90 replies to this topic

[TheCustomOfLife]

I'm so happy; I switched affiliates and I can see the earlier series again. I want this on DVD so badly. They do sell this, don't they?

[daniel82]

I've seen the eps on VHS in Barnes and Noble. If they're willing to put it out in VHS, chances are good the DVD's will soon follow.

[TheCustomOfLife]

I hope so. I know there are big VHS packages called "Hyacinth In Full Bloom." I think I'll go search for the DVDs. Hopefully they're already out.

[Sideshow Al]

I'm so happy; I switched affiliates and I can see the earlier series again. I want this on DVD so badly. They do sell this, don't they?

Oh, but they do indeed: Kapow! And Zap!

[Hanna-Reetta]

Hee! Daisy and Onslow are fat.

I never thought that was the joke. I always saw it as more of a "white trash couple" thing. Guy in a dirty shirt with holes in it (we had a similar character on Finnish TV, with the same kind of shirt, but more wit), drinking beer out of a can. Plain woman shoving down chocolate, not taking care of the house. The guy has no job; there's a broken car; the yard is filled with junk, etc. And always watching TV. They're like the Royle Family, but actually funny.

I thought the joke about the family was that Hyacinth was so ashamed of the others (excluding Violet). There were some fat jokes, too, but they weren't in every episode.

Is Hyacinth a common name in the UK? I always found it hilarious how she calls herself Bouquet, instead of Bucket. And answering the phone, "Bouqouet residence, lady of the house speaking!"

And the "room for a pony" thing always cracked me up. Sauna doesn't impress me though, as everyone has one here.

[jcpdiesel21]

I love Onslow and that vest that he always wore, and how Hyacinth would complain that he should put on a shirt. "Oh, nice!"

I would love to get those DVDs when I have some more money. Right now I'm content with the VHS tape that I have of random episodes from PBS.

[TheCustomOfLife]

Is Hyacinth a common name in the UK?

I don't think so...I think it's more of a running joke that all of the sisters are named after flowers (Daisy, Rose, Violet, etc...) It was probably Hyacinth or Pansy. Pansy would've been a riot.

[D.C.]

A friend of our family has slight Hyacinth qualities. By that I mean she likes the "finer things of lifee" though she lives in kind of rough circumstances, but at least laughs at herself about it. So it's probably no coincidence that this is her nine-year-old son's favorite show. (He's a mite peculiar, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he's Bruce/Daddy/Sheridan-peculiar.) At one point, he used to hide in the shrubs by the front door, and, when his mother came back from shopping, would call out, "Oh no! It's the Bucket woman!" In response, when his birthday came around and they planned a cookout on the creek on their land, she told people he was having "a waterside picnic with riparian entertainments." That shut him up.

[TheCustomOfLife]

I would so love to live in that neighbourhood.

Hhhmmm, I see Sheridan and Emmett skipping off into the sunset.

Thank God someone else saw it. You so knew that he divorced his wife because he realized he was gay. They didn't have to say a word.

[daniel82]

The prospect of having Hyacinth as a mother-in-law* might have been enough to have Emmett swear off all forms of sexual orientation.

*offer valid only in Massachusetts

I figured we would never, ever see Sheridan since the build-up over the years could never have been matched by an actual characterization. I mean, they wrote him to be quite a piece of work, and how could anyone ever really live up to the hype? He made Richard Simmons look like Vin Diesel.

But that's part of the charm of this show. Less was more. Unless you were obsessively paying attention, you never knew very basic information about the characters. What were Onslow and Daisy's last names? Did "Father" have an actual name (first or last?). Where was Elizabeth's husband, and what must it have been like for her daughter to grow up next door to Sheridan? Did the Vicar's wife actually have a first name? Some of these might have actually come up in dialogue, but it wasn't really necessary to the plotlines for us to know the ladies' maiden name or the circumstances of Emmett's divorce, among other things.

If Emmett and Sheridan had not worked out, I could see Emmett sharing the "Mercedes, sauna, and room for a pony" with Bruce, where they could score and produce costume musicals while Violet ran home to big sis Hyacinth.

