"Bouquet Residence, The Lady Of The House Speaking!" (Keeping Up Appearances)

Member Name: MattRoberts

Product:	Keeping Up Appearances
Date:	31/07/03 (2211 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting , hilariously funny

Disadvantages: later episodes not as good

Looking back at Keeping Up Appearances these days, I'm surprised to see how many double meanings and talk about sex there is in the programme. To think it aired in the early nineties, and most of the time before the watershed, I'm surprised to hear some of the things they say!

OK, it's not verging on Sex and the City, but there are a few things I thought would have been thought of as inappropriate that hour! But, it ran for a good bit, so everyone must have just laughed it off like me!

Unlike many other comedies, Keeping Up Appearances doesn't have a plot, really. Fawlty Towers is a couple running a hotel. Only Fools and Horses are brothers doing dodgy dealings. But, Keeping Up Appearances is just a posh woman living daily life!

Keeping Up Appearances is a comedy I totally adore. It's one of those comedies, like Only Fools and Horses, and Fawlty Towers that the same episode can be watched over and over again, and still be enjoyed over and over again.


**Cast**

Patricia Routledge - Hyacinth Bucket

Judy Cornwell - Daisy

Josephine Tewson - Elizabeth

Geoffrey Hughes - Onslow

Mary Miller - Rose

David Griffin - Emmet

Clive Swift - Richard


All episodes written by Roy Clarke.



**What Is Keeping Up Appearances**

Keeping Up Appearances is a hilarious comedy set around the life of Hyacinth Bucket, her next-door neighbours, her sisters and one of their husbands and also her poor husband!

She's a snob that everyone dislikes, and everyone tries to avoid. Of course she's oblivious to this! She's such a snob there needs to be a new word for snob!

**The Characters**



Hyacinth Bucket

Hyacinth is an absolute legend! Her character is unlike any other on television, and she's such a snob, you just love to watch her. She has so many sayings that are related to her, t
hat we all know them!

Hyacinth Bucket's name is Hyacinth Bucket, of course! But, in actual fact, she believes that Bucket is not pronounced Bucket, as in a bucket of water, but it's pronounced as Bouquet, as a bouquet of flowers!

That's just a little taster of what Hyacinth is actually like. She will probably be the snobbish, most annoying, stupidest people you'll ever meet. But all these things make her brilliant. And the programme without Hyacinth wouldn't be a programme.

What's so funny about Hyacinth's character is her love for her son Sheridan. I suppose, that to you, that doesn't sound odd. A mother loves her son, that's not odd, you probably think. Well you don't know Sheridan.

Like Karen's husband in Will ' Grace, we never get to meet Sheridan. But, Hyacinth is desperate for her son to get married. What is made extremely obvious throughout the programme is that Sheridan is gay!

Many times throughout the programme she comments about her son, and the comments are pure classic. For instance, once she was wearing lipstick, and Rose, her sister, mentioned it was nice.
"Oh thank you Rose. Sheridan loved this on me." Hyacinth tells her.
"And on himself!" Richard adds.

What is so funny is the fact that it's purely obvious if you meet the chap, even though we've never met him, but Hyacinth is still oblivious to the whole thing!

Another thing so entertaining about her, is the way she thinks everyone is so fond of her, and the way she always wants to look the best in front of everyone. She tirelessly has an act on; to make out she's the best in the neighbourhood.

She's forever looking down her house to people, and it's extremely funny to watch. Even when people say "It's the bucket (pronounces incorrectly in Hyacinth's book!) Woman!" and try to escape her, she hunts them down, and corne
rs them.

Hyacinth is oblivious to a lot of things happening around her. She might be the happiest person on television, because she has nothing to be upset about, because she never knows what goes on around her!

Hyacinths best moment, in my opinion, in the whole programme, in my opinion is when she wants to buy a new worktop for her kitchen. She picks the one she wants in the shop, and leaves!

A few minutes later she returns with ketchup, cake mixture, dough and other cooking things, and puts them on the worktop. When asked what she's doing, she replies.
"Well, I have to test it's alright before I buy it!"

She's forever planning her Candlelight Suppers, but we never get to see them. It's funny, because I'd love nothing more than to see them, and to see how she reacts if something goes wrong!

Because she's such a snob, she acts so differently around different sort of classes! It would be so entertaining to see Onslow and Daisy turn up to one of them. She'd be highly amusing trying to get rid of them!

Along with Del Boy and Basil Fawlty, Hyacinth is the best comedy character in Britain! She forever entertains in the funniest of ways, but annoys you at the same time. A fantastic character that you love to get annoyed by!


Richard Bucket

"Poor Richard!" if you've ever seen the programme I think you'll notice this is used an awful lot! Because it is a pity on him. Over 40 years of marriage to a moaning old bat, and he's still with her. Why? Well, I think he loves her!

Richard is such a nice bloke and you wonder why he married her. Well, I presume that Hyacinth can be a loving person at times, and I think Richard really loves his annoying wife!

He is a bit like a slave for her. Wherever she is, he'll be there being a slave somehow or other! If they're in the car, she's the chauffer. If they're at hom
e, he's the butler! Anywhere they are, she's treated like a Queen, and I find it quite sweet.

I think it's really sweet that he loves her so much that he still does stuff like that. That he's forever helping her! Or slaving for her!

