Keeping Up Appearances star Dame Patricia Routledge reportedly refused to film scenes in the iconic sitcom after taking issue with the script.

Keeping Up Appearances star Patricia Routledge allegedly refused to film certain scenes written for the BBC sitcom. Patricia, who portrayed leading lady Hyacinth Bucket, is understood to have taken issue with a number of scenes after deeming them too unbelievable.

As a result, writers Roy Clarke and Harold Snoad had to rewrite many of the episodes throughout the series’ run from 1990 until 1995.

According to reports, there was contention behind the scenes between Clarke and Snoad as the latter rewrote “large chunks” of the script without Clarke’s knowledge.

Roy Clarke’s scripts were said to be often impractical and Snoad rewrote them when he felt that elements didn’t work.

Clarke, who also wrote Last of the Summer Wine and Open All Hours, was less than pleased with the changes and Snoad admitted to the Guardian: “At times, we weren’t the best of mates.”

Clarke added: “I watched on occasions and found scenes I hadn’t written and that’s, of course, death to a writer.”

Patricia, 95, has been open about the issues she took with the script and said it played a part in her decision to quit.

She told BBC Four last year: “Well, I brought it to an end, which, of course, the BBC didn’t care for very much.

“I thought the writer was beginning to recycle old ideas. And also, remembering the glorious Ronnie Barker, he always stopped when he was at the height of something and he always left with people saying, ‘Oh, aren’t you doing any more?’ Rather than people saying, ‘Is that still on?’