ddsteg Everyone knows a "Hyacinth."I would like to know who played Stephanie, daughter of Daisy and Onslow. When Hyacinth was dressing for the Baptism, she said " what kind of a name is Kylie for a Christian person? It sounds like a foreign vegetable!" Stephanie had two boyfriends, each of which thought he was the father.

GayBoi1 Patricia Routledge was excellent as the bumbling middle class snob Hyacinth Bucket(or "Bouquet" as she insisted her last name be pronounced)who tried to climb the British social ladder while desperately trying to keep her working-class background a secret. Hilarity ensued as Hyacinth's working class relatives, including her brother-in-law the bone-idle pensioner Onslow, his wife Hyacinth's younger sister Daisy, and Hyacinth's other sister, the single man-hungry Rose, whom also lived with Rose and Onslow, constantly foiled Hyacinth's many social-climbing schemes. Sometimes along for the ride was Hyacinth's senile father, who was only referred to as "daddy." Clive Owen was also great as Hyacinth's down to earth and long-suffering husband Richard. Often getting caught up in Hyacinth's many schemes were Hyacinth's next door neighbors, the friendly pushover Liz and her divorced brother Emmett, who hilariously tried to avoid Hyacinth at all costs. This show used to play on my PBS station every Saturday night, and I hope they bring it back very soon.

RaspberryLucozade 1990 was a great year for comedy fans, what with 'Rab C. Nesbitt' getting underway ( although the pilot was made in 1988 ) along with 'Drop The Dead Donkey', 'One Foot In The Grave', 'Harry Enfield's Television Programme' and, of course, this. I have to admit that I was not always a fan of 'Keeping Up Appearances' but eventually took to it after several viewings.Meet Hyacinth Bucket ( who insists that her name is pronounced 'Bouquet' ), a suburban housewife who purports to be social climbing but in reality is nothing more than a pompous snob. Indeed her snobbery is such that she even once warned her postman not to post letters through her door unless it beared a first class stamp ( ''I object to having second class letters thrust through my letterbox!'' ). Her husband Richard is constantly embarrassed by his wife's vain attempts to better their social standing but for the sake of a quiet life he keeps his mouth shut and his head down. Richard initially works as a civil servant but later in the series is given early retirement, much to his chagrin. Why he never walked out on Hyacinth was a real mystery.Hyacinth has three sisters - the frumpy Daisy ( whose head is buried in soppy novels due to the lack of sexual interest from her slovenly husband Onslow ), the man-eating Rose and the wealthy Violet ( who is seldom seen but often referred to ). Hyacinth is ashamed of both Daisy and Rose ( the former because of her marriage to Onslow and the latter because of her promiscuous behaviour ) but is far more accepting of Violet though is also at times embarrassed by her due to her troubled marriage to her cross-dressing husband Bruce. One of many recurring gags in the show is Daisy and Onslow turning up at Hyacinth's house at inopportune moments to inform her of the latest problem involving their senile father, who despite his ever advancing years is still in possession of a tearaway streak. Another recurring gag was Hyacinth and Richard's son Sheridan ( who is never seen ) phoning to sponge money off of them, much to Richard's dismay.Living next door to Hyacinth are the timid Elizabeth and her musically gifted brother Emmett ( who was introduced in series two ) both of whom are petrified of Hyacinth and try, usually unsuccessfully, to avoid her.Roy Clarke was still writing 'Last Of The Summer Wine' when he came up with 'Keeping Up Appearances' and to my mind it was the best thing he ever wrote. Patricia Routledge is wonderful as Hyacinth. Despite her snooty persona, one can see that deep down Hyacinth does mean well and it is hard not to feel sorry for her when her plans go awry. Clive Swift made a good foil as her hen-pecked husband Richard. Judy Cornwell and the late Geoffrey Hughes both stole the show as Daisy and Onslow and Clarke's scripts gave the latter some wonderful lines, such as when Daisy asked Onslow if he would consider growing a moustache, to which Onslow responded: ''You want a moustache? Why don't you grow a moustache?''. Shirley Stelfox played Rose initially but was replaced in series two by the funnier, and sexier, Mary Millar ( who sadly passed away in 1998 ). David Griffin and sitcom veteran Josephine Tewson were excellent in their own right as Hyacinth's put upon neighbours Emmett and Elizabeth. Jeremy Gittins also was impressive in those episodes he appeared in as Hyacinth's local vicar.After four excellent seasons, 'Keeping Up Appearances' ran out of steam in its final year. Bringing in Anna Dawson to play Violet was a mistake. She worked better as an unseen presence. The concluding special, which saw Hyacinth attempt to set up a historical pageant, was particularly dire. By this point, both Clarke and Routledge decided it was time to call it a day. Overall, 'Keeping Up Appearances' was one of the finest sitcoms of the '90's and is fondly remembered. It was also a hit over in America, so much so that two special episodes were created specially for American television - 'The Memoirs Of Hyacinth Bucket' and 'Life Lessons From Onslow'.Remember folks, its Bucket, not Bouquet! Or is it the other way around?

Ibuk I used to love this 90's sitcom as a child and I still enjoy watching the reruns. In my opinion the 90's were the best decade for classic British comedies. The plots were repetitive, each episode would see Hyancinth planning to improve her social standing only to be let down by her family. The jokes were pretty repetitive, in each episode someone would call her Mrs Bucket and she would correct them,Elizabeth would drop her coffee etc. It was the actors and the energy they put into the characters that made it so endearing. I cannot imagine anyone else playing the role of Hyacinth more better than Patricia Routledge,the same can be said for the rest of the cast. My favourite characters have to be Hyacinth(of course!),her long suffering husband Richard and her layabout brother in law Onslow. The show ran from 1990 til 1996, if it gone on for longer then it would ruined the show completely. The producers did a wise thing to pull the plug on it before it went stale. Keeping up appearances reminds of a happy childhood and makes me feel nostalgic.