WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.639 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take a stack 00:00:01.639 --> 00:00:03.299 of source material on a subject you think you 00:00:03.299 --> 00:00:05.540 know and, well, pull out the surprising insights. 00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:08.759 Today, we are putting on our absolute best clothes, 00:00:08.939 --> 00:00:11.740 checking the Royal Dalton with the hand -painted 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:13.820 periwinkles, definitely checking those, and making 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:16.199 sure the car is perfectly clean because we are 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:18.859 diving deep into the phenomenon that is keeping 00:00:18.859 --> 00:00:21.359 up appearances. And we are going well beyond 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:24.579 just Hyacinth's executive -style candlelight 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:27.609 suppers. The sources we've looked at, they reveal 00:00:27.609 --> 00:00:29.789 something pretty astonishing about this, you 00:00:29.789 --> 00:00:33.329 know, beloved BBC sitcom. It was, get this, by 00:00:33.329 --> 00:00:37.409 2016, BBC worldwide's most exported television 00:00:37.409 --> 00:00:40.770 program ever, selling nearly a thousand times 00:00:40.770 --> 00:00:43.350 to overseas broadcasters. Think about that. Wow. 00:00:43.469 --> 00:00:45.710 That kind of global reach for a show that feels 00:00:45.710 --> 00:00:48.570 so very British. Well, it says a lot about how 00:00:48.570 --> 00:00:50.789 universal social anxiety really is, doesn't it? 00:00:50.829 --> 00:00:53.170 It's incredible, truly. That export success just 00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:55.369 proves the whole premise works everywhere. You 00:00:55.369 --> 00:00:57.429 know, the story of the eccentric, snobbish, middle 00:00:57.429 --> 00:01:00.229 -class social climber, Hyacinth Bucket, who, 00:01:00.429 --> 00:01:02.469 and we always have to remember this, insists 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:05.310 her name is pronounced Bouquet. Exactly. And 00:01:05.310 --> 00:01:08.569 our mission today really is to unpack the paradox 00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:11.310 right at the heart of the show. We've synthesized 00:01:11.310 --> 00:01:14.170 loads of details on the careers, the surprises, 00:01:14.349 --> 00:01:17.109 the often quite high drama backgrounds at the 00:01:17.109 --> 00:01:18.689 core cast. We're finding Patricia Routledge, 00:01:18.870 --> 00:01:20.890 Clive Swift, Josephine Toussaint, Jeffrey Hughes, 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:23.250 Judy Cornwell, and yeah, both actresses who played 00:01:23.250 --> 00:01:27.090 Rose. So we're asking how much truly extraordinary, 00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:29.750 like classical theatrical pedigree was crammed 00:01:29.750 --> 00:01:32.489 inside that beat up old Ford Cortina or, you 00:01:32.489 --> 00:01:34.659 know, waiting nervously. by the white slimline 00:01:34.659 --> 00:01:38.459 telephone. So for you, our listener, this deep 00:01:38.459 --> 00:01:40.040 dive is going to show you that the performers 00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:44.299 we maybe associate with, working class scruckiness 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:47.900 or those trembling suburban nerves, they were 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.260 actually, in many cases, titans of the stage. 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:53.359 Real high drama actors. Let's start right at 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.120 the epicenter of all that aspiration. The lady 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.340 of the house herself. When you picture Hyacinth, 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:00.700 you immediately see that perfectly coiffed hair, 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.939 don't you? And clothes. Always driving for that 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:06.560 sort of smart casual at a minor royal garden 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.939 party's vibe. And of course that very strained 00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:13.060 RP accent, which famously cracks into this harsh 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:15.020 northern sound when she's properly flustered 00:02:15.020 --> 00:02:17.439 or maybe shouting at Richard. Oh, that crack 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:19.860 in the accent, it's pure gold. It's the key to 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:21.840 the comedy, really. It's all about the constant 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.159 performance of superiority that Hyacinth maintains. 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:26.520 She tries so desperately hard to project it onto 00:02:26.520 --> 00:02:28.099 everything she owns, everything she touches. 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:30.080 Think about her obsession with her dinnerware. 00:02:30.280 --> 00:02:32.900 She's completely fixated on her royal Dalton 00:02:32.900 --> 00:02:35.740 china with the hand -painted periwinkles. And 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:37.879 then there's the royal Worcester double -glazed 00:02:37.879 --> 00:02:40.620 Avignon china. And that signature telephone greeting, 00:02:40.740 --> 00:02:43.000 the bouquet residence, the lady of the house 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.180 speaking. It's like she's trying to solidify 00:02:45.180 --> 00:02:47.650 her status. just by repeating it. The whole character 00:02:47.650 --> 00:02:50.250 is just a masterclass in social insecurity, but, 00:02:50.289 --> 00:02:52.789 you know, dressed up as snobbery. And what makes 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:56.409 Patricia Routledge's performance just so, so 00:02:56.409 --> 00:02:59.330 brilliant is that she managed to keep up that 00:02:59.330 --> 00:03:02.550 strenuous kind of brittle delusion for five whole 00:03:02.550 --> 00:03:05.389 seasons. But what's really astonishing, especially 00:03:05.389 --> 00:03:07.669 given how much we only think of her as Mrs. Bucket 00:03:07.669 --> 00:03:10.789 now, is the sheer depth of her actual artistic 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:14.169 background, her pedigree. This existed long before 00:03:14.169 --> 00:03:16.689 she ever poured tea at an executive -style candlelight 00:03:16.689 --> 00:03:19.349 supper. It really speaks volumes about the caliber 00:03:19.349 --> 00:03:21.449 of acting talent they had on that show. Routledge 00:03:21.449 --> 00:03:23.610 wasn't, you know, just some sitcom actress. She 00:03:23.610 --> 00:03:25.449 was an actress with a really serious foundation 00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:27.669 in classical theater and musical performance, 00:03:27.810 --> 00:03:30.509 too. Her professional stage debut way back in 00:03:30.509 --> 00:03:34.310 1952, Liverpool Playhouse. She was trained, properly 00:03:34.310 --> 00:03:36.650 trained, across the whole spectrum of dramatic 00:03:36.650 --> 00:03:39.090 art. And she had an amazing voice, didn't she? 00:03:39.129 --> 00:03:41.009 It wasn't just the acting job. She was a genuine 00:03:41.009 --> 00:03:43.900 musical talent. Absolutely. A formidable mezzo 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:46.259 -soprano contralto range. And she used it a lot, 00:03:46.340 --> 00:03:48.979 both in the West End and significantly on Broadway. 