To the Manor Born (TV Series 1979–1981) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De ... See full summary » Creator: Whilst Richard's position at Cavendish Foods is saved he still needs money to keep going after buying the Argentinian plant and feels that his only alternative is to sell the manor. Audrey, on the ... 8.2 When the stockholders of Richards company threaten to throw him off the board for being an upstart foreigner, Audrey calls upon her upper crust family connections to come to the rescue.

8.2 When Audrey sees Richard throw out an Adam fireplace,which he considers ugly,she lectures him on the need to preserve the nation's heritage,as well as mentioning that her mantelpiece is very small. ... 7.9 a list of 30 titles created 12 Jun 2011 a list of 23 titles created 23 Jan 2012 a list of 25 titles created 26 Jan 2012 a list of 30 titles created 13 Feb 2012 a list of 30 titles created 15 Jul 2012 Title: To the Manor Born (1979–1981) 7.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The perils of "escaping the rat race" and dropping out of society - to start a farm in Surbiton (and to drive Margo nuts). Stars: Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith Ria, a happily married suburban housewife, reaches the age where she feels as if life is passing her by.

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See full summary » Stars: Jean Boht, Nick Conway, Jonathon Morris The Korean War and a long lost letter separate the lives of young lovers Jean and Lionel, whose paths cross again by happenstance. Stars: Judi Dench, Geoffrey Palmer, Moira Brooker BBC Television comedy detailing the fortunes of Reginald Iolanthe Perrin. Disillusioned after a long career at Sunshine Desserts, Perrin goes through a mid-life crisis and fakes his own ... See full summary » Stars: Leonard Rossiter, Pauline Yates, John Barron Edit Storyline Audrey fforbes-Hamilton is sad when her husband dies but is shocked when she realises that she has to leave Grantleigh Manor where her family has lived forever. The new owner is Richard De Vere, owner of a major supermarket chain. Audrey makes sure she's on hand to keep an eye on him by buying The Old Lodge on the edge of the Manor grounds. As time goes by both Richard and Audrey realises that they are falling for each other but both are too shy to do anything about it. Meanwhile, Mrs.

Polouvicka, Richard's mother (he changed his name to help him in his business.) knows the situation between Richard and Audrey and is determined to see that Richard does the right thing. Audrey's friend Marjory Frobisher and butler Brabinger are on hand to help out if necessary. Written by Lee Horton <Leeh@tcp.co.uk> Amazon.com: To the Manor Born - The Complete Series: Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles, Gareth Gwenlan: Movies & TV Product Description Amazon.com To the Manor Born is another BBC sitcom from the genre's golden age, one that came to dominate the ratings during its initial three-season run from 1979-80. Providing Penelope Keith with her first major role after The Good Life, the show focuses on a way of life that now appears hard to comprehend, with storylines concerning hunt balls, village committees, and eccentric brigadiers only adding to the dated feel. What provided the program's key interest, however, was not the terribly quaint Little England setting but the burgeoning relationship between Keith's Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard De Vere (Peter Bowles), the new owner of Audrey's old home, Grantleigh Manor.

It's all very, very English (the show is set in a village called Cricket St. Thomas) and the continuing use of farce almost creates a sense of parody. But look beyond the infuriating stereotypes and there is some sharp writing going on, predating the city vs countryside debate by nearly two decades. Penelope Keith is, as ever, fantastic value and while new viewers may simply not get the joke, those looking for a spot of nostalgia could do far worse. --Phil Udell Special Features Featurette: Funny Turns- Penelope Keith Other: 4 never-filmed radio scripts. Featurette: Funny Turns- Penelope Keith Other: 4 never-filmed radio scripts. Featurette: Funny Turns- Penelope Keith Other: 4 never-filmed radio scripts. Featurette: Funny Turns- Penelope Keith Other: 4 never-filmed radio scripts. Featurette: Funny Turns- Penelope Keith Other: 4 never-filmed radio scripts. Product Details To The Manor Born characters - British Comedy Guide Audrey fforbes-Hamilton AKA: Audrey DeVere.

