You Rang, M'Lord

HOME

TheInfoList

Click Here for Items Related To - You Rang, M'Lord

OR:

You Rang, M'Lord on: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Amazon]

''You Rang, M'Lord?'' is a BBC television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

written by

Jimmy Perry James Perry, (20 September 1923 – 23 October 2016)Simon Morgan-Russell, "Perry, James (Jimmy) (1923–2016)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 202available online Retrieved 25 August 2020. was an Engli ...

and David Croft, the creators of ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

''. It was broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

(although there had earlier been a pilot episode in 1988). The show was set in the house of an aristocratic family in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, along the same lines as the drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. The series featured many actors who had previously appeared in earlier works by Perry and Croft, notably

Paul Shane Paul Shane (born George Frederick Speight; 19 June 1940 – 16 May 2013) was a British actor and comedian. He was known for his television work, in particular playing Ted Bovis in ''Hi-de-Hi!'', a 1980s BBC sitcom. Early life Shane was born o ...

Jeffrey Holland Jeffrey Holland may refer to: *Jeffrey Holland (actor) (born 1946), English television actor *Jeffrey R. Holland (born 1940), American educator and leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints *Jeffrey Scott Holland (born 1966), Americ ...

and

Su Pollard Susan Georgina Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is an English actress and singer. Her career has spanned over 45 years; she is most famous for her role in the sitcom '' Hi-de-Hi!''. She also appeared in ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' and '' Oh, Doctor Bee ...

, all of whom had starred in ''Hi-de-Hi!''; also featured were

Donald Hewlett Donald Marland Hewlett (30 August 1920 – 4 June 2011) was a British actor who was best known for his sitcom roles as Colonel Charles Reynolds in ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' and Lord Meldrum in '' You Rang, M'Lord?'', both written by Jimmy Perry ...

and Michael Knowles from ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', and

Bill Pertwee William Desmond Anthony Pertwee, (21 July 1926 – 27 May 2013) was a British comedy actor. He played the role of Chief ARP Warden Hodges in the sitcom '' Dad's Army''. Early life Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on 21 July 192 ...

and—occasionally— Frank Williams from ''Dad's Army''. Numerous small parts were played by other alumni of David Croft and/or Jimmy Perry shows. The memorable 1920s-style theme tune was sung by comedian

Bob Monkhouse Robert Alan Monkhouse (1 June 1928 – 29 December 2003) was an English comedian, writer and actor. He was the host of television game shows including ''The Golden Shot'', '' Celebrity Squares'', '' Family Fortunes'' and '' ''Wipeout'. Ear ...

. Episodes of ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' were fifty minutes long, rather than the usual thirty (for BBC sitcoms), and attempted to introduce a more reflective approach and more complex plotting than other Croft and Perry series. There was also less reliance on filmed location sequences.

Production

The series, like other situation comedies of its time, was filmed in front of a live studio audience.

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

said the writers were careful to ensure the sets, lighting and camerawork were of a quality associated with drama productions such as '' Upstairs, Downstairs''.Mark Lewisohn
''You Rang, M'Lord''
at the former

BBC Guide to Comedy BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

For a situation comedy, the episodes are an unconventional length (50 minutes). Croft felt this would let them develop characters and situations more thoroughly. This was supported by

Gareth Gwenlan Gareth Gwenlan (26 April 1937 – 8 May 2016) was a Welsh television producer, director and executive, best known for his work on shows such as ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', ''Butterflies'', ''To the Manor Born'', ''Only Fools and Ho ...

, head of BBC comedy.Gary Basford,
You Rang M'Lord?
' at ''perryandcroft.co.uk'' Also unconventional for a Perry/Croft series was the fact that plots directly continued from episode to episode like a

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

as opposed to being largely standalone episodes such as in ''

'' and ''

It Ain't Half Hot Mum ''It Ain't Half Hot, Mum'' is a BBC television sitcom about a Royal Artillery concert party based in Deolali in British India and the fictional village of Tin Min in Burma, during the last months of the Second World War. It was written by Jimm ...

