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.
Beaverbrook,
ReplyDeleteWe must be the only two people in Canada who've watched this series since! One of those minor BBC classics that often gets overlooked.
You're right Kipling, I don't know anyone personally that I can share those memories with, since I took a liking to it more than anyone in my family. But it's been years since I last saw it, so imagine my surprise when I came across it on You Tube. Potently potently nostalgic, never thought I'd ever say that about the 1980s, but there it is...Yes Minister, Fawlty Towers and To the Manor Born make me crave for that time again.
ReplyDeleteFunny though I never quite feel that way when Trudeau flashes before the screen, even with his triumphant, "Well welcome to the 1980s".
I never thought you'd say that about the 1980s, Sir Beaverbrook. The 1880s, yes, but never the 1980s, hehehehe.
ReplyDeleteThe 1980s were the time of glam rock & roll, mullets and ripped jeans. Not to mention those bloody punks polluting the gutters! Or was that the 1990s? Either way, I'd never feel nostalgic about such times.
But hey, to each his own, eh?
Been rerun many times in Australia, still pops up on cable.
ReplyDeleteKeith was made OBE and was a Lord-Lieutenant, or somesuch, I think.
Bowles used to live next door to my uncle in Hammersmith (W6) in the seventies.
Well Gladstone, nostalgia is nostalgia. For me and Beaverbrook. I actually watched the series many years later on PBS. Still it recalls the era. When the earth was new and so forth... Seems Like Yesterday.
ReplyDeleteThis is fun, indeed. However, I wish somebody would write a post about the new Supreme Court?
ReplyDeleteI remember To the Manor Born--just old enough to have caught it. Wonderful.
ReplyDelete