Acting legend Dame Patricia Routledge had some choice words when the BBC created a prequel to her iconic sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances. The spin-off Young Hyacinth, which aired in 2016, explored the origin story of her character, Hyacinth Bucket.
The one-off special revealed how Hyacinth (Kerry Howard) struggled as a fledgling housemaid before desperately trying to climb the social ladder.
It was commissioned as part of the BBC’s Landmark Sitcom Season which saw classic comedies including Porridge, Are You Being Served? and Goodnight Sweetheart also get new episodes.
Patricia, 95, voiced her disapproval of the BBC's decision to revisit the classic sitcom and insisted she would not be watching.
She was quoted as saying: “Why are they doing this sort of thing? They must be desperate...Nothing to do with me. Let them get on with it.”
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Young Hyacinth star Kerry Howard said at the time that she was “saddened” by Patricia’s comments, adding that she had hoped the actress would have been “flattered” by the prequel.
The Him & Her actress told Radio Times: "Oh, it's so sad, isn't it? She was scathing about the whole project.
"I think she should be incredibly flattered that the BBC are paying homage to all these great shows. They were all massive hits and the BBC is celebrating its history.”
She rationalised Routledge’s response, suggesting the original Hyacinth actress might have misunderstood the intent.
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She continued: "We're not recreating her show. We're going backwards and explaining her character. She doesn't know that. I think that's why she responded like that because she was thinking some other actress is going to come along and play her part. But it's not that at all."
The 30-minute episode received positive reviews from critics and was watched by 4.14 million people within seven days of its broadcast.
The original series was one of the country’s most beloved TV shows when it aired on BBC One from 1990 until 1995.
Patricia decided to end the popular show when she felt the BBC began to “recycle ideas” and wanted to explore other roles.
Explaining her decision on BBC Four’s Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers...Keeping Up Appearances, she said: “Well, I brought it to an end, which, of course, the BBC didn’t care for very much.
“I thought the writer was beginning to recycle old ideas. And also, remembering the glorious Ronnie Barker, he always stopped when he was at the height of something and he always left with people saying, ‘Oh, aren’t you doing any more?’ Rather than people saying, ‘Is that still on?’
“That’s the place to be, really, and I had other adventures to explore. I’m an actress, and I wanted to take on the stories of other people.”
Patricia also said she was "amazed by the enormity" of Keeping Up Appearances and its enduring success more than 30 years after its first episode.
