Keeping Up Appearances

Aside from Columbo, my favourite detective, my husband and I love watching Mrs Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. We have its complete DVD series. She is unbelievable, I never see or knew anyone like her. But maybe you do?

Keeping Up Appearances is a great successful British Sitcom originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995. Hyacinth Bucket who is the central character is an overbearing, snobbish, lower-middle-class social climber who insists that her name is pronounced "Bouquet". Her husband Richard has already told her that it was always "Bucket" until he met her. Hyacinth focuses her life impressing others with her pretended affluence.

Funny Mispronunciation Clip:

Hyacinth Bucket

She loves to brag about her "white slimline telephone with automatic redial and always answer with "The Bouquet residence the lady of the house speaking!" on her exaggerated accent when she has a native Northern accent. Frequently Hyacinth receives calls asking for a Chinese take-away which making her angry.

Watch this clip:

She loves to visit stately home because she is convinced she can meet and make friends with the upper-class aristocrat owners. She often hosts an "exclusive candlelit supper" with her pride, the 'Royal Worcester Double glazed Avignon China' and her 'Royal Daulton China with the hand-painted periwinkles'.

Richard Bucket

Hyacinth's husband Richard suffers the most unbearable living with her. I don't know how he able to live and stay with Hyacinth as she controls his whole life. He is constantly telling him what to do every time at anything especially when driving. She never shut up. He must love her too much to endure all of it.

Watch this clip:

Hyacinth's Family

She lives to impress others and that's her mission in life but her lower-class sisters, Daisy and Rose hindering her to keep her heads up. Along with her senile father and Onslow who is Daisy's bone idle husband who frequently turns up in their clapped-out Ford Cortina MKIV which makes a distinguished backfire when it arrived. Hyacinth goes mental and tries her best to avoid them. She always tells Richard that she loves her family but that's no reason why she would acknowledge them in broad daylight. And the way her sister Rose dress, how sexually aggressive she is, embarrassed Hyacinth.

But there are these two whom Hyacinth is not ashamed of. One, her unseen son Sheridan, who is obviously a gay but seems oblivious to his mother. She always boasts and tries to impress people about his son's intellectual prowess (when he actually only takes a course in needlework at a polytechnic) and their 'psychic' closeness and how often he phones and write to her. Although the truth is that he never writes and that he only phones his mother to ask for money.

And the other one, her wealthy sister Violet who frequently call Hyacinth for advice, and while on call she will announce it loudly to anyone around (most of the time Elizabeth) that it's her sister Violet, the one with swimming pool and sauna and room for a pony. However, Violet's husband Bruce has an eccentric behaviour of cross-dressing that damaged Violet's social acceptability.

Elizabeth and Emmet

Hyacinth's neighbour Elizabeth is the one frequently called in for a nice cup of coffee at the Bucket's residence. Elizabeth's nerves go to pieces when she's in Hyacinth's house even though she is normally calm. She often breaks Hyacinth's china or spills coffee and biscuit on Hyacinth's Burmese rug. And it was a laugh when Elizabeth was invited in and asked what she wants to use, the china or beaker and Elizabeth frantically says, Beaker! Coz she's afraid she's going to smash it again.

Watch this clip of Elizabeth's spilling moments:

And here comes Elizabeth's brother Emmet who stayed with her after his messy divorce. Upon learning that Emmet is a musician, Hyacinth frequently and abruptly sings out-of-key at him to try to get a part in one of his productions. Emmet becomes terrified of leaving the house because as soon as she sees him, she'll sing at him. His problems are made worse when Hyacinth's mistaken belief that his frightened reactions indicate that he is infatuated with her which is further from the truth.

Hyacinth Singing to Emmet:

Not only her neighbours but Hyacinth always confronts the postman and complains about her receiving mail bearing second class stamps. And the milkman, for she wants to know which cow her milk coming from. Even the vicar can't stand "that Bucket woman!"

Oh, she's unbelievable but you know what, Mrs Bucket or in real life Patricia Routledge was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for her services to entertainment and charity that made her Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge.

Do you know anyone like Mrs Bucket? How do you deal with her?