 2 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1A Night to Remember6.824
2A Brief Encounter6.724
3Alright on the Night7.821
4In the Spring7.123
5Business Contacts7.024
6Get Me to the Church7.024

Season 3 (1985)

7.44 avg 7 episodes 7.8 → 7.8 26 min avg

Ep 1: 7.8 · 22 votesEp 2: 7.5 · 19 votesEp 3: 7.3 · 17 votesEp 4: 7.0 · 19 votesEp 5: 7.3 · 17 votesEp 6: 7.4 · 19 votesEp 7: 7.8 · 21 votes
Season 3 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1Do It Yourself7.822
2A Waiting Game7.519
3Moveable Feasts7.317
4Tipping the Scales7.019
5Crossed Lines7.317
6Alarums and Excursions7.419
7A Dickens of a Christmas7.821

Season 4 (1986)

6.76 avg 8 episodes 7.2 → 6.4 24 min avg

Ep 1: 7.2 · 17 votesEp 2: 6.6 · 17 votesEp 3: 6.2 · 17 votesEp 4: 6.9 · 17 votesEp 5: 6.9 · 18 votesEp 6: 6.6 · 16 votesEp 7: 7.3 · 16 votesEp 8: 6.4 · 19 votes
Season 4 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1A Nose for Trouble7.217
2The Old Folks at Home6.617
3One Damned Ming After Another6.217
4Life Is Full of Ups and Downs6.917
5Takes Two to Tango6.918
6Caught in the Act6.616
7Brighton or Bust7.316
8Happy Returns6.419