Cheap To the Manor Born - The Complete Series (DVD) (Penelope Keith) Price

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Customer Reviews of To the Manor Born - The Complete Series

Penelope Keith at her BEST......
One of my fondest memories of childhhod was our local PBS station continuously playing "Good Neighbors" reruns. That cast was perfect and the show a classic, but the person who stood out for me was Penelope Keith. She just stole every scene she was in. Quite recently I discovered "To The Manor Born" at my local library in their video department and was so happy to see that this series starred Miss Keith as well. I checked out as many as I was allowed on my card and couldn't wait to watch them all. Needless to say (or I wouldn't bother to write this) this show was wonderful as well and Penelope Keith is at her best. Upon viewing every episode, although a "special Christmas episode" was NOT on my library's edition, I discovered the boxed set for sale on Amazon and ordered it as soon I saw it.
Not as cartoonish as Margot in Good Neighbors, her "Audrey fforbes-Hamilton" is quite a character indeed and Miss Keith makes her pathetic, comedic, pompous AND accessible all at the same time. I can't imagine anyone else playing this role as well as Penelope Keith. If you are a fan of her work or if you are a just a fan of Britain's funniest female actors such as Patricia Routledge, Mollie Sudgen, The AbFab "Ladies" etc.,then you MUST, MUST, MUST own the work of Penelope Keith, as she, at least to me, is the Grande Dame of them all! I would highly suggest that you please buy the boxed set to see the entire series in order. And as a special feature there's a "lost" Christmas episode at the end of the last episode on Tape 6. In addition to Penelope Keith, I'm sure you'll enjoy this very gifted supporting cast as well and the location shots are very beautiful! Cheers.

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Wonderful series, a true gem
My family bought this series because we enjoyed Penelope Keith so much as Margot Ledbetter in Good Neighbors. I must say that though I enjoyed Good Neighbors, I liked this series much better.

Penelope Keith plays Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, a new widow whose family has owned Grantleigh Estate for 400 years. Much to yher snobbish dismay, she is forced to auction the house to cover her late husband's death. The manor is bought by Richard DeVere (Peter Bowles). He is charming and well intentioned but he is (gasp!) in trade and (double gasp!) of Eastern European descent. He naturally makes many a faux pas trying to settle into his new home. He and Audrey are attracted to one another but they are both too set in their ways. He is too blue collar, she is too blue blood.

Every episode in the series involves one of Audrey's plots. Either to win Richard, control him, snub him or put him in his place. To make money, to wrangle her way back into the manor, to run the Girl Guides or to save the town's railway station. She is aptly described by another character as a female bossy boots. And a very amusing one, I must add. Richard is usually caught unprepared by the Audrey onslaught but he wins a few battles himself. It's all great fun.

While it is easy to make a big deal of the two very talented lead actors, the supporting cast is also very good. The slippery vicar; Audrey's mousy best friend Marjory; the grumpy shop keeper; and Richard's mother "Mrs. Pooh" are all great character actors and greatly add to the overall series.

Unlike many sit-coms, To the Manor Born has something of a linear plot line. (Though not so much of one that you cannot watch an episode on it's own) And it has an actual ending. A very nice one too.

The humor style is quite British so if you are not a fan of Brit-coms, you probably won't like it. If you feel you will like the series, I encourage you to buy the complete set rather than piece meal. Partly because of the linear plot line and partly because you will be hungry for more. This is a great series for snow days and when you are under the weather. It is suitable for children and very amusing for adults.

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As witty as the first time I saw it in TV...
It's so funny in it's way... (mock rural gentry and "new money"...)
Script and actors are vey good: wit + sense of humour + House&Garden and here you have it how we "B..... Foreigners" think England is or was... (as neat a parodie of "country" England as "The Quiet Man" 's Ireland...).
DEFINITLY RECOMMENDED AND TO BE ENJOYED AS "YES MINISTER" and other GREAT TV series of the Golden Age of BBC comedies etc.