Keeping Up Appearances
The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking.
Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke, starring Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth Bucket, a relentless social climber who insists her surname is pronounced "Bouquet". Forever hosting candlelight suppers and boasting about her white slimline telephone, Hyacinth is constantly undone by her long-suffering husband Richard, her nervous neighbour Elizabeth and above all her embarrassingly working-class family: sisters Daisy and Rose, Daisy's idle husband Onslow and their wandering, senile Daddy. Running for five series and four Christmas specials between 1990 and 1995, it became BBC Worldwide's most exported programme ever and remains a staple of repeat schedules around the world.
Start a quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 29 October 1990
- Last aired
- 25 December 1995
- Created by
- Roy Clarke
- Channel
- BBC One
- Series
- 5
- Episodes
- 44
- Set in
- A middle-class English suburb
- Quizzes
- 3
Keeping Up Appearances quizzes
It's pronounced Bouquet. How well do you know Hyacinth, Richard and the rest of the family she'd rather forget?
The Waltons, the neighbours and the vicar who hides. A quiz for those who know Blossom Avenue inside out.
From Blossom Avenue to the QE2. Memorable moments from five series of social disasters.
Keeping Up Appearances cast and characters
Hyacinth Bucket
Played by Patricia Routledge
A snobbish social climber who insists her surname is pronounced 'Bouquet'. She hosts candlelight suppers to impress her betters and goes to great lengths to hide her working-class family.
Richard Bucket
Played by Clive Swift
Hyacinth's patient, long-suffering husband, who works for the council until he reluctantly takes early retirement at the start of series three and then has even less escape from her.
Onslow
Played by Geoffrey Hughes
Daisy's idle, unkempt husband, whom Hyacinth is desperate to keep out of sight. He gets on surprisingly well with Richard.
Daisy
Played by Judy Cornwell
Hyacinth's cheerful, good-natured sister, married to Onslow. Her warmth wins over the very people Hyacinth is trying to impress.
Rose
Played by Mary Millar
Hyacinth's flirtatious, man-hungry sister, a constant source of embarrassment. Shirley Stelfox played Rose in series one, and Mary Millar took over from series two.
Emmet Hawksworth
Played by David Griffin
Elizabeth's brother, who moves in with her after a messy divorce at the start of series two. Because he is a musician, Hyacinth sings at him in the hope of a part in his shows, and he lives in fear of meeting her.
Elizabeth Warden
Played by Josephine Tewson
Hyacinth's next-door neighbour, calm everywhere except in Hyacinth's house, where her nerves lead to smashed china and spilt coffee.
Daddy
Played by George Webb
Hyacinth's senile father, who has flashbacks to the Second World War and gets into embarrassing scrapes, often involving women.
Keeping Up Appearances facts and FAQs
- When did Keeping Up Appearances first air?
- Keeping Up Appearances first aired on BBC One on 29 October 1990. It ran until the Christmas special "The Pageant" on 25 December 1995.
- How many series (seasons) and episodes of Keeping Up Appearances are there?
- There are 5 series and 44 episodes, including four Christmas specials. A short Children in Need sketch from 1995 is not usually counted.
- Who created and wrote Keeping Up Appearances?
- Roy Clarke created Keeping Up Appearances and wrote every episode. Clarke, who also wrote Last of the Summer Wine, worked with producer and director Harold Snoad.
- Where was Keeping Up Appearances filmed and where is it set?
- Location scenes were filmed in and around Coventry and Warwickshire: Hyacinth's house is in Binley Woods, Daisy and Onslow's house is in Stoke Aldermoor, and many town scenes were shot in Leamington Spa. Interior scenes were recorded at BBC Television Centre in London. The show is set in an English suburb, where Hyacinth's genteel home contrasts with Daisy and Onslow's council house.
- What is Keeping Up Appearances about?
- It follows Hyacinth Bucket, a snob who insists on being called 'Bouquet', as she tries to climb the social ladder. Her husband Richard, her neighbours and above all her working-class relatives keep undermining her efforts.
- Why did Keeping Up Appearances end?
- Keeping Up Appearances ended in 1995 because Patricia Routledge chose to move on to other work, including Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. She later said she wanted to leave on a high and felt the scripts were starting to recycle old ideas.
- Who played Rose in Keeping Up Appearances?
- Two actresses played Rose: Shirley Stelfox in series one, and Mary Millar from series two to the end.
Awards and recognition
Placed twelfth in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll (2004)
Patricia Routledge won a British Comedy Award (1991) and two BAFTA nominations for playing Hyacinth
Sold nearly a thousand times to overseas broadcasters, making it BBC Worldwide's most exported programme ever