Keeping Up Appearances was a huge hit with viewers from 1990 to 1995, but what happened to the cast after the show ended?

It’s been more than three decades since the beloved British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances graced our screens and the show’s legacy endures, capturing the hearts of TV lovers to this day.

The hit BBC comedy, which delighted audiences from 1990 to 1995, featured Dame Patricia Routledge in her legendary role as Hyacinth Bucket. Her portrayal of the comically pretentious character, who famously insisted her surname “Bucket” be pronounced “Bouquet”, cemented her as a fan favourite.

Over five seasons and 44 episodes, viewers were entertained by Hyacinth’s hilarious attempts to ascend the social ladder – though her endeavours often led to comical mishaps.

The series didn’t just become a hit in Britain; its charm reached across the globe, captivating audiences from the USA to Ireland, and has the distinction of being the most distributed BBC programme internationally, with nearly a thousand sales to broadcasters worldwide.

Hyacinth Bucket – Dame Patricia Routledge
Distinguished actress Dame Patricia Routledge embodied the unforgettable Hyacinth Bucket for the entirety of Keeping Up Appearances. Post-series, she stepped back from acting but not before leaving an indelible mark on the stage and screen.

Notably, Routledge solved mysteries as the titular sleuth in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and shone in Alan Bennett’s incisive monologue series for the BBC, Talking Heads.

In 2017, Patricia was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with a Damehood for her services to entertainment and charity. The following year, she received another accolade: an honorary membership in the Royal Academy of Music at a grand ceremony at London’s Freemason Hall.

Reflecting on her role in Keeping Up Appearances during a special 30th anniversary programme, Patricia recalled the moment she realised fame had arrived.

“I don’t know when the moment hit me that we were rather successful, but the taxi drivers quite often would say something like, ‘You’re not going to tell me how to drive this are you?'” she reminisced. “We were one of the Queen Mother’s favourite sitcoms, which was lovely to know. And [Queen Elizabeth II] enjoyed it too. Hyacinth would have been flattered beyond words,” reports the Mirror.

Come February 2024, Patricia found herself in the illustrious company of royalty once more, attending a dazzling event alongside Queen Camilla and other esteemed drama dames in a celebration of 400 years of Shakespeare. The 95-year-old actress shone with joy as she took her seat next to the Queen, surrounded by the likes of Dames Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench, Maureen Lipman, and Joanna Lumley.