‘STATELY HOME’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

This is one of my favourite episodes of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ from Series 1. In this episode, Hyacinth wishes to make a day trip to one of the stately homes called Carldon Hall. But Hyacinth also wants to visit her Daddy and that would mean visiting Onslow, Daisy and Rose in their grubby home.

I liked it when Hyacinth becomes the woman instructor to Richard when he’s driving the car. It was funny when they kept going around in circles. Hyacinth couldn’t decide whether to go to Daddy’s or to Carldon. It was also funny when Hyacinth tells Richard to mind the cyclist and the stationary lorry.

Eventually they visit Daddy first and go to Onslow and Daisy’s house. It was funny when Onslow’s dog in the car barks at Hyacinth and she falls against a bush for the first time. I laughed when Onslow looked out of the window and said “You’ve woken the dog!” before being ‘rude’ to Hyacinth.

I like how in this episode there’s this sense of friendship between Onslow and Richard. Onslow is sympathetic to Richard’s position in being married to Hyacinth. We also see how Hyacinth reacts to Daisy’s washing those dishes in the kitchen and how Rose handles the wife of one of her boyfriends.

Liz Gebhardt guest stars as the angry woman who confronts Rose in Onslow and Daisy’s house. They seem to get on with each other after fighting each other and making loud noises in the house. 😀 Daddy also sneaks away being ‘Captain Midnight’ and wanting to make ‘love’ to the postmistress. 😀

Very soon, Hyacinth and Richard visit Carldon Hall. Hyacinth wants to make the acquaintance of her ladyship at the place, but it gets ruined when Onslow, Daisy and Rose turn up to spoil Hyacinth’s day. It was funny when Hyacinth and Richard end up hiding and they are soon spotted by His Lordship. 😀

Michael Bilton guest stars as His Lordship in the episode. Incidentally, I’ve also seen Michael Bilton in an episode of ‘Terry and June’. He was also in the ‘Doctor Who’ stories ‘The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Eve’, ‘Pyramids of Mars’ and ‘The Deadly Assassin’. He has done a lot in his career. 😀

The episode also features Eric Carte as the car-park attendant who gets frustrated with Hyacinth when she wants to park Richard’s car in the car park reserved for the Carldon Hall family. He tells Onslow that ‘she was murder’. There’s also Les Clack and Stella Kemball as the stately home visitors.

‘Stately Home’ rating – 9/10