Customer Reviews

Keeping Up Appearances - Giftset 1 (Rural Retreat/Sea Fever/Angel Gabriel Blue/Entertaining the Hyacinth Way) [VHS]

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Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bou-quet) the social climbing queen of snobbery, is one of the funniest characters ever to emerge from prime time television. Whether she is planning her next candlelight supper, terrorising her neighbours, harassing her husband, or dealing with her decidedly downmarket extended family, her antics are sure to bring gaiety into the lives of old and new fans alike, and for generations to come!

The episodes on this tape are screams. The first section deals with Hyacinth's attempts at entertainment, with extremely humiliaiting results for her, and hilarious ones for us. Watch her get doused with water. Watch her get taken for a very wild run by a very nimble and limber Newfoundland. Watch her turn her car and house into a rainforest.

Then we see her attempts at ruralisation. See Richard cause injury to himself in shall we say, a rather SENSITIVE part of his anatomy as Hyacinth desperately tries to extricate herself from the grip of impolite farm animals. See Richard put on a fireworks and electrical lighting display at the church hall, while Hyacinth prays desperately that no one will notice Onslow's tattoos. View Hyacinth's attempts at horseriding, where she seems faster and more agile than an Olympic showjumper. And watch while she and Richard become joined at the hip in the kitchen of their, to put it tactfully, rather SMALL abode.

See Hyacinth and Richard on the golf course, which is where her plotting a new executive position for Richard has left them. Which one of them will be offered employment with Frosticles frozen food company?

Why does Hyacinth desperately need the vicar's advice? What socially unacceptable ailment does Richard have? And why will Hyacinth become alarmed?

And what does Hyacinth glimpse ckimbing from a lifeboat aboard the QE2 that makes her blood run cold?

You'll find the answers and much, much more, on these videotapes - which are wondeful keepsakes for the diehard Hyacinth fans and a wonderful way to introduce rookies to the world of Hyacinthdom - a world in which she strives for a "large house, sauna, swimming pool, room for a pony," but whose immaculate planning is always disrupted by the antics of her less than ideal family - her cross dressing brother in law Bruce (who was inconsolable over a large tear in his flamenco frock), her rich sister Violet, her second sister Daisy, a thwarted romantic who claims that Mills and Boon type books are her "last foothold in romance" ("I get very little practice," she says, "at least I can keep abreast of theory), her ailing Daddy (who once pedalled into the river on his bicycle stark naked while chasing the milkwoman), their youngest sister Rose (who dates a different man every night and who once wanted to be a nun) and Daisy's slovenly husband Onslow (who prefers horseracing to Daisy).

I promise you that if these tapes will provide hours and hours of viewing pleasure. If you weren't a Hyacinth fan beforehand, these episodes will convert you!

Once Hyacinth has entered your life you will never be the same!

I have fallen in love with "Keeping Up Appearances" and since you cannot always catch it on the "telly," these videos are wonderful to own! One can enjoy Hyacinth and her "white slimline telephone with automatic last number redial" at any time! This set is economically priced and would make a wonderful gift for any other "Bucket fans" you know! Enjoy!

Roy Clarkes' award winning, popular British sitcom is largely due to the fantastic portrayal of super snob Hyacinth Bucket (according to her, pronounced Bookay - amusing stuff!) played by Patrica Routledge. This is a witty look at surburban life and pays particular interest to some of the inevitable pretentiousness and desperate social climbing that takes place. The scripts and performances sparkle against the often chaotic situations Hyacinth and her poor, put upon husband Richard get into. Hyacinths roots always come back to haunt her when her two sisters Rose and Daisy and Daisys', over weight, couch potato husband Onslow arrive at her home usually in the middle of one of her parties or "candle lit suppers". Theres also her neighbours, Elizabeth who turns into a jittering, nervous wreck whenever she enters Hyacinths house for fear of dropping what Hyacinth calls her priceless antique china cups and Elizabeths brother, Emmett who goes to great lengths to avoid Hyacinth. This is a fine British comedy classic. A real winner. Every episode on this video is bound to have you in hysterics. The quality never once falters so it is really impossible to select a favourite. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

These tapes are addictive, they are so funny! This well-meaning, self-pronounced "upper crust" does her best trying to function in her middle-class world, with her royal standards - while her husband, friends, and eccentric relatives duck and dodge. Hyacinth Bucket (she insists it's prounounced "Bouquet") is wildly popular in England, and equally hysterical here in America. My parents watch an episode a day, I can hardly borrow a tape from them - they miss their "Hyacinth Fix!" - I am buying both giftsets for my Inlaws. They will fall in love with the Bucket family as we have.

