Sam

Sam turns up on the fringes of the Goods' self-sufficient household in Surbiton, a minor presence amid the neighbourly comedy of homemade wine, vegetable patches and suburban propriety. He drifts through scenes with the dry, unbothered manner of someone used to sizing up a situation before wading into it.

Tony Selby brings a seasoned character actor's economy to a small role, landing lines with unhurried timing that lets a single dry remark do more work than a page of dialogue. In a sitcom built on the friction between neighbours, that kind of understated presence gives the ensemble comedy room to breathe.