Richard is always complaining about Hyacinth to other people, and making put that he'd love to leave her, but I think deep down he wouldn't be able to leave without her. And I think that it's the same for her too.

Richard is a funny character, but out of all of them, he's probably the least funny. He's still highly enjoyable to watch.



Onslow and Daisy

Onslow is married to Daisy, Hyacinth's sister. Onslow's probably the biggest slob you'll ever come across, and his constant use of "nice" irritating, but he's absolutely brilliant to watch.

Daisy, is a sex-mad wife, and also brilliant to watch. The only reason she's sex-made is because her hubbie won't do it with her, and her constant efforts to try and make him frisky is brilliant TV!

Onslow is always sitting watching the racing, and having a beer. Daisy is also forever having a beer, and trying to seduce her hubbie!

They are such a funny couple, and what's interesting, is if you compare them to Hyacinth and Richard, they really aren't that much different. OK, Hyacinth never begs for sex, and Richard isn't a slob, but in other ways their type of relationship is alike!

You never don't laugh at these two, and having them in it, is at times like watching a completely different programme! The programme wouldn't be the same without them!


Rose

Rose is Hyacinth's other sister, and she's the tartiest person I've ever seen! Her mini skirts are so small, thy reach her shoulders! Her stilettos, so high, her ankles meeting them, and her make-up is so full on she looks like Jordan coming o
ut of a paint balling match (having lost!)!

Rose is forever lusting after another man each episode! Her " I've met another man!" in every episode is pure entertainment, and I love nothing more to what her problem with 'this' one is!

Rose is totally unlike her two other sisters. When you think about, all of them lead different lives. It's hard to imagine them as kids eating at the table together. It's hard to imagine what sort of life they led as well. Were they rich or poor?

Rose, after Hyacinth, is my favourite character, and I think she'll also be remembered! She's not only funny, but also entertaining whilst being funny, and not a lot of people can achieve that.


Elizabeth

Elizabeth lives next door to Hyacinth. She comes round for coffee everyday. But, she never actually gets to drink her coffee! In every single episode, she's given coffee, tries her best not to spill it, but always does.

Elizabeth is certainly Hyacinth's best friend. I don't think Hyacinth would never admit this, but actually, I think, if Hyacinth had a serious problem and something was seriously bothering her, she could talk to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth is only in the programme for a short while each episode. She's always in it to drop the coffee, which is always highly amusing, but she rarely eve gives us anything to laugh at.

Unlike all the other characters, she rarely has any one-liners to amuse us with, or anything much else, actually! But, I still love to see her with her coffee, so I'm glad she's in it, for that alone!


Emmet

Elizabeth has a brother whom she lives with. He's recently divorced, and you'd think a recently divorced man would want to get out of the house, and meet new people, right? Wrong. Do you know why? Because he's too scared that if he steps out of the house "she" will see him.

"She&
quot; was being Hyacinth! To Emmet, Hyacinth is Satan! She forever sings to him, merely because he has a piano! She always makes him jump, just because he's scared around her. He is literally petrified to see her.

Well, you'd think a normal person would catch onto this, wouldn't you? Well, Hyacinth certainly isn't normal, and as I said earlier, she's oblivious to so much! She thinks Emmet has " a little crush on" her!

How wrong could she be? But, Hyacinth is forever telling people how fond Emmet actually is of her!

Emmet is an extremely funny character and he's forever making funny comments about old Hyacinth. He's highly amusing each second he's on screen, and though bit annoying still good to watch!



**My Opinion**

Nearer the end of the series, Keeping Up Appearances, like many British comedies, went weaker as it went on. There were still many laughs to be had in the show, but it wasn't as enjoyable as the earlier days.

I think Keeping Up Appearances was a very nineties programme. A very nineties comedy. I don't think, if it had come out now, it would work. Maybe if it returned now it would, but if the series had never been shown before, it would have been thought of as silly and not funny.

I love comedy like Keeping Up Appearances, and I'm always ready to watch an episode of it, even if I've seen it loads of times before. You can't say that about many comedies.

What also makes Keeping Up Appearances a hit is Patricia Routledge. I really don't think it would've worked without her, because I think she really understood Hyacinth's character.

She understood why she acted how she did, and exactly how she acted. Also, the other actors are brilliant for their part, especially Onslow and Daisy, who I think are not only great actors, but great in their part, perfect!

The only disadvantage of this prog
ramme, which I've already pointed out, is the fact the later episodes weren't as good as the earlier ones. Still enjoyable, but not as entertaining.


**Final Thoughts**

I recommend this programme to anyone who likes British humour/comedies. Not only is it typically British, but all the actors are well known in Britain for other pieces of their work. An enjoyable and hilarious comedy. Watch it!


**Keeping Up Appearances on TV**

Keeping Up Appearances can be seen on UK Gold most nights, and on BBC1 on Sunday afternoons between 12pm and 2pm.


**Keeping Up Appearances on VHS and DVD**

In Amazon, Keeping Up Appearances cannot be bought on DVD. But, in Woolworths, you can buy Series 1 and 2 for £18,99. On VHS from Amazon Series 1 and 2 can be bought for a mere £17,59! Certainly a bargain, and totally worth every penny!

Written By: Matt Roberts.

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