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:51.960 When she decided to move from straight acting 00:03:51.960 --> 00:03:54.319 into musical theater, apparently she became this 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.139 immediate success overseas. You mentioned Broadway, 00:03:57.319 --> 00:03:59.340 and we're not just talking a small part here, 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:02.759 are we? This was, like, major recognition, top 00:04:02.759 --> 00:04:05.280 tier. Oh, we are talking about winning a Tony 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:08.080 Award. Yes, Routledge made her Broadway debut 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:12.139 in 66, just two years later, boom. 1968 Tony 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:14.840 Award for Best Actress in a Musical. That was 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:16.939 for playing Alice Chalice in Darling of the Day. 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:19.560 Now, the show itself. It was a bit troubled. 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:22.259 Closed really quickly. But Ratledge's performance, 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:24.740 everyone agreed it was undeniable. She actually 00:04:24.740 --> 00:04:26.660 shared the award with Leslie Uggams that year. 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:29.740 The contrast is just wonderful, isn't it? The 00:04:29.740 --> 00:04:32.019 woman terrified of dropping a biscuit was a validated 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:35.100 Broadway star. So the Tony wasn't enough. What 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:37.980 about back in the UK? Any other big awards for 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:40.399 her stage work? Oh, yes. Just as decorated back 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:43.920 home. Across the pond, she got the 1988 Olivier 00:04:43.920 --> 00:04:47.649 Award for Best Actress in a Musical. That was 00:04:47.649 --> 00:04:49.990 for playing the old lady in Leonard Bernstein's 00:04:49.990 --> 00:04:53.189 Candide. Now that role, the old lady, it demands 00:04:53.189 --> 00:04:56.490 enormous dramatic range, serious technical control. 00:04:57.290 --> 00:04:59.649 Critics at the time, they were just raving. One 00:04:59.649 --> 00:05:01.389 said she brought the house down singing I Am 00:05:01.389 --> 00:05:04.149 So Easily Assimilated. So you've got decades 00:05:04.149 --> 00:05:07.129 of really high -level musical theater work way 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:09.329 before Hyacinth even existed. And she also did 00:05:09.329 --> 00:05:11.870 time with the Royal Shakespeare Company and found 00:05:11.870 --> 00:05:14.290 success away from just comedy and musicals, that 00:05:14.290 --> 00:05:16.350 versatility. The sitcom doesn't always show that. 00:05:16.329 --> 00:05:18.689 that side no it doesn't but her ability to just 00:05:18.689 --> 00:05:21.370 pivot between high comedy serious musical theater 00:05:21.370 --> 00:05:24.589 straight drama it's extraordinary take alan bennett's 00:05:24.589 --> 00:05:26.769 talking heads monologues she was nominated for 00:05:26.769 --> 00:05:29.470 a basta tv award for best actress for a lady 00:05:29.470 --> 00:05:31.790 of letters back in 1988 now that's a role needing 00:05:31.790 --> 00:05:34.170 deep psychological work not just you know funny 00:05:34.170 --> 00:05:36.569 walks and crucially i think for a lot of uk viewers 00:05:36.569 --> 00:05:39.529 the work she did immediately after kua defined 00:05:39.529 --> 00:05:42.060 her just as much Definitely. She transitioned 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:44.480 straight into the lead role in the detective 00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:47.680 series Hedy Weythrup Investigates. That ran from 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:51.860 96 to 98. The character Hedy, sort of ordinary 00:05:51.860 --> 00:05:54.519 seeming on the surface, but actually really sharp 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:57.680 solving local crimes. It was another hugely successful 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:00.300 role for her. And it let Routledge show her range 00:06:00.300 --> 00:06:03.819 again, moving from the big, broad farce of Hyacinth 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:08.170 to something much more... restrained, character 00:06:08.170 --> 00:06:10.449 -driven mystery. So it's amazing then, isn't 00:06:10.449 --> 00:06:12.750 it, that a show with that kind of global momentum, 00:06:12.930 --> 00:06:15.810 keeping up appearances, only ran for five series, 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:18.610 44 episodes, finished in 1995. You'd think that 00:06:18.610 --> 00:06:20.649 it kept that cash cow going for years and years. 00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:22.569 Well, the ending was totally down to Routledge 00:06:22.569 --> 00:06:24.649 herself. And this really speaks to her, I think, 00:06:24.649 --> 00:06:27.129 profound understanding of legacy, career control. 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:29.449 She made it absolutely clear she didn't want, 00:06:29.490 --> 00:06:31.949 you know, the Tony and Olivier winner to be... 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:33.819 permanently boiled down to just being remembered 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:36.279 as Mrs. Bucket. That sounds almost like a philosophical 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:40.040 stance. Art versus fame. It really was. She specifically 00:06:40.040 --> 00:06:43.579 said she wanted to leave on a high. She consciously 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:46.139 followed the example of Ronnie Barker, the comedy 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:48.879 legend, who retired when his shows were still 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:52.079 massively popular. Her feeling was, basically, 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:54.420 it's much better for people to ask, why did you 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:56.620 stop? Rather than, oh, is that still running? 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.709 Yeah. And interestingly, she also offered a bit 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:01.750 of a professional critique of the writing itself. 00:07:02.110 --> 00:07:04.750 She hinted she felt the writer, Roy Clark, was 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:08.470 maybe starting to recycle some old ideas near 00:07:08.470 --> 00:07:10.949 the end. She thought the quality might be about 00:07:10.949 --> 00:07:13.509 to dip. So that decision really born out of artistic 00:07:13.509 --> 00:07:16.209 integrity is probably why the show has kept such 00:07:16.209 --> 00:07:18.850 a tight, high quality reputation. And even though 00:07:18.850 --> 00:07:21.050 the show finished nearly 30 years ago now, she 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:23.089 still talks about it, doesn't she? Sort of cementing 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:25.189 the association, but also reminding everyone 00:07:25.189 --> 00:07:28.680 of her longevity. Exactly. In 2023, she took 00:07:28.680 --> 00:07:30.819 part in that Channel 5 retrospective, 30 Years 00:07:30.819 --> 00:07:34.240 of Laughs. And then just this year, 2024, the 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:37.819 BBC did a special. Dame Patricia Routledge remembers 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:41.120 keeping up appearances, she's 97 now, still managing 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:43.220 that narrative, acknowledging the role that made 00:07:43.220 --> 00:07:46.360 her globally famous, but making sure we all understand 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:49.120 the serious artistic depth behind it all. Okay, 00:07:49.160 --> 00:07:52.829 so if Hyacinth is the... The overbearing heart 00:07:52.829 --> 00:07:55.310 of the show, her husband Richard, played by Clive 00:07:55.310 --> 00:07:57.649 Swift, he's got to be the long -suffering backbone, 00:07:57.930 --> 00:08:00.269 hasn't he? He's that reluctant passenger, always 00:08:00.269 --> 00:08:03.089 being dragged off to stately homes, just desperately 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:05.269 hoping to avoid any kind of social interaction. 