Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of British Comedy, 23 April 2007
This brilliant series has been far too long coming to DVD. I cannot understand why the BBC should have dragged its feet the way it has. But now it's here, and what a joy it is to see again! It is social satire at its most perceptive while at the same time being immensely entertaining. It is set in the 1920s. Upstairs is Lord Meldrum and his family, its fortunes based upon the rubber products it makes, including... yes, you've guessed it. Downstairs are the servants - and even here there is class division, with poor Mabel the skivvy looked down upon by the others and excluded from any perks that might be on offer, while the scrounging local bobby is welcome to everything. The range of characters is wide, the situations varied, and the series develops as a fully integrated story from first to last as the fortunes of the family gradually decline. There's so much to watch, and at more than one level, that each episode can be enjoyed over and over.
Do buy it. You won't be disappointed.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of the best sitcoms but somehow remains strangely underrated , 18 Dec 2007
You Rang M'Lord? was a written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Hi-de-Hi! 26 episodes were broadcast between 1988 and 1992. By then it had become a favorite with the British public, but without having achieved the popularity of other Croft sitcoms, such as Hi-de-Hi!, Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo! and Are You Being Served? However, this could be because it has rarely been repeated due to the length of the episodes (50 minutes) which does not suit current broadcast slots (30 minutes).
You Rang M' Lord? is a comedy set in the house of an aristocractic family (Lord Meldrum) in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in London, along the same lines as the popular drama Upstairs, Downstairs.
Su Pollard in her role as the he well meaning, but rather naive maid is the star of the show the whole cast works together perfectly The triple treat of Paul Shane, Jeffry Holland and Su Pollard are value for money as always, but everyone was cast so well and that even the minors roles are a dream for any Actor to play. The post-Victorian aristocratic setting is perfect for class distinction humor, its underlying political themes subtle enough to serve the humor only. This series reveals that all "classes" of people are driven by basic human nature, the same foibles, desires, hopes, and dreams. The situations are hilarious and tied to an overall theme in each episode.
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47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gentle, memorable comedy, 6 Nov 2006
Having already reviewed series one when it came out I wanted to add some comments for the boxed set. In my opinion it would be well worth buying this series as a full set as it makes a wonderfully satisfying whole. The characters (some of whom start with a hard or deceitful side) round out beautifully as the 1920s draw to a close and you start to really care what happens to all of them.
In series 3 and 4 the writing (which slows a little in series 2) improves and the viewer is drawn into the hopes and dreams of every character (no mean feat in writing for such a large cast) and the laugh track which is so annoying in the early episodes is toned down a lot after series two.
Although the product description has only Su Pollard listed as the star don't let this fool you - This is truly an ensemble piece, with all the best lines going to the supposedly minor characters.
Two episodes in particular stand out for me, both in series 4, 'Come to the ball" is beautifully written and filmed, and 'Well, there you are then' brings the twenty seven episodes (surprisingly only two years in the lives of the characters) that we have spent with Alf, James, Ivy, Mabel, Henry, Mrs Lipton and the Meldrum family to a end with, unusually, a proper conclusion to the story for all the characters who had become, by then, very dear to me.
If you are one of the few who, like me, disliked "Hi-de-Hi' I would encourage you to give this a try - it's far superior.
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