''. This, coupled with high production values and attention to period detail, was designed to give the series the feel of a comedy drama. In writing the series, the two writers drew on research and personal accounts from the period; Jimmy Perry's grandfather had been in service as a butler and David Croft's mother, Anne Croft, had been a musical comedy star in the 1920s, giving them some ideas of life both above and below stairs. The pilot episode was meant to be recorded at the

BBC Television Centre Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...

in London, but due to a strike the sets were sparsely dressed and production was moved to the BBC Elstree Studios instead. The sets were improved for the first series. After the pilot was aired and the BBC agreed to a full series, the production team decided to remain at BBC Elstree Studios, and all four series of the show were recorded there. Exterior shots were mostly filmed in and around Diss,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, for example a disused brush factory which was used as the Union Jack Rubber Company. Other locations included the seafront at

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

, Lynford Hall and

Oxburgh Hall Oxburgh Hall is a moated country house in Oxborough, Norfolk, England. The hall was built for Sir Edmund Bedingfeld who obtained a licence to crenellate in 1482. The Bedingfelds gained the manor of Oxborough through marriage in the early 15th ...

as the bishop's palace. The First World War battle scene at the beginning of the pilot episode was built in Long Valley, the British Army's tank training ground in

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...

. The exterior of the Meldrum house is rarely seen, although the pilot featured exterior shots of an actual building, probably No. 15, Holland Villas Road, London W14, but later shootings took place at a mock-up built on the car park at BBC Elstree Studios or in Norfolk. The first two series were directed by David Croft who then handed over directing duties to Roy Gould, his production manager for many years, for series three and four. The series' opening and closing music was written by Jimmy Perry and Roy Moore and performed by a 1920s-style orchestra. The vocals were performed by

and Paul Shane.

Plot

In the pilot episode, two

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

soldiers stumble across the body of an officer while crossing no-man's land under heavy gunfire during the Battle of Amiens in 1918. Assuming the officer is dead, one soldier, Alf Stokes (

), attempts to rob the officer, much to the disgust of his comrade, James Twelvetrees (

). After it becomes apparent that the unconscious officer is not dead, the two men see their chance to escape the battle by carrying the officer to a

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

. The two soldiers are later called to see the officer,

The Honourable ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...

Teddy Meldrum ( Michael Knowles), who says he is eternally grateful for their services, and tells them he will always be in their debt. The action then moves to London in 1927, where James Twelvetrees has become the

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

in the house of Teddy's brother Lord Meldrum (

), at 12 Park Lane, Mayfair, and wants to further his position following the death of the butler. Meanwhile, Alf and his daughter, Ivy (

), have just been sacked from their jobs in a music hall (Alf took the music hall job after being dismissed for dishonesty as a butler). Alf sees his chance to apply for a job at the Meldrum's house, and after blackmailing his previous employer for references, becomes the new butler, much to the annoyance of James. Following the dismissal of a maid, after a backstairs relationship with the Honourable Teddy, Ivy is brought in by her father as the new maid (to hide the fact that she is Alf's daughter, the two decide that Ivy should use her mother's maiden name, Teasdale). The programme follows the various relationships between the upper-class and their servants, as well as Alf's scheming and James's attempts to stop him. The events depicted in the 26 episodes are time-lined though not directly following each other and are based mainly around the following threads: * Moral combat between Alf, James and Ivy, as Alf keeps developing schemes in order to achieve some fortune (and usually fails) and James and Ivy try to stop his actions *Clashes about politics between James and Alf (James is a Conservative voter whilst Alf often talks of class struggle and revolution) * Adultery triangle between Lord Meldrum, Lady Agatha (

Angela Scoular Angela Margaret Scoular (8 November 1945 – 11 April 2011) was a British actress. Early life Her father was an engineer and she was born in London. She attended St George's School, Harpenden, Queen's College, Harley Street and RADA. Career Sc ...

) and Sir Ralph (John Horsley) * James arousing romantic interest in Poppy (Susie Brann), Lady Agatha, and Ivy * Developing love affair between Alf and Mrs Lipton (

Brenda Cowling Brenda Rose Cowling (23 April 1925 – 2 October 2010) was an English actress from London. Cowling wanted to be a film actress from the time she was a child; however, upon leaving school, she trained instead as a shorthand typist. Biography Aft ...