Played by: Penelope Keith Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, descendant of a family with 400 years history of ownership of Grantleigh Estate, is best described as a law unto herself. Stubborn, opinionated and an utter snob, she considers herself as superior to just about everybody (unless they have a title). She is used to having her own way and is not above resorting to duplicity in order to get it. Much of her time is spent finding out exactly what Richard is up to and invariably finding fault with whatever he does. When she considers him to have overstepped the mark by deviating from tradition or simply doing something she doesn't agree with, she instantly takes him to task. Quite ferociously too: it's doubtful whether there's a more effective herald of doom than the words 'I hear.' Little things like Richard being the owner of the estate and therefore entitled to do what he likes with it don't weigh with her for a moment; he's not a fforbes-Hamilton, so how can he possibly run their ancestral home properly? Audrey quite quickly becomes more attached to Richard than she would have anyone (including herself) believe and this causes her to show a much more human side at times.

She also has genuine affection for his mother, perhaps surprisingly, as Mrs Polouvicka is far more 'foreign' in her behaviour than Richard - he could pass for English easily whereas she certainly couldn't. But then Audrey's hardly a consistent person: she can express the opinion that 'privacy is very important' whilst gazing intently through binoculars into the window of Richard's study. Richard DeVere AKA: Bedrich Polouvicki. Played by: Peter Bowles Richard DeVere was born Bedrich Polouvicki, son of a Czechoslovakian mother and Polish father. He came to England with his mother in 1939 and began his company, Cavendish Foods. He is proud of his background; his name change was just to be "more upmarket".

Charming in manner (he has a decided "twinkle in his eye when he looks at one"), handsome in appearance, Richard is not at all the villain Audrey is resolved to think him but simply a successful man determined to "crack the class system." He is unfailingly polite to Audrey despite the ample provocation to lose his temper (when she gets the better of him he is usually more amused than anything else), and is in fact adept at managing her. He is well able to put her in her place and can be just as devious as she can: on several occasions he tricks her into doing precisely what he wants, sometimes still keeping her under the impression that she's doing what she wants. He is clearly attracted to her very early on in the series but this doesn't mean that he goes out of his way to please her; he is a stubborn person himself and just as fond of his own way. Marjory Frobisher Played by: Angela Thorne Marjory is Audrey's close friend; they were at school together and have always lived near each other. She is good-natured, easygoing, sentimental and a bit of a nut! Generally supportive of Audrey, she does sometimes protest against her more outrageous comments or schemes.

She never refuses to participate in Audrey's plans though: her ever-ready sense of humour carries her cheerfully through most situations and it is very rare for the two of them to have a serious argument. In many ways Marjory is still a schoolgirl at heart; it shows in her conversation and even the way she sits in a chair. She throws herself whole-heartedly into whatever she does and her activities - from producing the WI play to protecting the environment - are carried out with enthusiasm. She is good at making the best of things and tries to get Audrey to do the same: usually failing, but she never gives up! Marjory has a decided weakness for a handsome man and is quite unable to resist Richard's charms; she has a crush on him from the minute he appears and special attention from him never fails to elicit a dreamy "oh gosh!" from her. However, she is very generous and quite ready to encourage Audrey's romance with Richard. The Rector Played by: Gerald Sim The Rector of Grantleigh is delighted when Audrey loses the Manor; he's only sorry she doesn't leave the neighbourhood altogether.

His deferential manner and sympathetic smile can't quite hide his insincerity and there's a slipperiness about him that rarely goes away. The Rector is persistent in the collection of money for innumerable charities and is fond of quoting scriptures: usually at an inappropriate moment. Brabinger Butler. Played by: John Rudling Brabinger is Audrey's butler. He has been with the fforbes-Hamilton family for years: he remembers Audrey's grandparents and apparently first came to the Manor as a 'lamp boy'. He is very proper although he is not above making a mild joke or two. His genuine affection for Audrey and loyalty to her family induces him to accompany her to the Lodge, where he helps her keep up the standards of behaviour suited to an aristocrat. Mrs. Polouvicka AKA: Maria Polouvicka. Played by: Daphne Heard Mrs Maria Polouvicka, or Mrs Poo as she is affectionately known (the nickname began when Audrey couldn't pronounce Polouvicka properly), is Richard's sweet and dotty mother. She has an unaccountable dislike of foreigners, which she expresses in the most foreign accent you ever heard.

