‘THE ROLLS ROYCE’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

This has to be one of the best episodes from Series 5 of ‘Keeping Up Appearances’. In this episode, Hyacinth storms out of a crafts fair outraged, because she won second prize for her craft instead of first. She’s also frustrated with the first prize winner Lydia Hawksworth, especially with her new car.

Very soon, Hyacinth sets her sights on a brand-new car, much against Richard’s objections. They visit a car sales store and Hyacinth is enamoured with a shiny, expensive Rolls Royce. Despite Richard’s attempts to take Hyacinth away, they’re caught up in the sale of the Rolls Royce by Timothy Carlton.

Timothy Carlton plays the salesman in this episode. I’m not very familiar with Timothy Carlton as an actor, but he happens to be Wanda Ventham’s husband and the father of Benedict Cumberbatch. I’ve also seen him quite recently in ‘Sherlock’, as he and Wanda Ventham played Sherlock’s parents.

Hyacinth and Richard are given a chance to ‘sample’ the driving experience of the Rolls Royce car. It’s so funny when Richard tried not to be involved with the driving of the Rolls Royce, whilst Hyacinth is pretty insistent upon it. Richard also hated it when Hyacinths refered to the car as their Rolls-Royce. 🙂

Whilst Timothy Carlton is on the phone to someone, Hyacinth persuades Richard to drive the car out of the cars sale store. They soon end up at a country hotel, where Hyacinth knows Lydia Hawksworth has her tea and coffee. It turns out Hyacinth wanted to pay back against Lydia. Pretty childish, right?

This demonstrates how particularly snobbish and silly Hyacinth can be. She had no interest in purchasing the Rolls Royce car, but wanted to get back at Lydia Hawksworth in a snobby competition. It ends disastrously, as Hyacinth and Richard are arrested by the police for stealing the Rolls Royce. 🙂

The episode also features a subplot where Onslow, Daisy and Rose take Daddy out on a trip to ‘Africa’. I enjoyed this subplot, especially when they end up at the country hotel that Hyacinth and Richard are at. 🙂 Hyacinth gets embarrassed, as he and Richard make to hide from Onslow and party.

As well as Timothy Carlton, the episode also features John Pennington as the police sergeant and George Webb (uncredited) as Daddy. Not sure who plays Lydia Hawksworth in the episode. Emmet doesn’t appear in the episode. Even when the police arrest her, Hyacinth insists that she’s ‘Bouquet’.

‘The Rolls Royce’ rating – 9/10