00:08:05.569 --> 00:08:08.180 Yeah. He's a wonderful study in just... Quiet 00:08:08.180 --> 00:08:10.240 resignation. Richard's whole life is basically 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:12.620 defined by trying to keep Hyacinth happy while, 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:14.980 you know, subtly undermining her through sheer 00:08:14.980 --> 00:08:17.040 exhausted compliance. He worked in finance and 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:19.620 general purposes for the council, which Hyacinth 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:22.100 hilariously frames as him being a power and local 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:25.680 authority. When in reality, he's just this overworked 00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:27.800 local government guy counting down the minutes 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:31.060 to his mandatory early retirement. And he's the 00:08:31.060 --> 00:08:32.779 one who keeps slipping up, isn't he? Calling 00:08:32.779 --> 00:08:35.279 the family bucket until Hyacinth gives him that 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:39.259 look. Yes. And just like Patricia Rutledge, Clive 00:08:39.259 --> 00:08:41.779 Swift's comedy persona, that sort of worn -down 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:44.299 weariness, it was built on an incredibly serious 00:08:44.299 --> 00:08:47.460 foundation in high drama. The sources show he 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:49.399 shared that same deep theatrical background. 00:08:49.799 --> 00:08:52.039 Absolutely. Swift was another one with serious 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:53.940 classical training. He performed extensively 00:08:53.940 --> 00:08:55.960 with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the RSC. 00:08:56.220 --> 00:08:58.740 Very prestigious. He was steeped in Shakespeare, 00:08:58.899 --> 00:09:01.019 did countless stage productions long before KUA 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:03.100 ever came along. His film list is quite something, 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.200 too. It's a real mix. Goes from Shakespeare right 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.259 through to, like, horror. It's a remarkable range. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:11.000 Yeah. On the classical side, you've got him playing 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:14.980 Snug in Peter Hall's 1968 film of the RSC's A 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.559 Midsummer Night's Dream. He was alongside huge 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:21.340 names like Helen Mirren, Diana Rigg. Then later 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:23.840 he took on that big mythological role, Sir Ector 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.460 King Arthur's adoptive dad in John Borman's epic 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:30.340 1981 film Excalibur. That tells you something 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:32.440 about the kind of serious weight he carried as 00:09:32.440 --> 00:09:34.220 an actor. And then there's his work in classic 00:09:34.220 --> 00:09:36.320 horror, which is maybe the most surprising link 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:38.539 to Richard Bucket. Yeah. For fans of classic 00:09:38.539 --> 00:09:41.120 British TV, Swift is also kind of a key figure 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:43.580 in those brilliant BBC ghost stories for Christmas. 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:46.879 Based on M .R. James's creepy tales, he played 00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:49.139 Dr. Black in the stalls of Barchester and also 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:51.620 a warning to the curious to go from delivering 00:09:51.620 --> 00:09:53.799 that kind of subtle chills in those really atmospheric 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:56.759 dramas to playing a man terrified his wife might 00:09:56.759 --> 00:09:59.190 sing at the vicar. That's range. He also popped 00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:01.909 up in Doctor Who later on, and there's that fantastic, 00:10:02.169 --> 00:10:04.049 slightly grumpy story about his second appearance 00:10:04.049 --> 00:10:06.970 in 2007, isn't there? This anecdote is just peak 00:10:06.970 --> 00:10:09.889 Richard Bucket. Swift was in the 2007 Christmas 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:12.950 special, Voyage of the Damned. Around the time 00:10:12.950 --> 00:10:15.029 it aired, he gave an interview to, I think it 00:10:15.029 --> 00:10:17.090 was Doctor Who magazine. But instead of being 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:19.570 all enthusiastic, you know, promoting it, he 00:10:19.570 --> 00:10:22.210 gave this famously grumpy interview, complained 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:24.950 about not getting paid extra his words, not getting 00:10:24.950 --> 00:10:27.269 paid to promote the episode. He even sort of 00:10:27.269 --> 00:10:29.250 lightly belittled the show, suggesting it was 00:10:29.250 --> 00:10:31.610 a bit beneath him, just displaying that classic, 00:10:31.649 --> 00:10:34.350 weary, almost resigned irritation that was Richard. 00:10:34.669 --> 00:10:36.710 He retired from acting about 10 years later, 00:10:36.830 --> 00:10:39.730 2017, after doing an episode of Midsomer Murders. 00:10:40.029 --> 00:10:42.629 Stayed true to that slightly cantankerous, brilliant 00:10:42.629 --> 00:10:45.090 persona right to the end. Okay, so from the long 00:10:45.090 --> 00:10:47.529 -suffering husband, let's pivot to the equally 00:10:47.529 --> 00:10:50.490 long -suffering neighbor, Elizabeth Liz Worden, 00:10:50.509 --> 00:10:53.149 played by the wonderful Josephine Tewson. Liz 00:10:53.149 --> 00:10:56.750 is basically Hyacinth's emotional coffee -spilling 00:10:56.750 --> 00:10:59.909 punchbag. Liz's main job in the show, comically 00:10:59.909 --> 00:11:02.600 speaking, is crucial. She's the neighbor, the 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:04.820 reluctant confidant whose nerves just completely 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:06.940 shred the second she walks into the bouquet house. 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:10.740 Her sheer anticipation of Hyacinth's social intensity 00:11:10.740 --> 00:11:13.320 always leads to disaster, doesn't it? Spilled 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:16.120 coffee, dropped biscuits, and that constant terror 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:19.059 of smashing the precious royal Dalton china, 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:22.299 usually on Hyacinth's Burmese rug. Toussaint 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:24.820 had to nail that high -strung, perpetually trembling 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:28.779 anxiety, and she did, flawlessly. In Toussaint's 00:11:28.779 --> 00:11:31.509 career, Again, it stretches across multiple eras 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:33.289 of British comedy to show she was also a really 00:11:33.289 --> 00:11:35.789 seasoned pro long before she started spilling 00:11:35.789 --> 00:11:38.370 tea all over Mrs. Bouquet's sofa. Oh, she was 00:11:38.370 --> 00:11:40.789 a true stalwart of British TV. Her career went 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:42.929 right back to the 1950s. She had significant 00:11:42.929 --> 00:11:45.049 roles in classic shows like Z Cars, appeared 00:11:45.049 --> 00:11:47.309 regularly in The Dick Emery Show. And importantly, 00:11:47.429 --> 00:11:49.450 she was Jane Travers and Ronnie Barker's very 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:52.129 last starring TV role before he retired the sitcom 00:11:52.129 --> 00:11:54.649 Clarence in 1988. So that's a direct link to 00:11:54.649 --> 00:11:57.350 the absolute top tier of British comedy. She 00:11:57.350 --> 00:11:59.460 was also Mrs. H in the popular... 