Perhaps it's because she views herself and her son as being British - "we have been neutralised!" she says to Audrey. Meaning 'naturalised', of course, but that's a typical Mrs Poo mistake. About half Richard's size, she is still occasionally prone to treat him as her little Bedrich: demanding whether he has his woolly vest on before venturing outside, and making him wind wool for her knitting are good examples. She is anxious to promote a match between him and Audrey, her efforts towards this varying from broad hints about the proper age to be married ("about forty-five, forty-six" apparently), to outright commands that "it is time you got married." She is also determined to throw them together at every opportunity and never gives up hoping that something will come of it. Mrs Poo is famous for her Czechoslovakian sayings: "he who sits on the highest pinnacle still sits on his own backside," and "the cat who eats from the dog's bowl gets her whiskers bitten off," to name a couple. She seems to view them as clinchers to every argument; it certainly makes whoever she is talking to forget what they were saying to ask what on earth she means!

To The Manor Born: The Complete Series (DVD 1979) | DVD Empire Night Gallery: The Complete First Season To The Manor Born: The Complete Series Follow the hilarious misadventures of the uppercrust but impoverished Audrey Forbes-Hamilton (Penelope Keith), once Lady of Grantley Manor, and Richard Devere, the mysterious "common" millionaire who buys her ancestral Estate. Disc One - Season One: Episodes 1 thru 6 Newly widowed Audrey is to auction Grantleigh when she finds out that her husband was bankrupt. Moving into the nearby Lodge, she and friend Marjory Frobisher are mortified when the dashing DeVere turns out to be "a Czech grocer" intent on running his Empire from the Manor. Disc Two - Season Two: Episodes 7 thru 13 Hilarity abounds in this second season of episodes as Richard imposes new efficiency standards upon farm management and stirs protest in the community with his modernizing methods, much to Audrey's chagrin.

Disc Three - Season Three: Episodes 14 thru 20 In this final season of episodes, the flirtatious rivalry abounds between our revered aristocrats but as fate takes an unexpected twist will this most mismatched of mismatched couples finally put an end to their rivalry and give us the ending we all wish for? Disc Four - Special Features "To the Manor Born" Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 8:34 AM, PST NEWS trailers and videos full cast and crew trivia official sites memorable quotes Overview 26 out of 28 people found the following review useful: One of the Really Great Series.... from New Jersey, USA 6 April 2000 I'm usually not a sucker for formula shows like this. They chase, they chase, but they never get together. The comedy and chemistry of Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles overcomes my initial reluctance to shows of this sort. In short, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT... It's worth watching the series in its entirety just to have their history in your memory banks so you can enjoy the final episode of the show. It paints a lovely picture. The show ended complete.

There was no more to be said. A truly classy ending to a truly classy show and cast.... Was the above review useful to you? 22 out of 23 people found the following review useful: For a nation of romantics... from Wales, UK 1 January 2004 To the Manor Born is a classic and unmistakably English sit-com, with all the wit and intelligence you'd expect of good old British humour. Penelope Keith does what she does best, in sheer style, portraying Audrey Fforbes-Hamiltion (NEVER Audrey F-H), a recently widowed and infinitely upper class traditionalist, whose steely determination makes her attitudes very difficult to change. That is, until the self-made millionaire and grocery shop extraordinary (not to mention foreign) Richard De Vere assumes residence of the stately home in which Audrey has resided (as the title suggests) since birth, after she is forced to sell her pride and joy. Unsurprisingly, Audrey takes an instant dislike to this social upstart, an instinct which appears mutual, as Richard is driven to distraction by his predecessor's constant putdowns (which are in a league of their own) and persistent interference in his running of her beloved Grantleigh Estate.

