Michael, the Vicar (Keeping Up Appearances character)

This page is a list of main characters for the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, which ran from 1990 to 1995.

The show's protagonist is the social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket (née Walton), who insists that her surname is pronounced 'Bouquet' with the accent on the second syllable. Hyacinth's primary aims in life are to impress people, particularly of the upper and upper-middle classes, and to give the impression that she is of high social standing, despite her fairly average status. She describes herself as a "local celebrity", and believes she is held in high and enviable esteem by the community for her candlelight suppers, charity work and her involvement in the local amateur dramatics. In an attempt to make callers think she is well-off enough to employ domestic staff, she repeatedly (and famously) answers her beloved pearl-white slim line telephone with automatic redial facility with, "The Bouquet residence; the lady of the house speaking." Those around her despise her snobbery, her meddling and her refusal to listen to others, but she is a genuinely kind-hearted and loving person. Hyacinth tries to avoid her poorer or oddly-behaving relatives (Daisy, Onslow, Rose, Daddy and Bruce) and to hide the fact that she was born into the working-class, while boasting about her richer relative (Violet), in order to maintain her vaunted social status. She loves her family dearly (especially in the times of the year it gets dark early) and will rush to their aid in times of need.

She frequently refers to or makes preparations for her candlelight suppers, attendance of which almost seem mandatory, but we never actually see one in progress, although her main guests are Elizabeth, Emmet, the Vicar and the Vicar's wife.

Hyacinth is the eldest of four sisters: in birth order, herself, Daisy, Violet and Rose.

Hyacinth's long-suffering husband who is at her beck and call. Richard is a calm, tolerant and relaxed character who cares little for enhancing or preserving social status, and he seems content with his lower-middle class standing. He pronounces his last name, Bucket, as the English word, and snaps to Hyacinth in one episode, "It's not "Bouquet", it's Bucket! It was always Bucket until I met you". Richard Bucket married Hyacinth Walton (as she was back then) on December 14 1963 and moved into 21 or 22 Blossom Avenue at a later date.

Hyacinth believes that Richard's favourite hobby is gardening and repeatedly forces him to go into the garden to work on it, even though he makes it quite clear that he does not enjoy it. The main reason she nags Richard into constantly doing the gardening is to try to make people believe Richard could afford a gardener, but chooses not to as he enjoys gardening himself. Richard and Hyacinth's front garden is frequently seen, but the back garden is unseen. Hyacinth always criticises Richard for having a dead flower on her roses and also that her roses are smaller than the ones next door (which turn out to be a different variety).

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