80s sitcom 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:01.700 Shelly. Lots of people remember her from that. 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:05.299 And Roy Clark, the writer of KUA, he clearly 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:07.659 rated her because she followed him straight into 00:12:07.659 --> 00:12:10.299 another huge show, didn't she? Yes, that connection 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.980 continued. After KUA finished, Clark brought 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:15.460 her into Last of the Summer Wine. She appeared 00:12:15.460 --> 00:12:18.139 semi -regularly as Miss Lucinda Davenport from 00:12:18.139 --> 00:12:21.659 2003 right up to 2010. She also kept up a stage 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:24.879 presence after KUA. She launched her own successful 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:27.659 touring one -woman show, still keeping up appearances, 00:12:28.039 --> 00:12:30.639 capitalized on the fame, obviously, but gave 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:33.360 her control over her own material. That ran from 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:36.220 2012 right up until 2019. We should probably 00:12:36.220 --> 00:12:38.179 also mention that interesting parallel between 00:12:38.179 --> 00:12:40.230 Liz and Hyacinth about the unseen relatives. 00:12:40.549 --> 00:12:42.950 It's a neat recurring thing in the series. It's 00:12:42.950 --> 00:12:45.210 a brilliant structural device, actually. Hyacinth's 00:12:45.210 --> 00:12:47.769 son, Sheridan, never seen, Liz's daughter off 00:12:47.769 --> 00:12:49.649 at university, and her husband working abroad. 00:12:49.909 --> 00:12:52.230 Also totally invisible. They just exist as sort 00:12:52.230 --> 00:12:54.830 of status symbols or maybe plot devices. And 00:12:54.830 --> 00:12:56.710 what does that tell us about Hyacinth and Liz's 00:12:56.710 --> 00:12:59.389 relationship? Well, for Hyacinth, Sheridan is 00:12:59.389 --> 00:13:02.029 this constant source of bragging his supposed 00:13:02.029 --> 00:13:06.009 intellectual prowess at the Polytechnic. But 00:13:06.009 --> 00:13:08.230 he's also this constant source of financial worry 00:13:08.230 --> 00:13:10.090 for Richard, who's always having to secretly 00:13:10.090 --> 00:13:12.769 wire him money for his latest creative needlework 00:13:12.769 --> 00:13:15.549 course or whatever it is. And it's strongly implied, 00:13:15.690 --> 00:13:17.830 isn't it, that Sheridan and his roommate Tarquin 00:13:17.830 --> 00:13:21.230 are more than just friends. A reality Hyacinth 00:13:21.230 --> 00:13:23.750 seems blissfully or maybe deliberately unaware 00:13:23.750 --> 00:13:26.350 of. She insists they have a psychic connection. 00:13:27.049 --> 00:13:28.990 For Liz, well, her daughter being at university 00:13:28.990 --> 00:13:31.789 gives her one tiny rare moment of feeling slightly 00:13:31.789 --> 00:13:34.370 superior to Hyacinth, whose son is only at a 00:13:34.370 --> 00:13:36.669 polytechnic. So, yeah, the unseen relatives are 00:13:36.669 --> 00:13:38.850 just more weapons in the ongoing social war between 00:13:38.850 --> 00:13:41.690 them. OK, now let's cross the tracks, metaphorically 00:13:41.690 --> 00:13:44.070 speaking, and step into the world of Hyacinth's 00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:46.789 greatest shame. her sister Daisy, and Daisy's 00:13:46.789 --> 00:13:49.889 husband Onslow. Geoffrey Hughes is Onslow. He's 00:13:49.889 --> 00:13:52.190 just the perfect bone -idle foil to Hyacinth's 00:13:52.190 --> 00:13:55.070 frantic energy. Onslow is the absolute embodiment 00:13:55.070 --> 00:13:58.070 of anti -aspiration, isn't he? He's proudly unkempt, 00:13:58.090 --> 00:14:00.809 a total slob, perpetually parked on that sofa 00:14:00.809 --> 00:14:03.299 in his string vest. Usually got a racing paper 00:14:03.299 --> 00:14:05.980 and a can of beer nearby. He drives that famously 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:08.639 clapped out Ford Cortina that always backfires 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:11.360 loudly. Oh, the Cortina. Which, just the sound 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.879 of it arriving, sends Hyacinth into fits of social 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:16.539 embarrassment. The great irony, of course, is 00:14:16.539 --> 00:14:18.559 that Onslow and Richard get on like a house on 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:21.940 fire. They share this deep bond over just wanting 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:24.899 some peace and quiet. And Hughes brought massive 00:14:24.899 --> 00:14:27.700 pre -KUA fame to that role. He was already a 00:14:27.700 --> 00:14:30.120 huge TV star, especially from the world of soap 00:14:30.120 --> 00:14:49.340 operas. Oh, a genuine household. He just had 00:14:49.340 --> 00:14:52.019 that perfect mix of like rough charm and brilliant 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:54.159 comedic timing and let him jump between genres 00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:57.460 pretty effortlessly. Absolutely. Beyond sitcoms, 00:14:57.460 --> 00:14:59.820 he also moved into detective drama. He got a 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:02.320 recurring role as... as the sort of lovable con 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:05.200 man and dodgy businessman Vernon Scripps in the 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:08.440 long -running ITV drama Heartbeat. He starred 00:15:08.440 --> 00:15:11.860 in that from 2001 to 2005. So that ability to 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:15.460 switch from soap to sitcom to period drama, it 00:15:15.460 --> 00:15:17.620 really shows his versatility. And we should mention 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:19.940 his unique voice acting gig, too. He was the 00:15:19.940 --> 00:15:22.360 voice of Paul McCartney in the Beatles' 1968 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:25.700 animated film Yellow Submarine. That is a great 00:15:25.700 --> 00:15:28.259 bit of trivia. I did not know that. But the most 00:15:28.259 --> 00:15:30.700 unique thing about his post -KUA legacy has got 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:33.539 to be that bizarre American TV special. Tell 00:15:33.539 --> 00:15:35.820 us a bit more about that. It's a truly remarkable 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:38.340 piece of, I don't know, commercial genius. In 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:41.000 2008, Jeffrey Hughes actually reprised the role 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.519 of Onslow for a clip show made for American public 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:45.519 television. It was called Life Lessons from Onslow. 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.139 The premise was somehow Onslow had been elevated 00:15:48.139 --> 00:15:50.539 to become an open university lecturer, teaching 00:15:50.539 --> 00:15:53.399 a credit course on, wait for it, successful relationships. 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:56.059 The king of doing absolutely nothing, lecturing 00:15:56.059 --> 00:15:57.919 on relationships. What was the actual content? 