Patricia Routledge 'Facing the Music' in Newtownabbey

Even the most casual Keeping Up Appearances fan of the woman who makes no bones about having a sister whose house has a swimming pool, sauna, and room for a pony, will no doubt ever forget her singing prowess designed to impress next door neighbor, Emmet Hawkesworth. To this day, I’ll never forget interviewing Ms. […]

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Patricia Routledge talks Hyacinth, KUA and comedy 101

As the great Patricia Routledge inches closer to her 83rd birthday on Friday, 17 February, I’m reminded of a point in time in the late 1990’s that we had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview Ms. Routledge for a salute to British comedy program for broadcast on public television in the States. For weeks before the […]

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The greatness of Outnumbered comes to the U.S.

With lots of new British series coming to the U.S. via public television in early 2011, I decided to mention one that I’ve tracked for awhile and really can’t wait for. Partly because it’s a brilliant series, but mainly because of a far-fetched article that surfaced yesterday about the BBC hit series, Outnumbered, alluding to […]

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Keeping Up Appearances hits the stage

For a British comedy series that ran for just five seasons from 1990-1995, Keeping Up Appearances has a continuous stretch of worldwide syndication along with a newly created stage performance to thank for its longevity. If you’re in the neighborhood, the Comedy Theatre Company has taken one of Britain’s most popular comedies of all-time and moves it […]

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Keeping Up Appearances takes to the stage

Sweeping it’s way across the UK faster than Hyacinth can chase down the postman to make sure they stop the mail while they holiday on the QE2, Keeping Up Appearances, Roy Clarke’s classic British comedy, takes to the stage across the UK beginning this summer. Speaking of, David Janson, the postman from the original KUA […]

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Hyacinth to attend RHS Chelsea Flower Show

From the department of you may or may not know, London’s Chelsea Flower Show began Tuesday and will run through Saturday, 29 May. Dating back to anywhere between the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s depending on what is considered the “official” beginning, this is considered the hot ticket in the UK and around the world with over […]

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The great British comedy catchphrase

To continue our focus and conversation about the writers, our friends over at the British Comedy Guide in a recent programming alert about an upcoming special on Channel 4 in London, remind us that buried in the brilliant writing of our favorite British comedy shows are some priceless and timeless catchphrases. As they point out, […]

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Happy 81st, Hyacinth

Forever linked with the snobbish, social climbing, eccentric Hyacinth Bucket (bou-quet) famous for her candlelight suppers, Patricia Routledge has had a long and very successful career not only in British comedy, but film, television and musical theatre with numerous appearances in West End London. Her Broadway debut resulted in a Tony Award for Best Actress […]

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