To the Manor Born

To the Manor Born: The Complete Collection (Silver Anniversary Edition)

To the Manor Born is another BBC sitcom from the genre's golden age, one that came to dominate the ratings during its initial three-season run from 1979-80. Providing Penelope Keith with her first major role after The Good Life, the show focuses on a way of life that now appears hard to comprehend, with storylines concerning hunt balls, village committees, and eccentric brigadiers only adding to the dated feel. What provided the program's key interest, however, was not the terribly quaint Little England setting but the burgeoning relationship between Keith's Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard De Vere (Peter Bowles), the new owner of Audrey's old home, Grantleigh Manor. It's all very, very English (the show is set in a village called Cricket St. Thomas) and the continuing use of farce almost creates a sense of parody. But look beyond the infuriating stereotypes and there is some sharp writing going on, predating the city vs countryside debate by nearly two decades. Penelope Keith is, as ever, fantastic value and while new viewers may simply not get the joke, those looking for a spot of nostalgia could do far worse. The 2008 Silver Anniversary Collection includes the complete original series as well as the 2007 Silver Anniversary Special, which fast-forwards 25 years to Audrey and Richard's plans for their silver-anniversary celebration. --Phil Udell

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 650 minutes Rating: Nr

To the Manor Born: Silver Anniversary Special

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/09/2008 Run time: 50 minutes Rating: Nr

What if you could go back to a favored film, TV series or fairy tale to see just what "happily ever after" really looked like? That's the delicious premise behind To the Manor Born: Silver Anniversary Special. The well-loved Brit-com, which aired from 1979-1981, ended with the marriage of the genteel but newly impoverished Audrey fforbes-Hamilton (the puckish Penelope Keith) and supermarket baron Richard DeVere, after many months of a peculiarly British off-kilter courtship. Fast-forward 25 years, when Audrey and Richard, who've settled nicely into their upper-crust existence, are planning their silver wedding anniversary celebration. The bons mots and barbs fly as though the decades had never ensued, and the characters are as cluelessly endearing as ever. And the humor, perhaps not for all tastes, is decidedly British: "You're a liar and a cheat!" exclaims Audrey to a passerby at one point. "I should have known it--you're from Czechoslovakia!" On the menu for the party, there's much clucking over the appropriateness of the planned quail and truffle terrine. Why? "Bird flu!" announces Audrey. But the actors are so enmeshed in their surroundings, they bring a well-worn comfort to their portrayals that creates a cozy environment to escape into--as inviting as a bay-window seat with boiled-wool blankies. Fans of the series will love to see how the actors have aged (gently) and how the characters haven't. The special "making-of" featurette is a particular delight, with all the actors chatting about considering returning to roles they thought were long wrapped up--and relating their delight in finding their chemistry with each other was just as crisp as it was in the jolly old days. Just right.--A.T. Hurley

To the Manor Born - The Complete Series

To the Manor Born is another BBC sitcom from the genre's golden age, one that came to dominate the ratings during its initial three-season run from 1979-80. Providing Penelope Keith with her first major role after The Good Life, the show focuses on a way of life that now appears hard to comprehend, with storylines concerning hunt balls, village committees, and eccentric brigadiers only adding to the dated feel. What provided the program's key interest, however, was not the terribly quaint Little England setting but the burgeoning relationship between Keith's Audrey fforbes-Hamilton and Richard De Vere (Peter Bowles), the new owner of Audrey's old home, Grantleigh Manor. It's all very, very English (the show is set in a village called Cricket St. Thomas) and the continuing use of farce almost creates a sense of parody. But look beyond the infuriating stereotypes and there is some sharp writing going on, predating the city vs countryside debate by nearly two decades. Penelope Keith is, as ever, fantastic value and while new viewers may simply not get the joke, those looking for a spot of nostalgia could do far worse. --Phil Udell

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 02/22/2005

To the Manor Born

To The Manor Born - Series 3

To The Manor Born - Series 1