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 29 December 1988 and 24 April 1993 on the BBC. 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.

Production

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. For a situation comedy, the episodes are an unconventional length (50 minutes). 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. 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, Bayfield Hall and Oxburgh Hall as the bishop's palace. 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. The vocals were performed by Bob Monkhouse and Paul Shane.

Meanwhile, Alf and his daughter, Ivy, have just been sacked from their jobs 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:

  • Moral combat between Alf, James and Ivy, as Alf keeps developing schemes in order to achieve some fortune (and usually fails) and James and Ivy try to stop his actions
  • Clashes about politics between James and Alf (James is a Conservative voter whilst Alf often talks of class struggle and revolution)
  • Adultery triangle between Lord Meldrum, Lady Agatha and Sir Ralph
  • James arousing romantic interest in Poppy, Lady Agatha, and Ivy
  • Developing love affair between Alf and Mrs. Lipton, and between Mrs. Lipton and Police Constable Wilson
  • Efforts of Teddy to dodge the marriage with Madge Cartwright
  • Teddy's pursuit of servant girls
  • Lord Meldrum's threats to deport Teddy to his rubber plantation in British Malaya;
  • Ivy's growing affections for James
  • Business rise, fall and recovery of the House of Meldrum and its most important asset, the Union Jack Rubber Company;
  • The unpredictable actions of Lady Lavender

Characters

The Meldrum Family

  • George, Lord Meldrum MC (Donald Hewlett) – The master of the house, Lord Meldrum is a respected member of the aristocracy, in charge of the Union Jack Rubber Company and various other interests. Old-fashioned, with Victorian values, his reputation is nevertheless threatened by his affair with Lady Agatha, the wife of Sir Ralph Shawcross, and it is usually left to Stokes to help him cover this up. He claims to deeply love Agatha, and is left heartbroken after she breaks off their affair. Despite his considerable wealth, he pays his workers poorly, and it is hinted that he once employed slave labour in Africa.
  • The Honourable Edward "Teddy" Meldrum (Michael Knowles) – Lord Meldrum's younger brother, he had been conscripted as a Captain into the British Army in 1915 and had served in the Infantry on the Western Front, where he was badly injured by a shell and carried back to the field hospital by Stokes and Twelvetrees. By 1927 the Honourable Teddy is still unmarried and living in his brother's house. The stereotypical upper-class twit, he has had relationships with five previous housemaids and has fathered children by them all: he cannot resist their "shiny, scrubbed faces" and scent of carbolic soap. He is being forced by his brother to marry Madge Cartwright, the heiress to a soap dynasty, although he is more interested in her maid, Rose.
  • Cecily "Cissy" Meldrum (Catherine Rabett) – Cissy is Lord Meldrum's elder daughter. Although attractive, she dresses in a masculine style, takes part in men's sports and activities, such as flying (she is a qualified pilot), and her feminine "chum" Penelope (Sorel Johnson) is a frequent house guest. Thus, although never explicitly stated, there are many suggestions that Cissy is a lesbian, the many clues to which are not entirely obvious to her father. Cissy is a pleasant character, who shows genuine concern for the family and servants alike, often giving away feminine items such as dresses and make-up to Ivy (whom she shows an attraction to in early episodes, frequently winking at her). She often socialises with her younger sister Poppy, but the two regularly bicker because of their differing attitudes. She proclaims herself a socialist and stands as a candidate for the United Workers Party, winning a seat on the council through Stokes's machinations.
  • Poppy Meldrum (Susie Brann) – Poppy is Lord Meldrum's younger daughter and is a spoiled and unpleasant character who attends 'wild' parties with her friend, Jerry (John D. Collins). She is quite a snob about her position in society, often ready to remind those lower of her position, although at other times she confesses to feeling trapped by her class. Throughout the series, she is attracted to the footman, James Twelvetrees, whom she delights in leading on, despite being aware of the problems it could cause for him. She has an on-off relationship with Jerry, who she abandons when she meets Dickie Metcalf, who is in fact a confidence trickster and is after her money.
  • Lady Lavender Southwick (Mavis Pugh) – Lady Lavender is Lord Meldrum's mother-in-law and she resides with her parrot, Captain, in the second bedroom of the house. She is very wealthy and has interests in many businesses, including a large number of shares in the Union Jack Rubber Company. Lavender was born into an aristocratic family in the early 1850s. We are given to understand that she led a somewhat promiscuous youth, having many affairs, including with Boris the Crown Prince (later King) of Dalmatia (Davy Kaye). She then became involved with a young army officer called Captain Cedric Dolby (Maurice Denham); the two later became engaged, but separated shortly before he was sent off to fight in the Zulu War. After the death of her husband, Lord Southwick, Lady Lavender moved in with her daughter and son-in-law, becoming increasingly reclusive and senile, and enjoyed throwing plates of food at Ivy, the maid. She calls the servants by alternative names of her choosing (calling Ivy 'Ethel', Henry 'Steven' and Stokes 'Capes'). She has no idea who Teddy is (when he explains he is "George's brother" she comments she has a son-in-law with that name).

