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To the Manor Born BBC Episodes #2
The Grapevine
At a party at the Manor, Audrey tells Richard that she is going on holiday to Spain. However, she actually spends her holiday hiding at the Lodge. During her "holiday" she finds out that Richard and Marjory have been spending time in the woods behind the Lodge. Unknown to her, they are badger watching but when Audrey confronts him at a post-holiday party, he tells her he knows where she spent her holiday.
To the Manor Born is set in the fictional village of Grantleigh, in Somerset near the fictional town of Marlbury. The series begins with the funeral of Marton (sic) fforbes-Hamilton, the Lord of the Manor of Grantleigh.[16] Audrey, his widow (and apparently also his cousin), is far from distraught, as she now has control of the Grantleigh estate, which her family the fforbes-Hamiltons have controlled for 400 years.[5][17] Her joy is short-lived though, as her solicitor Arnold Plunkett informs her that Marton was bankrupt and that the manor will have to be sold to pay off the debts.[4][5] Audrey tries to buy back the manor at auction, but is outbid.[4] The new Lord of the Manor is Richard DeVere, a recently widowed self-made millionaire who started his career on an East End fruit barrow and founded the "Cavendish Foods" supermarket chain, who to Audrey is simply a "grocer".[5][18] DeVere brings his domineering mother, who is soon nicknamed by Audrey 'Mrs. Poo', her full name being Maria Jaroslava Vladimira Martinka Polouvicka.[15] She reveals to Audrey, who does not like foreigners, that she and her son came to Britain in 1939 from Czechoslovakia, and that Richard, whose real name is Bedřich Polouvicek, is half-Polish (on his late father Lazlo's side) and half-Czechoslovak.[5][11][15][19] Mrs. Polouvicka tries hard to fit into British country life, but her accent often leads to many mispronunciations and she frequently comes out with sayings from her "old Czechoslovakia"[20] (even though Czechoslovakia is not so old for her; she was 15 years old when the country was created in 1919). From early on in the series, she encourages her son to propose to Audrey.[4][21]
Audrey moves into the "Old Lodge", at the end of the drive, where she can see most of what goes on at the manor. Living with her is her elderly and loyal butler, Brabinger, who has worked for the fforbes-Hamiltons his whole life, and her beagle Bertie. Audrey's supportive best friend, and a frequent visitor, is the well-meaning Marjory Frobisher, who quickly develops a crush on DeVere.[20] Marjory, who was at school with Audrey, is still a schoolgirl at heart and a committed countryside campaigner.[4][20] Marjory has no organisational ability, which leads to her being nicknamed "Muddlesome Marj" by some.[22] Despite Marjory's encouragement, Audrey refuses to get a job, saying her only job could be running the Grantleigh estate and doing other public service, which includes her being a magistrate.[21][22] This means that money is a constant problem.[21] During the second series, Brabinger is away ill; and Ned, whose tied cottage is being renovated by Richard, takes over as butler to Audrey. Ned, a gardener and "outside man", has worked on the estate all his life and finds working indoors difficult to get used to.[20] Other estate staff include the estate foreman Mr. Miller, the estate manager Mr. Spalding and the cook Mrs. Beecham.[4] Another character, Polly, originally works at the local "Cavendish Foods" store and then at the doctors' surgery, while Linda Cartwright works in the stables and as a domestic.[18][21][23][24] The postman, Mr. Purvis, appears in two episodes.[21][24]
Other characters include the local rector, who is not unhappy when Audrey loses the manor, hoping that it will prevent the dominating Audrey from having a say in the running of the Church and local causes.[20] The rector favours Richard, who is frequently generous when it comes to donations to church funds.[20] The village shop is run by Mrs. Patterson, the local gossip who also favours Richard and does not get on with Audrey.[20] The typically English Brigadier Lemington, of the Somerset Rifles, is another local landowner and friend of Audrey's and the Master of Foxhounds and, like Audrey and Marjory, has an interest in nature conservation.[20][22] Arnold Plunkett and his wife Dorothy are friends of Audrey's, while Arnold is also the family solicitor.[25] Grantleigh's local estate agent is J.J. Anderson, of "Anderson and Fish", who appears at manor parties.[25]
In 1997, 16 years after the original series of To the Manor Born ended on television, ten 30-minute episodes were recorded for radio, the programme's original intended medium.[4] The episodes, originally aired on Saturdays on BBC Radio 2 from 25 January to 29 March 1997, were written by Peter Spence, six adapted from TV episodes and four new episodes.[4] Keith and Thorne returned as Audrey and Marjory, while Keith Barron replaced Bowles as Richard. Other actors, including Frank Middlemass and Nichola...
