To the Manor Born

Ah, Grantleigh Manor, talk about 1980s nostalgia writ large. Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, fox hunting was legal, and the words “Little England” suggested nothing more than small-town life amongst the rolling pastures of Britain's idyllic countryside – exactly the subject matter, in fact, of this classic sitcom, as noted by the Daily Telegraph in a 2007 cast reunion.



I just spent the better part of 16 hours over the weekend, watching this blast from the past on You Tube. For the unacquainted, above is the very first episode from the Fall of 1979, now enjoying its 30th anniversary. You can watch part 2 here and part 3 here. The sitcom was aired on BBC for three seasons between 1979 and 1981.

To the Manor Born is a British comedy about the life of Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, a woman of some means and no small reputation. Set in the heart of the English countryside, Grantleigh Manor is the focal point of Audrey fforbes-Hamiltons life, but when her husband dies she is horrified to discover that she is bankrupt and must sell her beloved Grantleigh Manor to Richard DeVere, a London businessman. Her reduced circumstances find her moving into the Manor's lodge, where she can keep an eye on DeVere's activities at the Manor while she schemes to reclaim her ancestral home.

The aristocratically-minded Audrey fforbes Hamilton is played brilliantly by British actress, Penelope Keith.