Young Hyacinth

Kerry Howard thought she 'sucked' in Young Hyacinth

"I genuinely thought I sucked. When I was on set, I thought, 'I was awful. I'm going to get ripped apart. No one's going to give me a job again. This is the end of my dream career, it's over now'."

Which BBC sitcom revival deserves its own new series?

From Porridge to Goodnight Sweetheart and Are You Being Served? Which sitcom deserves another outing on our screens?

TV Review: Young Hyacinth

The always good and very versatile Kerry Howard is the star and it is basically Howard that makes this so watchable.

Young Hyacinth review

Roy Clarke has a lot of fun exploring what Hyacinth would have resembled in her younger days, and what life experiences might have shaped her pretentiousness.

This can't fail: Roy Clarke's prequel to his own Keeping Up Appearances adds Heartbeat-ish period charm to the formula of social ambition undone by pride and pratfalls. Hyacinth is a 19-year-old in the 1950s, desperate to drag her family out of their humble existence. Of course it's weak beer but Kerry Howard is brilliant in the lead, nailing her character's wobbly attempt to put on an RP accent and expertly hinting at Patricia Routledges manic intonation.

Young Hyacinth preview

Routledge herself has been scathing about the project, saying: 'Why are they doing this sort of thing? They must be desperate.' Though with Keeping Up Appearances being the BBC's top export, you can understand the 'why' very easily, even if there's unlikely to be little clamour for this prequel.

TV preview: Young Hyacinth, BBC1

In some ways this is the most interesting of the current Landmark Sitcom Season reboots, in some ways it is the least interesting.

BBC Landmark Sitcom Season: the revivals

As we were told several times during the Porridge screening, the BBC isn't looking to bring back any of these series back for now but I'm guessing if the ratings are good then any or all of the writers will be quickly called upon to write new episodes. However if none do go to series then I still think it was a nice little gesture to call back to some of Britain's best-loved sitcoms in this way. I agree with Allen when he says that comedy gets treated like a poor relation and watching these new variations on classic shows was a nice little treat. I do feel if this season does do one thing then it's highlighting the great comedy tradition we have in this country and to look to the future to see what new comedies that the BBC have in the pipeline.

I talk: Young Hyacinth

I had absolute faith in her to deliver a performance worthy of the prequel existing and now that I've seen the episode I'm pleased to say she delivers, and then some.

Keeping Up Appearances' special to get full series?

Keeping Up Appearances new one-off special Young Hyacinth may be turned into a full series if the forthcoming show proves a hit with viewers.