In Keeping Up Appearances Season 2, Episode 2, Hyacinth Bucket (Patricia Routledge) once again finds herself in a predicament of her own making. This episode, which sees Hyacinth attempting to host yet another of her over-the-top dinner parties, showcases the humor and chaos that arise when she tries—and inevitably fails—to impress her guests with her supposed sophistication.
The hilarious moment that unfolds during this episode has become a fan favorite, as Hyacinth’s best-laid plans come crashing down in the most unexpected of ways.
The episode begins with Hyacinth enthusiastically preparing for a “posh” dinner party she’s invited a select few guests to. Her goal is simple: to cement her place as the epitome of elegance and high society. She spends hours preparing the perfect meal, selecting fine wines, polishing her silverware, and even ensuring that her prized Royal Doulton china is displayed just so.
However, true to her nature, Hyacinth is so consumed with the idea of hosting a flawless evening that she overlooks several small details that will inevitably turn the night into a disaster.
As the evening unfolds, everything seems to be going according to plan—until the moment when Hyacinth’s father, the unpredictable and often troublesome figure from her past, shows up unexpectedly. As if her carefully curated evening wasn’t complicated enough, he manages to turn up at her front door just as her guests arrive, completely unaware of the social faux pas he is about to commit.
As he steps into the room, Hyacinth is immediately thrown into a panic. She tries to hide him, but her father is as oblivious as ever to the “rules” of society, much to her dismay.
This moment quickly escalates as Hyacinth tries to maintain composure and continue her role as gracious hostess, all the while attempting to discreetly manage her father’s antics. Her face is a picture of forced politeness as she introduces him to her guests, all the while secretly hoping that no one will notice the presence of the man who has made it his life’s mission to disrupt her carefully controlled world.
Unfortunately, Hyacinth’s attempts to steer her father out of the living room lead to one of the most awkward and hilarious situations imaginable. As she leads him toward the back door, her father begins recounting embarrassing stories from Hyacinth’s childhood, much to her mortification.
The guests, who are trying their best to remain polite, are helplessly caught in the middle of the spectacle, unsure whether they should laugh or look away.
But the most uproarious moment of the evening occurs when Hyacinth, in her desperate attempt to regain control of the situation, accidentally knocks over the centerpiece—a grand arrangement of candles and flowers—setting it ablaze. In the chaos that follows, Hyacinth’s repeated attempts to extinguish the flames only cause them to grow larger, leading to a frantic dash for fire extinguishers and a scene that ends in complete mayhem.
Her guests, once poised and polite, are now frantically rushing around, trying to help while avoiding the increasingly ridiculous mess that Hyacinth has created.
Throughout all of this, Hyacinth’s husband Richard (Clive Swift) remains the voice of reason, though his patience is clearly wearing thin. His sarcastic remarks and deadpan reactions to Hyacinth’s escalating disaster only add to the humor, as he tries, albeit ineffectively, to offer her some semblance of guidance.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family—her sister Daisy (Judy Cornwell), brother-in-law Onslow (Geoffrey Hughes), and Rose (Shirley Stelfox)—make their usual appearances, much to Hyacinth’s chagrin. Onslow’s laid-back demeanor and Rose’s romantic misadventures provide a sharp contrast to Hyacinth’s frantic, high-maintenance efforts to salvage the evening.
As the episode draws to a close, Hyacinth’s dinner party is, predictably, a disaster. What was meant to be an evening of elegant refinement has instead turned into a series of comic failures, leaving Hyacinth in a state of utter embarrassment.
Despite the chaos, however, she still manages to cling to the delusion that the evening was a success, insisting to Richard that it was “almost perfect” as they retire for the night.
The episode exemplifies the comedic brilliance of Keeping Up Appearances, where Hyacinth’s attempts at maintaining an image of sophistication always seem to backfire in the most absurd and entertaining ways. It’s a perfect example of the show’s ability to blend slapstick humor with sharp social commentary, as Hyacinth’s desperate need for approval leads to a series of increasingly ridiculous situations.
