Keeping Up Appearances

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BBC (ended 1995)
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Show Summary

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Keeping Up Appearances was one of the best and most popular British sitcoms, or 'Britcoms,' of all time.''''Patricia Routledge played Hyacinth Bucket, a woman who pretended to be upper-class but wasn't. To side herself with Britain's top ten percent, Hyacinth insisted her surname be pronounced "bouquet." Her attention to cleanliness, candlelight suppers, and desire to sing gave pain to her husband Richard and her neighbors.''''Hyacinth, who once wrote a book of "Etiquette for the Socially Less-Fortunate," wanted to give her skills to anyone she met: the vicar, the postman, the milkman. She shuddered to think of her poor father, living in a run-down house with her sister Daisy and her bare-armed husband, Onslow. Generally, though, the likes of Daisy and Onslow would weigh out, while Hyacinth bowed out.''''The brilliance in its tact and humor helped make Keeping Up Appearances, in July 1999, the first Britcom to air in the U.S. with closed-captioning for the hearing-impaired. ''''However, the show has no conclusion. The last episode 'The Pageant' aired on Christmas Day 1995, but the show was not cancelled here and another series was written. However, Patricia Routledge decided that after 5 years, she did not wish to reprise the role for a sixth series, no matter how much the BBC courted here, and how they did. Routledge went on to star in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates for the BBC. Therefore, there is not actually any decisive ending or finale to the show.moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 6 :  Ep 4 Aired 12/25/95
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S 6 :  Ep 3 Aired 12/25/94
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S 6 :  Ep 2 Aired 12/26/93
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S 6 :  Ep 1 Aired 12/25/91
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S 5 :  Ep 12

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Fan Reviews (30)

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  • I am wondering if the 1990s produced any sitcom from any part of the world which was better than this British classic and I'm thinking that the answer is a definite 'no' because this would take some beating!moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Lady_Lancaster, Nov 16, 2010 Report Abuse
    Hyacinth and Richard Bucket are anything but ordinary, or at least according to Hyacinth they are not ordinary and I would say I have to agree with her as there is definitely NOTHING ordinary about a show which I consider to be one of the best comedies ever made.

    For five years we were fortunate enough to share the lives of not only Hyacinth and Richard, but their neighbours, Elizabeth and Emmett and also Hyacinth's dysfunctional family; sisters Rose, Daisy and Violet and brothers-in-law Onslow and Bruce. Of course, there was also the poor, terrified vicar and his wife, the womanising Major and Mrs. Barker-Finch from number 23 who vexed Hyacinth greatly. You see, Hyacinth's only goal in life was to keep up with and then surpass the Jonses (and anybody else whom she considered was trying to outdo her in any way.) Only the best furniture, the best china, the best clothes, the best holidays and the best car would do.

    Unfortunately for friends, neighbours and relatives, Hyacinth's desire to have and be the best always seemed to somehow include all of them as well! To say that, for the most part, they were less than pleased would be quite the understatement!

    Hilarious from start to finish. A brilliant ensemble cast headed by Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift. Every post was most definitely a winner. If you haven't seen this show, you don't know what you're missing!moreless

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  • Hilarious! And absolutely perfect. Good job Hyacinth!

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By dea300, Jul 16, 2009 Report Abuse
    Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) is a woman dedicated to showing everyone proper etiquette and pretends to be from the upper class. She constantly tells everyone what to do and how they should act including her husband, Richard. Her next-door-neighbour tries her hardest to avoid Hyacinth but to no avail as Hyacinth seems to know everything no matter how hard you try to keep information from her. Her two sisters and Onslow, the husband of one sister, end up meeting her at some point which constantly unnerves Hyacinth as she does not want to be seen in that company. The show is filled with great moments, from Hyacinth pointing out things to Richard while he's driving (watch out for the car in the parking lot, dear) and an upperclass woman going in to a bar with Onslow and Hyacinth's sisters, you will never have a boring moment. This show deserves a rating far beyond what it has now.moreless

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  • Perfectly funny because of controll freak Hyacynth(sp?).

    10
    "Perfect"
    By ElvisRocks13, Jul 13, 2008 Report Abuse
    This British Comedy is one of my favourites because of the annoying character Hyacynth(main char.) She is a controll freak who is very inclined to be on a high social status and has to succeed more than everyone else. She boasts of her candle light dinners, her son(who is gay people she knows and how she loves the artistic community. The show is funnier every episode.her neighbor Elizabeth is very nervous in hyacynths house when she is over for coffee but nowhere else. Her divorced brother Emmett is always being hounded by Hyacynth because she wants a part in his theatrical play. Hyacynth thinks that the only person in her family worth knowing is her sister Violet and Violets husband Bruce.The show should be played forever in my opinion.moreless

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  • Want a show that will keep you laughing time and time again? this is it.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By halberdierv2, May 19, 2008 Report Abuse
    one of the best comedy shows ever, Keeping Up Appearances is one of those shows that will keep you laughing out loud every time you watch it. the show revolves around an englishwoman named Hyacinth Bucket, or as she prefers it to be pronounced, Bouquet, who specializes in trying to be a class above everybody else in the most hilarious fashion, her polar-opposite husband, who meekly obeys her every command,her nieghbours, her sister, who take care of their senile father, who himself has his share of crazy antics, and many other people in which she comes in contact with. In fact, this review doesn't do the show its justice. Go watch it yourself to see!moreless

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  • The name of Bucket will live forever!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By CellBlocknutter, Apr 20, 2008 Report Abuse
    Keeping up appearances was just about the last of the classic British sitcom. Hyacynth was of course embraced by viewers across the world, and almost resulting in an Americanised version - Thank god that never happened!

    Hyacynth helped create our sterotype of the nagging social-climbing middle-aged housewife, as well as the subserviant suffering husband. Put simple she became a household name.

    KUP did have a habit of being repetitive, but it also had this habit of always being funny! The stunts and often hard to time right scenes - for a group of oldies on a budget of a British TV sitcom, was always well recieved, Highlights being:

    1) Hyacynth in a Fun House
    2) Hyacynth being taken for a run...By a dog
    3) Hyacynth and Richard on a boat and falling out
    4) Hyacynth catching the flying Royal Doulton
    5) The Mad-dash on the QE2

    Keeping up Appearances is a fun and original show - Yes it does use tried and tested comedy techniques - But British Sitcoms dont run as long as this one did (By the way, it only ended because the actors wanted out) if their not popular.moreless

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