[Tabbyclaw]

We watch this every week in my family and we've seen all the episodes so many times that my mom and I are getting slightly tired of most of them, but we'll never get tired of arguing with my dad over whether or not Emmett is gay, whether or not he was always a pain in the ass or Hyacinth made him bitter, and whether or not Richard and Elizabeth are having an affair. (That one's the best. I love hearing my mom yell, "They can't be! Hyacinth never lets either of them out of her sight long enough for them to get together!" I maintain thet they're not sleeping together, but she's sneaking him food on the sly.)

And every time Sheridan calls, I mutter, "Well, of course he's gay! He's afraid he'd end up with a woman like his mother otherwise!"

[D.C.]

My only problem with Sheriden is that his existence implies that Richard and Hyacinth had sex at least once, and probably more since though conception is possible on the first try, it's doesn't happen that often. No matter how I try--though, to be honest, it's more like I try NOT to--I can't envision it.

Did the Vicar's wife actually have a first name?

Forget the wife: did the the vicar himself ever have a first name? 'Cause all I remember him being called is "Vicar."

Has anybody been able to read any clues as to just where this series took place? I got the feeling it wasn't London or its environs, but even that is just a hunch.

Edited by D.C., May 19, 2004 @ 1:17 AM.

[TheCustomOfLife]

I believe it took place in the suburbs of London, just considering the way the neighborhood was built, in the episode where Hyacinth was trapped on the back of the truck.

The Vicar reminded me of the really hot Brian Bloom, so I could totally empathize with the wife and her mantra of "Keep away from the ladies!"

Edited by TheCustomOfLife, May 19, 2004 @ 8:57 AM.

[daniel82]

I heard the location work was done in Coventry, but like so many other details, they failed to say. They really didn't need to (or at least that's the impression they gave).

Liz and Richard having an affair? Sounds like a logical progression to have the two people most mortally afraid of Hyacinth to band together. But he probably just took her out for jitter-free coffee, and she let him in her house without having to take off his shoes.

I actually can envision H&R having conceived a baby together, though no amount of Brain Bleach could erase an image of them actually having sex (so I won't form that image). I can see her adopting Queen Victoria's advice to her daughter, that she should simply "close her eyes and think of England". To Hyacinth, such an unpleasant business is the price to pay for being a proud and patriotic Englishwoman. I mean, if Queen Victoria can have nine kids, then she can at the very least have one.

[TheCustomOfLife]

But he probably just took her out for jitter-free coffee, and she let him in her house without having to take off his shoes.

Considering it's Elizabeth and Richard, they would probably term that as an affair. No doubt Hyacinth would.

[Veruca Salt]

Forget the wife: did the the vicar himself ever have a first name? 'Cause all I remember him being called is "Vicar."

Being the Bucket-head that I am, I can tell you that the Vicar's first name was Michael. His wife (nameless) did call him that once while he was nailing moulding to the ceiling/wall and informed that the Bucket woman was a-calling. That's when he snapped the moulding in half.

[Qwho]

I do agree with the posters that have said it's a 5-6 joke show, but then so was Blackadder and many others. If you're inclined to like the show, however, the jokes are still funny many times over.

Elizabeth is ok, but I never liked Emmett. He got very tiresome. Onslow, Daisy, & Rose are always good for a laugh. Richard really does love Hyacinth and puts up with her, and that's why everyone considers him a saint. It would be nice to finally see Sheridan, but it would kind of lose that "carlton your doorman" aspect.

I do crack up when the Chinese Take-Away calls..."do you think I would accept orders of one duck low on a beige princess touch tone phone with memory redialer..."

[espie]

I liked this show better before PBS decided to make it a linchpin program and run it three or four times a night. Now, fortunately, we have satellite so I only watch it when I want to. Onslow makes the whole show for me. My favorite scenes are between him and Daisy. Once she challenged him to name one good quality about himself and he replied "I'm very calm in a crisis"; Daisy countered with "Of course you're calm in a crisis; you're too bone-idle to go rushing about!"

Another gem: Daisy suspects Onslow has another woman, so she tells him she's going to go out and get herself a man. "Get one who can do a few things around here; I'm sick and tired of living in squalor!" he replies.

