Keeping Up Appearances - Xmas Specials (DVD)
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What really puzzles me, as an ex-pat Englishman, is how Australian audiences can find serious, real-life drama, such as the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances so damn funny! Don't you know that one has to keep the distinction between the white and blue collar classes, although it has to be admitted that occasional interbreeding, especially at the level of Royalty, does tend to maintain the genetic variation so desirable in today's troublesome times. Anyway, those of you colonials who wish to brush up on their etiquette and social graces could do no better than to carefully study these excellent and informative extracts from the christmas specials of Keeping Up Appearances, filmed in Coventry in the early 90's and I heartily commend these to you.
Correct ways to handle tradesmen and municipal services are beautifully illustrated by the lady of the house, Mrs Hyacinth Bucket (Patricia Routledge) and please note the correct pronunciation is 'booo - kay'. In these days fraught with the perils of SARS and chicken 'flu I can hardly overemphasise the importance of ensuring that one's milk bottles are returned daily and not intermingled with those with less care for hygiene. The correct way of informing services that you will simply not tolerate electricity or water supply coming via other households is also clearly displayed, preferably using one's Slimline White Telecom telecommunications appliance. Of course it is essential to marry well and Richard (Clive Swift) proves capable of acting as suitable consort and driver of a very nice Rover motor car whilst acting as an indispensable part of the Financial and General department of the local council. It's a great shame that we never get to meet their son Sheridan - one of the finest minds of his generation, he's generally far too busy with his needlework major at university or exploring the intimacies of great literature with his room mate Tarquin whilst clad in pure silk pyjamas. Richard, of course, fails to understand that his frequent phone calls are to keep in contact with his dear mummy and that any requests for small financial considerations are entirely coincidental.
Every family has their black sheep and why on earth sister Daisy (Judy Cornwell) chose to marry that uncouth layabout Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes) is beyond imagination. For goodness sake, all he does all day is sit around watching television and consuming large quantities of John Smith beer and potato crisps. At least his ample acreage of bare flesh is mostly covered up by that dreadful canine he keeps on his lap, which spares us the horror of being exposed to the tattoos and beer gut revealed by that tatty, knitted tank-top. You'd think he'd tidy up that dreadful front yard of his council house and fix the front gate, although I have to say that the derelict Morris Marina does provide a cover for that untidy dog which causes poor Hyacinth such consternation.
At least sister Rose (Shirley Stelfox & Mary Millar) dresses well and apparently spends much of her time with her gentleman friends on her knees, which is more than her dress does - can't understand why the dog gets so excited. Sister Violet also married well, to a rich turf accountant, with a Mercedes and a very large house with a pool and room for a pony, although I have to admit that he does suffer from the sad middle-class penchant for cross-dressing and kerb-crawling.
EPISODES
* Christmas Special 1991: Hyacinth manages to get poor Richard into a Father Christmas outfit but then has to confront with a very drunken 'Daddy' who is making passes at the parish ladies in the church rectory. To make matters worse, there is a case of mistaken identity that culminates with her kissing under the mistletoe with a most unexpected partner.
* Christmas Special 1993: Hyacinth buys tickets for a holiday cruise, looking forward to hobnobbing with “the better class of person that one meets in such circumstances”.
* Christmas Special 1994: Hyacinth has been very busy planning a new kitchen (a process which includes asking the Vicar whether a worktop color described as 'Angel Gabriel Blue' is accurate). She becomes busier still when Daisy tells her that someone has been found in 'Daddy's' bed - and it isn't 'Daddy'!
* Christmas Special 1995: Hyacinth is directing the local historical pageant, Our Town In The Civil War. Richard is playing King Charles and she is to appear as his Queen.
Keeping Up Appearances - Xmas Specials (DVD)
SKU: 24621
$9.99
Sale price
$9.99
Regular price
About This Item
🔴 Condition - Very Good 🔴
What really puzzles me, as an ex-pat Englishman, is how Australian audiences can find serious, real-life drama, such as the BBC's Keeping Up Appearances so damn funny! Don't you know that one has to keep the distinction between the white and blue collar classes, although it has to be admitted that occasional interbreeding, especially at the level of Royalty, does tend to maintain the genetic variation so desirable in today's troublesome times. Anyway, those of you colonials who wish to brush up on their etiquette and social graces could do no better than to carefully study these excellent and informative extracts from the christmas specials of Keeping Up Appearances, filmed in Coventry in the early 90's and I heartily commend these to you.
Correct ways to handle tradesmen and municipal services are beautifully illustrated by the lady of the house, Mrs Hyacinth Bucket (Patricia Routledge) and please note the correct pronunciation is 'booo - kay'. In these days fraught with the perils of SARS and chicken 'flu I can hardly overemphasise the importance of ensuring that one's milk bottles are returned daily and not intermingled with those with less care for hygiene. The correct way of informing services that you will simply not tolerate electricity or water supply coming via other households is also clearly displayed, preferably using one's Slimline White Telecom telecommunications appliance. Of course it is essential to marry well and Richard (Clive Swift) proves capable of acting as suitable consort and driver of a very nice Rover motor car whilst acting as an indispensable part of the Financial and General department of the local council. It's a great shame that we never get to meet their son Sheridan - one of the finest minds of his generation, he's generally far too busy with his needlework major at university or exploring the intimacies of great literature with his room mate Tarquin whilst clad in pure silk pyjamas. Richard, of course, fails to understand that his frequent phone calls are to keep in contact with his dear mummy and that any requests for small financial considerations are entirely coincidental.
Every family has their black sheep and why on earth sister Daisy (Judy Cornwell) chose to marry that uncouth layabout Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes) is beyond imagination. For goodness sake, all he does all day is sit around watching television and consuming large quantities of John Smith beer and potato crisps. At least his ample acreage of bare flesh is mostly covered up by that dreadful canine he keeps on his lap, which spares us the horror of being exposed to the tattoos and beer gut revealed by that tatty, knitted tank-top. You'd think he'd tidy up that dreadful front yard of his council house and fix the front gate, although I have to say that the derelict Morris Marina does provide a cover for that untidy dog which causes poor Hyacinth such consternation.
At least sister Rose (Shirley Stelfox & Mary Millar) dresses well and apparently spends much of her time with her gentleman friends on her knees, which is more than her dress does - can't understand why the dog gets so excited. Sister Violet also married well, to a rich turf accountant, with a Mercedes and a very large house with a pool and room for a pony, although I have to admit that he does suffer from the sad middle-class penchant for cross-dressing and kerb-crawling.
EPISODES
* Christmas Special 1991: Hyacinth manages to get poor Richard into a Father Christmas outfit but then has to confront with a very drunken 'Daddy' who is making passes at the parish ladies in the church rectory. To make matters worse, there is a case of mistaken identity that culminates with her kissing under the mistletoe with a most unexpected partner.
* Christmas Special 1993: Hyacinth buys tickets for a holiday cruise, looking forward to hobnobbing with “the better class of person that one meets in such circumstances”.
* Christmas Special 1994: Hyacinth has been very busy planning a new kitchen (a process which includes asking the Vicar whether a worktop color described as 'Angel Gabriel Blue' is accurate). She becomes busier still when Daisy tells her that someone has been found in 'Daddy's' bed - and it isn't 'Daddy'!
* Christmas Special 1995: Hyacinth is directing the local historical pageant, Our Town In The Civil War. Richard is playing King Charles and she is to appear as his Queen.