Product Details

• Actors: Clive Swift
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, Special Edition, Subtitled, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 9
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC Worldwide
• DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008
• Run Time: 1340 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (242 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0019MFY36
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,098 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet") goes to incredible lengths in her quest for perfection. Hers is a spick-and-span house. Her downtrodden husband, Richard, acts as chauffeur in their immaculately kept car. Their permanently absent son has a superior name, Sheridan. Even the empty milk bottles sparkle on the doorstep after their obligatory rinse in the dishwasher. Hyacinth delights in her "candlelit suppers", but her guests live in fear of receiving her invitations. Next-door neighbor Liz is so nervous that she is guaranteed to break or spill something. Her brother Emmet hides every time he sees Hyacinth. And the Buckets' distinguished friend, the Major, and the vicar and his wife all do their best to keep out of her way. In marked contrast to Hyacinth's meticulously ordered life, however, the rest of her family are as common as muck. They live together in a rundown house that looks like a junkyard. Sister Daisy and her husband, Onslow, are out-and-out slobs. Her other sister, Rose, is an aging tart. And her elderly father is a lecherous drunk, given to cycling stark-naked down by the canal, chasing the milkwoman. Whatever Hyacinth does, her family can always be guaranteed to show her up. Can she ever live down the disgrace?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

317 of 321 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy of a Candlelight Supper, December 30, 2004

By 

mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Keeping Up Appearances: The Full Bouquet (DVD)

Fans of Keeping Up Appearances cannot be without The Full Bouquet; especially those who are "socially less fortunate" and need the lessons from England's expert on social etiquette, Hyacinth Bucket...er, Bouquet. Every episode is included in this set which is beautifully packaged in the most tasteful manner deserving of a glass of the "Dowager Lady Ursula's homemade gooseberry wine." It also offers holiday specials and lots of extras including Routledge's monologues as "Kitty" on Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV in the early 1980s (definitely a precursor to Hyacinth) which are waaaay too British for me to comprehend. Brit Comedy fans also get a guest appearance by Are You Being Served? star Trevor Bannister (Mr. Lucas). Here's what you get:

1. My Way or the Hyacinth Way with the following episodes: "The Name is Bouquet: B-U-C-K-E-T," "Welcoming the Dishy Vicar," "Visiting the Acquaintance's Stately Home," "A Fate Worse Than Serenity," "Our Daisy and Her Boy Toy," "How to Manage a Family Christening" (my personal favorite where Hyacinth's niece Stephanie is having her baby christened but does not know which of her two hippy companions is the father). Bonuses: Outtakes (bloopers), Cast bios.

2. Hints from Hyacinth with the following episodes: "A Strange Man" (Emmet's debut), "Driving Mrs. Fortescue," "Candlelight Supper," "Golfing with the Major," "The Googley-Eyed Register. Bonuses: Outtakes (bloopers) and cast bios.

3. Home is Where the Hyacinth Is: "Cocktails with a Greek Shipping Millionaire," "The Unfortunate Prospect of Early Retirement," "Playthings for Daddy," "Three Piece Suite," "Picnic for Daddy." Bonuses: "Funny Woman" profile of Patricia Routledge, outtakes (bloopers), cast bios.

4. Deck the Halls with Hyacinth: "A Very Merry Hyacinth," "Sea Fever"-an hour-long special featuring Hyacinth and Richard running all around the QE2, "Angel Gabriel Blue-another hour-long special although not very Christmasy but it does feature a guest spot by Trevor Bannister known for his role as Mr. Lucas in Are You Being Served? as well as a bio of him in Hyacinth's guest book, "Historical Pageant." Bonuses: Kitty monologues which I'll warn you are very British, cast bios.

5. Everything's Coming Up Hyacinth: "Half a Camel," "How to Retire Early if You're Not Careful," "A Portrait of an Artist as a Hen-pecked Man," "The French Lieutenant's Daughters," "How to Go on Holiday Without Really Trying," "What to Wear When Yachting," "Violet's Cottage." Bonuses: outtakes, cast bios.