To the Manor Born is set in the fictional village of Grantleigh, in Somerset near the fictional town of Marlbury. The series begins with the funeral of Marton (sic) fforbes-Hamilton, the Lord of the Manor of Grantleigh.[16] Audrey, his widow (and apparently also his cousin), is far from distraught, as she now has control of the Grantleigh estate, which her family the fforbes-Hamiltons have controlled for 400 years.[5][17] Her joy is short-lived though, as her solicitor Arnold Plunkett informs her that Marton was bankrupt and that the manor will have to be sold to pay off the debts.[4][5] Audrey tries to buy back the manor at auction, but is outbid.[4] The new Lord of the Manor is Richard DeVere, a recently widowed self-made millionaire who started his career on an East End fruit barrow and founded the "Cavendish Foods" supermarket chain, who to Audrey is simply a "grocer".[5][18] DeVere brings his domineering mother, who is soon nicknamed by Audrey 'Mrs. Poo', her full name being Maria Jaroslava Vladimira Martinka Polouvicka.[15] She reveals to Audrey, who does not like foreigners, that she and her son came to Britain in 1939 from Czechoslovakia, and that Richard, whose real name is Bedřich Polouvicek, is half-Polish (on his late father Lazlo's side) and half-Czechoslovak.[5][11][15][19] Mrs. Polouvicka tries hard to fit into British country life, but her accent often leads to many mispronunciations and she frequently comes out with sayings from her "old Czechoslovakia"[20] (even though Czechoslovakia is not so old for her; she was 15 years old when the country was created in 1919). From early on in the series, she encourages her son to propose to Audrey.[4][21]
Audrey moves into the "Old Lodge", at the end of the drive, where she can see most of what goes on at the manor. Living with her is her elderly and loyal butler, Brabinger, who has worked for the fforbes-Hamiltons his whole life, and her beagle Bertie. Audrey's supportive best friend, and a frequent visitor, is the well-meaning Marjory Frobisher, who quickly develops a crush on DeVere.[20] Marjory, who was at school with Audrey, is still a schoolgirl at heart and a committed countryside campaigner.[4][20] Marjory has no organisational ability, which leads to her being nicknamed "Muddlesome Marj" by some.[22] Despite Marjory's encouragement, Audrey refuses to get a job, saying her only job could be running the Grantleigh estate and doing other public service, which includes her being a magistrate.[21][22] This means that money is a constant problem.[21] During the second series, Brabinger is away ill; and Ned, whose tied cottage is being renovated by Richard, takes over as butler to Audrey. Ned, a gardener and "outside man", has worked on the estate all his life and finds working indoors difficult to get used to.[20] Other estate staff include the estate foreman Mr. Miller, the estate manager Mr. Spalding and the cook Mrs. Beecham.[4] Another character, Polly, originally works at the local "Cavendish Foods" store and then at the doctors' surgery, while Linda Cartwright works in the stables and as a domestic.[18][21][23][24] The postman, Mr. Purvis, appears in two episodes.[21][24]
Other characters include the local rector, who is not unhappy when Audrey loses the manor, hoping that it will prevent the dominating Audrey from having a say in the running of the Church and local causes.[20] The rector favours Richard, who is frequently generous when it comes to donations to church funds.[20] The village shop is run by Mrs. Patterson, the local gossip who also favours Richard and does not get on with Audrey.[20] The typically English Brigadier Lemington, of the Somerset Rifles, is another local landowner and friend of Audrey's and the Master of Foxhounds and, like Audrey and Marjory, has an interest in nature conservation.[20][22] Arnold Plunkett and his wife Dorothy are friends of Audrey's, while Arnold is also the family solicitor.[25] Grantleigh's local estate agent is J.J. Anderson, of "Anderson and Fish", who appears at manor parties.[25]
In 1997, 16 years after the original series of To the Manor Born ended on television, ten 30-minute episodes were recorded for radio, the programme's original intended medium.[4] The episodes, originally aired on Saturdays on BBC Radio 2 from 25 January to 29 March 1997, were written by Peter Spence, six adapted from TV episodes and four new episodes.[4] Keith and Thorne returned as Audrey and Marjory, while Keith Barron replaced Bowles as Richard. Other actors, including Frank Middlemass and Nichola...
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1997
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