Is there a more funny actress on the planet than Patricia Routledge as Hyacinth? If there is, I've never encountered her. If you're a fan of this masterful British television series, then this is an absolute "must have" purchase. Even though I've watched these programs dozens of times each, I never weary of them. This is quality acting and writing of the highest order.

Patricia Routledge as "that Bucket woman" is arguably the second-greatest TV comedic actress of all time (I supposed Lucille Ball would have to get a nod for first place). Certainly she is the greatest British actress in a comedy series. Her timing, expressions and mannerisms are simply superb. Her interplay with Richard, played divinely by Clive Swift, is always absolutely hilarious. How many times will you say, "poor Richard!" while watching Hyancinth's ridiculous social-climbing antics? And my favorite character of all, the fat, sloppy guy with a heart, Onslow, played to perfection by Geoffrey Hughes. Don't you just love how he always says "Oh... nice!" with that delicious sarcastic edge?

They're all here: beautiful, dipsy Rose, the sex-addicted Daddy, the McCartneyesque Vicar and his cute-as-a-button wife and the cringing neighbors. It's impossible not to fall in love with the entire ensemble cast. This is television without equal and the quality on this casette is exceptional. Enjoy it as much as I have.

This VHS collection contains 10 entertaining installments from the successful British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances". For those who are not too familiar with the series, "Keeping Up Appearances" is about Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced bouquet) and her attempts to climb the social ladder at any cost. She tries her best to reach the top of the social strata but always seems to stumble, usually with a little help from her poor but down to earth relatives and their problems. Some of the best episodes are "Half A Camel", "Rural Retreat" and "Riparian Entertainment". In "Half A Camel" Hyacinth wants to impress a woman named Mrs. Henderson with her husband Richard's talents in the hopes of securing a position for him in her company. But her sister's boyfriend stops by and leaves a gigantic dog in Hyacinth's driveway. She and her neighbor Elizabeth try to move the dog with hilarious results. In "Rural Retreat" Hyacinth drags her husband out to look for a nice country cottage to purchase. Things don't go exactly as planned when she and Richard encounter strange neighbors and a variety of lively animals. In "Riparian Entertainment" Hyacinth plans a picnic by a river with an elaborate spread of gourmet treats. But a series of mishaps change their plans drastically. This is a great collection of episodes from this hilarious comedy. Patricia Routledge is great as Hyacinth Bucket and Clive Swift is perfect as Hyacinth's long-suffering husband Richard. Also stars Josephine Tewson as Hyacinth's friend and neighbor Elizabeth who always seems to spill things when in Hyacinth's house (who could blame her for her frazzled nerves?) If you're just discovering this series you might want to start with a smaller collection of episodes first to see if you like it. "How to Enhance Your Husband's Retirement" contains 3 episodes and is a good introduction to the series.

There is only one way of describeing Keeping up Appearances and it's 'Simply Brilliant'
The only thing in the world i can think of that surpasses it is Bottom.

If you enjoy English comedy, you will love this one. The descriptives that Hyacinth repeatedly refers to things/people are totally hilarious. The sister "Violet - with a Mercedes, swimming pool and room for a pony." Or her "Matching navy blue Executive luggage with real leather embellishments". If you haven't seen any of her episodes, you should. Then you can watch her call on her "executive slimline wall mount phone with one touch redial".

Just the introduction of each episode will clue you into everything that you need to know to enjoy the show to its max.
She is just a character whom wishes everyone would have social graces and of course they don't, especially her one sister Daisy who is only one step from being trailer trash.