You Rang, M'Lord?

I grew up watching this series. It has a cult status in my family. Without a shadow of doubt, this is the best comic series ever. The casting is perfect and the acting superb. The story and its layers are simply amazing; I could watch each episode hundred times over and I would still enjoy it as much as I did the first time and notice something new, something I hadn't noticed before. I wish the series lasted 30 years instead of just 3. I have bought the DVD of the first season and plan to buy the rest of the series too.

The thing that puzzles me most is the fact that this series is not as well know as Dad's Army, Only fools and horses or Blackadder. The BBC conducted a poll back in 2004 to find out what is considered to be the best Britain's sitcom and You rang m'lord is not even in the first 100 series. One can't help but wondering how this could be. I am simply astonished.

I first saw You Rang M'Lord? As a child aged around 10. Back then I didn't get some of the jokes, especially around Cissy's lesbianism, and back then Miss Poppy seemed a lot nicer than I realised re-watching it recently as a 40 year old.

The period setting means this show hasn't aged badly at all. The acting, setting, and overall comedy still holds up.

What I also hadn't noticed as a child, but did as an adult, is just how layered and complex the plots are for a sitcom. At any time there are at least 4 or 5 plots playing out, with the Meldrum men carrying out affairs, Alf Stokes the butler constantly on the make, and Ivy being in love with James Twelvetrees the footman. Alongside these you have Mrs Lipton and the police officer forming a relationship, as well as earlier on, Mrs Lipton and Alf Stokes. Henry's unrequited love for Ivy is often touched upon too, as well as the politics of that period around workers and their 'betters'. It's incredibly well delivered and doesn't feel contrived most of the time.

Darker than other Croft and Perry sitcoms, You Rang M'Lord often tackles some quite serious subjects, and doesn't have the laugh out loud silliness of Hi Dr Hi for instance.

The show ran for 4 series and came to a worthwhile ending which I won't spoil here.

A very good show, with the production and values of a period drama. You can see the influence dramas like Upstairs Downstairs had on it, and it's all the better for it. Funny, occasionally dark, and quite endearing.

I first saw You Rang, M'lord over 15 years ago. My motivation was in fact Miss Cissy's picture in the TV program - of course I wanted to see anything with a lesbian character! But while I wasn't disappointed in Cissy, I grew fond of the whole household, masters and servants alike. I have since seen it dozens of times on TV, video and DVD.

I truly think You Rang, M'lord is a masterpiece of English sitcom. Firstly, it's a nice parody of the rigid social boundaries in British society ("No, Henry, you don't open the door. Mr. Twelvetrees opens the door. If he is not here, Ivy opens the door. If Ivy is not here, I open the door", lectures Mrs. Lipton.) However, the characters are more than just representatives of their respective social classes. They all have a full-fledged personality, a whole life outside the confines of the series (think of reports about Mabel's husband or visits to the Kitkat Club). Even relatively minor characters, like Lady Agatha, are three-dimensional. Every character is extremely funny and yet likable. The moment one would start to hate Alf or Miss Poppy, they immediately do something (and it might just be a glance or a smile) to win our sympathy back. Psychologically the whole series is perfectly realistic and logical. No wonder there're no 'goofs' listed about this series on IMDb. There aren't any.

I have seen other sitcoms by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, but this one exceeds all of them. The excellent acting contributes to this, too. I couldn't point out one actor over the others; they all do a brilliant job.

You Rang M'Lord must be one of the funniest TV Series ever. It's all about a private family that employs several household staff who look after them. There is a butler, an underbutler, a footman, a cook, several housekeepers etc. Although the series is very funny and certain situations are overdrawn, it nevertheless comes very close to "the real thing". As professional butler and chairman of the International Guild of Professional Butlers I know a little bit about the subject. Do check out the series because you will fall in love with it.

Without doubt this show is the magnum opus of Perry and Croft, it's 26 episodes enchant and beguile like no other show. Set between the wars in one of London's great houses, it follows the life of Lord Meldrum, his family and their servants. Every facet of this show extols the virtues of the cast, set designers, and writers to perfection. Few shows have ever captured the feel of an era better, capturing as it does the styles, social issues and morals of the transitional era that followed the reign of Victoria. The extraordinary attention to detail at all levels involves one entirely, this mated with a superb script which supports all the visual magic, leaves only the actors to make the best of it all. This they do with extraordinary finesse and believability, one can completely empathize with each character and have sympathy with each role. The show is actually a serial, but with each episode featuring a vignette, it is episodic as well. It is impossible to define any one actor as being a lead as each role attaches itself seamlessly to the story, to create a gorgeous sense of flow and continuity, it is involving, poignant and immensely funny. The troupe consists of many regular players from David Croft's "stable", but in no other show are they better used. The cast and crew are detailed in the body of the IMDb page, but a must mention are the almost background parts played by Perry Benson, Barbara New and Mavis Pugh, as Henry, Mabel and Lady Lavender respectively. Between them, they inject a positively brilliant series of almost surreal comedic asides all through the series, and they add to its charm and depth immeasurably. One could go on and on about all the virtues of this show, but in conclusion, I honestly think that this wonderful story is the absolute epitome of British TV comedy, the like of which, is unlikely to be seen again, it is a work of quality, passion and genius at every level. If you get a chance to see it, you must.