You Rang, M’Lord?

You Rang, M'Lord? is a BBC television sitcom written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army. It was broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the BBC (although there had earlier been a pilot episode in 1988). The show was set in the house of an aristocratic family in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in London, along the same lines as the drama Upstairs, Downstairs.

The series featured many actors who had previously appeared in earlier works by Perry and Croft, notably Paul Shane, Jeffrey Holland and Su Pollard, all of whom had starred in Hi-de-Hi!; also featured were Donald Hewlett and Michael Knowles from It Ain't Half Hot Mum, and Bill Pertwee and—occasionally—Frank Williams from Dad's Army. Numerous small parts were played by other alumni of David Croft and/or Jimmy Perry shows. The memorable 1920s-style theme tune was sung by comedian Bob Monkhouse.

Episodes of You Rang, M'Lord? were fifty minutes long, rather than the usual thirty (for BBC sitcoms), and attempted to introduce a more reflective approach and more complex plotting than other Croft and Perry series. There was also less reliance on filmed location sequences.[2]

The series, like other situation comedies of its time, was filmed in front of a live studio audience. Mark Lewisohn said the writers were careful to ensure the sets, lighting and camerawork were of a quality associated with drama productions such as Upstairs, Downstairs.[3] For a situation comedy, the episodes are an unconventional length (50 minutes).[2] Croft felt this would let them develop characters and situations more thoroughly. This was supported by Gareth Gwenlan, head of BBC comedy.[4] Also unconventional for a Perry/Croft series was the fact that plots directly continued from episode to episode like a soap opera as opposed to being largely standalone episodes such as in Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

This, coupled with high production values and attention to period detail, was designed to give the series the feel of a comedy drama.[2] In writing the series, the two writers drew on research and personal accounts from the period; Jimmy Perry's grandfather had been in service as a butler and David Croft's mother, Anne Croft, had been a musical comedy star in the 1920s, giving them some ideas of life both above and below stairs.[4]

The pilot episode was meant to be recorded at the BBC Television Centre in London, but due to a strike the sets were sparsely dressed and production was moved to the BBC Elstree Studios instead. The sets were improved for the first series.[4] After the pilot was aired and the BBC agreed to a full series, the production team decided to remain at BBC Elstree Studios, and all four series of the show were recorded there.[5][6] Exterior shots were mostly filmed in and around Diss, Norfolk, for example a disused brush factory which was used as the Union Jack Rubber Company. Other locations included the seafront at Cromer, Lynford Hall and Oxburgh Hall as the bishop's palace.[7] The First World War battle scene at the beginning of the pilot episode was built in Long Valley, the British Army's tank training ground in Aldershot. The exterior of the Meldrum house is rarely seen, although the pilot featured exterior shots of an actual building, probably No. 15, Holland Villas Road, London W14, but later shootings took place at a mock-up built on the car park at BBC Elstree Studios or in Norfolk.

The first two series were directed by David Croft who then handed over directing duties to Roy Gould, his production manager for many years, for series three and four.

The series' opening and closing music was written by Jimmy Perry and Roy Moore and performed by a 1920s-style orchestra.[8] The vocals were performed by Bob Monkhouse and Paul Shane.[4]

In the pilot episode, two World War I soldiers stumble across the body of an officer while crossing no-man's land under heavy gunfire during the Battle of Amiens in 1918. Assuming the officer is dead, one soldier, Alf Stokes (Paul Shane), attempts to rob the officer, much to the disgust of his comrade, James Twelvetrees (Jeffrey Holland). After it becomes apparent that the unconscious officer is not dead, the two men see their chance to escape the battle by carrying the officer to a field hospital. The two soldiers are later called to see the officer, The Honourable Teddy Meldrum (Michael Knowles), who says he is eternally grateful for their services, and tells them he will always be in their debt.

The action then moves to London in 1927, where James Twelvetrees has become the footman in the house of Teddy's brother Lord Meldrum (Donald Hewlett), at 12 Park Lane, Mayfair, and wants to further his position following the death of the butler.[9]

Meanwhile, Alf and his daughter, Ivy (Su Pollard), have just been sacked from their jobs[10] in a music hall (Alf took the music hall job after being dismissed for dishonesty as a butler). Alf sees his chance to apply for a job at the Meldrum's house, and after blackmailing his previous employer for references, becomes the new butler, much to the annoyance of James. Following the dismissal of a maid, after a backstairs relationship with the Honourable Teddy, Ivy is brought in by her father as the new maid (to hide the fact that she is Alf's daughter, the two decide that Ivy should use her mother's maiden name, Teasdale).

The programme follows the various relationships between the upper-class and their servants, as well as Alf's scheming and James's attempts to stop him. The events depicted in the 26 episodes are time-lined though not directly following each other and are based mainly around the following threads:

As with the main cast, a number of other characters were played by actors who have appeared in Perry/Croft series, including Felix Bowness, Kenneth Connor, Stuart McGugan, John D. Collins and Ivor Roberts.

The series was not initially well received by the critics, and is less well-known than other Croft sitcoms, such as Dad's Army, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Hi-de-Hi!, 'Allo 'Allo! and Are You Being Served? (the latter two of these were co-written by Croft with Jeremy Lloyd).

Reviewing the series ten years later, Mark Lewisohn notes that unlike previous Croft/Perry series, the lead characters were not "loveable", stating:

Simon Morgan-Russell, Professor of English at Bowling Green State University is more complimentary, noting that "Unlike other Perry and Croft sitcoms, You Rang, M'Lord? has a distinct serial structure, though it is also the most stable example of their work in terms of maintaining the original situational concept and the cast".[12] He goes on to compliment the series' examination of class,[13] sexuality and gender issues,[14] as well as the heritage cinema-inspired period detail of the piece, particularly in its location filming.[15]

The series was the first British sitcom to feature a recurring lesbian character, in Cissy Meldrum.[14][16] The character has generated mixed reactions. Anthony Joseph Paul Cortese's Opposing Hate Speech suggests that Cissy is "the archetypal stereotype for a lesbian...[using]...non-flattering stereotypes".[17] Alison Darren's Lesbian Film Guide is much more positive, stating "You Rang, M'Lord? gave us the wonderful Cissy (...replete with monacle and a series of beautifully tailored suits)." She goes on to note the character's "championing of the workers" suggesting that throughout her character "behaved with integrity and style."[18] The BBC Comedy Guide criticises the show: "for most of their career Perry and Croft had turned clichés on their heads and created characters that went beyond normal. The research and interest they showed in the 20s setting and 'getting it right' in You Rang... seems to have made them forget to put many laughs in."[19] You Rang, M'Lord? has rarely been repeated on television, which Croft believed was probably due to its unusual length, which does not suit current broadcasting slots (his other series such as Dad's Army and ' Allo, 'Allo are 30 minutes in duration).[12] However, all four series have been released on DVD, both individually and as a box set.

The show acquired a following in Hungary where a version dubbed into Hungarian was broadcast following the fall of Communism in the country. A fan club has nearly 23,000 followers and in 2018, a celebratory banquet was held in Budapest attended by actors Jeffrey Holland, Michael Knowles, Catherine Rabett, Susie Brann and Amanda Bellamy to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the pilot episode.[20]

The show started a complete re-run on 3 April 2018 on UKTV's Drama channel in the afternoon Comedy Slot, and also shortly thereafter on GOLD.[21]

In addition, all four series are available individually along with a box set of the complete collection as digital downloads from the iTunes Store.