), and between Mrs Lipton and Police Constable Wilson (

) * Efforts of Teddy to dodge the marriage with Madge Cartwright (Yvonne Marsh) * Teddy's pursuit of servant girls * Lord Meldrum's threats to deport Teddy to his rubber plantation in British Malaya; * Ivy's growing affections for James * Business rise, fall and recovery of the House of Meldrum and its most important asset, the Union Jack Rubber Company; * The unpredictable actions of Lady Lavender ( Mavis Pugh).

Characters

The Meldrum Family

*George,

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

Meldrum MC (

) – The master of the house,

Meldrum is a respected member of the aristocracy, in charge of the Union Jack Rubber Company and various other interests. Old-fashioned, with Victorian values, his reputation is nevertheless threatened by his affair with Lady Agatha, the wife of Sir Ralph Shawcross, and it is usually left to Stokes to help him cover this up. He claims to deeply love Agatha, and is left heartbroken after she breaks off their affair. Despite his considerable wealth, he pays his workers poorly, and it is hinted that he once employed slave labour in Africa. *

Edward "Teddy" Meldrum ( Michael Knowles) – Lord Meldrum's younger brother, he had been conscripted as a Captain into the British Army in 1915 and had served in the Infantry on the Western Front, where he was badly injured by a shell and carried back to the field hospital by Stokes and Twelvetrees. By 1927 the Honourable Teddy is still unmarried and living in his brother's house. The stereotypical upper-class twit, he has had relationships with five previous housemaids and has fathered children by them all: he cannot resist their "shiny, scrubbed faces" and scent of carbolic soap. He is being forced by his brother to marry Madge Cartwright, the heiress to a soap dynasty, although he is more interested in her maid, Rose. *Cecily "Cissy" Meldrum (

Catherine Rabett Catherine Rabett (born 20 July 1960), sometimes known as Katie Rabett, is a British actress. She played Cecily "Cissy" Meldrum in the BBC sitcom '' You Rang, M'Lord?'' (1988–1993). She was a member of Hot Gossip, Arlene Phillips's groundbr ...

) – Cissy is Lord Meldrum's elder daughter. Although attractive, she dresses in a masculine style, takes part in men's sports and activities, such as flying (she is a qualified pilot), and her feminine "chum" Penelope ( Sorel Johnson) is a frequent house guest. Thus, although never explicitly stated, there are many suggestions that Cissy is a lesbian, the many clues to which are not entirely obvious to her father.
You Rang M'Lord?
', Jeffrey Holland official website Cissy is a pleasant character, who shows genuine concern for the family and servants alike, often giving away feminine items such as dresses and make-up to Ivy (whom she shows an attraction to in early episodes, frequently winking at her). She often socialises with her younger sister Poppy, but the two regularly bicker because of their differing attitudes. She proclaims herself a socialist and stands as a candidate for the United Workers Party, winning a seat on the council through Stokes's machinations. *Poppy Meldrum (Susie Brann) – Poppy is Lord Meldrum's younger daughter and is a spoiled and unpleasant character who attends 'wild' parties with her friend, Jerry ( John D. Collins). She is quite a snob about her position in society, often ready to remind those lower of her position, although at other times she confesses to feeling trapped by her class. Throughout the series, she is attracted to the footman, James Twelvetrees, whom she delights in leading on, despite being aware of the problems it could cause for him. She has an on-off relationship with Jerry, who she abandons when she meets Dickie Metcalf, who is in fact a confidence trickster and is after her money. *Lady Lavender Southwick ( Mavis Pugh) – Lady Lavender is Lord Meldrum's mother-in-law and she resides with her parrot, Captain, in the second bedroom of the house. She is very wealthy and has interests in many businesses including a large number of shares in the Union Jack Rubber Company. Lavender was born into an aristocratic family in the early 1850s. We are given to understand that she led a somewhat promiscuous youth, having many affairs, including with Boris the Crown Prince (later King) of Dalmatia (

Davy Kaye Davy Kaye MBE (born David Kodeish, 25 March 1916 – 3 February 1998) was a British comedy actor and entertainer. Early life Born in Mile End Road in the East End of London to Jewish parents Koppel and Dora Kodeish, Kaye was so small at birth t ...