However, Richard's dear mother, Mrs Poo has other ideas about the pair, and resolves to bring her son around to her way of thinking. Although from the word go you know this initial 'hate' relationship is going to end in the discovery of true love, and you may be thinking 'change the record', but theres just this incredible 'Je ne sais quoi' about these two characters, when they are together, that is just so captivating. For those of you who still remain unconvinced, its well worth watching for Audrey's rather unorthodox suggestion at the end. Was the above review useful to you? 20 out of 21 people found the following review useful: A Splendid British Comedy! from New York City 27 August 2003 I remembered watching a few episodes of this show in the 1980s on PBS Channel 13. It was the first time I was exposed to a British comedy and I thought it was rather quaint and sweet. I always regretted that I never watched the whole series. Well, to my joy, I found this show at my local library!

My husband and I watched the whole show and we were both extremely amused by Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard DeVere. The comedy is very sophisticated. This kind of show appeals to intelligent people. There is nothing risque or low brow about this show. The actors all had wonderful comic timing and the episodes and dialogue extremely well-written. There was a nice sexual tension between the main characters but nothing overt or vulgar. This show leads up to a delicious ending that had me cheering and wishing the show will continue! I am very satisfied how this show ended. It was just too wonderful! One thing I want to add, Peter Bowles, as well as a very funny actor in an understated way, is extremely good looking and debonair on this show. I still remembered the fashions from the 1970s and I thought they were awful, too many polyester suits! Well, on this show, the clothing represents the best of 1970s fashion. Peter Bowles cuts quite a wonderful, handsome figure in his 1970s suits and I was surprised at how well velvet looks on him! Was the above review useful to you?

17 out of 18 people found the following review useful: The British Satire of All Time; Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles are Classic Author: silverscreen888 9 October 2007 Between 1979 and 1981, 21 episodes of this unforgettable British series were produced. For whatever quality one chooses to stress, no half-hour satirical comedy ever made has ever, by my lights, come near equaling it. The writers cleverly located the principals on a spacious and fine 400 year-old English estate belonging to the very noblesse oblige upper-class Audrey fforbes-Hamilton. Her husband has just expired; it having been a marriage of convenience, she is pleased to be free; pleased, that is, until she is unable to collect quite enough money to outbid a new owner who comes into possession of her property. He is Richard de Vere, a transplanted Czech with a delightful and exasperating mother, and the position as chief executive of the conglomerate Cavendish Foods.

Not to be turned off her ancestral property by a "grocer", Audrey purchases the Manor's lodge; and from this vantage point, she begins advising de Vere on what he must, must not, should have done, should not, and needs to consider doing and not doing. The merry war between the two is a classic one; and the gradual realization by both that they are two halves of a coin of great potential happiness takes an entire season to be grasped. Every episode advances one or the other's training, or both--his in what it take to deserve and preserve such a great manor, she in why she needs him so that together they can do what she cannot possibly do alone. As Audrey, Penelope Keith proves herself the best British comedic actress of the century, once again. Playing off her dynamic, lovely, funny and extraordinarily intelligent performance is no easy task; fortunately, the producer, Gareth Gwenan, assigned the role to very talented Peter Bowles, who comes close to holding his own against her formidable character.

The small lodge, set against the great manor, and the manor against an increasingly vulgarized and irresponsible English citizenry with a history of far more taste are both used to set off Audrey's attempts, enforced or not, to learn how to cope with ordinary details formerly handled by servants and Richard's attempts to learn to be thoroughly Enlgish while striving for a modernity he only half understands at best. Also featured in the able cast are Angela Thorne as Audrey's friend and rival Marjorie, Daphne Heard as Mrs. Poulouvika the Mother, Gerald Sim as the bemused Rector, Michael Bilton as the lazy but lovable servant Old Ned, John Rudling as Brabinger the splendid butler who goes with her to serve Audrey, and Anthony Sharp as the womanizing old Brigadier. Many others in the town are also featured now and again, along with guest stars such as Bill Travers and Rula Lenska, and assorted class types from the corporation, the British old boy network, and the government. This is biting satire about two persons who are self-assertive, ethical and capable of being insulted, touched, advised, mistaken, friendly, impatient, angry and loving.

