Jerry Leadbetter

Jerry Leadbetter lives next door to Tom and Barbara Good in the quiet respectability of Surbiton, a company man climbing the ladder at his design firm while his wife Margo frets over appearances. He's affable, a little put-upon, and quietly bemused by his old friend Tom's sudden plunge into self-sufficiency, watching the chaos next door with amused, tolerant curiosity rather than judgment.

Paul Eddington gives Jerry an easy warmth that keeps the show's class comedy from curdling into snobbery. He's the calm, reasonable center between Margo's status anxiety and Tom's zeal, and Eddington's gift for the raised eyebrow and the diplomatic pause makes Jerry's affection for his eccentric neighbours feel entirely genuine, never condescending.