). She then became involved with a young army officer called Captain Cedric Dolby (

Maurice Denham William Maurice Denham OBE (23 December 1909 – 24 July 2002) was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 films and television programmes in his long career. Family Denham was born on 23 December 1909 in Beckenham, Kent, the son ...

); the two later became engaged, but separated shortly before he was sent off to fight in the Zulu War. After the death of her husband, Lord Southwick, Lady Lavender moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, becoming increasingly reclusive and senile, and enjoyed throwing plates of food at Ivy, the maid. She calls the servants by alternative names of her choosing (calling Ivy 'Ethel', Henry 'Steven' and Stokes 'Capes'). She has no idea who Teddy is (when he explains he is "George's brother" she comments she has a son-in-law with that name).

Servants

*Alf Stokes (

) '' Butler'' – Alf Stokes is the scheming Butler. He is Ivy's father and is still married to Ivy's mother, despite their separation. Alf was a Private in the British Army on the Western Front, along with James Twelvetrees. After coming across the Honourable Teddy unconscious in a shell hole, Alf, believing him to be dead, attempted to mug him, much to James' disgust. After realising Teddy was alive, Alf decided to carry the injured Teddy back to the field hospital as a way of saving his own life. This act secures him the job as Butler nine years later at Lord Meldrum's house, after he is forced to return to service following a failed career in showbiz after the war. Throughout the series, Alf devises a number of schemes to scam Lord Meldrum of his money and possessions, although these usually fail. This dishonest aspect of his character was often an asset to Lord Meldrum; on a number of occasions Alf was required to create diversions for Sir Ralph. Alf despises the Meldrum family due to their wealth and high position, although he has genuine respect for Cissy due to her empathy for the working class. Alf also has a relationship with Mrs Lipton through the series, although it is revealed he did this just to borrow money from her. *James Twelvetrees (

) ''

Footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

'' – James Twelvetrees is the pompous Footman; the complete opposite of Alf Stokes – stern, upright and honest. His act of helping Alf carry the injured Honourable Teddy to the field hospital during the war also secured him his job in the Meldrum household, although he would never admit this to the other servants. He is not always a likeable character, usually siding with his masters instead of his own class and was often quite unpleasant to the other servants and those he considered lower than him, particularly Mabel and Henry. He is also shown to have his own foibles, such as his infatuation with Miss Poppy, a relationship which left him contemplating resignation at times. He is desired by many of the upper class ladies he served and downstairs by Ivy; this was not reciprocated, although he did show a platonic fondness for her. He aspires to replace Stokes as butler. *Ivy Stokes/Teasdale (

) '' Maid'' – Ivy is the well-meaning but rather naive maid, the daughter of Alf. Her father secured her the job as maid after he was appointed as Butler by forging her references. Her familial relationship with Alf is largely a secret, but she is forced to tell Henry when he spots the two alone in her bedroom, and later tells James when she needs his help to get Alf out of trouble. Despite her honesty, she is often persuaded to take part in her father's schemes. Earlier in the series, she has to avoid the advances of the Honourable Teddy, although this ceases after series 1. (By season 2 Teddy has started pursuing a relationship with a servant girl called Rose and apologises to Ivy). She is passionately in love with James Twelvetrees, who does not reciprocate her affection. *Mrs Blanche Lipton (

) ''

Cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

'' – Blanche Lipton had joined the Meldrum household as a young housemaid in her teens and had gradually risen through the ranks to become cook. Her culinary skills are legendary on the street; she is rarely seen out of the kitchen. While usually a kindly woman who shows sympathy for her betters and equals, at other times she is particularly scathing towards those she considers lower, such as Henry and Mabel. Throughout the series she has a relationship with Alf; at one point the two are engaged. When she discovers that Alf was faking the relationship just to borrow money from her, she snaps and throws all the dinner plates and crockery at him. After this incident, Blanche then shifts her affections to Constable Wilson. *Henry Livingstone (

Perry Benson Perry Benson (born 9 April 1961) is a British character actor best known for his regular roles in British television sitcoms ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' (1988–1993), '' Oh, Doctor Beeching!'' (1995–1997) and ''Operation Good Guys'' (1997–2000). ...