6. Some Like It Hyacinth: "Hyacinth Tees Off!" (another favorite of mine where Hyacinth tries to get Richard in the "Frosticles" firm, "The Nautical speaker," "Indoor/Ourtdoor Luxury Barbeque and Finger Buffet," "Rural Retreat" (starting the episodes where the Buckets have a "cozy, charismatic country cottage"), "Beacon for the Best in Hospitality," "Please Mind Your Head" (featuring Hyacinth on a horse), "Let There Be Light." Bonuses include a UK commercial with Hyacinth and Elizabeth for Second Chance National Vocational Qualifications.

7. Living the Hyacinth Life: "Seaside Fun," "The Fancy Dress Ball," "Riparian Entertainments," "Sister, Sister," "Country Estate Sale." Bonuses: Pebble Mill interview with Routledge and Clive Swift, outtakes, cast bios.

8. Hats Off to Hyacinth: "General Bucket," "A Bon Vivant Buffet," "A Crafts-Woman Scorned," "Scintillating Socializing." Bonuses: Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket, outtakes, cast bios.

I thought I had seen every episode of Keeping Up Appearances on my local public broadcasting channel, but there are many here I have not seen before. Buy this set now, or Elizabeth will drop a cup of hot tea in your lap!

184 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What you really want to know..., July 11, 2008

By 

Howie (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Keeping Up Appearances: The Full Bouquet (DVD)

This official name of this re-release is "Keeping up Appearances: The Full Bouquet Special Edition". Based on images of the set it appears to be in either slim-pack cases or a digi-pack design. This set contains the same 8 disks as the original "Full Bouquet" set along with the special "Keeping up Appearances: Life Lessons from Onslow" added as the 9th disk. The Onslow special is available separately so you don't need to double-dip for this title if you already own the first set.

Here are the Special Features (which are the same as on the original release):
Outtakes
"Four Women" profile of Patricia Routledge
The Kitty Monologues
Second Chance Shorts: Exclusive UK commercial featuring Hyacinth and Elizabeth
Pebble Mill interview with Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift
The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket
"Extra Footage" interviews from the cast
Comedy Connection
Children in Need
Cast Biographies

This is a wonderful series from the BBC about everyone's favorite social climber, Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced "bouquet"). Her house is spick-and-span. Richard, her long-suffering and hen-pecked husband, keeps the car in immaculate condition (under Hyacinth's every-watchful eye). The empty milk bottles sparkle on the doorstep after their obligatory rinse in the dishwasher. To Hyacinth's horror and shame, most of her family is dead common, living together in a rundown house that looks like a junkyard. Sister Daisy and her husband, Onslow, are out-and-out slobs while another other sister, Rose, is an aging tart, and Daddy is not quite "all there". At least she is proud of her 3rd sister, Violet, the one "with the Mercedes, a sauna, and room for a pony" although Violet's husband is a cross-dresser and somewhat of an embarrassment to Hyacinth. However, she loves them all, and never fails to rush to their assistance when they need her help. Often it is Daddy that has got into an embarrassing situation which Hyacinth (or Richard) has to always solve.

Highly recommended!

141 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Boxed Set of the Entire Run of the Show!, October 11, 2004

By 

Laurie Lear (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Keeping Up Appearances: The Full Bouquet (DVD)

I have always loved this show and was very happy to see it when it was originally released on DVD. It has truly paved the way to BBC Television for me, making me truly appeciate good British humour. However, the show was released in two box sets and I couldn't decide which to get: I had rented from my library all of the Hyacith in Full Bloom DVD's and a few of the Hyacith Springs Eternal. On the one hand, I had already watched the first one but on the other, I wanted to start at the beginning to get the entire series. Well, now I can just buy the full set! I can't wait to see all Eight DVDs lined up together: It should look rather impressive! Plus, the other sets were up to 79.99 a piece; that's 159.98 all together! So this box actually saves you nearly 50.00! I truly can't explain the happiness it brings to my heart to see the complete series in its great, snobbery glory. Enjoy and don't hesitate for even in a moment in your decison of purchase, Buy it-You won't be dissapointed!