# Keeping Up Appearances (1990)

> A snobbish housewife in suburban England strains to climb the social ladder despite her working class family and her weary husband.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/27

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 40
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Roy Clarke
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, Judy Cornwell, Geoffrey Hughes, Josephine Tewson, David Griffin, Mary Millar, Shirley Stelfox
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098837/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: breezy, witty, affectionate, cosy, satirical

## What critics say

Viewers broadly regard the series as a warm, consistently funny British sitcom whose snobbish protagonist and long-suffering husband make it a comfortable classic.

## Synopsis

Keeping Up Appearances (1990-1995) is a British BBC One sitcom created by Roy Clarke. Patricia Routledge plays Hyacinth Bucket, a snobbish suburban housewife who insists her surname be pronounced 'bouquet' and who is determined to climb the social ladder, while Clive Swift plays her long-suffering husband Richard, who endures her schemes with weary chagrin. Their efforts to impress neighbours and in-laws are constantly undercut by her working class relations, including the slovenly Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), the lively Daisy (Judy Cornwell) and the sister Rose (Shirley Stelfox), whose visits ruin Hyacinth's carefully staged gatherings. Each episode is built from a single social embarrassment: a dinner party, a visit from an unwelcome relative, or a pretentious outing that unravels in front of the neighbours. Across five seasons the format stays a self-contained case of comic mishap rather than a continuing plot. The tone is gentle, breezy and affectionate, with a warm mood beneath the satire of class pretension. Fans of Are You Being Served?, Hi-de-Hi! and The Vicar of Dibley will find the same kind of cosy, character-led British comedy.

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- [Jeeves and Wooster (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/997)

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