) ''

Bootboy The suedehead subculture was an early-1970s offshoot of skinhead subculture in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Although sharing similarities to 1960s skinheads, suedeheads grew their hair longer and dressed more formally. Although often working cl ...

'' – Henry was abandoned as a child in a basket on the steps of the Livingston Road Orphanage, in which institution he remained until the age of 14, when he was taken into the Meldrum house as bootboy. Although the second-lowest ranking servant in the house, Henry is often the most insightful character, something which usually gets him into trouble; for not conforming to the expected etiquette and making inappropriate comments, he is usually soundly clipped about the ear. He is a good friend of Ivy, and it is often suggested that he would like a relationship with her. *Mabel Wheeler (

Barbara New Barbara Helene Barrington (9 May 1923 – 24 May 2010) better known by her stage and birth maiden name Barbara New was an English character actress, well known for playing Mabel the scullery maid in the David Croft sitcom '' You Rang M'Lord?''. ...

) ''

Charwoman A charwoman (also chargirl, charlady or char) is an old-fashioned occupational term, referring to a paid part-time worker who comes into a house or other building to clean it for a few hours of a day or week, as opposed to a maid, who usually ...

'' – Mabel is the lowest-ranking servant in the Meldrum household. She does not live at the Meldrum house and resides with her unemployed husband in a poor part of London. She is regarded by some of the others as an outsider, James and Mrs Lipton in particular. Because of her low rank and social status, she is not allowed to have meals with the other servants, and is usually given some scraps to take home, which gave rise to her catchphrases "That'll be nice(!)" and "I can't remember the last time I had a...".

Other Characters - Regular

*Constable Wilson (

) – Police Constable Wilson is the local

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

, although he rarely appears to be doing his duty. Instead he dines nightly with the servants, as was apparently the custom because the police would then overlook any indiscretion made by the family. He is generally ineffective as a policeman, although he becomes something of a wine connoisseur, due to his nightly selection from Lord Meldrum's cellar.

Other Characters - Recurring

*Sir Ralph Shawcross ( John Horsley) – Sir Ralph is another wealthy member of London society, with two residences; a London house and a country residence. He is married to Lady Agatha (her third husband) and is initially suspicious of Lord Meldrum's relationship with his wife, but eventually comes to regard him as a friend after he is led to believe that Meldrum is impotent and therefore not a threat. When the truth is revealed, he seeks revenge on Meldrum. *Lady Agatha Shawcross (

) – Lady Agatha is the wife of Sir Ralph and is also Lord Meldrum's mistress. She conducts her affair with Lord Meldrum even when her husband is present in the house by secretly giving him sleeping pills. She had previously been assistant matron at Eton but had been sacked following an incident with a number of students. She had two previous husbands before she married Sir Ralph, but also had plenty of lovers, whom she entertains at her mews apartment. *Madge Cartwright (Yvonne Marsh) – The sole heiress to the Cartwright Soap business empire, she resides in a luxury flat in Mayfair and is a regular visitor to the house. She is a longtime admirer of Teddy, and the two become engaged. She does not realise that Teddy secretly despises her and is instead infatuated with her maid, Rose (Amanda Bellamy). *Charles, the Lord Bishop ( Frank Williams) – Charles is the Lord Bishop, and a close friend of the family. He is a frequent visitor at the Meldrum house, often accompanied by his young chaplain, Robin (Robbie Barnett).

Other characters

As with the main cast, a number of other characters were played by actors who have appeared in Perry/Croft series, including

Felix Bowness Felix Hervè Talbot Bowness (30 March 1922 – 13 September 2009) was a British comedy actor who was best remembered for his portrayal of the jockey Fred Quilley in the BBC sitcom ''Hi-de-Hi!.'' Biography Born in the village of Harwell, ...

Kenneth Connor Kenneth Connor, (6 June 1918 – 28 November 1993) was a British stage, film and broadcasting actor, who rose to national prominence with his appearances in the ''Carry On'' films. Early life Connor was born in Highbury, Islington, London ...