Servants

  • Alf Stokes (Paul Shane) Butler – Alf Stokes is the scheming Butler. He is Ivy's father and is still married to Ivy's mother, despite their separation. Alf was a Private in the British Army on the Western Front, along with James Twelvetrees. After coming across the Honourable Teddy unconscious in a shell hole, Alf, believing him to be dead, attempted to mug him, much to James' disgust. After realising Teddy was alive, Alf decided to carry the injured Teddy back to the field hospital as a way of saving his own life. This act secures him the job as Butler nine years later at Lord Meldrum's house, after he is forced to return to service following a failed career in showbiz after the war. Throughout the series, Alf devises a number of schemes to scam Lord Meldrum of his money and possessions, although these usually fail. This dishonest aspect of his character was often an asset to Lord Meldrum; on a number of occasions Alf was required to create diversions for Sir Ralph. Alf despises the Meldrum family due to their wealth and high position, although he has genuine respect for Cissy due to her empathy for the working class. Alf also has a relationship with Mrs Lipton through the series, although it is revealed he did this just to borrow money from her.
  • James Twelvetrees (Jeffrey Holland) Footman – James Twelvetrees is the pompous Footman; the complete opposite of Alf Stokes – stern, upright and honest. His act of helping Alf carry the injured Honourable Teddy to the field hospital during the war also secured him his job in the Meldrum household, although he would never admit this to the other servants. He is not always a likeable character, usually siding with his masters instead of his own class and was often quite unpleasant to the other servants and those he considered lower than him, particularly Mabel and Henry. He is also shown to have his own foibles, such as his infatuation with Miss Poppy, a relationship which left him contemplating resignation at times. He is desired by many of the upper class ladies he served and downstairs by Ivy; this was not reciprocated, although he did show a platonic fondness for her. He goes on to compliment the series' examination of class, sexuality and gender issues, as well as the heritage cinema-inspired period detail of the piece, particularly in its location filming.

Bill Pertwee believed that the series was Croft and Perry's "crowning glory" as a writing partnership.

The series was the first British sitcom to feature a recurring lesbian character, in Cissy Meldrum. 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". 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."

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."

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) (Only Fools and Horses Series 6 and Series 7 have this trouble as well).

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. As of 2024, it is being shown on That's TV.

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

Spinoff Radio Series

A spinoff radio series featuring several members of the original T.V. series regulars is currently in production in 2025. Called 'James And Ivy' the cast includes Jeffrey Holland, Su Pollard and Perry Benson.

Jeffrey Holland & Su Pollard will be singing the theme tune composed by the original theme tune writer Roy Moore. This is in true David Croft style where one of the actors sings the theme song.

The official ‘James And Ivy’ Facebook page announced that the series will be released on the 15th May 2026.

References