Mary Millar

At Christmastime, Hyacinth is trying to impress as usual. She manages to get her poor husband Richard into a Father Christmas outfit but then has to confront with a very drunken "Daddy" who is making passes at the churchgoers.

After spending their first day in their new country retreat, Hyacinth and Richard realize that the grand address has microscopic accommodations.

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced 'bouquet') goes to incredible lengths in her quest for perfection. Hers is a spick-and-span house. Her downtrodden husband, Richard, acts as chauffeur in their immaculately kept car. Their permanently absent son has a superior name, Sheridan. Even the empty milk bottles sparkle on the doorstep after their obligatory rinse in the dishwasher. In marked contrast to Hyacinth's meticulously ordered life, however, the rest of her family live together in a rundown house that looks like a junkyard. Sister Daisy and her husband, Onslow, are slobs. Her other sister, Rose, is an aging tart. And her elderly father is a lecherous drunk, who cycles stark-naked down by the canal, chasing the milkwoman. Will Hyacinth ever live down the disgrace of her family?

When Daisy and Onslow inform Hyacinth that Daddy has disappeared, Hyacinth is most upset. She heads out in a search to find her father, who has decided to get married.