Stuart McGugan Stuart McGugan (born 2 March 1944) is a Scottish actor. He played the roles of Gunner 'Atlas' Mackintosh in the BBC sitcom ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' and Bomba MacAteer in ''Tutti Frutti''. McGugan was a presenter on BBC's '' Play School'' f ...

, John D. Collins and Ivor Roberts.

Episodes

Reception and release

The series was not initially well received by the critics, and is less well-known than other Croft sitcoms, such as ''

'', ''

Hi-de-Hi! ''Hi-de-Hi!'' is a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988. Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote '' Dad's Army'' an ...

'', ''

'Allo 'Allo! ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a Fre ...

'' and ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...

'' (the latter two of these were co-written by Croft with

Jeremy Lloyd John Jeremy Lloyd, OBE (22 July 1930 – 23 December 2014) was an English writer, screenwriter, author, poet and actor. He was the co-writer of several successful British sitcoms, including ''Are You Being Served?'' and Allo 'Allo!''. Ear ...

). Reviewing the series ten years later, Mark Lewisohn notes that unlike previous Croft/Perry series, the lead characters were not "loveable", stating:

...in fact, Alf was quite menacing and James was just too snobbish and unbending a character to generate a response from the audience. This combination of production values and darker characterisation seemed to work against the series, and the normally loud and broad humour of such ensemble romps was uncomfortable in the surroundings. While far from a ratings disaster, it nonetheless failed to attract the level of audiences normally reached by Perry and Croft.

Simon Morgan-Russell, Professor of English at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

is more complimentary, noting that "Unlike other Perry and Croft sitcoms, You Rang, M'Lord? has a distinct serial structure, though it is also the most stable example of their work in terms of maintaining the original situational concept and the cast".Simon Morgan-Russell, ''Jimmy Perry and David Croft'' (Manchester University Press, 2004), 128 He goes on to compliment the series' examination of class, sexuality and gender issues,Morgan-Russell, 145-6 as well as the heritage cinema-inspired period detail of the piece, particularly in its location filming. The series was the first British sitcom to feature a recurring lesbian character, in Cissy Meldrum. The character has generated mixed reactions. Anthony Joseph Paul Cortese's ''Opposing Hate Speech'' suggests that Cissy is "the archetypal stereotype for a lesbian...

sing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

..non-flattering stereotypes". Alison Darren's ''Lesbian Film Guide'' is much more positive, stating "''You Rang, M'Lord?'' gave us the wonderful Cissy (...replete with monacle and a series of beautifully tailored suits)." She goes on to note the character's "championing of the workers" suggesting that throughout her character "behaved with integrity and style." The BBC Comedy Guide criticises the show: "for most of their career Perry and Croft had turned clichés on their heads and created characters that went beyond normal. The research and interest they showed in the 20s setting and 'getting it right' in You Rang... seems to have made them forget to put many laughs in." ''You Rang, M'Lord?'' has rarely been repeated on television, which Croft believed was probably due to its unusual length, which does not suit current broadcasting slots (his other series such as ''Dad's Army'' and ''Allo, 'Allo'' are 30 minutes in duration). However, all four series have been released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

, both individually and as a box set. The show acquired a following in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

where a version dubbed into Hungarian was broadcast following the

fall of Communism The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Nat ...

in the country. A fan club has nearly 23,000 followers and in 2018, a celebratory banquet was held in Budapest attended by actors Jeffrey Holland, Michael Knowles, Catherine Rabett, Susie Brann and Amanda Bellamy to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the pilot episode. The show started a complete re-run on 3 April 2018 on

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through ...

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

channel in the afternoon Comedy Slot, and also shortly thereafter on

GOLD Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

.
You Rang M'Lord?
', Su Pollard official website In addition, all four series are available individually along with a box set of the complete collection as digital downloads from the iTunes Store.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:You Rang, M'lord? BBC television sitcoms Television series created by Jimmy Perry David Croft sitcoms Television series set in the 1920s Fiction set in 1927 1988 British television series debuts 1993 British television series endings 1980s British sitcoms 1990s British sitcoms English-language television shows Television shows set in London Television shows shot at BBC Elstree Centre