Keeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 with two specials airing in 1997 and 2008 on PBS. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish lower middle class social climber, Hyacinth Bucket, who insists that her surname is pronounced "Bouquet". The show comprised five series and 44 episodes, four of which are Christmas specials. Production ended when Routledge wanted to move on to other projects. All episodes and the specials have since been released on DVD. The sitcom follows Hyacinth in her attempts to prove her social superiority, and to gain standing with those she considers upper class. Her attempts are constantly hampered by her lower class extended family, whom she is desperate to hide. Much of the humour comes from the conflict between Hyacinth's vision of herself and the reality of her underclass background.
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Roy Clarke |
| Written by | Roy Clarke, Michelle Street (2008 special) |
| Directed by | Harold Snoad, Duane Huey (2008 special) |
| Starring | Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift, Josephine Tewson, Geoffrey Hughes, Judy Cornwell, Shirley Stelfox, Mary Millar, David Griffin |
| Theme music composer | Nick Ingman |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 44 + 2 shorts and 2 specials |
| Producer(s) | Harold Snoad |
| Location(s) | BBC Television Centre, Binley Woods, Warwickshire, England, (Hyacinth's Bungalow), Stoke Aldermoor, Coventry, West Midlands, England, (Daisy and Onslow's council house), Leamington Spa, England, (Towns and various locations), Northampton, England, (Church, Church Hall and Vicarage), Swindon, Wiltshire, England, Oxford, England, Bristol, England, Great Yarmouth Norfolk, England, Copenhagen, Denmark, (location scenes) |
| Camera setup | Single-camera, Multi-Camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes, 50 minutes (1994 Christmas special), 60 minutes (1993 Christmas special), 60 minutes (1997 & 2008 TV specials) |
| Production company(s) | BBC |
| Distributor | BBC Worldwide, 2entertain, Universal Pictures, ABC (Australia, home video), Warner Home Video (US, home video), Iowa Public Television (US, television) |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Picture format | 576i (4:3 SDTV), 1080i Upscale (16:9 HDTV) |
| Audio format | Monaural (series 1), Stereo (series 2–5) |
| Related shows | Young Hyacinth |
About Keeping Up Appearances
A snobbish housewife attempts to prove her social superiority despite her family's working class connections and the chagrin of her long-suffering husband.
Achievement of Keeping Up Appearances
Roy Clarke wrote and created the show. The show ran for five series and included 44 episodes, four of which were Christmas specials.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Keeping Up Appearances
Television shows set in Warwickshire.. Television series about sisters.. BBC Radio comedy programmes.. BBC television sitcoms.
Latest information about Keeping Up Appearances updated on July 28 2021.
