The late Pope Benedict XVI was a fan of the 90s sitcom classic Keeping Up Appearances, it was revealed last night.
A new documentary claims the German, who died last month, imitated Hyacinth Bucket’s posh telephone manners.
Pope Benedict XVI, who died last month, imitated Hyacinth Bucket’s posh telephone manners[/caption]
Hyacinth, played by now Dame Patricia Routledge, was a star of the 90s sitcom Keeping Up Appearances[/caption]
The Queen and Queen Mother are also said to be fans of the BBC comedy, which followed Hyacinth’s hilarious and misguided attempts to climb the social ladder.
Hyacinth, played by current Dame Patricia Routledge, pronounced her last name as “Bouquet”, and reserved her classiest voice while answering the phone at her “residence”.
And that would have led to an unlikely impersonation of Benedict XI, who shocked the world when he left the pope in 2013.
Last night’s documentary read: “There is a rumor that Pope Benedict made an impression of Hyacinthe’s telephone slogan, ‘Hello, this is the Bouquet residence’.”
Keeping Up Appearances: 30 Years of Laughs also included a conversation with Dame Patricia, 93, who revealed royalty watched the show.
She said: “We were one of the Queen Mother’s favorite sitcoms, which was lovely, and the Queen enjoyed it too.” The actress, who has also worked with Victoria Wood, added:
“Hyacinth would have been flattered beyond words, and why not?”
Richard, Hyacinth’s long-suffering husband, said his surname “was always Bucket until I met you”.
Clive Swift, who played him, died in 2019 at the age of 82.
The show ran between 1990 and 1995. In 2001, Hyacinth came in at No. 52 in a poll of TV’s 100 Greatest Characters.
Pope Benedict XVI served as head of the Catholic Church from 2005 to 2013.
He died at the age of 95.