00:15:58.259 --> 00:16:01.500 Well, it mostly used classic KUA clips, but Onslow 00:16:01.500 --> 00:16:04.610 provided this absurd, completely deadpan. voiceover 00:16:04.610 --> 00:16:07.429 commentary. The humor came entirely from the 00:16:07.429 --> 00:16:10.009 irony of him giving out wisdom while lounging 00:16:10.009 --> 00:16:12.769 about in his vest. He basically advocated for 00:16:12.769 --> 00:16:15.409 low expectations, minimum effort, and the importance 00:16:15.409 --> 00:16:17.649 of having a good, reliable spouse like Daisy, 00:16:17.850 --> 00:16:20.830 who, crucially, doesn't demand too much. It was 00:16:20.830 --> 00:16:23.529 perfect meta -comedy, really. It highlighted 00:16:23.529 --> 00:16:26.169 how his character, despite being Hyacinth's absolute 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:29.090 nightmare, had actually achieved a kind of domestic 00:16:29.090 --> 00:16:31.809 bliss just through apathy. And beside Onslow, 00:16:31.929 --> 00:16:34.100 of course, we have his wife, Daisy. played by 00:16:34.100 --> 00:16:36.919 Judy Cornwell. She's Hyacinth's cheerfully down 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:39.220 -to -earth sister, happy with her lot, which 00:16:39.220 --> 00:16:41.500 for Hyacinth is probably the biggest sin of all. 00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:43.799 Gacy's the total opposite of Hyacinth's entire 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.340 life philosophy, isn't she? She's easygoing, 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.879 completely unambitious, just enjoys her life 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.259 with Onslow. Her mere presence, especially when 00:16:51.259 --> 00:16:53.279 she unexpectedly appears in her dressing gown 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:55.860 outside the bouquet residence, causes Hyacinth 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.440 severe social panic attacks. Judy Cornwell also 00:16:58.440 --> 00:17:01.120 has this really surprising, almost bohemian backstory 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.419 that seems worlds away from the suburban daisy. 00:17:03.500 --> 00:17:05.880 Her early life was incredibly colorful, yeah. 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:09.339 Before she got into acting properly, Cornwell 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:11.079 was actually a professional dancer and comedian 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:14.440 as a teenager. And this wasn't just local talent 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:16.720 shows. She performed acts at the Irving Theatre 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.359 Club in London. The source material actually 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:21.259 reveals her comedy routine was often performed 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:24.910 in Soho. specifically between the nudes. Wow, 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:27.970 between the nudes. Imagine that contrast. The 00:17:27.970 --> 00:17:30.569 cheerful, slightly frumpy Daisy used to be a 00:17:30.569 --> 00:17:32.710 comedian performing alongside burlesque acts. 00:17:33.349 --> 00:17:35.589 That's amazing. It's a phenomenal piece of trivia, 00:17:35.670 --> 00:17:37.390 isn't it? She also had some significant film 00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:39.730 roles, too. Right, I think I remember one. Yeah, 00:17:39.789 --> 00:17:41.730 probably best remembered by families for playing 00:17:41.730 --> 00:17:44.309 Anya Claus, Santa's wife, in Santa Claus, the 00:17:44.309 --> 00:17:46.950 movie back in 1985. And later in her career, 00:17:47.029 --> 00:17:49.650 after KUA, she went back to the stage, moved 00:17:49.650 --> 00:17:51.750 away from comedy, more into mystery. She became 00:17:51.750 --> 00:17:54.289 quite a popular choice to play Agatha Christie's 00:17:54.289 --> 00:17:56.549 Miss Marple in various touring stage productions. 00:17:57.309 --> 00:17:59.950 A Murder is Announced, which toured a lot between 00:17:59.950 --> 00:18:11.589 2015 and 2016. So again, you see... Okay, so 00:18:11.589 --> 00:18:14.289 completing the sister trio is Rose. The third 00:18:14.289 --> 00:18:17.910 sister, whose, let's say, very active social 00:18:17.910 --> 00:18:21.390 life, is the source of Hyacinth's deepest, most 00:18:21.390 --> 00:18:24.970 existential embarrassment. What many casual viewers 00:18:24.970 --> 00:18:27.789 might not realize is that two different, very 00:18:27.789 --> 00:18:31.279 talented actresses actually played Rose. That's 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:33.119 right. The role was first played in series one 00:18:33.119 --> 00:18:35.880 by Shirley Stelfox. And Stelfox had quite an 00:18:35.880 --> 00:18:38.240 interesting background herself. Notably, she 00:18:38.240 --> 00:18:40.880 played the $2 prostitute in that really powerful 00:18:40.880 --> 00:18:45.279 1984 film version of Orwell's 1984. She had a 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:47.160 definite edge, which really suited Rose's character. 00:18:47.380 --> 00:18:50.160 But Stelfox left KUA after just the first series 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.200 because she had a prior commitment to another 00:18:52.200 --> 00:18:55.339 show. The drama series making out. And the actress 00:18:55.339 --> 00:18:57.519 who replaced her. Well, she brought a pedigree 00:18:57.519 --> 00:18:59.500 that could almost rival Patricia Rowledge's. 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.720 This might be the biggest theatrical bombshell 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:03.599 in the whole show's casting. It truly is, yeah. 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:06.079 From series two right through to the end, Rose 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:08.420 was played by Mary Miller. And Mary Miller was 00:19:08.420 --> 00:19:10.480 a classically trained singer, a genuine opera 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.119 and musical theater star. She had a really significant 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:15.180 West End career. Okay, tell us about that West 00:19:15.180 --> 00:19:17.279 End career. What were her big roles? Well, she 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:19.559 was basically a cornerstone of the modern West 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:22.480 End musical. Mary Miller originated the role 00:19:22.480 --> 00:19:25.069 of Madame Jury. you know, the mysterious ballet 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:28.390 mistress. In the original London production of 00:19:28.390 --> 00:19:30.490 Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, 00:19:30.690 --> 00:19:33.390 she took the stage in 1986, was part of that 00:19:33.390 --> 00:19:36.289 original cast, and her voice is on the original 00:19:36.289 --> 00:19:39.029 London cast recording forever. She stayed in 00:19:39.029 --> 00:19:41.589 that role for four years, from 86 right through 00:19:41.589 --> 00:19:44.750 to 1990. So let me get this straight. We have 00:19:44.750 --> 00:19:46.990 the Tony winner Patricia Routledge and the original 00:19:46.990 --> 00:19:49.579 West End Madame Jury. Barry Millar, playing these 00:19:49.579 --> 00:19:52.519 socially awkward sisters, argue over candlesticks 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:55.900 and men in a fairly standard BBC sitcom. That 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:58.500 level of talent packed in there is just astounding. 