Peter Spence and Christopher Bond are assigned credit for having produced such memorable plot ideas as a trip to Spain that is never taken, beekeeping on a budget, why hedgerows are necessary, the danger of old school friends who have lost weight, how to save a doomed railway station, shopping as a learned skill, how not to attend a formal dance, milking a back injury for fun and profit, and exampling the nastiness of snobbish upper class types who are as stuck in Feudal attitudes as are the series' government types corporate flunkies and resentful neighbors. The allegory and leads here are so perfect, by my standards, I never expect to see anything of this satirical quality ever done again in my lifetime. Rent the series, view it in order. I suggest there is not a less-than-memorable episode in the entire period from the leads' first meeting to their unorthodox decision to form a partnership called "marriage". I suggest that anyone who cannot appreciate the superiority of this series probably deserves not to do so. It is not another god British comedic series--it is THE British comedic series of all time. Was the above review useful to you?

12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: Aristocrats in the poor house from Australia 7 December 1998 This likable series followed hot on the heels of Penelope Keith's success in 'The Good Life'. In 'The Good Life', Penelope played the thoroughly snobbish Margot Ledbetter and it is possible to see that 'To the Manor Born' was a somewhat carry on from that. In this series, made for the BBC from 1979 to 1981, Penelope plays Audrey Fforbes-Hamilton, a member of aristocracy, (and boy, doesn't she know it) and one of the 'old girls' with the very proper up-bringing. When her husband dies, Audrey discovers she is in serious debt and must sell the house, Grantley Manor. The Estate is bought by Mr Richard DeVere, a Czechoslovak immigrant who has established a very successful chain of supermarkets called 'Cavendish Foods'. Audrey moves into the Gate-Keepers lodge and continues to live the aristocratic life. The show is a gentle dig at English aristocratic life and those who are members of it and those who are trying to.

The show is also dominated by the 'will-they-or-won't-they' relationship between Audrey and Richard (played by Peter Bowles). One of the many likeable British comedy series. Was the above review useful to you? 10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Some are born great, others achieve greatness... 12 December 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** 'To the Manor Born' is one of the better Brit-coms, witty and intelligent without being over-the-top or inaccessible. It has an oh-so-British tone to it, deliberately so, as it looks with grace and humour at the clash of cultures in modern Britain, the clash between tradition and modernity (finding out that neither is always what it seems), as well as the clash between social classes. All of this is done in such a light-hearted manor, er, manner, that one scarcely realises the biting and insightful satire that runs alongside the comedic situations. The series begins as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, a straight-backed, upper-crust woman of breeding who revels in her situation, is celebrating the funeral of her husband (yes, celebrating).

Meanwhile, Richard Devere, wealthy (read, nouveau riche) financial officer heading a multinational conglomerate of food stores, arrives in the village in search of a classic gentleman's period home in the English countryside. As Audrey's husband was not one to keep up with the bills, she discovers that she is in fact bankrupt, and is forced to sell the manor. Richard Devere buys it at auction; Audrey is a surprising twist retains the estate's hunting lodge down the road, and the stage is set for the tensions between new homeowner and historical lady of the manor. Supplementing the main characters are Audrey's best friend Marjorie, who variously has designs on Richard Devere, but these are almost always thwarted; Richard's mother, Mrs. Pu (Poluviska, actually, but the name is reduced for ease by Audrey); Ned, the traditional grounds-keeper who helps keep the traditions alive with Audrey; and finally, Brabinger, the quintessential English butler, who relocates to the old lodge with his mistress Audrey, and always has a few surprises up his sleeve. There are twenty-one episodes in all, filmed and broadcast over a two-year period in 1979-1981.