A man who just wants to sit around, drink beer and watch TV all day long... I think I'm in love.

[LolaLaRue]

Now, fortunately, we have satellite so I only watch it when I want to.

After I got the two DVD sets, I now only watch (usually BBC America) if I happen to be in front of the set and it's on.

But I do love this show. I'm also glad to see (looking at previous posts) that I wasn't the only once noticing the connection that Elizabeth and Richard seem to have; something usually apparent in those moments before Richard and Hyacinth go out -- Richard's sprucing up the car and Elizabeth's in the yard gardening. (Even more so with that mistletoe kiss on the Christmas episode!)

Onslow makes the whole show for me.

I'm an Onslow fan as well. I really got a kick from the QEII episode, at the very end where Onslow and Hyacinth are having a great time on the dance floor. A little out of character for Hyacinth, but since the show run was just about over, it was nice to see her letting loose and enjoying herself with her brother-in-law.

[TheCustomOfLife]

After I got the two DVD sets, I now only watch (usually BBC America) if I happen to be in front of the set and it's on.

They're so much money, though! The only way I'd consider buying them is when B&N puts the whole Britcom area of the DVD store on sale for Christmas.

[daniel82]

The only way I'd consider buying them is when B&N puts the whole Britcom area of the DVD store on sale for Christmas.

Can you imagine B&N doing something like that? The stampede would resemble the chaos when Hyacinth shows up at the town hall...only this time, the people would be piling in instead of piling out.

Plotline we'll never see: a VSE when Hyacinth discovers a lump in her....wallpaper.

[BetJo]

I've always been under the impression that the First Rose passed away from cancer, and that her name was Shirley Stelfox.

And that the Second Rose was Mary Milnar.

Now one of my friends tells me its the other way around, and that it's the second Rose who passed away.

Please somebody straighten me out and if it is the second Rose that passed away, why did they replace the first Rose?

Thanks very much......this is really blowing my mind.

[Sideshow Al]

Okay, it was Mary Millar, the second Rose, who died of cancer. She had replaced Shirley Stelfox after the show's first season (1990); and she passed away in 1998, well after the show's run had ended. Shirley Stelfox is still alive and well.

I haven't been able to find anything definite as to why they "pulled a Darren" with this character in the first place; but I hope the above information helps.

[BetJo]

Thanks Sideshow Al

I've never heard of "pulled a Darren", but I can guess what it means.

Thanks for the informtion. The second Rose always looked so vibrant.
I'm surprised.

Edited by BetJo, Aug 6, 2004 @ 9:56 AM.

[TheCustomOfLife]

Yeah, the first Rose is still on Emmerdale, I believe. If she isn't, she once was.

Can you imagine B&N doing something like that? The stampede would resemble the chaos when Hyacinth shows up at the town hall...only this time, the people would be piling in instead of piling out.

I do believe they do do that. I subscribe to the B&N card and they send a little booklet of the sales at Christmas. I think some of the BBC stuff was 25% off even without a membership.

Edited by TheCustomOfLife, Aug 9, 2004 @ 7:45 PM.

[TheCustomOfLife]

Patricia Routledge looked familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place her. When I looked her up on the internet, I saw that she was in To Sir, With Love. Although it has been a while since I had seen it, it's one of my favorite movies and I remembered her character well.

IIRC, she was a very flirty kind of character. Much more different than Hyacinth. It was very funny to see her interactions with Sidney Poitier.

[TudorQueen]

Patricia Routledge once won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for "Darling of the Day" [a musical adaptation of the film "Holy Matrimony"]. TudorPrince and I also love her in "The Hetty Wainthorp Mysteries" on A&E - Hetty is a very different character from Hyacinth and her relationship with her husband is rather different, too!

[monica53]

Patricia was featured on PBS on a one woman show. She was outstanding. It had to do with her conversations (weekly?) with her podiatrist. It was so very touching, knowing the character she plays on this show just made her seem so much more amazing.


I have been hooked on Brit tv for over a decade, I just love the fact that I can now get BBC America thanks to the dish and Tivo. Unfortunately, I have to admit that sometimes I just don't understand the dialogue, TiVo helps.