00:19:58.779 --> 00:20:00.779 It is a profound concentration of excellence, 00:20:00.960 --> 00:20:03.579 isn't it? And Millar followed up Phantom by playing 00:20:03.579 --> 00:20:05.779 Mrs. Potts in the London production of Disney's 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:07.920 Beauty and the Beast in the late 90s. The fact 00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:10.119 that the three main female leads, Routledge, 00:20:10.220 --> 00:20:12.220 Tooson, and Millar, all share this incredible 00:20:12.220 --> 00:20:15.200 background in serious stage work, musical theater, 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:17.700 it just elevates the light farce of KUA into 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:19.880 something really quite special. Let's turn to 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.119 the other main supporting player who really defined 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.220 that suburban panic, Emmett Hopsworth, played 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.849 by David Griffin. He is the musician who moves 00:20:27.849 --> 00:20:30.569 in with his sister Liz, only to live in constant 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:33.390 crippling fear of Hyacinth's terrible singing. 00:20:33.730 --> 00:20:37.970 Oh, Emmett's constant visceral panic. It's one 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:40.250 of the show's most reliable running gags, isn't 00:20:40.250 --> 00:20:42.829 it? His catchphrase, often just communicated 00:20:42.829 --> 00:20:44.849 through terrified looks at Liz, is basically, 00:20:44.950 --> 00:20:48.650 she'll sing at me. And Hyacinth, completely oblivious 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:51.269 to the sheer terror she inspires, interprets 00:20:51.269 --> 00:20:54.849 his fear as, well, infatuation. She's perpetually 00:20:54.849 --> 00:20:56.450 trying to get a part in one of his amateur musical 00:20:56.450 --> 00:20:59.289 productions, bursting into these wildly out -of 00:20:59.289 --> 00:21:01.509 -key, ear -splitting soprano notes whenever he's 00:21:01.509 --> 00:21:03.670 around. He literally tries to hide behind furniture 00:21:03.670 --> 00:21:06.109 to avoid her. Griffin was another familiar face, 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:08.289 wasn't he? Pulled from that same well of BBC 00:21:08.289 --> 00:21:11.930 comedy talent. He was indeed. Before he was the 00:21:11.930 --> 00:21:14.430 tormented musician Emmett, David Griffin had 00:21:14.430 --> 00:21:16.829 made his name in that other beloved sitcom, Heidi 00:21:16.829 --> 00:21:19.829 High. Remember the holiday camp? He played squadron 00:21:19.829 --> 00:21:23.049 leader Clive Dempster, DFC, from 1984 to 1988. 00:21:23.509 --> 00:21:25.809 So again, it just highlights how good the production 00:21:25.809 --> 00:21:28.089 team was at casting actors who people already 00:21:28.089 --> 00:21:30.109 knew and loved for playing certain types of comic 00:21:30.109 --> 00:21:32.430 characters. And beyond these core roles, the 00:21:32.430 --> 00:21:34.869 supporting cast really created that whole textured 00:21:34.869 --> 00:21:38.009 world of aspiration and embarrassment that Hyacinth 00:21:38.009 --> 00:21:40.619 had to navigate. Exactly. The family dynamics 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:42.619 are rounded out by the senile father, Daddy, 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:45.700 played by George Webb. He's constantly exhibiting 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:48.400 just bizarre and embarrassing behavior, you know, 00:21:48.400 --> 00:21:51.299 having WWII flashbacks or getting into awkward 00:21:51.299 --> 00:21:54.200 situations with local women. Behavior Onslow 00:21:54.200 --> 00:21:56.779 just brilliantly sums up as barmy. And then there 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:58.720 are the relatives Hyacinth does boast about, 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:02.650 the almost mythical Violet and Bruce. Ah yes, 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:05.029 they are the aspirational ideal, aren't they? 00:22:05.670 --> 00:22:07.869 Hyacinth is constantly going on about Violet's 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:10.390 Mercedes, her swimming pool, and crucially, the 00:22:10.390 --> 00:22:13.829 fact she has room for a pony. Yet even their 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:16.329 social standing is always subtly undermined by 00:22:16.329 --> 00:22:18.890 the eccentricities of Violet's husband, Bruce. 00:22:19.250 --> 00:22:22.089 Bruce is a turf accountant, a bookie which is 00:22:22.089 --> 00:22:24.849 already slightly dodgy in Hyacinth's world, and 00:22:24.849 --> 00:22:27.190 he's a cross -dresser with a particular fondness 00:22:27.190 --> 00:22:29.369 for equestrian gear. That's the bit Hyacinth 00:22:29.369 --> 00:22:31.029 conveniently leaves out when she's boasting. 00:22:31.089 --> 00:22:33.609 The whole supporting cast just functions to either 00:22:33.609 --> 00:22:36.470 boost Hyacinth's status, like Violet's house, 00:22:36.589 --> 00:22:39.589 or completely demolish it, like Daddy, Onslow, 00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:42.099 and Rose. Now, shifting behind the camera for 00:22:42.099 --> 00:22:43.940 a moment, the sources reveal there was actually 00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:46.099 a surprising amount of tension between the man 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:48.279 who wrote all the words and the man who had to 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:50.359 put them on screen. Yeah, the creative friction 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:53.380 between the writer, Roy Clark, and the producer 00:22:53.380 --> 00:22:56.420 -director, Harold Snowd. It's documented in the 00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:58.660 Comedy Connections documentary, and it's a really 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.740 fascinating bit of backstage drama. Clark was 00:23:01.740 --> 00:23:04.180 famously quite detached from the actual production. 00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:07.339 He insisted on only writing. Apparently, he rarely, 00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:11.240 if ever, visited the set or went out on location 00:23:11.240 --> 00:23:13.200 shoots. That sounds like a potential nightmare 00:23:13.200 --> 00:23:15.420 for a director trying to stage scenes in real 00:23:15.420 --> 00:23:18.000 houses or, you know, out on the street. It was 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.180 an immediate problem, yeah. Snowed had to be 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:22.960 there on the ground, making scenes work within 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:24.960 the real world constraints of the locations, 00:23:25.200 --> 00:23:27.799 the budget, the schedule. This often meant he 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:30.619 had to make small rewrites to dialogue or adjust 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:33.059 the staging slightly just to fit the physical 00:23:33.059 --> 00:23:35.640 reality of filming. And this process apparently 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:39.019 absolutely infuriated Clark. He saw any change 00:23:39.019 --> 00:23:41.359 to his script, no matter how minor, as some kind 00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:43.859 of artistic violation. He felt Snowed was just 00:23:43.859 --> 00:23:46.319 being difficult. So you've got this brilliant 00:23:46.319 --> 00:23:48.700 writer who refuses to engage with the practicality. 00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:50.740 of production and a brilliant director who has 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:53.599 to make the show work technically, how did they 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.680 actually resolve that deep creative conflict? 