The comedy series “Keeping Up Appearances,” which aired from 1990 to 1995, remains one of the BBC’s most popular television series both at home and abroad. A 2016 report found that broadcast rights for the series, created by Roy Clarke (“Last of the Summer Wine”), had been sold overseas more than 900 times, surpassing interest in such marquee programs as “Sherlock” and “Top Gear.”
The reason for this gentle comedy’s enduring acclaim? According to Clarke, it’s the characters, led by Patricia Routledge’s Hyacinth Bucket — pronounced “Bouquet” — whose relentless need for acceptance among the social elite exasperates everyone around her, including husband Richard (Clive Swift), sisters Daisy (Judy Cornwell) and Rose (Shirley Stelfox and Mary Millar), and neighbor Elizabeth Warden (Josephine Tewson). “Everyone knows a Hyacinth,” said Clarke to The Telegraph (via NME).
The enduring popularity of “Keeping Up Appearances” has led to a small cottage industry devoted to the program, including a slew of specials. Some of these were hosted by Geoffrey Hughes as Onslow, Rose’s good-natured slacker husband, as well as a stage adaptation, several books, and a hugely popular prequel, “Young Hyacinth,” which aired in 2015. Many of the original cast members remain active in other programs, though others, like Routledge, have curtailed their careers. Still others have died since the final episode of “Keeping Up Appearances.” Following is a spoiler-heavy list of “Keeping Up Appearances” actors you may not know passed away.