Happy 95th — Dame Patricia Routledge!

One of the few upsides of digging out after another year of semi-living under an ever-present pandemic cloud is the opportunity to send good wishes for a very happy birthday to the brilliant Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge, who turns 95 today. Given Hyacinth would have been appalled at the possibility that I might forget to drop […]

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PBS’s ‘Young Hyacinth’ special tells the backstory of Hyacinth, pre-Bucket

Almost three decades ago, American public television audiences were introduced to Richard and Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced “Bouquet”). With her white slimline telephone with automatic redial, of course, and her prized collection of Royal Doulton china with hand-painted periwinkles, of course, Hyacinth longed to spend her days visiting stately homes on the oft chance she would […]

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ITV to put ‘Birds of a Feather’ one-off in your 2016 Christmas stocking

In keeping with the BBC’s tradition in 2016 of reviving and/or rebooting classic comedy series (i.e. Young Hyacinth, Are You Being Served, Goodnight Sweetheart, Porridge, Cold Feet) comes news that ITV will turn to the classic 90s BBC sitcom, Birds of a Feather for a Christmas treat for viewers. It was ITV the brought back the popular […]

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Closed temporarily, ‘Still Open All Hours’ set to re-open just in time for Christmas

Still Open All Hours, the sequel to the iconic BBC sitcom Open All Hours, which originally ran from 1973 to 1985, will return later this year for a Christmas special one-off followed by a third series with a targeted transmission date of January 2017. Starring original OAH cast members, David Jason, Lynda Baron, Stephanie Cole and Maggie Ollerenshaw, Still Open All Hours is written by […]

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‘Young Hyacinth’ discusses who would be her ‘Young Richard’

Young Hyacinth premiered last week as part of the BBC’s Landmark Sitcom Season along with other ‘tip-of-the-hat’ specials including Goodnight Sweetheart, Porridge and Are You Being Served?. Having now had the opportunity to be able to screen all of them, I thought the Keeping Up Appearances prequel starring Kerry Howard worked exceptionally well. Even though the one-off was brilliantly written by […]

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“Motherland” shows promise amidst BBC’s ‘year of the reboot’

Buried smack dab in the middle of the current sitcom reboot/remake/prequel overload comes a really promising new comedy pilot offering airing tonight at 10p on BBC2. Motherland, starring Anna Maxwell-Martin (Bletchley Circle, Death Comes to Pemberley, And Then There Were None), Lucy Punch (Doc Martin, Hot Fuzz), Diane Morgan (Mock the Week, Mount Pleasant) and Paul Ready […]

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London’s Grace Brothers Department Store set to re-open after 30+ years

While it’s been more than three decades since we last were able to walk into the retail ladies’ and gentlemen’s clothing department of London’s Grace Brothers department store, the doors appear ready to re-open in the not-too-distant future. The classic BBC comedy series, which ran from 1971 to 1985, is set for a re-boot as part […]

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First glimpse of ‘Young Hyacinth’ set for September on BBC

If nothing else, Young Hyacinth, the forthcoming BBC prequel to the classic Roy Clarke series, Keeping Up Appearances, will give audiences a bit of insight as to how a 19-year-old Hyacinth from humble beginnings turned into an over-bearing, social-climbing snob with a penchant for slimline telephones with automatic redial, Royal Doulton china with hand-painted periwinkles, candlelight suppers. In […]

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