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:57.759 Well, eventually they had to bring in a third 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:00.579 person, a script editor. And this person's sole 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:03.660 job basically was to mediate. to communicate 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:06.000 changes and opinions back and forth between the 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:09.000 two men. This script editor effectively became 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:11.559 a diplomat, smoothing over the practical necessity 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:13.700 of Snowde's tweaks and then communicating them 00:24:13.700 --> 00:24:16.539 carefully back to the protective and maybe slightly 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:19.180 sensitive Clark. It's pretty remarkable, isn't 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:21.160 it, that one of the world's most successful and 00:24:21.160 --> 00:24:23.319 smoothly running sitcoms needed that kind of 00:24:23.319 --> 00:24:25.960 intricate managed communication just to keep 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:28.099 the whole creative process from grinding to a 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:32.069 halt. Hashtag TagTag5. Spin -offs, prequels, 00:24:32.069 --> 00:24:34.829 and unfulfilled potential. Okay, so the huge 00:24:34.829 --> 00:24:37.759 global success of KUA. naturally led to people 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:39.359 wanting to revisit the characters, the whole 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:42.059 concept. In 2016, Roy Clark came back to write 00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:44.220 that prequel, Young Hyacinth. That's right. It 00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:46.420 was a one -off special intended to show the roots 00:24:46.420 --> 00:24:49.299 of Hyacinth's social climbing. Set about 40 years 00:24:49.299 --> 00:24:51.559 before the main sitcom, sort of early post -war 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:54.380 era, they cast Carrie Howard as the 19 -year 00:24:54.380 --> 00:24:57.160 -old Hyacinth. The idea was to show how her background 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:59.420 bred that really intense social desperation we 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:01.700 see later. What were the main things they established 00:25:01.700 --> 00:25:04.599 about Young Hyacinth in that prequel? Well, it 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:06.880 basically confirmed that her strenuous efforts 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:09.519 to manage her family, to make them seem better 00:25:09.519 --> 00:25:13.160 off than they were, started really early. She's 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:15.119 working as a maid, and she's already trying to 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:17.119 force her boyfriend, a Mr. William Hitchcock, 00:25:17.259 --> 00:25:20.220 to stick to her strict social rules, making him 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:22.059 dress up formally just to walk down the street 00:25:22.059 --> 00:25:24.599 with her. And the special ends with this defining 00:25:24.599 --> 00:25:28.119 moment of social shame. Her father gets drunk 00:25:28.119 --> 00:25:31.319 and falls into the local canal. Which... Naturally, 00:25:31.380 --> 00:25:33.359 Hyacinth has to immediately spin into something 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:36.779 else. Exactly. To save face in front of her employers 00:25:36.779 --> 00:25:39.380 and her boyfriend, she instantly makes up a story. 00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:42.500 Blames the drunken tumble on an old war injury 00:25:42.500 --> 00:25:45.359 that briefly affected her father's balance. So 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:47.259 yeah, it successfully laid the groundwork for 00:25:47.259 --> 00:25:49.500 the character we all know. Confirmed that her 00:25:49.500 --> 00:25:51.519 attempts to build this perfect social facade 00:25:51.519 --> 00:25:54.680 were absolutely lifelong. The most tantalizing 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:57.000 what -if nugget that the sources dug up is that 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.240 uncommissioned spinoff series, Mind Your Manners. 00:25:59.830 --> 00:26:02.009 This just sounds like a stroke of genius that 00:26:02.009 --> 00:26:05.109 sadly never got made. Oh, it really does sound 00:26:05.109 --> 00:26:08.049 like a lost classic of British comedy. Roy Clark 00:26:08.049 --> 00:26:11.309 proposed Mind Your Manners right after KUA finished. 00:26:11.960 --> 00:26:14.200 And it was such a brilliant reversal of the original 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:16.720 show's idea. Instead of focusing on Hyacinth 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:18.859 trying to climb the social ladder, this would 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:22.099 have been all about Onslow, Daisy, and Rose accidentally 00:26:22.099 --> 00:26:24.519 finding themselves right at the very top of it. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.980 Okay, how on earth did the bone -idle Onslow 00:26:26.980 --> 00:26:30.019 end up living in a manor house? Well, the premise 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:33.119 was basically rooted in Onslow taking a deliberately 00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:36.480 easy part -time gardening job, just tending the 00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:39.359 grounds of this huge old manor house estate owned 00:26:39.359 --> 00:26:42.519 by a very forgetful aristocrat. old lord the 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:44.599 basic comic setup was just idleness meets old 00:26:44.599 --> 00:26:46.559 money decay and the twist that gets the sisters 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:49.079 involved was the lord's death right the twist 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:54.200 was perfect the old lord dies suddenly and onslow 00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:57.180 daisy and rose and it's strongly hinted rose 00:26:57.180 --> 00:26:59.559 was having a bit of a casual fling with the deceased 00:26:59.559 --> 00:27:02.799 lord they temporarily move into the manor house 00:27:02.799 --> 00:27:04.460 they have to apparently because there's some 00:27:04.460 --> 00:27:07.420 complex legal battle over the estate with the 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:10.400 lord's estranged incredibly snooty brother so 00:27:10.759 --> 00:27:12.500 They're meant to be caretakers, but naturally 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:14.299 they start treating the place like it's their 00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:17.180 own. This completely flips the whole social structure. 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:20.140 Now they are the gentry. Hyacinth's dream fulfilled, 00:27:20.420 --> 00:27:23.039 but by completely the wrong people. Precisely. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:25.599 The main conflict would have been the clash between 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:28.099 the commoners living in the manor and the neighboring 00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:31.079 aristocratic family, the Hidewhites. The Hidewhites 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:33.160 would be absolutely furious about the common 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:36.200 riffraff moving in next door. But and here's 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:38.460 the genius subplot that makes it really sing. 00:27:38.559 --> 00:27:40.420 It turns out Mr. Hidewhite, the really snooty 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:42.579 neighbor, actually knew Onslow back in their 00:27:42.579 --> 00:27:45.299 less reputable youth. And Onslow has some kind 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:47.490 of hold over the aristocrats. Total leverage. 00:27:47.809 --> 00:27:50.930 It's revealed that Mr. Hidewhite owes Onslow 00:27:50.930 --> 00:27:54.109 big time. Because years ago, Onslow took the 00:27:54.109 --> 00:27:57.230 fall for some crime the young Mr. Hidewhite committed. 