Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995)

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet") continually looks for opportunities to climb the social ladder, though she's wedged on a rung just below her sister Violet (whose house has a swimming... See full summary »

Stars:

Patricia Routledge, Judy Cornwell, Geoffrey Hughes

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Patricia Routledge	...	Hyacinth Bucket (44 episodes, 1990-1995)
Judy Cornwell	...	Daisy (44 episodes, 1990-1995)
Geoffrey Hughes	...	Onslow (44 episodes, 1990-1995)
Clive Swift	...	Richard Bucket (44 episodes, 1990-1995)
Josephine Tewson	...	Elizabeth Warden (43 episodes, 1990-1995)
Mary Millar	...	Rose (38 episodes, 1991-1995)
David Griffin	...	Emmet Hawksworth (37 episodes, 1991-1995)
Jeremy Gittins	...	Michael the Vicar (19 episodes, 1990-1995)

Storyline

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet") continually looks for opportunities to climb the social ladder, though she's wedged on a rung just below her sister Violet (whose house has a swimming pool, sauna, and room for a pony) and just above her working class sisters Daisy and Rose. Hyacinth's passion for flawless entertaining unnerves her neighbor Elizabeth, who is often invited to the Bucket home for coffee. Elizabeth's divorced brother Emmet, who also lives next door to the Buckets, tries to avoid Hyacinth because she breaks into song in his presence in the hope he'll cast her in one of his "little theater" musical productions.

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | husband wife relationship | family relationships | posh accent | social climber | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Schone schijn

Filming Locations:

3 Michell Close, Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (1 episode) 50 min (1 episode) 30 min (42 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The FH on Onslow's hat stands for Fulton Hogan Ltd., a New Zealand asphalt and road-building company. When Geoffrey Hughes was there promoting a show, he was given that hat by one of the company's lorry drivers.

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Quotes

Hyacinth: Take your shoes off before you enter the house, dear.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, we see a table set for a posh dinner. When all credits have been shown, Hyacinth is shown rearranging a fork and a spoon and then putting a name plate on the table. As the camera zooms in on it, you can see that it reads "Harold Snoad" and the words "Produced & Directed by" appear above it (plus a copyright notice below it).

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Connections

Referenced in Weekend Weekend: Episode #1.9 (2011)

User Reviews

Funnier than America's current sitcoms

My wife and I discovered "Keeping up appearances" several years ago on PBS and we've been hooked ever since. As many times as we watch it, we never tire of Hyacinth's relentless efforts to climb the social latter within the backdrop of her less-than-classy family. KUA is certainly funnier than any sitcom produced in America today. The humor is an excellent mixture of traditional brit, old-fashioned slapstick and numerous sight gags and with facial expressions that are often more telling than dialogue. Patricia Routledge is the greatest comedic actress since Lucille Ball and couldn't possibly be more realistic in this hilarious role. She and her supporting cast lend such an element of realism to the show, one is almost tempted to look outside to see if they may be lurking next door! kudos and cheers to the Brits for this classic.