These run from the start of Audrey's losing the manor through to her regaining the manor, along with the hand of Richard in marriage, but not by the means often expected throughout the series. Throughout the episodes, Audrey is constantly introduced to 'ordinary life', from having to rely on the National Health for her doctor rather than private-pay, personal service, to having difficulties in shopping in supermarkets (Devere's, as it turns out) and not being able to entertain as she once did, or go on holiday (this makes for perhaps the best episode of the lot, save for the first and final episodes). Meanwhile, Devere gets lessons in being lord of the manor by the ever-present Audrey, who counsels him on everything from horse-purchasing to community responsibilities. Despite his wealth, Audrey says, 'he is still at the bottom of it all a grocer.' This is a biting commentary -- the upper-class disdain for the working class is an undercurrent here, and the entitled/en-nobled folk in Parliament used to insult both Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher, who were both children of shopkeepers, by using the term 'grocer' to describe them.

From the threadbare carpets to the when-we-were-in-India knick-knacks to the church clock that never worked properly, this is a wonderfully crafted comedy trip through a slice of British culture that is both past and future. These are not 'issues' episodes -- 'To the Manor Born' educates by stealth. One might be completely unaware of having been taught ways of acting and being. Grantley Manor is a perfect backdrop (shot in a town with the very English-sounding name of Cricket St. Thomas), and the actors are perfectly selected. Penelope Keith as Audrey fforbes-Hamilton has the kind of mannerisms and deadpan delivery befitting a displaced socialite; Peter Bowles has the blustering presence as a self-assured businessman flustered in his new environment. Old Ned (played by Michael Bilton) and Brabinger (John Rudling) are perfected cast in both physical type and acting ability. Angela Thorne as Marjorie Frobisher, the life-long friend of Audrey, always in her shadow, is great as the 'straight man' against whom Audrey's humour unfolds. Was the above review useful to you?

11 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Super British Sit-Com! from Brooklyn, NY. (Where I'm from originally.) 8 February 2001 When I first watched To The Manor Born one Friday night on my local PBS afilliate, I was immediately hooked from the start! In this British sit-com, Penelope Keith plays Audrey Forbes-Hamilton a charismatic and independent widow who might have to leave her stately manor that her family had lived in for years only to find out it's now being owned by Richard Devere (Peter Bowles) an owner of a supermarket chain, and not to mention a widower. I enjoy all the other characters in this like The Rector, and I haven't seen an episode I didn't like! I really enjoy watching Audrey's and Richard's relationship develop. They're like the Emma Peel and John Steed of the show, in the fact that when they interact, they just don't know how they feel about each other! What makes this show so intriguing is it's high-brow sophisticated humor, the characters, and the in-depth storylines.

To The Manor Born is an impeccable British sit-com that deserves to be watched by anyone who's a fan of British humor. It's a lot better than the garbage they have on nowadays. :) Was the above review useful to you? 8 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Classic British Comedy! from United States 17 June 2008 To the Manor Born is about how old money and new money don't necessarily mix very well. The show stars the wonderful Penelope Keith CBE OBE (a comedy veteran) who plays Audrey Fforbes Hamilton who represents old money and Peter Bowles as Richard Devere who represents new money. After Audrey's husband and lord of the manor has died much to Audrey's dismay, they didn't have a good marriage. She lets out a scream that she finally free to rule the Manor. Unfortunately, Audrey learns that she is in debt after his death. She must sell her beloved home to Richard Devere, a self-made millionaire entrepreneur who really is both Czech and Polish heritage. She sells but she moves close by and is still active in her community with her best friend played by a terrific actress whose name I can't remember. Daphne Heard plays the wonderful foreign born mother of Richard.