00:27:57.569 --> 00:28:00.150 It stopped Hidewhite getting arrested, potentially 00:28:00.150 --> 00:28:02.829 ruining his entire aristocratic future. So now 00:28:02.829 --> 00:28:05.789 the snooty neighbor has to defer to Onslow because 00:28:05.789 --> 00:28:09.289 Onslow holds the secret to his past shame. It 00:28:09.289 --> 00:28:12.029 creates this massive comic conflict where the 00:28:12.029 --> 00:28:14.250 man obsessed with social standing is completely 00:28:14.250 --> 00:28:16.539 controlled by the man who basically invented 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:19.059 apathy. And they'd even approached an actress 00:28:19.059 --> 00:28:21.680 for a key role in this lost classic. They had. 00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:24.079 Sue Pollard, famous from Heidi High, same show 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:26.440 David Griffin was in, she was approached to play 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:29.440 Ms. Dorothy Dottie Henshaw. She'd be the eccentric, 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:32.420 easily flustered, but very loyal cook and housekeeper 00:28:32.420 --> 00:28:35.079 who stays on at the estate despite the new, rather 00:28:35.079 --> 00:28:37.519 common, residence. Apparently some preliminary 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:39.880 location scouting and maybe even some test shooting 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:42.759 was done. But sadly, the project never got the 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:45.519 official green light for a full series. It really 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:47.759 stands as one of the great what -ifs of British 00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:50.960 comedy history. Beyond the screen itself, KUA 00:28:50.960 --> 00:28:53.740 generated a huge amount of merchandise and some 00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:55.819 really unique commercial crossovers too, didn't 00:28:55.819 --> 00:28:58.039 it? Just shows how popular it was. Oh, the commercial 00:28:58.039 --> 00:29:01.180 reach was vast. You had bizarre specials like 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:03.700 that sketch Mr. Blobby meets Hyacinth Bucket 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:07.450 in 1993. Which is exactly as weird as it sounds. 00:29:07.609 --> 00:29:10.329 And both Patricia Routledge and Josephine Toussaint 00:29:10.329 --> 00:29:12.950 actually reprised their roles as Hyacinth and 00:29:12.950 --> 00:29:15.529 Elizabeth for the Second Chance shorts, which 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:18.349 was a commercial campaign for a charity. They 00:29:18.349 --> 00:29:20.230 even had to adapt the audio releases specifically 00:29:20.230 --> 00:29:22.589 because the visual comedy was so important. That's 00:29:22.589 --> 00:29:24.410 right. It shows how crucial the visual gags were. 00:29:24.769 --> 00:29:26.930 For the audio cassette releases, Clive Swift 00:29:26.930 --> 00:29:29.150 actually recorded a special narrative track. 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:31.960 He was basically reprising his role as Richard, 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:34.440 providing spoken context to fill in the gaps 00:29:34.440 --> 00:29:36.900 for the listener, making sure the physical comedy, 00:29:37.079 --> 00:29:39.940 the sight gags, still landed even when you couldn't 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:42.140 see them. And of course, there were the books. 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:44.119 There was that lighthearted etiquette guide, 00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:46.359 Hyacinth Bucket's Book of Etiquette for the Socially 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:49.460 Less Fortunate. And the director, Harold Snowd, 00:29:49.460 --> 00:29:51.660 he wrote his memoir, too, called It's Bouquet, 00:29:51.839 --> 00:29:54.259 Not Bucket. So we've covered a huge amount of 00:29:54.259 --> 00:29:56.660 ground in this deep dive. If we sort of zoom 00:29:56.660 --> 00:29:59.670 out now. The main takeaway has got to be that 00:29:59.670 --> 00:30:02.730 powerful, almost contradictory relationship between 00:30:02.730 --> 00:30:06.309 genuine artistic pedigree and massive mainstream 00:30:06.309 --> 00:30:09.450 comedic appeal. It's the sheer, almost unnecessary 00:30:09.450 --> 00:30:11.630 depth of the cast that makes the show such a 00:30:11.630 --> 00:30:14.650 masterpiece, isn't it? We learned the woman playing 00:30:14.650 --> 00:30:17.630 Mrs. Bouquet had a Tony Award, an Olivier Award, 00:30:17.869 --> 00:30:20.690 a profound classical stage career behind her. 00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:23.750 Her husband, Richard, was an RSC veteran and 00:30:23.750 --> 00:30:27.210 a staple of serious BBC horror dramas. And the 00:30:27.210 --> 00:30:29.990 woman playing the man -eating sister, Rose, she 00:30:29.990 --> 00:30:32.109 was the original Madame Jury in Phantom of the 00:30:32.109 --> 00:30:34.309 Opera. These weren't actors who were, like, reaching 00:30:34.309 --> 00:30:47.730 the peak of their careers in a BBC sitcom. And 00:30:47.730 --> 00:30:51.190 that foundation in high drama is exactly why 00:30:51.190 --> 00:30:53.930 the comedy works so well. It took that highest 00:30:53.930 --> 00:30:56.690 level of performance skill, that vocal control. 00:30:56.710 --> 00:30:58.710 Remember Routledge's mezzo -soprano training 00:30:58.710 --> 00:31:02.410 to convincingly portray Hyacinth's desperate... 00:31:02.640 --> 00:31:05.000 fragile and ultimately quite common attempts 00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:08.180 to simply keep up appearances. They were masters 00:31:08.180 --> 00:31:10.720 playing people who desperately wanted to be seen 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:13.700 as masters themselves. That meticulous portrayal 00:31:13.700 --> 00:31:16.200 of social aspiration. That's why the show travels 00:31:16.200 --> 00:31:18.660 so well globally. And that profound contradiction 00:31:18.660 --> 00:31:20.940 brings us nicely to our final provocative thought 00:31:20.940 --> 00:31:23.660 for you, the listener, to maybe mull over. What 00:31:23.660 --> 00:31:25.000 does it tell us about the whole relationship 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:27.539 between artistry and mass success that a world 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:30.380 traveler, a celebrated dramatic and musical actress 00:31:30.380 --> 00:31:33.279 like Patricia Routledge, made the conscious choice 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:35.559 to end her time on this wildly popular show? 00:31:35.640 --> 00:31:37.400 Not because it was failing, not because of poor 00:31:37.400 --> 00:31:40.099 ratings, but precisely because the role's overwhelming 00:31:40.099 --> 00:31:42.539 success threatened to completely define her entire 00:31:42.539 --> 00:31:45.759 legacy. It really speaks to the terrifying power 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:48.680 of a truly iconic character, doesn't it? Hyacinth 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:51.519 Bucket became so potent, so globally inescapable, 00:31:51.619 --> 00:31:53.640 that the woman who brought her to life felt she 00:31:53.640 --> 00:31:55.539 had to walk away while the show was still at 00:31:55.539 --> 00:31:58.579 its absolute peak. She recognized that the brilliant 00:31:58.579 --> 00:32:00.859 comedy archetype might permanently overshadow 00:32:00.859 --> 00:32:02.960 Dame Catherine Patricia Routledge, the Tony Award 00:32:02.960 --> 00:32:05.819 winner. It's a fascinating tension, that pull 00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:08.119 between legacy and popularity, and maybe it's 00:32:08.119 --> 00:32:10.539 a reminder that sometimes leaving a stage early, 00:32:10.680 --> 00:32:12.279 well, that's the greatest dramatic choice of 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:12.440 all.