To the Manor Born
Comedy • 1979 • 30m
Grantleigh
Newly-widowed Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, rejoicing in finding herself the sole owner of Grantleigh Manor Estate, is devastated to find out she must sell the estate to pay the debts left by her late husband, Marton.
All New Together
The staff of Grantleigh Manor bid Audrey farewell with evident relief at her departure, only to find out the well kept secret of where she's moving--only a few hundred yards down the drive to the old gatekeeper's lodge, where she can still keep an eye on things and keep the new owner in his place.
Going to Church
Audrey berates Richard for failing to attend church at the Manor chapel on his first Sunday at Grantleigh, as well as lecturing him about other duties she feels he's failing to live up to as the new lord of the manor.
Nation's Heritage
Audrey is appalled at Richard's plans to remodel the Manor, including his removal of the old fireplaces, though she never especially liked them and only wants a chance to lecture him about respecting history and "put him in his place" yet again.
The Summer Hunt Ball
Richard uses psychology to trick Audrey into organizing the annual Hunt Ball at Grantleigh, then becomes so distracted by ongoing business deals that he forgets to invite her to the Ball as his guest.
Grape Vine
No longer able to afford an annual holiday to an exotic locale, Audrey pretends to leave for Spain while actually hiding inside the lodge with a sunlamp and Spanish language records.
A Touch of Class
Richard is chosen to star in a tv commercial as the quintessential English gentleman enjoying spirits at his country estate, but Audrey, who now knows Richard isn't English, reveals it to the producers and lands the starring role for herself.
The First Noel
Audrey and Richard engage in battle yet again, this time to see who can provide the best Christmas creche to the local church, Audrey with her homemade version or Richard with his commercially bought one.
Cast
Reviews
Fresh from her success in the BBC sitcom "The Good Life", Penelope Keith ("Audrey") is the lady of "Grantleigh" - a Gloucestershire stately pile she shares with husband "Martin". The first of the 22 episodes informs us that he has died, and that her world is about to be turned upside down. He squandered all the "fforbes-Hamilton" family money and she is going to have to sell up! The auction ensues and this estate, which they have managed for 400-odd years, ends up in the hands of a self-made millionaire Czech immigrant "Richard de Vere" (Peter Bowles) who made his money in supermarkets. Imagine - it's almost sacrilegious to her! Anyway, the remainder of the series' depict their constant sparring; she the superior, broke, aristocrat; he the nouveau riche upstart. Essentially a two hander, there are a couple of fun foils: "Marjorie" (Angela Thorne) her down-trodden best friend; her stoic butler "Brabinger" (John Rudling) and his mother, the wonderful Daphne Heard ("Mrs. Polouvicka") who has an old Czechoslovakian saying for every situation, and they all keep the well written comedy flowing well. It's a very British thing, this - I doubt if the humour will travel particularly well, but at the time up to 24 million of us watched their drama unfold. The combination of snobbery, pomposity and witty repartee from the pen of Peter Spence really clicks. The characters, gently stereoptyped as they are, work really well with a sophistication that endures still.
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