The episodes are all classically funny and it is one of Britain's best exports. Penelope Keith is one of Britain's brilliant funny ladies up there with Patricia Routledge CBE OBE and Dame Judi Dench. Was the above review useful to you? 2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Quirky and Refreshing English Comedy -- Sort of Marriage of Figaro meets Three's Company from Oakland, CA 27 June 2014 The setting is in a fictional English village, Grantleigh, residing inside the fictional town of Marlbury in Somerset, England. The locals in this quaint countryside are a bit quirky. In the first scene, Richard DeVere (Peter Bowles), a stranger to the town and among the "nouveau riche", meets the town Vicar at the local parish church to ask for directions and where he might meet Mr Forbes-Hamilton. To which the Vicar replies, that Mr Forbes-Hamilton "will be here at any moment now (but) I doubt you'll get much out of him." And then Mr DeVere sees some pall-bearers carrying a casket.

From the get-go, this is the kind of irreverent yet refreshing humour which permeates the entire show. Mr DeVere is looking for some real estate to buy in the area and learns that the manor house is owned by the late Mr Forbes-Hamilton and his opinionated and talkative wife, Audrey. Audrey Forbes-Hamilton (Penelope Keith) is a fast-talking aristocrat who would tell a perfect stranger he looks retched because he bought his clothes at the British-equivalent of Sears. Her family, the Forbes-Hamilton's, have lived in the manor house in the English countryside since the time of Queen Elizabeth I. After laying her husband to rest, she tells the vicar that it was a "lovely funeral, we must have another one sometime." Now she has to sell the manor because of debts. And who should buy the manor but Ricard DeVeer, the new stranger who is not only wealthy and non-aristocrat but was "dressed like a chessboard" according to Audrey at the funeral reception.

He then makes an unexpected offer: Audrey may continue to reside at the manor if she wishes, and she accepts the offer, beginning one of the more entertaining sitcom's of its type. DeVeer and Mrs. Forbes-Hamilton become sort of reluctant bedfellows in a kind of clash of the classes, in this case old aristocracy versus bourgeoisie. A delightful British comedy in which the many lines are simultaneously unexpected and yet fit each character's personality. Peter Bowles plays "straight-man" to the quirky characters of the town. But it's the sharp-tongued Penelope Keith as Audrey Forbes-Hamilton who steals the show. Keith is perfectly cast as Audrey whose biting rhetoric would give any politician significant cause to run and hide under a nearby bed. Not to be missed if you like British comedy of this sort. Was the above review useful to you?

0 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Lack of depths and no passion between characters 24 February 2015 *** This review may contain spoilers *** To the manor born is OK, but hardly worth a second view like other well known sitcoms like "Yes Minister" The manor is big - 1000 acre - and the main character Mr DeVere (Peter Bowels) buy the manor. He have to learn the country life - and the previous owner Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (Penelope Keith) is there all the time to remind him what he do wrong. Audrey fforbes-Hamilton at the same time have to learn to do shopping in a super-marked, like those selling products from Mr DeVere. All a promising start - it turns into a slow moving and gently politeness without much depth. I fail to see any passion between the 2 main characters, and only the constant wish "to get them together" from Mr DeVere's mother give us a hint that one day they will get married - not even one kiss just a few longer looks here and there - and a lie from Audrey about buying a ring - to prevent Devere from having to leave the Manor.

There would have been plenty of content to put into it. Too boring for a second view. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 2: About To the Manor Born | To the Manor Born | Gold To the Manor Born About To the Manor Born Developed as a star vehicle for The Good Life star Penelope Keith, To the Manor Born started off as a radio pilot, but it's potential was spotted. Tweet In a nut-shell Lady Audrey Forbes-Hamilton (Penelope Keith) has fallen on hard times. Burdened with death duties following the untimely demise of her husband, she has to sell Grantleigh Manor), her family home for 400 years, to food wholesaler Richard DeVere (Peter Bowles). Second-time romance Peter Bowles was one of the actors considered for the part of Jerry, husband of Penelope Keith’s character Margo Leadbetter.

Title by Shakespeare The title is lifter from Shakespeare’s Hamlet; "Though I am a native here and to the manner born, it is a custom more honoured in the breach than the observance." Sketching the show When coming up with the idea for the series, creator Peter Spence remembered writing a comedy sketch featuring a cockney comedian holding a housewarming and inviting the previous owner, a widow. Radio days To the Manor Born was originally written as a radio pilot. It was conceived as a star-vehicle for Penelope Keith, following the huge success of The Good Life. The idea was seen as so strong the pilot was put on hold and the television series was developed. American inspiration The pilot featured Bernard Braden as DeVere – and he was originally an American. It is thought he was loosely based on Anglo-French James Goldsmith of Cavenham Foods. Location, location The location for Grantleigh Manor was Cricket St Thomas, Somerset, the then home of Peter Spence’s father-in-law. The Lodge – Audrey’s home - was in reality a mile away. That 70s show The series one finale was the most-watched British television programme, excluding live events, of the 1970s.

To the Manor Reborn In 2007 To the Manor Born was revived for a one-off Christmas special, centring on Audrey and Richard’s wedding anniversary. BBC - Comedy - To The Manor Born To The Manor Born To The Manor Born Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles returned to our screens as the aristocratic Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and the dashing, self-made businessman Richard DeVere, for a one-off special of the classic British comedy To The Manor Born. It is now a quarter of a century since we last heard from Grantleigh Manor. That was the day that the indomitable Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, the dispossessed Lady of the Manor, finally got round to marrying Richard Devere, her usurper and supermarket tycoon of Czechoslovakian stock. It was a perfect love match, yet their romance was never less than a tempestuous on-off affair due to their one-and-only source of disagreement - which was pretty well everything. As you may or may not remember, at the time of their marriage their positions had suddenly reversed when a timely inheritance restored Audrey to the Manor at the very moment when Richard’s business fortunes had hit rock bottom.

Ever since they have been man and wife there has been a total news blackout on the goings–on at Grantleigh Manor, whereas before the intimate details of their stormy courtship had been played out with such discretion and secrecy that only 25 million television viewers knew the first thing about it. The question then was always 'Will they or won't they?' Well, as we now know, eventually they did. And so far as anyone knows, 'they lived happily ever after'. The question now is 'Did they or didn't they?' Has their marriage been happy? Did Richard manage to keep his bride in the manner to which she was born? Who wears the trousers? Did Richard ever recover his fortunes and continue his high-rolling lifestyle or has he settled for the more humdrum existence of a gentleman farmer? Have the Deveres prospered or merely survived? Does Audrey continue to dominate the neighbourhood as of old and hold out against all things modern? Marjory, The Rector, where are they now? What happened to Brabinger and old Mrs Polouvicka? And is there anyone new in their lives?

The original series told the tale of lady of the manor Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, who's forced to sell her beloved Grantleigh Estate when her husband's death leaves her financially strapped. Decamping to the tiny Old Lodge cottage, she sets up home with butler Brabinger in tow. From this vantage point, she keeps a close and disapproving eye on the estate's new owner, the nouveau-riche Richard DeVere, a wholesale foods magnate of Czech descendent. A vehicle for Keith following her success in The Good Life, there was certainly a hint of Margo Leadbetter about Audrey. However, she was an altogether more complicated character. At times, she could appear a bully, keeping mousy friend Marjory on a tight rein. She was self-confident to the point of arrogance, and insistent her family's way of doing things was maintained. "We don't spend our Sundays driving to the nearest lay-by for a barbecue," she rails at Richard. "There are 1001 jobs I've noticed that need doing, and someone's got to give the instructions!" However, despite her bombastic nature, a lot of the show's jokes are at Audrey's expense.

She's essentially a tragic character, constantly tormented by what's she's lost, and she's not without her warmer side - an aspect of her personality that grows over the show's three series, as she's ultimately won over by the interloper. The last episode of the final series sees things satisfyingly resolved, with Audrey marrying Richard and being reinstated as the lady of the manor.

Question: Audrey Forbes-Hamilton was played by Penelope Keith in which British television series?
Answer: To the Manor Born